Christmas Ale 2009 - Abita Brewing Co.

whynot44

Missouri

3.75/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Nice clear red/amber color with a decent, but quick disipating light tan head but does manage a bit of sticky lacing.

The aroma is light caramel malt with hints of grass and citrus.

The taste is grassy hops up front with a biscuity malt backgroundand some hints of nuts and spice, especially toward the finish. The aftertaste is pine resin and grapefruit hops.

Light/medium bodied, fairly smooth and drinkable. Altogether a decent winter ale.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2010 04:23:24 | More by whynot44

djrn2

New Jersey

3/5  rDev -15.7%

11-22-2012 22:04:28 | More by djrn2

fatbatcat

Georgia

3.5/5  rDev -1.7%

07-07-2012 18:09:41 | More by fatbatcat

JHeskew

4.5/5  rDev +26.4%

07-07-2012 14:51:48 | More by JHeskew

brendaniel

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -15.7%

04-19-2012 00:43:59 | More by brendaniel

jharkins07

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -1.7%

02-09-2012 19:48:11 | More by jharkins07

JohneHoodlum

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -1.7%

12-06-2011 23:43:38 | More by JohneHoodlum

oline73

Maryland

3/5  rDev -15.7%

11-15-2011 02:02:02 | More by oline73

jsprain1

Minnesota

3.85/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- Pours a nice amber with thick head that leaves lots of lacing.
S- Sweet malt, caramel, spice, particularly ginger and all spice.
T- Taste is same as smell with spice playing bigger role. A bit of hops in there to balance things out nicely.
M- Smooth, initially creamy, finishes a bit crisp and dry.
D- It was a decent beer, but nothing tremendous. There are better holiday beers out there.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2010 06:57:15 | More by jsprain1

jeffjeff1

California

3.55/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I picked this up at Cost Plus World Market. It was in the Abita Party Pack.

Appearance- reddish brown color, nice thick head, nice lacing

Smell- sweet roasted malt, hint of spice

Taste- sweet roasted malt

Mouthfeel- medium bodied

Drinkability- It was pretty good. I would try to find more of them.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2010 17:30:19 | More by jeffjeff1

drpimento

Wisconsin

2.68/5  rDev -24.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Sort of interesting, but in the way that you find something which is made by people who create good things and this one looks good - but then you try it, and you come up short. Poured with a nice fine tan head and no lace color isa clear amber. Aroma is mild with a little malt, pine, and spice. Flavor is like aroma with more emphasis on malt and spice. Body is ok and carbonation is sharp. Hardly any finish at all. A better session beer than common beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2010 23:36:16 | More by drpimento

MisterClean

California

4.03/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to neil for spotting this beer.

A - Pours light mahogany with 2 fingers of off-white head. Dissipates slow and leaves very nice lacing.

S/T - Maple syrup, honey, ginger, all-spice, paired with grapefruitish hops and lightly bittering hops.

M - Full-bodied, slightly hop dominated, and slightly dry.

D - Good overall. Would definitely seek this one out. Advise to let it warm up some as the maple flavors come out and help make this beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2010 17:05:03 | More by MisterClean

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

3.28/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Poured a nice translucent brown with some visible carbonation and a very small amount of white head that disappeared almost instantly.

S - The nose is sweet roasted malts. Some caramel and a hint of spice.

T - Taste is sweet roasted malts. There doesn't seem to be any added spice flavour to this beer like many other Christmas beers tend to have.

M - A medium body with the slightest bit of chew. A good amount of carbonation.

D - A well made ale, but despite being enjoyable, there was nothing in this beer that stood out and would make me go out of my way for the 2010 release.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2010 02:23:52 | More by TheSevenDuffs

hoplover82

Texas

3.2/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

hmmm... don't know what to think of this beer. At first the appearance and aroma was preety good but the when it entered my mouth, I was very dissapointed. Maybe it's the spring water used in this beer... don't know... I really think that's what it might be. Maybe the mineral content interfears with the mouthfeel and flavor of the beer...

Pours a clear deep amber with an off white very creamy head that has greta retention and lacing.

I smell bright floral hops and caramel malts together. That's about it, but pretty good. I think the yeast used might be too clean for my taste...

And when I took a drink, it's like I taste water and some slight caramel and a soft bitter tang. But really seems watered down... I'm not drinking out of a chilled glass or anything. My regular drinking glasses are always used...

It's creamy at first then, water, water, water... light body, light carbonation.

it goes down easy but I would want to have another of this. Glad I only got one in a make your own sixer.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2010 04:50:38 | More by hoplover82

RonaldTheriot

Louisiana

4.25/5  rDev +19.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This was an interesting beer. It had a dark, reddish appearance, with moderate carbonation. The smell was subtle and hard to detect. This was a very bitter ale, and I enjoyed it as I drank more. Mouth feel is very heavy; the beer felt fattening. Overall, I say this was excellent.

RJT

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2010 19:36:11 | More by RonaldTheriot

BeerResearcher

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz brown bottle. Freshness date, but no actual date stamped.
It pours a dark sunset amber color with a thin off-white head along with some wispy trails of lacing.
Smells of dry malt dominate. A spicy mix of peppers, citrus peel and rye bread come to mind.
A fairly thin bodied malty taste blend of barley, Wheaties and dried fruit, blends well with an edgy citrusy and metallic hop bitterness. A faint alcoholic fuminess lingers.
Although the body is a bit thin for the style, we must take into account the climate this brew hails from. Wet and edgy seem to fit well with hot and humid weather.
It may taste a bit better because the Saints won the Super Bowl!
Who dat?

