Xmas Dub
Lo Rez Brewing

Had on tap. Semi-opaque dark brown body with a tan cap. Smell is laced with the Christmas spices with vague dark fruit and malt supporting. Taste has the yeast emerge as a star to pair with the spices really pleasantly, the light but smooth dark malts evoke big date and subtler raisin. Feel is lighter and smooth with a rising yeast and spiced texture toward the airy finish. Fun for the holidays indeed

A fun brew full of holiday spices. Bought from Beermiscuous.
I think/hope Lo Rez has produced here a good base for a standard dubbel to complement the table.

Almost every brew I have from Lo Rez indicates a progression in getting the yeast right.
Poured into Westmalle's elegant goblet, Xmas Dub Looks like it has game: a nice amber (albeit ale cloudy) with a decent foam (although it still needs to learn how to swirl like the masters.) I also give Looks points for the artwork and I'm glad Lo Rez has loosened up from such serious artistic visions and portrays Santa and his happy elves in a sufficiently happy way.

Smells are very much holiday spices, perhaps too strong to let the dark fruits play their role in this style. Tastes seem to follow closely; but I'm starting to suspect that the spices are camouflage for feeble fruits. Light to medium-mouthed, there are sufficient bubbles to cleanse the palate of the season's assault on the buds with spices and fat.

I've now had 15 different ales from Lo Rez and a healthy number of repeats. Of the three Belgian-inspired micros in Chicago (one from each side of the City), Lo Rez (the west-sider) has over-taken in my book Whiner (the south-sider.) But, let the games continue.