Schlafly Christmas Ale - Saint Louis Brewery / Schlafly Tap Room

aforbes10

Iowa

1.98/5  rDev -46.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

I've been to Schlafly's, I know they make good beer. I also know that this is not one of the one's that i like. Yeah, i know its a Christmas ale, and i know that some people like to put some spices in their Christmas drinks, but come on guys....this was just they dumped in a bunch of cloves and nutmeg and orange rind and figured that if you could taste all of that crap in the beer it would make it a good beer. I've all for those flavors in beer, now, dont get me wrong; but to the extent that they were all right up there hitting me in the tongue? and it was so muddled and unbalanced. Its the worst tasting spiced beer i've had since that Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin from 2 yeaers ago. way too many spices and it was a bit thin too. looked ok, and actually smelled fine, but yeah, downhill from there.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2006 19:43:03 | More by aforbes10

EmergingZymurgy

Kansas

2.2/5  rDev -40.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Poured from a bottle, crystal clear and deep copper color. Smells like a nice Christmas ale, cloves and other spices. Tastes like a bad beer gone sour and tried to mask the flavor with spices. Not a fan of this one. Has a slick body to it and tastes sour at the end of the taste. Not sure if it was a bad bottle or what.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2011 23:51:16 | More by EmergingZymurgy

brownbeer

Missouri

2.55/5  rDev -31.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Pours a coppery color without much head.

Very subdued aroma with subtle spice, a little funk, and candied tangerine.

There isn't much going on as far as flavor, clovey spice and maybe some citrus. The body is smooth but watery. Lacks depth and the 8% is creepy considering how little flavor it has.

I haven't had a beer I liked less than this in a while and I could easily pour it down the drain but i'll finish it. If you're looking for a strong beer without much flavor and a thin body, this might be for you.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2009 18:08:09 | More by brownbeer

shivtim

Georgia

2.6/5  rDev -29.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

My roomate brought me back some of this from a trip to St.Louis, which I shared with beer club.

oops.

It was not too good; I didn't think it was as bad as some others (aforbes) did, but the taste pretty much kills this beer. It pours a deep clear red brown, looks ok so far. Smells like christmas. Piney, nutmeg, cloves. Not bad. The taste is overload of ginger, nutmeg, cloves, orange, pine... pretty much tastes like a christmas air freshener in beer form. On the plus side, the alcohol is very well hidden (errr... covered-up?). Mouthfeel is ok, a bit dry. Drinkability is hurt by the taste. But I bet if you simmered this stuff on the stove it would make your house smell really good.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2006 05:24:31 | More by shivtim

jar2574

Missouri

2.65/5  rDev -28.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

This beer pours an orange color with a thin white head. No lacing, no head retention. Average carbonation.

Smells of anise, cinammon, cider, and malts.

The taste reminds me of a Czech herbal lliquor, Becherovka. Herbs, a touch of liquourice, malts, a little sweet fruitiness in the aftertaste. There's a lot going on, and it's interesting, but not something I love. And as I drink the beer, I like it less and less.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2011 02:39:42 | More by jar2574

jmw141

Illinois

2.78/5  rDev -25.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Serving: 12 oz bottle into Rogue Yellow Snow IPA pint glass

A: A clear reddish brown, with a thin off-white head

S: Malty aroma, slight hoppiness, definite ginger, "farmhouse ale" scent as well

T: Sweet all the way through, woody, slightly fruity, very thin (not subtle) flavors that could benefit from being slightly more pronounced, slight orange flavor

M: prickly carbonation, almost undetectable finishing bitterness, watery

D: Drinkable, this is #1 of the 6-pack I bought. This one served after being in fridge for one hour- lets see how it changes at cooler temps.

Overall: 25% through this one I'm not overly impressed. It seems just a bit too cloying for 8.0% ABV.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2009 03:03:21 | More by jmw141

longbongsilver

Missouri

2.8/5  rDev -24.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

It's that time of year, right? Considered taking a six with me to festivities to share, but having not had this before I decided to test one from a mix'n'match section first. I am guinea pig...

Pours a deep but clear amber with tons of visible carbonation, lacing and a significant white, hollow but short-lived head. Smell orange immediately (though not in annoying proportion), with honey and a bit of cinammon I assume is from the clove. Hop character doesn't come up on the nose at all, if it's there it's all taste. Speaking of which...

The orange continues while the honey disappears & the spice comes forward. No real bitterness, yet oddly little residual sweetness either (the malt character is pretty anonymous as a result). Goes down thin. The 8% is super well hidden -- TOO well hidden to be honest.

