St. Nicholas Ale
Friars' Brewhouse

This was poured into a mug. The appearance was a dark muddy sort of brown color. Low riding little white head, quickly does off. Light lace. The aroma had some milk and dark chocolate, then some ginger, allspice, clove, and nutmeg. Candy cane? I wanted to say so, I could’ve sworn, I smelled that. The flavor leaned to the sweet side of the previously mentioned aromas. Some spice comes in, but very faint. Not much of any aftertaste. Sweet sort of chocolate finish. On the palate, this one was about medium bodied with a fair sipping quality about it. Good carbonation. ABV felt appropriate. Overall, nicely done Christmas ale, was worth my time during the Christmas I had it.

 

 

Black color with a couple fingers of mocha-tinted head with a vigorous pour. Woody and dry yeast smell, with baker's chocolate and some Christmas spices behind, including ginger and nutmeg. The mouthfeel is fairly thin, and you can almost feel the spices on the tongue. The taste follows the nose, with more cinnamon showing among the spices. Ginger becomes very prevalent as it warms. Despite some molasses flavor, there is nothing sweet in this beer whatsoever. The alcohol is well midden as well. It's a dry and yeasty gingerbread.