Saint Arnold Christmas Ale - Saint Arnold Brewing Company

Boto

Connecticut

3.69/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

12oz. bottle: This one pours a clear, orangish amber color. There was a very small off white head on it that didn’t linger or leave any lacing. Pretty decent nose. Caramel malts, some fruits (apple?), hints of spices. The taste is pretty good too. Caramel malts, with a hint of roast. A subdued sweetness with some bitterness trying to come through, resulting in a hint of dryness in the finish.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 01:30:15 | More by Boto

TBoneJones

Texas

3.14/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours caramel brown, thin head and thin looking body. Lacks lacing.
Smells faintly of pine and apple with a spice.
Tastes bitter and biscuity, and the light apple flavor is there but lacking the spice i thought i detected with my nose earlier, and with a metallic tart finish I'm not quite digging.
Feels smooth enough though, better than I expected from how this appears in my pint glass. Ok in that department. Just ok.
Overall this is a blah brew to me, despite the great respect I have for this brewery.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2013 01:47:47 | More by TBoneJones

LXIXME

New Mexico

3.53/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Medium sized off white to light tan head settles into a nice lacing above a clear caramel copper colored beer.

Roasted caramel malts blended with Christmas style spices in the aroma.

Dark caramel roasted malt dominate the taste with some light spices and lighter hops rounding out the palette.

A light caramel remains in a light dryish aftertaste on this medium bodied beer.

A decent tasting Christmas beer, you can taste the spices but they don't overwhelm the beer taste.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 22:30:02 | More by LXIXME

acevenom

Louisiana

3.88/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass. Pours copper with an off-white head that dissipates at a moderate pace. There are a lot of visible tiny bubbles in the beer. The beer smells of toffee and chocolate. There are some floral notes as well from the hops. What hits the tongue is a big malt presence with toffee and chocolate. The alcohol comes through in the taste as do the hops, which bring some floral, earthy, and mild spice notes to the taste. The body is medium to full with strong carbonation. This leads to a cleaner than expected finish. This is a very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 00:14:59 | More by acevenom

BigBarley

Texas

3.63/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

A - Pours out with a mild head, that immediately recedes into a thin ring of beige foam. Color is deep brown, copper, easy to see through. Active yeast, many mini-streams of rising bubbles.

S - Faint chocolate, caramel comes right after in a big way. Mild hop character just below. Nice buttery biscuit notes at the end.

T - Big alcohol, sweet caramel, heavy dose of yeast flavor. Could stand to be sweeter and maybe a little bit more hop balance. Mostly a biscuity, malt flavor. Crisp, warming beer. But not altogether balanced.

M - Very carbonated, but somehow lighter than expected. It's thick, but not quite thick enough. Or light enough. It's like mouthfeel limbo.

O - Very yeasty, very malty. Sweet, Christmasy beer, but I feel it could be more balanced. It's not as satisfying as a lot of Saint Arnold's beers, but it still has a unique flavor and feel. Worth a try, but I don't drink more than one or two of these a year.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2012 14:23:00 | More by BigBarley

Tiernan

Texas

3.93/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Very nice, malty beer with notes of caramel and a bit of strawberry. Feels great in my mouth! Lots of caramel aftertaste.
Nice for a winter warmer, but I'm not getting why they call it a Christmas Ale. I generally tend to think of Christmas Ales as spiced beers, but there is not a trace of spice or "holiday flavor" in this beer. Don't get me wrong, it's delicious!

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2012 23:28:24 | More by Tiernan

Ford

Texas

4.48/5  rDev +20.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Boondoggle's in Clear Lake, Texas

Wow.. great from the first smell to taste.

To me it's a great ale that finishes with a touch of hot apple cider in the background. Love this stuff and I'm going to stock up on it a bit.

I didn't try this last year, but I did have the Sailing Santa, which was this mixed with Elissa IPA. I didn't love that near as much, which makes sense as I'm not a huge IPA fan.

