Schlafly Christmas Ale | The Schlafly Tap Room
Brewed by:
The Schlafly Tap Room
Missouri, United States
schlafly.com
Style: Winter Warmer
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 8.00%
Availability: Winter
Notes / Commercial Description:
Our Christmas Ale is a warming winter ale that blends the spices of the season with sweet caramel malt. Orange peel, juniper berries, ginger root, cardamom and cloves are added for spiciness. We use honey in the fermentation process, which raises the ABV without producing too much heat from the alcohol content.
Many breweries produce richer, higher alcohol beers for the winter holiday season, bolder than their year-round offerings. The inspiration for this beer came from spiced holiday beverages such as wassail and mulled wines. Around the holidays, the sweet and spicy aromas, not to mention the booze, in such libations tend to smooth the rougher edges of enjoying each other’s company and spreading goodwill.
30 IBU
Added by hopsaplenty on 11-02-2006
HISTOGRAM
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Ratings: 561 | Reviews: 194
4.15/5 rDev +12.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Enjoyed at the brewpub in St Louis, reviews from notes.
A: 1.5 finger head with nice lacing on a clear amber body. Nice head retention.
S: caramel malt, toffee, peppermint and cinnamon.
T: very similar to the nose with spices of the season including nutmeg, mint, cinnamon with barley, breads and ginger.
M: medium body and moderate carbonation.
Overall: very nice seasonal brew. Not usually a fan of seasonal beers but this one is very good and matches well with the season.
480 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Enjoyed at the brewpub in St Louis, reviews from notes.
A: 1.5 finger head with nice lacing on a clear amber body. Nice head retention.
S: caramel malt, toffee, peppermint and cinnamon.
T: very similar to the nose with spices of the season including nutmeg, mint, cinnamon with barley, breads and ginger.
M: medium body and moderate carbonation.
Overall: very nice seasonal brew. Not usually a fan of seasonal beers but this one is very good and matches well with the season.
480 characters
3.86/5 rDev +4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
a cool christmas beer, a drinker, not a novelty. the pour is amber to red, darker than that, but not brown at all, mostly clear, and a minimal head. the nose is really boozy, but juniper and cardamom permeate too. love the taste of this, complex, fruity, spicy, strong, and as drinkable as any holiday ale or winter warmer out there in terms of subtle and not dominant or aggressive spice notes. sour fruit up front, sweet finish, daring but approachable at the same time. body is thin, too thin really. it lends to drinkability, but it makes it less of a winter warmer in the classic sense. its carbonated fine, but its just a tad too little on body for me, especially given how alcoholic this is. better and better as it warms. overall an exceptional holiday brew, a must try at the taproom.
edit: revisiting this years later an really digging it. maybe its just the first of these for the season, but this really pops to me as unique in terms of its spice complexion, its warming and merry and cheerful, i like the way this tastes and i like the way it makes me feel. one of the better seasonal beers these guys do! wonderful on a freezing cold and wet saturday afternoon.
1,176 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
a cool christmas beer, a drinker, not a novelty. the pour is amber to red, darker than that, but not brown at all, mostly clear, and a minimal head. the nose is really boozy, but juniper and cardamom permeate too. love the taste of this, complex, fruity, spicy, strong, and as drinkable as any holiday ale or winter warmer out there in terms of subtle and not dominant or aggressive spice notes. sour fruit up front, sweet finish, daring but approachable at the same time. body is thin, too thin really. it lends to drinkability, but it makes it less of a winter warmer in the classic sense. its carbonated fine, but its just a tad too little on body for me, especially given how alcoholic this is. better and better as it warms. overall an exceptional holiday brew, a must try at the taproom.
edit: revisiting this years later an really digging it. maybe its just the first of these for the season, but this really pops to me as unique in terms of its spice complexion, its warming and merry and cheerful, i like the way this tastes and i like the way it makes me feel. one of the better seasonal beers these guys do! wonderful on a freezing cold and wet saturday afternoon.
1,176 characters
3.64/5 rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.63/5 rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
3.92/5 rDev +6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Shlafly's special offerings usually fare well, but it's the standard beers that sometimes fall short. The experience with this beer leads to a wonderful, light, spicy flavor, but with a lesser body. Opens with a bright copper / orange hue with great clarity, initial head formation that lacked staying power. Spicy aromas of curraco, clove, and giner dominate the modest malt profile. Flavors bring more than just a hint of these spices, but allowing a smooth caramel malt flavor to balance and smoothen. Somewhat dry and thin in the textures, leading to a crisp, grahm-cracker finish. Very nice, drinkable beer, but a more round body would have helped.
