Christmas Ale - Goose Island Beer Co.

ckollias

Maryland

4.03/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed this 12oz bottle out of a porter glass.

A: Pours a solid amber hue with a 2-finger tan head that slowly dissipates down the side of the glass leaving a great trail and ending in a solid persistent lace.

S: Spicy malt aroma with a caramel background.

T: Similar to the smell there is a spicy sweet malt taste with caramel background flavor. Finished on the dry side of sweet.

M: Medium body and medium carbonation.

O: Excellent Christmas ale. Great aromas and flavor.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2012 02:26:02 | More by ckollias

thlayli87

New Jersey

3.53/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in nonic pint

A - Lovely medium brown with tan 3 finger head. Good lacing on the glass.

S - Caramel malt, cherries, piney hops

T - Caramel maltiness with some fruity notes. Nice balance. It doesn't hit you over the head with fruits like some.

M - Medium to full bodied with medium carbonation; Pretty well done, but not crazy about the style. Probably won't get this again.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2012 23:30:51 | More by thlayli87

Andrew61923

Connecticut

3.25/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured from 12 oz bottle into Portsmouth Brewery tulip. Bottled 8/31/12.

A: Pours a rich dark brown with a finger's worth of off-white head. Slowly dissipates into a thin halo with a few remaining bubbles and little lacing. Not bad, but not great.

S: A lot of dark fruit, earth, and some tea leaves. A bit confused as these aren't notes I would expect to be picking up from a brown.

T: Definitely confused. The same notes I was picking up in the nose are evident on the palette. Maybe I was expecting different from a brown, but this isn't what I had in mind. Not necessarily bad, but also not a traditional American brown.

M: Very drinkable overall and the ABV is moderate. Nothing extraordinary, but a stronger facet of the beer.

O: I wish I had sat on this a little bit longer to see how it developed. Overall, I find it to be pretty boring. While not bad by any means, I wouldn't reach for this again given the chance.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2012 04:21:56 | More by Andrew61923

inlimbo77

Delaware

3.55/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz, 11/5/12
Unmarked tulip

A: Pours a deep amber color. More of a chestnut than a brown here. Looks to be pretty filtered and clean. Didn't get a ton of head on the pour. There is carbonation, just not a lot.

S: Pulling more of a nuttiness on the nose here. Some caramel. Hints of chocolate. Not any coffee which is surprising. And I'm a little congested, but not getting some of the spices that people have mentioned.

T: Kind of a let down. Not a lot going on here. Don't get much by way of bitterness on the tip of the tongue. Mid palate, you start to taste those nutty malts. Getting mild chocolate. Maybe a hint of coffee. Finish is fairly dry. Lingering nuttiness.

M: Medium bodied.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2012 15:14:19 | More by inlimbo77

micromaniac129

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this at T J Smiths last night. Pours an amber copper brown with a light smallish head.
Lean carbonation made for a rather ho hum appearance.

The nose was small in aroma with sweet candied sugar, toffee and a suggestion of spice.
Taste was like the nose sweet candied sugar some malts toffee and dark stewed fruits.
It felt quite thick and syrupy on the palette. Drinks more like along the lines of an abbey ale like Ommegang's abbey ale for example.
Drinks easily and I could go either way with it.

Serving type: on-tap

12-16-2012 12:36:56 | More by micromaniac129

Lemke10

Wisconsin

4.33/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

I had this on-tap at Thunder Bay Grille in Rockford, IL in December 2012. This pours a medium brown color with an off-white head. The scent is sweet with malts with hints of nuts. The taste is toasted filled with lots of good spice flavor and nuts. Has a great texture and flavor making it a great all-around beer.

Serving type: on-tap

12-14-2012 05:46:48 | More by Lemke10

BenjaminBlondbeard

New York

3.88/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a deep brown with a one inch off white head of very thick foam with tiny bubbles comprising the soft head atop the near opaque ale.

There is a toasty malt smell that is reminiscent of sweet bread, caramel and a touch of chocolate.

