Schlafly Christmas Ale - Saint Louis Brewery / Schlafly Tap Room

brewdlyhooked13

Ohio

4.13/5  rDev +11%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Appearance - reddish amber, a good-sized head slows down the pour into a standard pint glass. A minute later, the beer is practically coverless. Some very fine sediment suspended in the brew.

Aroma - some spice and caramel at first, turning slightly metallic and fading back to a light grain, licorice, and cinnamon smell.

Taste - sweet with licorice, citrus, clove, and a touch of the metal, too. The maltiness is nice, a good base to work from. There are some mild hops after the swallow and some creeping warmth in the aftertaste. The finish is extended by the spices and wrap things up well.

Mouthfeel - a little heavier and a good fit. Carbonation is there but a bit restrained, maybe just not so big due to the body.

Drinkability - a great seasonal ale. Good fireside brew, let it warm up a little to let the flavors shine.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2007 15:55:50 | More by brewdlyhooked13

oline73

Maryland

3.55/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This is a 2010 bottle poured from a bottle into a standard pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a slightly cloudy amber with a finger and a half of off white head. There is an alright amount of retention and no real lacing on this one.

Smell: Sweet caramel malt with some spices and dark fruit as well. The fruity notes remind me a bit of cherry.

Taste: Follows closely from the smell. The malt sweetness blends well with the spice and fruit notes. There is a slight bitterness in the finish with no real alcohol presence.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with smooth carbonation and a dry finish.

Overall: The time has improved this beer a bit. The lack of alcohol is a good thing. The spices have faded a bit, but still smooth and good.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2011 03:39:40 | More by oline73

mdaschaf

Washington

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

Review from notes 2/25/11

A: Poured a clear ruby/copper color. Small one finger white head with poor retention and no lacing.

S: Lots of spice, mostly cinnamon and nutmeg. A little bit of orange peel.

T: Very similar to the nose, but more pronounced. Lots of cinnamon and nutmeg, but by far the most dominant flavor is bubble gum.

M/D: Light bodied with good carbonation and quite smooth. A pretty good beer, but had high hopes after trying their pumpkin beer in the fall, which was amazing.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2011 04:12:40 | More by mdaschaf

tigg924

Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev +7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: minimal head, hazy, orange-brown in color

Smell: toasted malt, cinnamon, caramel, and clovess

Taste: lots of caramel malt, cinnamon, caramel, and a touch of earthy hops in the middle

Mouthfeel: heavy bodied, medium carbonation, very sweet and spicy with a slight bitter jump in the middle

Drinkability: A nice and malty holiday treat where the alcohol really sneaks up. The combination of spices is good. A sipper that is one I will revisit.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2011 14:42:35 | More by tigg924

Boto

Connecticut

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

12oz. bottle: This one pours a cloudy amber color. There was a big frothy head on it that took a little while to recede. Leaves a little lacing. Nice aroma. A little lighter, but definitely Christmas: clove, cinnamon and nutmeg. Maybe a hint of orange. Taste if pretty good. Malt, clove, cinnamon, a touch of orange and pine. This is actually just a touch bitter, with just a hint of sweetness to start. Lots of hops to balance the malts. A decent winter beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2011 01:13:24 | More by Boto

thekevlarkid

Maryland

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

Out of a bottle this beer was a hazy, copper/bronze color with a good amount of rising carbonation and a tan head. The retention was good and the lacing in bands all the way down my glass. The aroma was of cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, caramel malt and some light citrus notes. The flavors were very enjoyable to me. I tasted all the aforementioned spices built atop a solid caramel malt backbone with only light hopping which gave it a nice finish. Balanced and not overly spiced as many holiday ales tend to be. Additionally, there was almost no sign that the beer was 8% ALC and I didn’t realize it until after I’d enjoyed a few! The mouthfeel was good, the body surprisingly light and the carbonation appropriate.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2012 11:46:15 | More by thekevlarkid

Jayli

Massachusetts

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

Recieved this from diekia so a big THANK YOU goes out to her!

A: This beer pours a burnt orange color with a 1/4 inch of white head and not much lacing to speak of.

S: Nose is of orange peel, clove, and a hint of malt.

T: Taste is - holy citrus and malt batman! Taste starts with a crazy amount of clove and orange peel. Heavy malt presence comes through with a boatload of sweetness - brown sugar, molasses and honey. Finish has a decent hop presence.

