BS: This season's Christmas ales - verdict?

Subject: This season's Christmas ales - verdict?
From: Will Fly
Date: 14 Jan 10 - 09:31 AM

The festive season has been and gone and, as usual, we've been sampling the ales brewed for the season - the winter warmers, the old ales and the Christmas ales in my area.

The ale which drew the most acclaim from my family and friends was Harvey's Christmas Ale on draught (brewed at Harveys Brewery in Lewes, Sussex, UK) - winey, mellow and with the taste of Christmas in every mouthful. Mind you, at 8.1% ABV, it's not a session beer!

Harveys Old and King's Old (brewed in Horsham) were also voted as being very good.

Any others been a hit with you?

Subject: RE: This season's Christmas ales - verdict?
From: Will Fly
Date: 14 Jan 10 - 09:32 AM

Sorry - forgot the "BS" prefix!

Subject: RE: This season's Christmas ales - verdict?
From: RTim
Date: 14 Jan 10 - 09:35 AM

Have you tried - Hook Norton's "Twelve Days".
It is only brewed over the Christmas period for sale as a draught beer, but can be obtained at other times as a bottled beer.
It is my favourite beer of all time - a little strong for normal drinking (I like their Dark which is only 3.2% - but WONDERFUL!), but well worth trying.

Tim radford

Subject: RE: This season's Christmas ales - verdict?
From: RTim
Date: 14 Jan 10 - 09:36 AM

I don't agree with the "BS" - this is NOT BS!

Tim

Subject: RE: BS: This season's Christmas ales - verdict?
From: Will Fly
Date: 14 Jan 10 - 10:05 AM

I don't agree with the "BS" - this is NOT BS!

Oh - I don't know - BS could stand for "Beer Sampling"...

Actually, Hook Norton beers are great, though I don't know where they can be got down here. I once stayed in Hook Norton for a week - didn't know where to turn first for the taste of Old Hooky. What strength is Twelve Days?

Subject: RE: BS: This season's Christmas ales - verdict?
From: Zen
Date: 14 Jan 10 - 10:15 AM

Santa's Little Belter (Houston) was decent.

Subject: RE: BS: This season's Christmas ales - verdict?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 14 Jan 10 - 10:31 AM

Robinsons 'Mr Scrooge Humbug bitter' was a splendid dark-ish beer (described by the brewery as 'mahogany') and at 4.4% ABV was strong enough for a winter beer but not that much as to make the next morning uncomfortable:-)

Hic

DeG

Subject: RE: BS: This season's Christmas ales - verdict?
From: Will Fly
Date: 14 Jan 10 - 10:45 AM

The guest beer in my local for the past 3-4 weeks has been Theakstons "Old Peculier" - very nice indeed for the early evening session in the Old Gits corner. At 5.6% ABV, two pints is enough for me to enjoy my dinner! Not just a winter ale, I grant you, but certainly in the spirit of it.

Subject: RE: BS: This season's Christmas ales - verdict?
From: Leadfingers
Date: 14 Jan 10 - 11:13 AM

The Good Intent had a dozen different Christmas Ales at the Wassail Weekend ! ALL Excellent , but dont ask me for details - I was NOT driving !

Subject: RE: BS: This season's Christmas ales - verdict?
From: RTim
Date: 14 Jan 10 - 12:24 PM

Twelve Days is 5.5%.
Since Hooky re-formulated the Best Bitter making it 3.6% instead of 3.4%, I don't think it is as good.
For awhile The Bell in Adderbury (once my second home) used to sell the old style Hooky Bitter branded with its own name (something the Brewery did for awhile) and it was called Old Chimer, and that was good.
I now live in the USA and Hooky is like gold dust or hen's teeth. You can get it in Bottle form through a USA importer and via one of their distributors, but every time I try in Massachusetts, they are out of stock!!!

Tim Radford

Subject: RE: BS: This season's Christmas ales - verdict?
From: ClaireBear
Date: 14 Jan 10 - 01:10 PM

For us Californians, the annual Anchor Steam Christmas Ale was absolutely wonderful this year. Anchor creates a unique recipe each year -- always good, but this one was exceptional. Here's a Web link: (clickety click)

ClaireBeer -- oops, I mean Bear

Subject: RE: BS: This season's Christmas ales - verdict?
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 14 Jan 10 - 06:33 PM

Had something with Rudolph in the name of it just before Christmas... it was good.. very tasty... but that's all I can remember of it! Couldn't even tell you which pub I was in (except it was opposite the Ritz Hotel and probably named after a posh geezer), let alone which brewery!

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: This season's Christmas ales - verdict?
From: mandotim
Date: 15 Jan 10 - 06:50 AM

Whim Ales produce a killer winter stout called 'Black Christmas', at 6.2% ABV. Trouble is, it's remarkably easy to drink for a strong beer, and has produced some interesting effects among the regulars at the Wilkes Head in Leek, including one poor guy halucinating that he was being chased round his bedroom by bears. This year a mysterious barrel was delivered, with a handwritten label on it, which said 'Oh Jesus, 666'. It turned out to be a barrel that the brewery had carefully kept since Christmas 2008. This 'vintage' beer turned out to be really sensational, with no 'off' flavours at all and a deep, nutty taste all of its own. The '666' referred to an ABV of 6.66%, by the way, although the effects were indeed diabolical.