It comes on like a good strong brown ale should. The sweet toasted breads, and caramel notes form the nose arise, plus fig fruitiness, and some pine and citrus flavors from the well placed hops. This seemingly thick ale has a medium body, and finishes clean, with subtle flavors sticking around in the background.

A very satisfying winter brown ale. Full bodied, but not too thick, or syrupy. It has a nice balance of very enjoyable flavors.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2012 03:05:26 | More by BenjaminBlondbeard

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -10%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

on tap at devils den in philly - served in pint

Pours a dark browned color with a hazy glow. Thinner tanned head rests on top, fading into some sticky lacing on the glass.

Slightly sweet with a faint spice. Hints of cinnamon and burnt sugar, although the typical holiday spice blend isn't really apparent here. Touches of caramel and chocolate with roasted malts and a hint of warmth.

Snap of sweetness and faint hops up front. Caramel and bread crust with toasted dark malts, followed by a hint of chocolate. Touch of dark fruit and raisin with some smooth sweetness. Finishes a little warm.

Medium body, decent carbonation, sticky and lingering on the tongue. This felt more of a crossover style between the typical winter warmer and brown ale, which was pretty refreshing. The spice was slightly muted. but still delivered another level of flavor to the beer.

Serving type: on-tap

12-14-2012 03:02:23 | More by xnicknj

DaveBlack

Virginia

3.58/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Rich, hazy auburn color. There's a 1/2 finger of off-white head that has a short retention but leaves a fair amount of lacing.

S: Malty, sweet, with chocolate and toffee and a bit of orange peel. Not all that exciting, but pleasant.

T: Toasted grains, chocolate, toffee, some malt bitterness and a finish of woody hops. The alcohol is fairly well hidden.

M: Sticky, moderate body with a moderate amount of carbonation.

O: I feel very meh about this beer. It's decent, but there's nothing about it that really stands out, either in terms of flavor or aroma, and there's nothing about it that says "holiday" or "Christmas." It's just a decent brown ale.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2012 23:09:28 | More by DaveBlack

ummswimmin

New Jersey

3.3/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I had this last night at a local restaurant. My waiter was raving about this beer, and I hadn't tried it (so why not?).

They served the beer in a pint glass with a tapered top. It came out in a dark brown with about a finger of head on it. It looked good for a brown ale.

The nose was pretty minimal. You get the malt and nuttiness. It wasn't bad, but there isn't anything impressive here.

The body is pretty bland. I get more of the malt from this beer and herbal hopping.

A decent brown ale. I would recommend this for newcomers to craft beer.

Serving type: on-tap

12-11-2012 22:14:15 | More by ummswimmin

BeerCon5

Pennsylvania

4.4/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a deep brown color, with about a finger of off-white foamy head that remains throughout the beer.

The scent is of toasted caramel malt, herbal hops, notes of yeast.

The taste is of toasted caramel and biscuity malt, moderately bitter herbal hops.

Medium body, smooth and creamy, moderate carbonation.

This was a very nice brown ale, full of rich flavor and easy to drink.

Serving type: on-tap

12-11-2012 15:55:28 | More by BeerCon5

JerzDevl2000

New Jersey

3.9/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked up a single bottle of this last week at Buy-Rite in Jersey City. I never had this before and I wasn't sure what to expect when I poured it out. It was a bit surprising to find out that this was a Brown Ale, because of how dark, complex, and strong this was. There's a lot going on here and probably just a bit too much for a seasonal offering. With that being said, this was quite nice and worth savoring since I actually had the time to let this warm up and attempt to grasp all that was here.

The pour to this was dark but still let some light through, with a moderately nice head with just a bit of lacing to be seen. Not much of an aroma to the nose with the exception of some dark fruit that became more pronounced when I drank this. Lots of figs, plums, some cinnamon, all on top of a very malty base that feels like the epitome of liquid bread, Here, it's in biscuit form and makes for a heavy beer that's quite cloying in the aftertaste. The bitterness never comes across too strong but the crystalline sugar does, helping to give this the look and feel of a Belgian Dark Ale.