I wouldn't call it a total loss, but the richness I expected for a big winter ale wasn't there. Schalfly let the additional ingredients do too much of the work.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2011 07:38:18 | More by longbongsilver

JuicesFlowing

Kansas

2.85/5  rDev -23.2%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Poured into a standard pint glass. The beer is a hazy copper color. The head dissipates quickly leaving nothing, and no lacing at all. The beer smells boozy with lots of different spices. I was hesitant to buy this, and the taste confirms why I shouldn't have: it's just over-the-top with flavor, like most of the Schlafly beers I have tried are. Sweetness and spices just blow your taste buds into defensive mode. There's a lot of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and the likes in this. It tastes like Chai tea, and almost could pass for a Pumpkin ale. And just like their Pumpkin ale, this beer is loaded at 8% ABV and goes down too smooth, so watch out.

Overall, I just don't like the sweetness overload on top of the high alcohol content. Plus, the spices are in overdrive, so this beer is just a bit too much, all the way around. This might be the last Schlafly beer I ever try.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2011 20:49:56 | More by JuicesFlowing

jbone78

Florida

2.93/5  rDev -21%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

I know it ain't Christmas no more, but I got theis beer and it needs to be drunk.

A- pours a light amber with a slight haze.
S- has a malty nose and you can start to smell the spices up front.
T- Very malty and a ton o fclove flavors, almost too much. not digging it at all.
M- Sticky, syrup, somewhat thick.
D- Not gonna drink many of these.

-Bye

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2010 23:03:32 | More by jbone78

mikey711

New Jersey

2.95/5  rDev -20.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A: a light brown color with very good clarity. not much head or hold making it almost look like a soda.

S: brown sugar, caramel, toffee, a slight peppery note, some herbal zesty hops. some pine notes.

T: Peppery with some pine tree notes. hints of cinnamon and all spice. lots of brown sugar and a touch of nut meg. the spices arent all that powerful but the all spice note sticks out the most and overwhelmed at times

M: Slightly hot and a bit chalky due to the spices. i would have liked a bit more of a creamy feel

D: Not my favorite of this style but a nice one to try. glad i did not buy a six pack

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2010 21:57:07 | More by mikey711

dropout86

Tennessee

2.98/5  rDev -19.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 12oz bottle with bottled on date: 11/12/2009. Sampled 2 for a fair tasting.

A: Pours a crisp, clean amber to toasted caramel with a dense but short off white head. Very little head retention or lacing.

S: Smells of caramel, subtle oranges, fruit (pumpkin?), vanilla, malt, and clove.

M: Moderately carbonated but not overly so. Light to medium-light body with a syrup backbone. CO2 evaporates halfway through the glass leaving a syrup overload.

T: Front: Mild clove and citrus, toasted malts Middle: Floral hops Finish: metallic, oxidized fruits and vegetables, malt, and alcohol.

D: Drink it cold and drink it quickly on a cold night and you'll enjoy yourself.

I've had better examples of this style but I wouldn't hesitate to drink this again next year, maybe a little fresher or on tap?

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2010 03:46:17 | More by dropout86

barleywinebrewer

New Hampshire

3.03/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - slightly hazy auburn color with a nice white head.
S - orange, cloves, spices and sweet nutty malts
T - Cloves dominate with light notes of orange, spices and sweet malts. Cloves dominate though.
M - medium bodied, nicely carbonated, clove aftertaste
D - amazingly approachable for 8%. You'll probably guess a theme, touch too much clove for me.

Serving type: bottle

02-29-2008 21:38:42 | More by barleywinebrewer

bamadog

Kentucky

3.03/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Thanks to beerman207 for having this as an offering at a recent tasting. Pour is from a bottle to a pint glass.

Appearance: Pour is a coppery color that is just a little light; starts with a short 1/2 finger fluffy white head that fades immediately to a thin and incomplete whisp with a firm ring around the surface; body is clear and shows mild carbonation; no lacing, but there is a clear, oily residue that slides around.

Smell: Fair in potency, I pick up some nice warm cinammon and a slightly sweet malty backing. Not bad.

Taste: A little lighter in flavor than I expected based upon a stronger scent; does hold a light warm cinammon flavor and also a moderate flavor of anise or black licorice; minimal hint of nutmeg. Meh.

Mouthfeel: Body feels a little slippery and loose; mild carbonation that is too mild and it comes across as flat; not impressed.

Drinkability: I give it a 3 because it's not awful, but I would certainly never seek it out - doesn't really compete with the likes of a Bell's Christmas Ale or the Hoppin' Frog Frosted Frog.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2010 04:40:54 | More by bamadog

Rukasu

District of Columbia

3.05/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Tried at Pi - Washington, DC

Great deep, dark ruby/copper color with a clean white head.

Smell is sweet and spicy.

Taste is a bit overly spicy. Abundance of cloves, ginger, and cardamom. A bit overpowering for me, but just about every kind of spice you can think of associated with Christmas, is probably in this brew.