M: Medium body, light carbonation, very dry throughout and a bone dry finish. I've never had a beer finish this dry before.

D: This is a tasty little beer, it's one that you could have one or two, but not sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2009 17:12:41 | More by Jayli

WoodBrew

Illinois

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

Trying the Schlafly Christmas Ale this evening and the beer pours a mostly clear amber color with about a half inch off-white head. Lacing and head retention are both decent. The scent is very sweet and spicy, I can smell cloves, cinnamon, orange peel, and some ginger. It tastes pretty much the same as it smells, but the clove flavor is the strongest. Also, I think it tastes more spicy than sweet. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's a bit coating and is well carbonated. Overall, it can be a tough beer due to the amount of spice in this beer, I don't think I could drink more than 2 or 3 of these at a time.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 06:20:53 | More by WoodBrew

alleykatking

Indiana

3.8/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from 12oz bottle. Thanks to VinnieVanGogh for this bottle.

A- Pours a light hazed amberish orange color. Two finger head shows low retention. Some spotty lacing on the sides of the glass...nothing else.

S- Spicing on this beer does come through a lot with cloves being the leader. Undertones of cinnamon and orange peel act as a nice buffer between the caramel malts and medium alcohol tingling the nose. Didn't get any hops in the nose but it really wasn't too important.

T- Light toasted malts with a nice orange peel upfront. Clove comes out as well in the front of the beer but no real other spicing besides light pepper notes here and there. Caramel malts in the middle of the beer. Medium alcohol flavor with some light bitter earthy hops in the ending of the beer.

M- Medium mouthfeel. Carbonation is good for the style. Clove and caramel malts are left on the palate. Aftertaste is bitter hops, big alcohol warming notes, and spicing linger for awhile. Flavors were kept in check with other flavors so none were over the top. No off flavors were present in the beer. Medium alcohol drying on the palate.

D- A nice spiced winter seasonal beer. The flavors were well balanced but the aroma at times seemed to be a little muted. The ABV is present toward the ending of the beer but only for a second or two. Would love to try this stuff again....I think a little fresher bottle will do this beer a little more justice.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2011 15:21:32 | More by alleykatking

IntriqKen

California

4.03/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks rsyberg01 for this bit of St. Louis Christmas.
Pours a glowing red/amber with a moderate white head that melts to a sticky lacing.
Aromas are so spicy I am reminded of a pumpkin ale....cinnamon, cloves, orange peel. Very fresh smelling spices.
Taste is so spicy again I am reminded of a pumpkin ale. Tons of cinnamon, a little cloves, corriander, and orange peel hop bitterness on the tail end.
Aftertaste is a tingly spiciness reminiscent of a wheat. A little white pepper in the hop bite.
Nice full comfortable mouthfeel.
This is an unusual winter ale...very spicy...not bad and the farther I get into the bottle the more I like it. Could that be the 8% talking?
Very tasty.
Thanks Ric.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2006 03:41:51 | More by IntriqKen

budgood1

Minnesota

3.68/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

pours out of the bottle a glowing and darkish rust colour with a big frothy head that settles to a rocky lace. aroma is a unique combination of orange peels and cloves, just as the label on the bottle states. there is an underlying caramel malt nose and some leathery, soapish notes as well. very festive. i'd say the flavour is malty at first...very rich, candy sweet and warming. then come complimentary spices...more orange and clove...maybe some nutmeg too. all very well within the parameters of a balanced x-mas spice ale. there is a touch of spicy hops that add a welcome bitterness to offset the heavy maltiness and serve well to intermingle with the clove notes and any other peppery (alcohol) nuances that make this beer a very nice x-mas/winter sipper. the body is full and the mouthfeel slippery; sledding down my throat like a toboggan down an ice encrusted hill. very nice. drinkability is great; this could be an all evening sipper beside a fire or a festive quaffer at a holiday soiree. nevertheless...i found it to be a nicely balanced holiday spiced ale worthy of any wintertime quaffing. hard to believe that this is 8.00% ABV.

thanks to my brother who brought this up from st. louis at thanksgiving.

i was saving this for a special occasion...and i think i found one as this evening my wife and i went for a six mile walk in -15 below temperatures on the coldest day of the winter thus far here in northern minnesota and witnessed Comet McNaught. just because we could. gotta love rural living.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2007 01:26:56 | More by budgood1

pmcadamis

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - This one is a deep orange amber color that is clear, and lighter than I expected. Most Christmas/Winter brews tend to be on the dark side, but this one is the color of a good IPA. The head is initially three fluffy fingers, and settles to a persistent finger of cloud-like foam. Big sheets of lace slide down the glass, leaving nice big arcs in their wake. Head retention is pretty good for a high abv brew.