653 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Shlafly's special offerings usually fare well, but it's the standard beers that sometimes fall short. The experience with this beer leads to a wonderful, light, spicy flavor, but with a lesser body. Opens with a bright copper / orange hue with great clarity, initial head formation that lacked staying power. Spicy aromas of curraco, clove, and giner dominate the modest malt profile. Flavors bring more than just a hint of these spices, but allowing a smooth caramel malt flavor to balance and smoothen. Somewhat dry and thin in the textures, leading to a crisp, grahm-cracker finish. Very nice, drinkable beer, but a more round body would have helped.
653 characters
3.55/5 rDev -3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
This is a 2010 bottle poured from a bottle into a standard pint glass.
Appearance: Pours a slightly cloudy amber with a finger and a half of off white head. There is an alright amount of retention and no real lacing on this one.
Smell: Sweet caramel malt with some spices and dark fruit as well. The fruity notes remind me a bit of cherry.
Taste: Follows closely from the smell. The malt sweetness blends well with the spice and fruit notes. There is a slight bitterness in the finish with no real alcohol presence.
Mouthfeel: Medium body with smooth carbonation and a dry finish.
Overall: The time has improved this beer a bit. The lack of alcohol is a good thing. The spices have faded a bit, but still smooth and good.
726 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
This is a 2010 bottle poured from a bottle into a standard pint glass.
Appearance: Pours a slightly cloudy amber with a finger and a half of off white head. There is an alright amount of retention and no real lacing on this one.
Smell: Sweet caramel malt with some spices and dark fruit as well. The fruity notes remind me a bit of cherry.
Taste: Follows closely from the smell. The malt sweetness blends well with the spice and fruit notes. There is a slight bitterness in the finish with no real alcohol presence.
Mouthfeel: Medium body with smooth carbonation and a dry finish.
Overall: The time has improved this beer a bit. The lack of alcohol is a good thing. The spices have faded a bit, but still smooth and good.
726 characters
3.77/5 rDev +2.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A - Poured out an orange/burgandy color with a tan, one-finger head that left some soapy lace. It also had a cloudy appearance.
S - It smelled of tons of clove, nutmeg and orange.
T - It tasted of a good deal of spice. It brought a little heat. It tasted a little like a pumpkin pie.
M - It was crisp and sharp. It had a warmth due to the alcohol. A medium-bodied beer.
D - This was a really good beer. It is probably the best herbed/spiced brew that I've ever had.
469 characters
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A - Poured out an orange/burgandy color with a tan, one-finger head that left some soapy lace. It also had a cloudy appearance.
S - It smelled of tons of clove, nutmeg and orange.
T - It tasted of a good deal of spice. It brought a little heat. It tasted a little like a pumpkin pie.
M - It was crisp and sharp. It had a warmth due to the alcohol. A medium-bodied beer.
D - This was a really good beer. It is probably the best herbed/spiced brew that I've ever had.
469 characters
3.67/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
4.08/5 rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Schlafly Christmas Ale
12 oz. bottle; $2.49 @ Joe Canal's, Egg Harbor Twp., NJ
Wow, what a great beer! I'm surprised I've never tried this before, but then again I am a little "gun shy" when it comes to spiced beers. This one, however, delivers a dark caramel malt base and yeasty fruitiness that are fuller than the spiciness - the spicing just adds to it rather than being the main event or the first thing you run into.
It's a little bit sweet, but that's balanced by the spices and a nice bit of fruitiness (plum, raisin, apple, cherry). And the spices aren't overdone. I'd imagine you could have two of these in a row without having either the sweetness or spice build up on your palate. At the same time, it's not a weak or light beer, it's pretty flavorful. There's a decent amount of malt here, and a good 8% abv to boot!
Maybe it's the choice of spices that I like so much: orange peel, juniper berries, ginger root, cardamom and cloves; and the fact that they're so bright and that I can actually pick each one out. But there's no cinnamon or nutmeg either, and that makes a difference as they both tend to be a bit heavy and stick on the palate. And although a lot of people like to think of cinnamon and nutmeg as "Christmas spices", I think this one tastes just fine.
I'm not sure that I would drink it other than as a seasonal, or with special events, but I'm really impressed and I think that it would make a great after-dinner beer, or even an apertif. Quite nice!