The sweetness of the beer is immediately a bit cloying, but as it sits in your mouth you're able to begin to dissect the different flavors. Nice beer to try during the holidays, but anything beyond a 12 oz. snifter is probably more than enough.

Serving type: on-tap

12-11-2011 20:18:05 | More by Rukasu

drseamus

New York

3.1/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

I'm not crazy about spiced beers in general, but I guess it is the proper day to drink this.

Pours a cloudy red color with a nice white head. The aroma is has a bunch of malt and cloves. The flavor has a bunch of clove in it and a touch of bitter orange. The malt presence is strong but the spices overpower somewhat. The body is nice but I'm still not crazy about this beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2007 05:43:37 | More by drseamus

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.1/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Churchkey. Served in a snifter.

Pours a light bronze color with only a half finger of head to start out with and that doesn't last all that long. There is a light ring a foam around the edges of the glass for some time. The nose is quite muted, not something I'd expect from a Christmas ale. As it warms, there's just a hint of light spicing with a bit of cinnamon.

The taste is a bit more pungent and the mild spices are fairly tame and well-distributed. At the same time, the beer is completely one dimensional and I'm not sure I'm enjoying that dimension all that much. Light cinnamon and some ginger are what I pick up as well as a bit of light malt. The spicing is nice on the medium body. This is a fairly-drinkable winter brew, but it's not all that special in the end.

Serving type: on-tap

11-18-2010 13:40:51 | More by Thorpe429

Dogbrick

Ohio

3.13/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle from Party Source. This beer is a hazy amber color with a medium thin light beige head. Spotty lacing on the glass. Aroma of citrus peel, coriander and sweet cookies. Light-bodied with a sweet spiced character. Flavors of clove, caramel malt and mild hops. The finish is citrusy with a lingering sweet spice aftertaste. Slightly above average overall.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2008 20:14:49 | More by Dogbrick

rsyberg01

California

3.15/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

S - Bottled with love on Oct. 26 2006

A - Pours a pink copper color with an eggshell colored head, decently sticky and attractive.

S - Odd, clove, cinnamon, orange peel, very sweet smelling, mint in there somewhere too I think. Not bad, confusing a little bit.

T - Orange, clove, pretty spicy, malt is well stood for. Similar to the nose, thought for a second I tasted something like orange toothpaste, but that went away pretty quickly. Not bad, not my cup of tea though.

M - Full bodied, good feel. This aspect of the beer is one that is pretty above average, nice.

D - Because of the huge spice note and the little odds and ends that I had trouble appreciating, I would put my personal limit at two with this brew.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2006 03:04:56 | More by rsyberg01

DefenCorps

Oregon

3.2/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bottled 01 December 2010, from the Village Pump.

Pouring a beautiful crimson with a dense, off-white head with excellent retention and nice lacing, this is a rather beautiful beer. The nose is a blend of spices and bright orange peel, in some ways, like a holiday candle. The hop character is a little herbal, and has a touch of soap to it as well. The spice character is interesting. A little bit potpourri-like, with some clove, mace and maybe even some grains of paradise? The orange peel is rather dominant here. Solid.

The palate opens with a mild medicinal sweetness along with a blend of spices and herbs. Again, this really is like potpourri, with a melange of flavors present. Pine and citrus from the hops, an herbal character that I can't entirely describe, and a blend of spices with clove, cinnamon and a little nutmeg. Orange peel isn't as noticeable here, for some reason.There's a bitterness present that reminds me of grains of paradise for some reason. The alcohol is rather noticeable, even when cold, making this harsher than it needs to be. The booze also makes this more noticeably medicinal, which isn't entirely appealing. Medium in body with a high level of carbonation that is surprisingly creamy, this feels decent on the palate. Mildly bitter and mildly herbal on the finish, this is decent. Ultimately, not terribly enjoyable, but I don't regret buying a single.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2011 04:13:55 | More by DefenCorps

hopsaplenty

Virginia

3.25/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12oz. brown bottle, bottled with love on 25Oct2006.

The label included this quotation from Sir Walter Scott: “Twas Christmas broached the mightiest ale, ‘twas Christmas told the merriest tale…”

Clear, burnished amber. Short persistent head of loose, small tan bubbles punctuated by steady columns of carbonation. The head falls to a thin skim leaving a few spots of foam. Sweet orange and spicy clove aromas are brushed with the smallest hint of spicy hops. Orange peel, more fleshy than rind meshes with a strong clove presence that finishes with more cloves lingering a long while. There is a modest amount of toasty malt, but it is dominated by cloves and orange. Medium body that feels thin at times, the carbonation is fine bubbles. Relatively singular in its spice focus, I would have enjoyed a wider flavor range and a slightly bulked up body.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2007 12:47:19 | More by hopsaplenty

falloutsnow

Illinois

3.28/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle given to me by a friend. Thanks.
Poured into a standard US pint glass.