S - Candied apples (not caramel apples, but the candied apples covered in sugary red stuff), orange zest, wintergreen and peppermint. This smells like a mixed bag of Christmas candy. I'm reminded of those candy canes (sans hook) that some in a ton of different flavors. There is definitely a nice Christmas tree sappy hop note that reminds us that this is beer...not liquid holiday candy.

T - Hoppy, sweet, and well spiced. This seems like it is an IPA style beer that has been Christmas-ified with nutmeg, cinnamon, orange rind, and peppermint. Red apple skin and vinous grape skin tartness keep this lively.

M - This is medium bodied and initially quite sweet before transitioning to a ridiculously dry and dusty finish. I find that many spiced beers have a dusty finish...like putting dry cinnamon in your mouth. The alcohol is extremely well hidden...I would have never guessed that this was 8%!

D - A good sipper for a cold holiday season night. It's 33 degrees and wet here in central Illinois... the perfect time for a spicy and boozy winter ale. This one is pretty good, but not as glorious as I expected from a "special release" beer from Schlalfly. I do like the SN Celebration - like take on a winter brew.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2008 17:47:56 | More by pmcadamis

kbutler1

Minnesota

3.48/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle. Poured into a tulip glass a clear medium copper amber color with a slight off white 1 finger head. The aroma is a a muted, subtle citrus and spice of cinnamon. The taste is a lot more flavorful than the nose with a sweet gingerbread like start along with sweet citrus. Fairly malty. Medium mouthfeel. Ends with a slight bitterness. Overall, this is a decent drinking beer. The booze is only slightly noticeable.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2011 01:13:23 | More by kbutler1

Monkeyknife

Missouri

4.1/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Stumbled onto four bottles from 2007 recently.

Poured from the bottle a cloudy amber gold with a sea of tiny floaties. I assume those are from aging a year. The beige head is creamy but small.

Aroma of sweet malts, Juicyfruit gum, orange peel, ripe orchard fruits, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves.

Tastes of sweet malts, candy sugar, cinnamon, cloves, apple, and just a hint of spicy hops. Not overly sweet or fruity. Finishes quite clean.

Light-to-medium bodied, slightly dry, and lightly carbonated.

A fine ale for the Christmas season, indeed. A great drinker.

Now to pick up some 2008.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2008 23:28:42 | More by Monkeyknife

CuriousMonk

Virginia

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

Poured from 12oz bottle into dimpled mug (I also had it on tap once in a bar in DC). Pours a hazy orange with a thin-moderate linen white head that lasted through the first quarter of the glass and left partial lace. Pleasant aroma of orange peel, honey, and cloves - subdued holiay spcies. Decent carbonation. The flavor is mild malt with stronger orange peel, honey and cloves. Black pepper emerges in the aftertaste about five seconds after the swallow and lingers for several seconds.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2011 21:41:27 | More by CuriousMonk

birchstick

Missouri

3.95/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a dark orange color, with a small head

S: it has an orange and hoppy/piney aroma

T: tastes hoppy, gingerey, citrusy, and spicey

M: a little too carbonated, burns a bit going down

D: very good beer, one of the better holiday offerings I have tried

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2008 04:02:55 | More by birchstick

htomsirveaux

Texas

3.6/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle tried 17 Apr 2010

Poured in a 512 One snifter. Small off white head. Almost flat. Oily ruby brown color. Smells of banana bread and lots of clove. Tastes like clove blended with ethanol. Sweet, oily and spicy. Finish is a bit tart and spicy (clove), with banana and just a touch of orange zest. Ethanol is quite warming, so is the clove. Did we mention the clove? Becomes a bit more fizzy as it warms (probably an effect of the cloves). Aftertaste is warming and a bit bitter, somewhat clovey. Medium (clove) body.

