Schlafly Christmas Ale - Saint Louis Brewery / Schlafly Tap Room

pasdachuri

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a nice reddish brown with a fluffy 3 inch white head

Lots of spices in the nose that smells like a Christmas dessert.

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. Very Nicely done.

Lots of carbonation in the mouth, almost tingling to the point of refreshment.

The spice and sweet malty character of this beer hide the fact its 8% ABV. I had to consciously pace myself when drinking this six pack as the inviting aromas and solid flavor keep you comin back for more.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2010 18:57:32 | More by pasdachuri

jokelahoma

Missouri

4.22/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a very bright and clear amber, with minimal head. Very nice looking beer.

Spices come through nicely in the nose. Not exactly pumpkin pie, but very "country kitchen"-like, with a good deal of cinnamon, ginger, clove, and a bit of citrus. A touch of sweet caramel adds to the complexity. Very, very, appetizing!

A bit of fruity sweetness up front, followed almost immediately by the spices. Note this doesn't taste hoppy. I'm getting no perceptible hop flavor. But there's bitterness here to balance the sweetness. The clove really comes through in the flavor, giving it a spicy burn that I found very appealing. Almost a cinnamon roll flavor, but nowhere near as sweet. Unsweetened cinnamon rolls? Nah... not even sure if there's cinnamon in this. But it is spiced nicely, and tastes very good.

The mouthfeel is well done as well. Not watery, but you don't have to shew it, as you do some winter beers. That makes this one a lot easier to drink than many others.

Overall, I found this to be surprisingly good. Easy to drink, with nice "holiday" spiciness that is balanced by the sweetness of the malt. I could drink many of these, I'm sure. Nicely done!

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2006 04:26:33 | More by jokelahoma

beerphilosopher

Illinois

4.22/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a gorgous and lively amber red color and produces a nice, bubbly off-white head that dissipates fairly quickly. The beer is just slightly hazy, but very rich in color. This beer just looks good. Spotty lacing is left inside the large snifter I'm using for this beer. The nose is the Holidays in a glass. Strong aromas of holiday spices (cloves, cinnamon and citrus). Behind the spicy notes is a very pleasant roasted malt character. Smells festive in every way. The palate doesn't disappoint either - spices up front, intermixed with aggressive floral hops and dominant citrus notes (bitter orange peel, mostly). Due to the liberal use of hops in this beer, you get an over all dry taste with a lot going on in the back of the mouth. The finish is very herbal and citric, without being medicinal or cloying at all. Beautifully crafted. The mouth feel is medium and very fluid. The 8% ABV is well-masked in my opinion, but opens up a bit as the beer warms. I believe this to be one of my very favorite Christmas beers. It's very well balanced, incredibly tasty te. This is a nicely balanced spiced Christmas beer that is quite enjoyable. It's the type of beer I'd hit up for a and a nice departure from the typical winter warmer. For me, the citrus and bold hop presence makes this beer. These characteristics could well be why some won't like this beer, but it's what makes it stand out of the crown for me. Absolutely excellent and one of my favorite beers from Schlafly this year ... and that's saying a lot.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2007 20:09:35 | More by beerphilosopher

peabody

Kentucky

4.22/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours our a really clean effverscent ice tea color with very little suds. Some lacing.
Smell is very spicy. Fresh corriander and nutmeg/allspice/pumpkin pie. Can't really smell the alcohol here.
Can't taste the alcohol here either. This is very refreshing for a christmas ale. Very spicy and a great balance between bitter and sweet. Hey, this is good and from Schlafly!
Mouthfeel is clean for the most part because of the bitter blackness at the end.
Drinkability is good here is you like the spices.
All in all, a pretty darn good beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2009 19:11:33 | More by peabody

MTNboy

Missouri

4.22/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Brown amber body.

Smell: Spicy and very sweet malty aroma.

Taste: The flavor has a European like Christmas dessert like feel. Spicy at first but a sweet finish.

Mouthfeel: Very smooth, It reminds me a lot of the pumpkin but smoother. It is very slick feeling.

Overall: One of my favorite holiday beers. Very thick and warm it feels like the holidays.

Serving type: on-tap

01-15-2012 06:29:34 | More by MTNboy

karst

Missouri

4.25/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a smaller sniffer that shows off its chestnut amber, low head persistant ring. A fireside beauty!
Cinnamon, clove, and sweet caramel meets the nose at the taproom with all its competing aromas. Malts don't dominate but easily support the spices that give a gingerbread impression to the palate.

Well balanced with alcohol and IBUs easily handling sweet malts and dextrins that provide a nearly full mouthfeel. Still young but very nice as winter approaches. Pleasing carbonation that allows sipping without going flat.
Alcohol very nice and although apparent very nice in that it overall supports what the brewer is doing.

Hats off to Steve Hale and the rest of the Schlafly brewers.

Serving type: on-tap

11-07-2006 04:03:50 | More by karst

MarzenMan

Missouri

4.25/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottled on 10/29/2008.

A - Medium sized head on a bright amber beer. Good lacing. The bottle reminds me of old Christmas records. I think they took it off a Kenny Rogers Christmas Record we used to have :). Very....'Christmasy'.

S - Reminds me of Blue Moon because of the orange/citrus and the spice that may be clove but comes across similar to corriander. Some slight alcohol.

T - Wow. This is better than I expected. Some good malty qualities and a nice, but subtle, hop balance. Def. some orange and other spices but not overpowering at all. A little alcohol in the mix. Very nice. Medium body on the tongue.