This felt a lot stronger than the actual alcoholic content would imply. Because it's so complex and not as easygoing as most other Brown Ales that I've had, this didn't rate as highly as I would have liked. If you're tired of holiday beers that resemble Wassails or are too spicy, this would be a good alternative, even if this was deceptively complex for the implied style.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2012 08:47:42 | More by JerzDevl2000

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

2.75/5  rDev -27.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

A-dark hazy brown with a pretty apparent reddish tint. nice foamy tan head

S-matly and somewhat spoiled actually...like a pale ale that was let sit for way too long. does not smell good.

T-tastes a lot like a pale ale that sat for too long, though there's a large presence of grains. very grainy really. tastes like post boil wort. there is a slight bitterness here toward the end. matching after-taste. some spice reminiscent of a wheat beer

M-medium creamy carbonation with a dry finish

O-i do not enjoy this beer. Its like a weirdly aged, spoiled APA. i'm not sure what it was set out to be, but i'm guessing it failed. there's really nothing else to say. the only reason i'd ever suggest this to someone is to see if i got a spoiled bottle or something.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2012 01:00:44 | More by AdamBear

psuKinger

Pennsylvania

3.35/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bottle brought back from the Midwest by my buddy Matt, poured into a standard nonic.

A: Pours a deep dark ruby red, with a moderately thick off-white head on top with big pancake batter bubbles in the middle that didn't stick around for long.

S: Cinnamon and Nutmeg dominate. Some bready yeasts and cotton-candy like malt sweetness notes underneath. I'm not crazy about where this might be heading...

T: Taste follows the nose. Spiced so heavily you have to dig deep to find the "beer" here. A touchy of lemon zest and breadiness underneath indicates that a unique yeast strain was used. There's the slightest touch of pine bitterness on the back end. Malt sweetness overwhelms it, though, and the beer lacks balance as a result.

M: Hefty, thick, and sticky for such a moderate (6.2%) beer. Carbonation is a touch low. Finish is dry.

D/O: The bready/spicy yeast strain here gives it some staying power, and makes it *unique* compared to many other "classic over-spiced American Christmas Ales" on the market. But, by the time I finish this, I won't be itching to crack another one tonight.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2012 00:02:53 | More by psuKinger

kangarooAdam59

Maine

3.64/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Into a pint glass:

A: dark brown colored body yielding a big foamy two finger white head that appears and settles to a half finger giving way to some nice lacing left behind in rings. No carbonation is seen rising due to the dark body.

S: based around some caramel, bread, and malts.

T: takes those previously mentioned aromas to make it exceptionally sweet. There's a slight toastiness coming out as well.

M: medium with a dry finish and a sticky aftertaste.

O: not bad for a American Brown Ale that's a seasonal. I'd probably get it again, but not necessarily need it for the Christmas season.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 00:10:50 | More by kangarooAdam59

andrewjraab

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A. Cloudy dark brown, big foamy off white head. Nice head stick and retention.

S. caramel, dates, baked bread, malts

T. A full bodied brown ale that starts features an array of favors and complexity. A heavy dose of toasted malts, chewy like biscuity flavor, and even seems to give some spices before a drying bitter finish.

O. This brew came highly acclaimed and I have to say Im a wee bit dissapointed. Overall very solid just didn't blow me away. I will definitely try again as I actually have last years version in the basement.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2012 03:18:15 | More by andrewjraab

ianjsullivan

Maryland

3.53/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

ST: 12oz poured into a pint glass.

A: Murky cider brown with a thick off white head, and it leaves thick circular lacing.

S: Sweet syrup malt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and dark fruits

T: Dark fruit, spicy, bread, a bit of bitterness, burnt alcohol, and alcohol on the finish.