Spicy, but hard to place a finger on what spice they might have used.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2010 05:35:18 | More by htomsirveaux

katan

Colorado

3.88/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle into a pint dated 12/4/2008

A - Brown to orangish brown in color - head formation is strong and well retained. Off-white to also brown in color. Hazy.

S - Super spicy with notes of cinnamon and cloves hitting you square in the eyes.

T - Starts off with a light mix of the cinnamon spice and malty sweetness. A hair of bitterness builds which jumps into a nice bite of american hops. Finishes with a big hit of cinnamon and spice - almost a gingerbread cookie - and a big bite of phenolic tones.

M - Full of body - both from the carbonation and from the strong substance of the beer. Not very biting in carbonation. Leaves a sweet film on the tongue.

D - Moderate to low drinkability in my mind - the abv on this beer would sneak up on you big time. The spicy edge makes it a nice after dinner drink. Somewhat filling.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2009 03:33:44 | More by katan

TheSarge

Illinois

3.98/5  rDev +7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Christmas in July! That's right, this Christmas Ale is out now.

Anyhow, this brew makes for about a finger and a half thick head that retains decently. The body is hazy and is copper in color.

The aroma is very Christmas like. It seems like a bit of nutmeg, orange rind, tea, and ginger. It seems like there are a lot of different spices used here.

The taste is fruity, kind of in the way of a hot German spiced wine (Gluhwein). There are the nuances of the smell in the taste, along with a hint of cherry.

Mouth feel wise there is plenty of carbonation to make this lively, and the warming feeling in the end is faint for the ABV content, which is a plus for me.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2010 00:09:12 | More by TheSarge

MTNboy

Missouri

4.22/5  rDev +13.4%
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

jsh420

Illinois

3.98/5  rDev +7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

bottled 11/25/09

pours clear amber orange with a 1 finger head that left no lacing

smells very fruity - peach orange some malt - reminds me of a saison

taste - just like the smell big fruity hops and earthy spices with just a little bit of funk

mouthfeel is a light body beer with lots of carbonation that gives it a crisp dry finish

drinkability - for a beer @ 8%abv i sure drank it fast

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2010 03:54:14 | More by jsh420

MuenchenerKindl

Germany

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle to a pint glass. The liquid it a Dark amber color with tones of copper and red it contains good carbonation. The head is 2 finger thick tan, it fades leaving little lace.

The smell is holiday spice, with thick sweet malt.

The taste follows mild spice, with a hugely sweet over powering malt.

The mouthfeel is OK, nice carbonation but a thick and sticky syrupy body.

The drinkability is ok not bad but a it's a thick heavy brew and not very sessionable.

Thanks to JPM30 & Vancer for this festive Holiday brew. Prosit MK

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2006 00:54:04 | More by MuenchenerKindl

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

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

Re-review from the 2011 batch, bottled.

Amber colored and clear, with a 1.5 finger head and good lacing, a little stickier this year.

I smell malts, bready and toasty, spices (plenty of nutmeg and cinnamon), and a slightly grainy aroma. A bit odd but not bad smelling at all.

Tastes again like I expect from this type of brew. Spices come out strong but not too strong, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice and pepper all come to mind. A malty backbone is accented with a little hops and citrus. Alcohol could be concealed a bit better, still slightly noticeable.

Feels warming and tangy due to the spices and alcohol.

Pretty good but not the best of the winters/holiday treats that are available.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2011 02:03:39 | More by AlCaponeJunior

mntlover

Tennessee

3.68/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a medium amber color with a smaller tan head that falls to a ring not much lace.

Aroma is nice malty caramel mingled with lots of orange citrusy aromas that mingle with spice lots of clove thru out along with cinnamon hints noted. Nice spicy malty brew strange that it smells like popari.

Taste is some caramel malt that is swamped by orange peel, cloves and again with light cinnamon. Decent malt base but loaded up with spice even spicy hops noted. Decent brew probably very nice spice/herb beer as there are plenty of both to go around. Just a little too much for me to say good though.

Mouthfeel in a solid medium with a good mellow level of carbonation noted.

Drinkability is for me not great but its not a bad brew just not something I could see myself drinking lots of. No notice of the 8% at all, very well hidden. Want to thank merlin48 for sending this one my way.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2007 21:16:07 | More by mntlover

BeerLover99

New Jersey

4.33/5  rDev +16.4%
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