D - I'd drink it a ton if it weren't for the price tag. I paid 10.50 for a sixer but it does appear to be worth it. This is exactly what I want in a holiday ale.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2008 03:43:51 | More by MarzenMan

BCK

Missouri

4.25/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a cheap Rusty Wallace racing Pint glass, haha. After drinking it, I regret that I didn't put it in a better glass.

Nice amber/brown/orange color brew with a nice inch head on it after pouring. Smell of citrus and clove, very nice aroma.

Beautiful taste of Hops, spice and citrus.

Nice smooth beer with lovely hops bite to it and a bit of carbonation.

My favorite Christmas/Winter Ale so far this year and lucky me that it's readily available everywhere I go. I am a newer person to the craft beer population, but Schlafly still has not disappointed me and this one raised the bar for the next.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2008 05:45:43 | More by BCK

SolomonGrundy

California

4.25/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Actually looks like the 2009 release, an extra from great trader Brian44556...Thanks mate, and cheers...Pours a rusty amber. Two to three-fingers of marshmallowy head adorn this-a-here brew. Sheets of pleasant lacing fall down the glass like snow. Good carbonation. Actually a beautiful looking beer so far. Huge, robust aromas. I get a lot of interesting notes. Yes, some orange peel. Yes some clove. But the nose is more and better than the sum of the parts. It comes off also having an egg nog note to it, as well as some banana. Sweet smelling and very robust. Wow on the flavor...This is more than I expected. A blizzard of sweet, malty, egg-nog like flavors burst over you. Truly amazing, as I expected a much maltier, more effervescent beer given the carbonation and typical versions of the style. Carbonation actually helps to subdue these Winter flavors and balance it out nicely, otherwise they might be cloying. The initial burst of flavor slowly fades into a nice, malty middle that features a lot of banana flavor, and closes out with a orange peel/hop melding of flavors that lasts a while. This is actually an exceptionally good beer. Very tasty and highly surprising to me. The only flaw appears to be a weird bitterness in the finish, but it's a minimal flaw to be sure. I can only assume this beer is well-priced, and I'm going with that assumption. I would definitely suggest trying to tracj down this wonderful and unique version of the style.

What I like most: Pretty much everything, but mostly the robust, unique and expressive flavor profile upon first taste.

What I like least: The pithy, off bitterness in the finish.

Verdict: Really excellent and wonderful beer. Worth tracking down.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2010 22:14:12 | More by SolomonGrundy

BeerLover99

New Jersey

4.33/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: rust body, finger khaki head, patchy lacing

S: orange peel, big clove, and spices (think Christmas cake)

T: orange peel, malt, clove, winter/Christmas spices, mild alcohol warmth.

M: med body, smooth/firm carbonation mouth

O: G-d Bless you, Schlafly! This Jew loves this time of year.
Fine brewery & delicious offering. Highly recommend
this Christmas Ale; most are too watery or odd flavor
combinations that sound great but just don't work.
This is a winner!

DELICIOUS, CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS PROPERLY!

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2012 18:31:16 | More by BeerLover99

FreshmanPour77

Minnesota

4.38/5  rDev +18.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Reviewed on 02-08-10
Reviewed cold from a bottle to a glass

A - Golden amber color, 2 fingers of foam with carbonation present throughout the review

S - Just what the bottle says. I can pick up the orange peel and cloves. I get a faint cinnamon aroma but next to nothing regarding any hops

T - Medium bodied but a very smooth citrus malt taste, the spices masked the smell of hops until I had some hop bitterness at the back end. The bitterness did smooth rather quickly

M/D - Another great brew from Schlafly. Smooth medium bodied brew that carried the right amounts of citrus and sweet blended well with spices but over done. A little hop bite at the end but doesn't ruin the experience. A great seasonal from Schlafly that comes highly recommended

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2010 16:28:36 | More by FreshmanPour77

KI9A

Illinois

4.53/5  rDev +22.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Can't believe I haven't reviewed this yet, have notes back from the past couple years. Seems like 2007 & 2008 have been really tuned, from the 2006 version.

A: 2008 into a tulip. Hazy copper, lingering tan head, wonderful lace windows.

S: Wow. WOW! Best smell from a beer I ever reviewed. Citrus/orange/malt/cloves.

T: Malt. Hops. Then, orange, nutmeg, cloves. What a wonderful balance these guys have stumbled upon. Might even detect a bit of chocolate at the back.

M: Moderate carb, clean, but a very slight ABV burn afterwards.

D: I can drink this year 'round, but, it is my favorite Christmas brew, hands down. The 8% ABV sneaks up on you, so, be careful. this drinks like a macro lager, and easy to get lost in it.

Fine job, guys!

Cheers & Merry Christmas!

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2008 01:54:50 | More by KI9A

RickS95

Indiana

4.95/5  rDev +33.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Three fingers of thick, fluffy, light beige head. The beer is copper in color and unfiltered...it's simply a gorgeous beer as it sits in the glass.

Lots of spices in the nose, but as the bottle mentions, orange peel and cloves top the list. It smells like a Christmas dessert.

Lots of carbonation in the mouth, almost tingling to the point of refreshment.

With the hops, cloves, orange peel and high alcohol, you'd expect a bitter aftertaste, but this beer is simply too smoooth. The only bitter is the alcohol late, late, late in the finish.

The lacing follows the beer with each sip. This is my 4th or 5th Schlafly's and I'm still waiting for one that's not exceptional. This may be the best beer I've ever had. It's potent at 8% alcohol, but it's terribly smooth so it's highly drinkable. It's a shame it's a seasonal brew.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2008 21:07:12 | More by RickS95