This is very good stuff... really spreads the Christmas cheer to your mouth.

Serving type: on-tap

10-20-2012 14:15:49 | More by Ford

DCon

Missouri

3.33/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Received a 12 FL OZ. bottle of this brew from cfh64 in a trade. Poured from the Green Labeled bottle w/ St. Arnold Enjoying a beer from a Glass Stein & praising Jesus for it into my 16oz Grand Teton Au Naturale Pint Glass. Has no freshness date on the bottle.

Aroma- Sweetness, especially apple juice, begin this one. Light spices and hops then come in at the end. Almost too artificially for me...

Appearance- Pours a .5 finger, bubbly head that dies fairly quickly. Has a deep-reddish/copper colored body with poor clarity. Leaves tons of suds behind.

Flavor- Has a ton of caramel and sweet malts but doesn't ever hit the hop category. Tons of light spices too. Light bitterness. Sweet and wet finish.

Mouthfeel- Light-Medium Bodied, Medium Carbonation, Smooth, and has a sweet, caramel finish.

Overall Impression- Not sure whats going on with this one... A nice brew but a Winter Warmer... Couldn't even believe this one was 7% when I looked at it again. I wouldn't dis this one, just won't be going back to it and has some work to do.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2012 22:19:40 | More by DCon

AgentMunky

California

3.08/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a Dogfish Head signature glass. Stamped 282-283/6 113011. I'm going to hazard a guess that means it was bottled on 30 November 2011?

A: Half a finger of head. Good bubbles. Amber brown, but transparent in the light.

S: Spiced fruit; slightly metallic.

T/M: I fear this may have set too long, or perhaps it wasn't very good to begin with. Either way, it's not quite what I think a winter warmer should be like. Strong and sweet, with flavours of molasses and dark fruit. Carbonated, but light in body, which conspires to downplay the sweet nature of the beer.

O: I suppose it's a little bit above average, stylistically, but in general, I wouldn't particularly recommend it. I suppose I'd drink another, but I'd have to be in the mood.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2012 00:20:17 | More by AgentMunky

shivtim

Georgia

2.4/5  rDev -35.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Thanks to my friend from Houston for bringing me this beer.

Poured into a pint glass. Nice rich brown/copper color. Slightly translucent with orange hints. Thick khaki head.

Nose is yeasty and doughy, with malt. Very slight spice, maybe anise. Overall quite bready.

Taste is old malt, kind of a stale ricey quality. I don't pick up much in the "christmas" department. Slightly metallic even. Not good.

Dry and thin mouthfeel. Acidic tasting.

Can't say I like this beer...

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2012 23:34:11 | More by shivtim

Theitos

Louisiana

2.65/5  rDev -28.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured in to a pint glass

A: Pours a deep amber color. There is no head and no lacing.

S: I smell a little spice and a hint of cherry.

T: It tasted like they made a beer and then thought oh if we put spice in it we can call it a christmas beer. I also tasted some cherry in it. I just felt like it wasn't blended as well as it could have been.

M: Smooth with a dry finish. The taste lingers

O: The beer is ok, but I would pass over this for other holiday ales.

Serving type: on-tap

12-15-2011 15:01:19 | More by Theitos

brewskifan55

Mississippi

3.65/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a snifter

Appearance: semi-opaque, amber/orange. No head, little lacing.

Smell: Hop-tacular! Piney, citrus-y with light cinnamon.

Taste: Light malts, cinnamon, nutmeg. Smooth finish with just enough of a hop presence not to overwhelm.

Mouthfeel: Light, creamy; good carbonation.

Overall: A low-key Christmas ale. Not bad, just doesn't have any Christmas spirit. Dandy with baked chicken.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 20:41:21 | More by brewskifan55

trxxpaxxs

New York

2.83/5  rDev -23.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A: Pours a thin reddish orange. There is almost no head to this beer whatsoever. Absolutely no lacing as it drinks.

