Holly Jolly Christmas Ale - Fat Heads Brewery & Saloon

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Fat Head's Holly Jolly Christmas Ale. Served in a pint glass.

Very much cloudy (noticed some sludge at the bottom of the bottle after pouring). Caramel brown color. Beige head peaked at almost two fingers. Didn't sustain long.

I get cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, clove, and thyme. Pretty phenomenal that it's easy to pick these all out. Rugged maltiness offers toast, but the aroma is not complete without the interpretations of minty hops.

Cinnamon and spice, and everything nice. Cinnamon, clove, allspice, malty toast, spicy alcohol, brown sugar, and some hops in the finish. Sweeter than it is bitter. Tastes classically like a winter warmer, but has a nice buttery sweetness in the middle.

Very lively carbonation. It has a warm alcohol note, which is nice. The body isn't memorable, but it works.

Great nose and pleasant flavor. An accomplished winter warmer, or apparently, a spiced beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2012 04:33:52 | More by thecheapies

InspectorBob

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev +1.6%

06-16-2013 13:31:45 | More by InspectorBob

randylangford

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -5.1%

06-09-2013 03:00:10 | More by randylangford

thehappybelgian

Ohio

4/5  rDev +8.4%

06-08-2013 04:04:05 | More by thehappybelgian

basickness

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +8.4%

05-14-2013 15:33:32 | More by basickness

barflybastard

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +1.6%

05-12-2013 23:38:21 | More by barflybastard

millerbuffoon

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -5.1%

05-06-2013 21:16:10 | More by millerbuffoon

KevinGordon

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +8.4%

05-02-2013 02:34:32 | More by KevinGordon

prototypic

Ohio

3.65/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Holly Jolly pours a deep copper color. Looks to be clear for the most part. Backlighting shows attractive crimson highlights. I like the color quite a bit! An off-white head covers the top. It stands just a little over a finger tall. Retention was on the shorter side. It fell back to a surface covering quickly. Lacing was moderate and spotty. Not bad.

The nose is good. The malt base smells nice. It features some caramel notes, but doesn’t smell overly sweet. Toasted malts and a bit of light chocolate are also noted. Holiday spices are rather strong in the mix. Cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg are front and center. There’s a rather strong piney or spruce scent that follows. It’s not bad, but smells just a tad strong for this guy. Alcohol is blended pretty well. This bottle is listed as 7.4% abv. Smells good overall.

The flavor isn’t quite as good. The malt base is solid. It’s a mix of light caramel, chocolate, and toasted malts. The chocolate variety tastes like cocoa, and the caramel sweetness is held in check pretty well. The piney, spruce-like flavor follows and is a bit too strong for me. Not bad, just too strong. Holiday spices follow. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger are all present and add quite a bit of flavor. Alcohol isn’t all that strong. It’s blended well. Finishes spruce-y, spicy, and sweet.

Holly Jolly has a medium body. Carbonation is dialed back nicely and is light and soft. It’s smooth and easy drinking for the most part. The spruce flavor grows a tad tiresome, but I’ll still finish the bottle!

Holly Jolly is a pretty solid Winter Warmer from Fat Heads Brewery. Here in Ohio, it’s not a threat to dethrone Great Lakes Christmas Ale, but it’s a nice supplement to the Christmas season. If the strong sprucey, piney flavor could be toned down a little, it’d be even better. Easy recommendation nevertheless.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2013 13:51:04 | More by prototypic

tmars13

3/5  rDev -18.7%

03-03-2013 18:34:41 | More by tmars13

sixerofelixir

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -5.1%

02-28-2013 01:16:59 | More by sixerofelixir

mrebeka

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -5.1%

02-23-2013 19:59:55 | More by mrebeka

Stinger80OH

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev +1.6%

01-15-2013 15:11:12 | More by Stinger80OH

MonicaC

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +15.2%

01-15-2013 05:01:57 | More by MonicaC

Lare453

Florida

3.75/5  rDev +1.6%

01-12-2013 03:01:33 | More by Lare453

deadonhisfeet

Kentucky

3.58/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a Green's tulip. Pours a nice clear reddish-amber color with 2 fingers of rocky off-white head. Average retention. On the nose I get the holiday spices typical of a winter warmer. Ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg all combined with sweet bready malt and a lemony hop note.

The beer has a medium to full body. Firm feel. The flavor follows the nose quite well. Sweet malt up front with a peppery character imparted by the spices. Fairly dry, peppery finish that doesn't linger too long. No trace of alcohol burn. Quite drinkable, but could stand to be a little sweeter.

Last year I went overboard buying Christmas beers and got tired of them really fast. This year, I only bought one - a sixer of this one. I probably won't buy it again. Not because I don't like it. I simply prefer Great Lakes Christmas Ale. It's a little sweeter than this one and feels a bit more festive somehow. Perhaps it's the label on the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 23:15:46 | More by deadonhisfeet

ejimhof

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -5.1%

12-31-2012 14:07:51 | More by ejimhof

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

2.95/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours a lightly hazy orange-ish to amber color with an off white head. In the aroma, a light spice and quite faint. In the taste, spices, especially all spice, but mellow in the end. A spice bite and a medium to lighter bodied mouthfeel, with a small dry spice in the aftertaste. Nice spice but mellow and faint.

Serving type: on-tap

12-29-2012 20:36:00 | More by OWSLEY069

atone315

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev -5.1%

12-28-2012 03:12:15 | More by atone315

DWolf

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -18.7%

12-27-2012 22:20:17 | More by DWolf

ckollias

Maryland

4.03/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed this 12oz stubby bottle out of a Belgian tulip glass.

A: Pours a dark amber-orangish with a thick, fizzy, off-white, head that slowly dissipates down the side of the glass ending in a solid lace.

S: Malty aroma with spicy backbone consisting of mostly of ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

T: Similar to the smell this malty brew has flavors of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg Lots of spices and complex flavors here.

M: Medium body and medium carbonation.

O: Excellent winter spiced ale. Very flavorful and balanced.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 03:41:43 | More by ckollias

rcjennings

Ohio

4/5  rDev +8.4%

12-26-2012 22:28:17 | More by rcjennings

kwkincer

3.5/5  rDev -5.1%

12-26-2012 00:56:41 | More by kwkincer

tankg

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +22%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Very nice winter beer, not surprising from this outfit. Had on draft several times before stockpiling some 4 packs from Ds in Monroeville PA and the original Fatheads bar in the south side of Pittsburgh - best bar food in a town full or good bar food by the way...

Copper pour into a pint from a bottle, with a cinnamon aroma than hits you before you even get close. There are hints of ginger, honey, nutmeg and lemon , but for me, the cinnamon remains prominent in the taste profile. Very drinkable for the ABV as well. Surprised at the few reviews, must be a limited release. In a style that I enjoy, this in my new find this year along with the 2Xmas which is very nice....both are better than the usuaul winter suspects.. Anyway, haven't had a bad Fathead's beer (Headhunter IPA is excellent) or a bad Church Brewworks Beer out of Pittsburgh also ...their seasonal Zwarte Brown is excellent...

Happy Holidays...

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 06:15:00 | More by tankg

JoeyBeerBelly

New York

3.98/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I got this in a beer exchange. Thanks Chris!

12oz bottle served in a glass beer mug.

L - cloudy amber color with a beige head that thinned out but still left a fair amount of lacing.

S - lots of holiday spices, nutmeg, ginger and raw honey.

T - the spices and honey come through in the taste with just a little bitterness on the finish.

F - medium bodied with a silky smooth feel.

O - a good example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 22:17:41 | More by JoeyBeerBelly