1,486 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Schlafly Christmas Ale
12 oz. bottle; $2.49 @ Joe Canal's, Egg Harbor Twp., NJ
Wow, what a great beer! I'm surprised I've never tried this before, but then again I am a little "gun shy" when it comes to spiced beers. This one, however, delivers a dark caramel malt base and yeasty fruitiness that are fuller than the spiciness - the spicing just adds to it rather than being the main event or the first thing you run into.
It's a little bit sweet, but that's balanced by the spices and a nice bit of fruitiness (plum, raisin, apple, cherry). And the spices aren't overdone. I'd imagine you could have two of these in a row without having either the sweetness or spice build up on your palate. At the same time, it's not a weak or light beer, it's pretty flavorful. There's a decent amount of malt here, and a good 8% abv to boot!
Maybe it's the choice of spices that I like so much: orange peel, juniper berries, ginger root, cardamom and cloves; and the fact that they're so bright and that I can actually pick each one out. But there's no cinnamon or nutmeg either, and that makes a difference as they both tend to be a bit heavy and stick on the palate. And although a lot of people like to think of cinnamon and nutmeg as "Christmas spices", I think this one tastes just fine.
I'm not sure that I would drink it other than as a seasonal, or with special events, but I'm really impressed and I think that it would make a great after-dinner beer, or even an apertif. Quite nice!
1,486 characters
3.33/5 rDev -9.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
12 oz 2013 bottle served in a goblet.
Body is dark red-brown with excellent clarity. Head has decent retention.
Smells and tastes like a spicy brown ale. The spice mix seems odd and not entirely appealing in the nose, but works better in the taste.
The spicing, while obvious and a bit strong for some ales, is not so powerful as to mask the caramel and medium roast malts used in this ale. Still, seems a bit too spicy and slightly too sweet
Medium body with medium carbonation..
486 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
12 oz 2013 bottle served in a goblet.
Body is dark red-brown with excellent clarity. Head has decent retention.
Smells and tastes like a spicy brown ale. The spice mix seems odd and not entirely appealing in the nose, but works better in the taste.
The spicing, while obvious and a bit strong for some ales, is not so powerful as to mask the caramel and medium roast malts used in this ale. Still, seems a bit too spicy and slightly too sweet
Medium body with medium carbonation..
486 characters
3.75/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.75/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.55/5 rDev -3.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
3.08/5 rDev -16.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
On tap at Churchkey. Served in a snifter.
Pours a light bronze color with only a half finger of head to start out with and that doesn't last all that long. There is a light ring a foam around the edges of the glass for some time. The nose is quite muted, not something I'd expect from a Christmas ale. As it warms, there's just a hint of light spicing with a bit of cinnamon.
The taste is a bit more pungent and the mild spices are fairly tame and well-distributed. At the same time, the beer is completely one dimensional and I'm not sure I'm enjoying that dimension all that much. Light cinnamon and some ginger are what I pick up as well as a bit of light malt. The spicing is nice on the medium body. This is a fairly-drinkable winter brew, but it's not all that special in the end.
788 characters
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
On tap at Churchkey. Served in a snifter.
Pours a light bronze color with only a half finger of head to start out with and that doesn't last all that long. There is a light ring a foam around the edges of the glass for some time. The nose is quite muted, not something I'd expect from a Christmas ale. As it warms, there's just a hint of light spicing with a bit of cinnamon.
The taste is a bit more pungent and the mild spices are fairly tame and well-distributed. At the same time, the beer is completely one dimensional and I'm not sure I'm enjoying that dimension all that much. Light cinnamon and some ginger are what I pick up as well as a bit of light malt. The spicing is nice on the medium body. This is a fairly-drinkable winter brew, but it's not all that special in the end.
788 characters
3.62/5 rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Good starting head that settles quickly but leaves some decent spotty lace. The color is darker amber and appears to be perfectly clear.
Aroma: Lots of cinnamon, nutmeg and sweet molasses. There's a some lesser clove and alcohol smell.
Starts off spritzy and malty. It transitions into white peppery spice. The aftertaste is very dry and the alcohol warms the throat. Relatively thin body but this may be from the high carbonation.
433 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Good starting head that settles quickly but leaves some decent spotty lace. The color is darker amber and appears to be perfectly clear.
Aroma: Lots of cinnamon, nutmeg and sweet molasses. There's a some lesser clove and alcohol smell.
Starts off spritzy and malty. It transitions into white peppery spice. The aftertaste is very dry and the alcohol warms the throat. Relatively thin body but this may be from the high carbonation.
433 characters
3.5/5 rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Schlafly Christmas Ale from The Schlafly Tap Room
Beer rating:
3.69 out of
5 with
561 ratings
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