S: Smells of malt, spice (nutmeg), and a bit of booze. I'm also picking up just the slightest hint of cherry.

T: Not good. It taste like a lager that has had some spices dumped into it.

M: Light bodied beer. Finishes a bit hot.

O: Not a fan of this beer at all. It's like a spicy lager. No thanks. I've had other beers from Saint Arnold that have been outstanding, but this beer falls short for me.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2011 22:13:15 | More by trxxpaxxs

oline73

Maryland

3.9/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a Chimay goblet.

Appearance: Pours a mostly clear reddish amber with a small amount of off white head. The head fades to a ring around the edge of the glass.

Smell: Sweetness hits the nose first, lots of malt and caramel notes. There is a fruity cherry note in there as well.

Taste: Quite similar to the smell. Sweet but it's not as dominant as the smell. The cherry and caramel notes are there as well. The finish is slightly bitter with very mild alcohol.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with tingly carbonation and an extremely dry finish.

Overall: The finish on this beer was overly dry. Still a very good beer and I would have another.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2011 23:31:12 | More by oline73

Vashtar

Texas

3.93/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

The appearance was almost clear and almost fully saturated. It lacked a bit in both departments.

The smell was nice. What else is to be said?

The mouthfeel was a bit light. It could have been more thick.

The taste was neat! I need to try this one again, as I didn't take many notes.

Overall, I'd get this one with Breckenridge's Christmas beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2011 06:22:09 | More by Vashtar

GregSVT

Texas

4.13/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle into a snifter

A: Pours a clear amber with a big off-white head that fades to a layering and leaves some nice lacing on the glass.

S: The nose is full of beautiful aromas of candied red apples, sweet malt, and cinnamon.

T: The taste shows nice flavors of candied sugar, red apples, sweet malt, and some christmas spices.

M: The feel is creamy and medium bodied...very nice for the style.

O: I have passed this one up on the shelf all the time but never purchased till now and I will say I'm kind of impressed. This is what I imagine a true christmas ale to be. Add some belgian yeast to this one as a variant and I bet it would taste like a nice quad.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2011 04:02:00 | More by GregSVT

bigdavid77433

Texas

3.88/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First thing I noticed was the carbonation. Almost like drinking a soda, minus the sugar.

A - Nice medium dark color

S- Almost none

T- Some spice although not overwhelming as read in other reviews. Malt over hops

O- I look forward to this release in July (brief) and late Oct/Nov each year. This is a good (well priced) everyday brew, when I am looking to knock a few back without tapping into the reserve/rare/hard to find/expensive bottles on shelves in the fridge.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2011 22:55:47 | More by bigdavid77433

TXGenX

Texas

3.08/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle poured into a St. Arnold tumbler

A -- Foamy tan head about 2 fingers high. Fine lacing. Medium brown with copper notes.

S -- Not much aroma at all.

T -- Roasted malt predominates. Some chicory. A little bit of grapefruit on the finish.

M -- Smooth. Not much bite.

I'm not entirely sure what the difference is between this and the brown ale. Although, to be honest, I haven't had the brown in a while. This is a nice warming ale but really not that special to me.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2011 01:21:43 | More by TXGenX

imasloth

Texas

3.83/5  rDev +3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Lighter color than normal for a winter warmer- a light amber, I guess. Good initial head when poured into snifter, quickly dissipating

S- Sweet malty scent with light grain and alcohol.

T- Good, surprisingly complex flavor given the aroma. I get some spicy hops and malt, followed by a sweet spice ... like cinnamon, but sweet.

M- Light-bodied beer, but very nice mouthfeel. The 7% alcohol leaves the mouth a little dry.