M: Medium

O: Interesting flavors, but a bit unbalanced. The bitterness tastes green throughout and does not mesh well with the alcohol in the finish. Some tasty bread, caramel notes are present.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2012 22:30:55 | More by ianjsullivan

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

3.55/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

2012 vintage poured from a bottle into a tumbler pint, the beer is a bright, vibrant, opaque, amber brown coloring with some unfiltered suspensions throughout. Sparse, filmy white surface coating with a slightly thicker ring around the glass. Aromas of nut sweetness, tangy caramel, sugary sweetness, old world fruits, and a floral hops presence. Pretty unique nose, and well blended, as it was hard to tease out specifics. Flavors are a solid lead punch of old world fruits, including date and fig, with a subtle ribbon of tart fruit sweetness, as well as tangy caramel and rich hazelnut. Very strong, deep, big, sweet flavors on the palate. Cloying is just cut short by an overpowered bitter hops profile, but that, too, is eventually overpowered. The sweet, earthy tones begin to overrun your taste buds. Dark cherry and oak characteristics come into the aftertaste, giving this a wine-like feel at the end of the drink, especially as you continue to drink and characteristics build. Rich, robust flavors on a mid-bodied brew lead to a rich, slightly cloying finish. Interesting, big brew, and great for the cold weather, but this one has a lot going on.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2012 01:14:11 | More by GarthDanielson

Moose90

Colorado

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Bottled: 09/18/12

Poured into tulip pint glass.

A: Nice dark amber, little to no head, but does have solid lacing. This is a good looking beer.

S: Nice and malty, some christmas spice for sure, and a little brown sugar.

T: Carmel and malt. Slightly sweet, but has a good nuttiness to it. No hint of alcohol, surprisingly easy drinking.

M: Medium-Light body, just the right amount of carbonation.

O: Not as dark as some other winter styles, this is a nice switch up from the standard big winter warmer. Pretty much a solid amber ale with some christmas style spices. Would purchase again.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 00:17:36 | More by Moose90

JuicesFlowing

Kansas

4.2/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a shaker pint glass.

The beer is a deep ruby-cinnamon color. A foamy off white head slowly recedes while leaving light lacing on the glass.

The beer smells very distinct. Candied yams, cinnamon gummies, cherry candy, warm sweet malts. Very, very festive.

The taste is much like the aroma, but it has more of a cinnamon body. It's spicy and warm, and gives off a very Christmas-like notion. A lot of sweetness in here that's not overly so. Cinnamon, cherry, bread, biscuits, and very comforting.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, maybe sticky.

Overall, this is the most unique Christmas Ale I've had in 2012. It really does taste like a Christmas dessert. The bottle says it's 7.2% ABV which is in conflict with this page, perhaps they change the ABV each year. But even at 7.2%, it goes down very easy. I'm honestly surprised I like this as much as I do. I might have to buy more.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 04:47:11 | More by JuicesFlowing

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-Pours a slightly cloudy crimson-highlighted brown color. Head has a great toasted-orange tint. It dies off and leaves mild lacing. Light glow.

S-Interesting. Dark fruits; definitely dried cherries. Light sprinkles of Holiday spices. Pretty much all malt. Not detecting much hop. Fruity and spicy and sweet. This beer at its base is a Brown Ale and you can tell. Enticing aroma.

T-Spice is all riled up here. The Brown Ale aspects shine too. That airy cherry note found in the nose is still there and it is quite delectable. A tasty secondary flavor of soon-to-be-flat cola. A little sting of medicine. Caramel and toffee and brown sugar. Bits of crushed nuts. Its also as if someone sprinkled some nutmeg atop the beer's head or maybe on the rim.

M-Medium bodied. Alcohol pops up a bit. Mild dryness and a very soft bitterness. Carbonation is well set.

O/D-It has a bunch of what you'll find in most Winter/Christmas Ales, but it also has just as many aspects that are unique. It is definitely my kind of Holiday brew. I love how it sticks to its Brown Ale skeleton. I like this a lot. I could definitely see myself battling over whether to buy this or Sierra Nevada Celebration the next time I am in the Holiday spirit.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 02:57:14 | More by VelvetExtract

Beaver13

Colorado

3.65/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle, bottled on 09/18/12 - 2012 7.3% ABV version. Pours dark reddish brown with a medium creamy light tan head that retains well and laces the glass.