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2010 00:23:38 | More by BeerResearcher

ImusBeer

Georgia

2.2/5  rDev -38.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

Poured up a darker amber with a small barely a finger high head.

A slight pine aroma with a little maple on the side. The taste was bland with a small amount of bitterness but not in a good way. Somewhat malty as well.

It was very thin and watery on the tongue. I wasn't expecting much and I got exactly what I expected, blah.

Nothing like what I would expect from a Christmas Beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2010 14:37:42 | More by ImusBeer

Jesstyr

Virginia

3.18/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Broke this out in a 12oz bottle for the Super Bowl. After trying Abita Amber, I was a little disappointed by this one.

A: Copper, with light carbonation. A little bit of head, but doesn't strike me as particularly creamy.

S: I expect a bit more of a Christmas Ale, but this lacks the rich sugars I think it was trying for. A little bit nutty, but thats about it.

T: This was the biggest disappointment for me. Wasn't particularly full bodied, but had a hint of fruit and malts. Where was the complexity?

M/D: Smooth, but a bit too watery. Goes down nice and easy, but doesn't beg you to come back for more.

I bet one of these years this could be a great beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2010 04:00:00 | More by Jesstyr

rtratzlaff

North Carolina

3.35/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a filtered clear amber body with a decent off white head that leaves a bit of lacing.

Aromas of bready malts, caramel, and a slight herbal hop presence.

Taste is mainly caramel malt with enough hops to add some good bittering character that resembles more of an American amber than a Irish red.

Mouthfeel is medium with good carbonation.

Drinkability on the high side since there was nothing really offensive to this beer, but it still held some character.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2010 17:53:15 | More by rtratzlaff

Mora2000

Texas

4/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours dark amber with a cream-colored head. The aroma is pretty hoppy with some caramel malt. The flavor is hop-driven with earthy and piney hops. You also get some caramel and toffee with some bready malt. The beer starts hoppy and ends malty. Medium mouthfeel and carbonation. This is a good hoppy amber. Maybe the best beer from Abita I have tried.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2010 19:24:14 | More by Mora2000

taigor

New York

3.75/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On-tap poured into huge chalice glass.

A - Poured almost clear amber/brown color with decent head that slowly dissipates leaving slight lacing around the glass.

S - Very faint but what I picked up were malts and some nutty aroma.

T - Sweet malty start that is quickly overtaken by almonds and fruits with a slightly hoppy finish.

M - Medium bodied with good carbonation that is just right.

D - Very drinkable beer. Would definitely like to have more in the future.

Serving type: on-tap

01-24-2010 17:54:25 | More by taigor

MNJR

Illinois

3.85/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is a relatively light and refreshing amber ale. Very good, actually, but odd that it is a "Christmas" specialty beer, because I would expect more of a heavy-bodied offering in that category. Nothing to scoff at, though. I don't have one right in front of me, but I'm not sure there would be much difference between this and Abita Amber, which I have had as recently as a couple months ago. Nice rich color, clean, smooth, well balanced flavor, and definitely tasty enough to have a few. ABV is not given, but it doesn't seem strong. An all-around fine ale, but lacking that "something special" in a holiday beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2010 00:22:03 | More by MNJR

climax

Kansas

3.85/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This one poured a transparent brown/red with a nice lingering tan head. Lace was spotty and a film occupied the top til the end.

Nose was well balanced. Citrus, especially orange, hops were met on the tail end by toasty caramel malt. A slight bit of sweetness, spices, and some metallic twang accompanied the main players.

Flavor was equally as balanced. Very nice biscuity toasted flavor with a bit of diacetyl and spice held strong from start to finish. Juicy citrus occupied the hop bill. The taste wasn't overly complex, but well balanced and I enjoyed the malt profile .

It doesn't seem as though the alcohol content is overly stout, and the flavors aren't strong enough to mask a substantial ABV. I'm not sure if winter warmer is the right term for the style, more of a red/amber IMO.

The body was on the shy side of medium, just a little watery but not bad. The carbonation was right on good and crisp. It's definitely drinkable, I could make a night out of a 6pk. Not a bad one from Abita.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2010 02:32:10 | More by climax

Vengeance526

Louisiana

3.38/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a slightly reddish copper color with a very minimal head that quickly fizzles away.

Bready aroma upfront with some caramel and a hint of hops at the end.

Taste is slightly malty upfront with caramel and biscuity notes, but then shows some more hoppy characteristics towards the end with light citrus notes and a grassy finish.

Medium body with light to medium carbonation. There is nothing about this that says Christmas and as usual I'm not quite sure what they were aiming for with this one. It really isn't bad and can be quite refreshing and easy to drink but at the same time it has no depth or complexity. I would prefer this to many of Abita's regular offerings, but their Christmas beers always seem to be very safe and never exciting in the least. I've tried it and don't regret drinking it but overall I can't say this is one I'll be missing when it is gone.

Serving type: on-tap

01-13-2010 03:55:23 | More by Vengeance526

wknight167

California

3.55/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Apearance - Pours a clear reddish brown with a 1 finger head that doesn't stick around for long, but leaves some decent lacing nonetheless.

Nose- Caramel dark fruit and toasted malts dominate. There is a faint spiciness and a hint of citrus present ass well, both probably from the hops.

Palate- Starts off caramelly sweet with cherries and raisins, moves to chocolatey toffee notes in the middle finishes with citrus, spices and a touch of bitter.

Mouthfeel- Slightly thin body and light on the carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2010 23:55:48 | More by wknight167