O- I really dig this beer. When it was poured and I smelled it I had some doubts, but the flavor and mouthfeel are both strong. Best winter warmer I've had this season so far ... though my home brew isn't done yet... :)

I recommend you pick up some up now and decide if this is something you want through New Year's. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a standard for the next few weeks.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2011 00:31:51 | More by imasloth

SWMeyer4141

Texas

3.35/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a Tumbler...

Appearance-Dark copper body. Slightly hazy with slow moving carbonation bubbles floating to the top. Head is a beige 2 finger head that dissipates pretty quickly.

Appearance-Smells similar to the Octoberfest with a little less spice. Lots of malt and yeast.

Taste-Very sweet malts at first, a good amount of booze kicks in, a little much for 7%. Along with the booze I pick up the spiciness. Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Clove and Black pepper.

Mouthfeel-Would like a little richer body to mask some of the alcohol. It's almost like the consistency of 3 parts water and 1 part vodka.

Overall-Honestly haven't had too many winter warmers, and I think their just a malty, spicey beer, that's similar to a Pumpkin beer minus the pumpkin. I like where this beer is going but needs a little more body to it.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2011 19:33:30 | More by SWMeyer4141

stercomm

Ohio

3.9/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz bottle.

A - medium copper with a 2 finger off-white head that quickly recedes to leave a slight layer on the beer.

S - Get malt, bread and some nutmeg with maybe a pinch of cinnamon.

T - Malty sweetness up front giving way to the above mentioned spices and finishing with a toasted bread dryness. A little light on the flavor intensity.

M - Medium bodied, medium carbonation with some slight creaminess to it.

O - For a 7% hides the alcohol well, the lightness of the flavors works a bit in its favor as is a Christmas brew you can drink a couple of and not feel overpowered.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2011 04:00:58 | More by stercomm

burnerfinger

Texas

4.15/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Nov 2011:
poured from the 12 oz bottle into my new belgium goblet:

a: honey colored brew, eggshell white head that dissipates quickly , leaving ZERO lace and just a thin film of bubbles

s: malty, bready, with just a hint of spice to it
nice XMAS style - no hoppiness that I notice

t: I like this a lot, but the taste is a bit sparse. kinda like a spicy bread loaf

m: hefty, abv is very much there.

d

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2011 15:55:27 | More by burnerfinger

gtermi

Texas

3.88/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: It pours a nice copper color with a few inches thick head.

S: Some spices, caramel and toffee.

T: I get a lot of spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg with some malt. The spices mask the higher alcohol.

M: The beer has a nice amount of carbonation, but it is easy to drink and very enjoyable.

O: This is not the greatest winter warmer I have ever had, but a very solid one for sure.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2011 03:50:27 | More by gtermi

sweethome

Illinois

3.45/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I tried this with a couple other of the style. Ratings are based on where this fell in the grouping.

A light amber color with straight white head. Light carmel malt entry. Some spice mid-mouth. Light spicing in background - but its there.

Hides it alcohol level quite well. Tastes like a medium bodied amber ale with a hint of spice. Nice smooth mouthfeel.

Comparing it to the style, a little light in flavor and body. Then again, I guess you don't need the warming charchter of a winter warmer in Houston like you do in Chicago.

Not a bad beer - just doesn't fit style. I'll call it a strong amber ale.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2011 01:22:14 | More by sweethome

ottovon

Arizona

4/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

this is from last years bottling ('10).

A: pours out a clear, ruby-orange color, with a tannish fluffy head that fell and left lacing.

S: starts out with some sweetness. i get spices like nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon. there is also bready aromas with some cherry and raisin in the back end. i get caramel and toffee as well.

T: a lot like the aroma. i get caramel, toffee, bread pudding, cinnamon, nutmeg. starts out with a bit of sweetness, and finishes with a touch of bitterness. hints of cherry and raisin as well.

M: creamy with a medium body, and low carb.

O: a very nice winter seasonal from Saint Arnold. Would definitely drink this all winter if I still lived in Houston.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2011 03:40:36 | More by ottovon