2XMAS - Southern Tier Brewing Company

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

4.23/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle poured into a pint glass.

A: Pours a dark ruby color with excellent clarity. The head is a one finger khaki color with decent texture, but not much retention. Only a modicum of lacing stays on the glass.

S: Spruce, ginger, nutmeg, graham cracker, orange peel, light dark fruits, and very slight hops. Give Southern Tier credit - when they want to make a beer resemble something else (like chocolate or, in this case, Christmas) they go all out and leave nothing to the imagination. Pretty much everything advertised comes through aromatically.

T: There isn't much of a drop off from the (admittedly ambitious) aroma, though maybe it's a touch less complex. Lots of dark fruits appear immediately, smoothing out on the midtaste to graham crackers and gingerbread. The finish is shockingly bitter for Southern Tier, consisting of a combination of subtle wood, leafy tobacco, and orange peel. I swear the faintest hint of roasted malts comes through on the finish. There's a nice layering of flavors, though finding some of the complexity requires a little hard work. Still, it's an excellent winter warmer.

M: Very slick, and creamy up until the swallow. The finish is both clean and wet, with a little bit of syrupiness to cover up the booze. This goes down superbly, without a hint of alcohol coming through.

O: Admittedly, these heavily spiced winter beers are never quite my thing, but this seems almost paragonal of the said style, so it earns itself bonus points. This will be my future standard for winter warmers until further notice - naturally, this is an easy one to recommend.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2012 21:58:28 | More by ThisWangsChung

anhigdon

Kentucky

4.25/5  rDev +12.4%

05-18-2013 03:28:13 | More by anhigdon

Zimm

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -7.4%

05-15-2013 17:25:36 | More by Zimm

hopkrid

Florida

3/5  rDev -20.6%

05-15-2013 15:54:55 | More by hopkrid

touchmeimsac

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%

05-15-2013 14:25:00 | More by touchmeimsac

ElijahRivera

New York

4/5  rDev +5.8%

05-14-2013 21:28:04 | More by ElijahRivera

aLenwell

Florida

3.25/5  rDev -14%

05-14-2013 00:44:08 | More by aLenwell

vrbulldog22

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%

05-13-2013 18:55:35 | More by vrbulldog22

Porter

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -7.4%

05-12-2013 23:44:19 | More by Porter

corysmith01

New York

2.75/5  rDev -27.2%

05-12-2013 22:53:53 | More by corysmith01

mikeburd1128

New Jersey

2.25/5  rDev -40.5%

05-12-2013 16:52:57 | More by mikeburd1128

YieldToNothing

New York

3.25/5  rDev -14%

05-12-2013 16:34:00 | More by YieldToNothing

ToddHolder

Illinois

4/5  rDev +5.8%

05-11-2013 01:52:18 | More by ToddHolder

krisbee

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev -14%

05-10-2013 03:15:54 | More by krisbee

tommyguz

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -20.6%

05-10-2013 00:03:31 | More by tommyguz

cowboy83

New York

4.5/5  rDev +19%

05-07-2013 14:06:01 | More by cowboy83

LMH88

New York

3.5/5  rDev -7.4%

05-03-2013 02:11:51 | More by LMH88

scotv

New York

4/5  rDev +5.8%

05-01-2013 19:52:28 | More by scotv

TheBeerAlmanac

Kentucky

3.25/5  rDev -14%

04-29-2013 00:49:53 | More by TheBeerAlmanac

Lawl3ss

Texas

4.09/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Chilled 12 oz. bottle into a 33 cl snifter. Bottling date 10.24.12.

Look- Deep ruby amber with a half finger of loose off-white head. Falls quickly, decent lacing. Nice glow.

Smell- Moderately sweet- currant, brown bread, molasses cookies, cinnamon, orange zest. Plenty of fruit and holiday spice. Swirling brings out a deeper, darker plummy fruit aroma and some rum-laced fruitcake.

Taste- Very similar to the aroma. Round, soft fruits with a hint of citrus balance against tealike bittering and warm spice- lots of nutmeg. Spices linger, aftertaste of pumpernickel and mulled apple cider. Nice.

Mouthfeel- Medium body, light carbonation brightens up the sip a bit. Swallow is juicy, full, mild-moderate dusky dryness imparted by the spices. Light for the style, actually. Moderate warming on the back - both spice and booze, but not unwelcome. I could finish two of these no problem.

Overall- Not the best Christmas beer I've ever had (that goes to La Grivoise De Noel), but hits all the right notes and doesn't go overboard. It's also fairly easy to get a hold of (if Southern Tier distributes in your area) and reasonably priced. I'll definitely be picking this one up again.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2013 00:31:03 | More by Lawl3ss

Cdunk11

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -20.6%

04-27-2013 19:32:31 | More by Cdunk11

clfrost

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -20.6%

04-21-2013 23:42:14 | More by clfrost

Whiskeydeez

Kansas

3.5/5  rDev -7.4%

04-21-2013 16:44:43 | More by Whiskeydeez

HoistinBrews

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%

04-19-2013 16:56:04 | More by HoistinBrews

civicm87

New York

4/5  rDev +5.8%

04-17-2013 01:01:16 | More by civicm87