I found this one at Papa Joes in Richmond Indiana. I went there to get a few other spirits and as I was paying for it I just happened to turn around and a colorful display caught my eye. It came in a gift pack with six bottles of beer and a free Christmas Ale Chalice.
It poured a nice cloudy dark amber with a deep tan head. The head lasted a long time and when it finally settled down it left lots of thick lacing on the side of my new chalice. It had a thick malty aroma and you could really smell the holiday spices. I don’t know what they use to spice it up, (maybe some ginger and/or brown sugar?) but it smelled like something you would want to savor. I was right, the taste was a good mix of malts and spices with a hint of hops. I held each sip in my mouth for a couple of seconds before I swallowed it and it left a slight bitterness on the back of my tongue. It had a medium-full bodied mouthfeel and a smooth spicy finish. With and 8.5% ABV and the thick bready nature of this brew, two or three is about all I could drink. There was still a tan blanket of foam floating on top of the beer until the very last drink.
Personally, I like a winter beer with a little bit more hoppiness, but this one is definitely a winter winner. It would be a good pre-meal or desert beer. It could even be considered a meal unto itself if you drink one after a midnight shift right before you hit the sack. It’s a little pricey but if you work as hard as I do, you deserve a really good beer now and then, and this is one good beer.
P-O-R-C-H rating: H
Posted by Mr. Porch