Pours a 2cm head, mildly thick, mostly of medium-sized bubbles. Head descends over a minute or two to a ring around the top of the glass and some minute islands. Some lace accumulates on sides of glass, but nothing particularly noteworthy. Body is a dark orange-amber color with a reddish tint. Held up to the light, it's a deep yellow-orange-red color. Transparent, with lots of visible carbonation.

Aroma is fairly weak, I detect faint, slight spices [cloves, allspice, cinnamon] and mild fruit [ale yeast esters]. As just stated, these aren't very strong or stand-out in any particular way.

Taste is generally sweet and spicy, with a mild, but always detectable alcohol warmth and burn. In specific, opens with sweet malts, spicy clove, and light citrus zest, changing to clove, cinnamon, and allspice flavors mid-palate, before transitioning to citrus zest, more pie spices, and sweet malts for the close. Aftertaste is of syrupy malt and mild clove spice.

Body is full of fairly soft, but noticeable carbonation. Not bad at all, as it goes with the medium-light body in a sensitive sort of way. Slightly too thin, maybe even watery around the edges, for such a heavy ABV beer. Finish is rather dry.

Overall, this wasn't particularly bad-tasting, but the aroma's meekness and body's lightness make this a bit off-putting as a high ABV winter beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2011 03:33:37 | More by falloutsnow

Hopfenpeter

Maryland

3.28/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The beer poured a clear orange copper, with a finger high tan creamy head building. It dissipates into nice lacing.
The nose is spice, nutmeg, coriander, caramel.
Tasting the beer, I feel this heavy dose of winter spices, which I feel overpowering in this beer. But than again, I assume that this is what winter ale is supposed to be like.
The beer is medium bodied and has a good malt backbone. The hops are in the shadow of the spices, which does this beer no good.
Maybe I will take from winter brews for a while.,

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2012 03:53:04 | More by Hopfenpeter

chilly460

Virginia

3.33/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A- Pours a hazy amber with orange tones. Two finger head with decent retention, some spotty lacing.

S- Plenty of spicing as expected, get cloves predominantly, with cinnamon and orange peel coming through. Backed up with sweet caramel malts, and some warming alcohol.

T- Light pale malts form the bod of tasts, with some orange peel sharpness coming through. Transfers to the cloves and cinammon that I picked up in the smell. A bit of white pepper gets in at the end. Bit of grassy hops at the end.

M- Thought this was pretty nice, smooth and a bit chewy.

D- Nice solid winter seasonal, flavors are balanced and appropriate.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2011 15:32:32 | More by chilly460

ianjsullivan

Maryland

3.35/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

ST: 12oz poured into a pint glass. Bottle lists BOD but does not list ABV.

A: Reddish amber with a slight-off white half a finger fluffy head. The beer is very clear with steady carbonation. It leaves average lacing, and the head retention is okay.

S: The clove and orange are very noticeable. There is also some malt and some lemon from hops.

T: Sweet malt with orange and clove along with some bubblegum and spice on the finish from hops. There is slight warming alcohol in the finish.

M: Medium and smooth.

O: The alcohol is blended very well in this beer, but it loses points in a few areas. For a winter seasonal, this beer is a bit too light. It is also on the sweeter side. While the hops are there, the sweetness of the orange combines with the malt to create a beer that can be a bit of a toothache. The warming alcohol at the end does help, but the beer almost reminds me of sweet and sour sauce. This beer screams of fruitcake (which is not the best association).

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2011 00:45:44 | More by ianjsullivan

BedetheVenerable

Missouri

3.38/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Presentation: 12oz brown bottle, bottled on 10-28-2008, with a nice classy-looking Christmas label.

Appearance: A vigorous pour produces a pretty burnt orange/amber beer with some very fine sediment in suspension. This beer has very high, cascading carbonation (quite pretty) and an off-white head with great retention.

Smell: Sweet, spicy, and very "Christmas-y." This is somewhat like their pumpkin ale, in truth, minus the pumpkin aromas themselves. There are strong notes of clove, delicate but aggressive spicy/piney hops, and bitter orange peel. It's kind of like Christmas in a glass. Quite nice.

Taste: Sweet caramel maltiness, backed by a whallop of clove spiciness and a bit of spicy piney hops as well. It's definitely sweet across the palate, but ends with a small hop kick and a somewhat dry finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied, a bit prickly from the high carbonation levels.

Drinkability: It's fairly tasty, but almost a little bit overpowering in the spice. I usually find myself picking up one or two of these a year in a mix-a-six...but a sixer might be a little over the top. I'm curious to see what a little aging might do to this.

Conclusion: Not a bad winter beer, and I like the balance between malt sweetness and hops (a lot of spiced beers seem to have little to no real hop presence) but at the end of the day the spices are just a little overwhelming for this to be truly great.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2008 06:04:33 | More by BedetheVenerable