The aroma is sweet nutty malts, brown sugar and dark fruits and a little alcohol.

The flavor is sweet sugary nutty malts, dark fruit and some fruitcake with a medium bitter alcohol bite in the finish. The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with smooth carbonation.

Overall, a nicely balanced Christmas beer. A tad much on the sweet and nutty side for me.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2012 00:08:19 | More by Beaver13

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.93/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

2012 Vintage poured from a bottle into a pint glass

Appearance – Pours a murky brown color with red highlights showing through. Upon pouring there is a thick two finger cream colored head that has fantastic retention. The head very slowly fades over time, with it leaving some nice lacing on the sides of the glass.

Smell – The aroma is sweet and spicy. It has a large fruity smell consisting of darker fruit aromas of cherry, fig and prune with a good strong dose of apple cider and a caramel aroma. Mixed with the fruit smells are spices consisting mainly of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. These aromas, when mixed with the fruit and a light alcohol smell, give a mulled cider aroma that is quite pleasant.

Taste – The taste begins bready with some lighter notes of fruit sweetness, roasted malt, and caramel. The fruit is largely of an apple flavor up front but is soon joined by some dark fruit flavors as the taste advances and overall sweetens the brew a bit. While the taste is sweetened a bit, it never really gets too sweet. Along with the growth of the fruit flavors also comes the presence of spices of nutmeg and allspice. At the end an alcohol flavor mixed with a clove spice come big to the taste and combined with the fruit, roasted bready and other spice flavors to leave a rather odd roasted, fruity, almost bitter spiced flavor on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is chewy and thick with a carbonation level that is rather on the lower side. The chewy thickness of the brew mixed with the lower carbonation fill the mouth with the bready, spice, and fruity flavors allowing all these tastes to be fully sensed by the tongue. When mixed with the warming alcohol taste, the thick body was great for the brew.

Overall – It was a pretty decent brew. Other than a rather odd spicy aftertaste that the brew leaves on the tongue, all other aspects of the beer are very nice. It is worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2012 00:30:54 | More by Darkmagus82

BEERMILER12

Maine

3.68/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottled On: 09/18/12

A: Pours a dark amber color with a finger and a half's worth of off-white head that retains fairly well and leaves some nice lacing

S: A solid maltiness along with subtle spices and caramel notes

T: Starts off malty with some caramel notes. Some nuttiness come through after that. Some ginger and other subtle spices come through as well, but don't overpower. Alcohol is well hidden

M: Medium bodied with moderate prickly carbonation

O: Certainly an interesting take on a brown ale. The spices are nice, but it seems like something is off with them. A nice switch up from the usual winter warmer, though

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2012 05:11:49 | More by BEERMILER12

philbe311

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - A finger's worth of dense ultra creamy rich khaki colored head... Excellent retention... The color is a medium-to-slightly dark brown reminiscent of caramel or molasses... There is a slight cherry hue... A good bit of sluggish to moderate paced carbonation... Gobs of lacing cling to the glass...

S - Caramel... Brown sugar... Toasted malts... Perhaps some fig and raisins... Simple, malt forward and rather pleasing...

T - Toasted malts... Brown sugar... Loaded with nuttiness... Some dark fruit notes... Very light notes of caramel and chocolate... The faintest notes of cherry and spiciness... A very light earthy hop presence on the finish as well... Nice complexity and good balance...

M - Medium bodied... Lush, smooth and creamy to smooth... The bite of the carbonation emerges next and is quite lively... The finish is a touch dry...

D - Very quaffable... Quite enjoyable... A very nice rather unheralded winter seasonal from Goose Island... This one will easily be in the annual rotation going forward... Heck, I may even invest in another four pack yet this year...

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2012 02:27:11 | More by philbe311