Gritty McDuff's Christmas Ale - Gritty McDuff's Brewing Company

gcamparone

Rhode Island

4.1/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass. Purchased in Wakefield, RI.

A- Pours a deep amber, clear body with an off white head that reduces to a film of white foam.

S- Caramel, toffee, bread, some hops in the background.

T- Vanilla, caramel, slight bourbon notes, sweet burnt sugar. Quite delicious and dessert like.

M- Medium body, medium carbonation.

I was pleasantly surprised by this beer. I will be trying more from this company.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2013 00:26:56 | More by gcamparone

magine

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a nonic.

Pours a hazed amber with a light tan thick head. Lots of bubbles cascading to the top. Little bit of head remains; lace layer. really good lace all the way down though - good looks.

Brew smells malty; spiced with some bready backbone. Good nose.

Brew is balanced; creamy upfront good malts then some spice and a mellow semi sweet, semi bitter finish. Really good stuff here; caramel malts, roasted nuttiness. Favors a scotch ale almost. Can pick up some hops in the finish. Very good mouthfeel here. Very good and drinkable stuff here.

I liked this one alot - lots of flavor and body and goes down super easy. Great brew.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2013 02:36:45 | More by magine

IronLover

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +10%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Deep red in color with a brownish hue and excellent clarity. Poured with a short white foam that quickly reduced to a wispy cap. Sweet toasted malt aroma with dark malt and buttery notes and touch of floral hops as it warmed. Medium bodied with pleasant carbonation and a dry finish. Toasted malt flavors up front quickly followed by dark malt with chocolate notes. Earthy floral hop flavors emerge through the middle to the end with buttery and toasted malt character. Finished crisp and dry with light hop bitterness. This was excellent. It reminded me how much I enjoy this style.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 17:46:20 | More by IronLover

greybeardloon

Rhode Island

3.63/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Best before November 2013

A: A thin, soda-like head that dissipates almost immediately. A clear reddish-brown.

S: Bready malt, heady on the butteriness. A strong aroma, but one note.

T: Bready malt, some fruitiness and syrupy sweetness. Mild herbal hops come through on the finish. The butteriness is definately present but it isn't bad.

M: Reasonably full, but the carbonation is too prickly.

O: the first couple of sips were pretty good, but it became pretty uninteresting pretty quickly. I much prefer the regular ESB. That said, it's still not a bad beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2013 00:02:28 | More by greybeardloon

BEERMILER12

Maine

3.8/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a dark caramel color with 2 fingers worth of light tan head

S: Very strong on the caramel malts and the distinct Gritty's ringwood yeast. Has some sweetness and hop notes as well

T: Follows the nose. The crystal malts make things quite sweet to start, but this is eventually taken over by some roast and hops

M: Medium-full bodied with moderate carbonation. Fairly smooth

O: A good robust ESB for the winter months. The ringwood yeast makes most of Gritty's beers taste alike, and this one is no different. Worth a shot if you like the brewery or ringwood yeast

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2012 03:42:06 | More by BEERMILER12

MrCee

3.85/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This has a hoppy malty mix. Dark brown and foaming in color. It has a robust, full-bodiedness that sits nicely on the tongue. There is a faint hoppy aroma. It is rich but mild for a Christmas beer. It is almost a whisper of a Christmas beer. This is probably a good Christmas beer for people who don't like Christmas beers.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2012 13:23:28 | More by MrCee

jtierney89

New Jersey

4.3/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Brown color with good clarity. 1 finger of off white head. Very faint nose, not a lot going, a bit of spice and pale malt.

Pretty robust beer. I forgot this was an ESB. A really big ESB at that. Prickly carbonation. Nice pale and caramel malts, big nice caramel malts, toffee, sugared biscuit balanced by big earthy hop presence. A really great brew.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2012 04:45:46 | More by jtierney89

beerbiatchMD

Maine

4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle poured into a stemless wine glass.

a: Pours a dark brown, amber when held up to light. Off-white head is about one fingers worth. Minimal lacing.

s: Bready, doughy, sweet, brown sugar/syrupy.

t: Caramel earthy malts predominate. Small hint of EtOH at the end of palate.

m: Nice, smooth, not boozy.

o: A good beer overall. Not a huge Gritty's fan, but this one is pretty darn good. Would recommend.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2011 22:15:35 | More by beerbiatchMD

SolipsismalCat

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass. Reviewed alongside Heavy Seas Winter Storm ("Category 5" Ale).

A: Clear red-brown with two-finger, off-white, creamy head that lasted a couple of minutes. Good lacing.

S: Sweet roasted malt and cherry.

T: Light sweetness and moderate hop bitterness. Rich roasted malt flavor that lasts through to the finish. Has a taste I can't quite place though.

M: Medium bodied with soft carbonation. Smooth and warm.

O: This is close to a tie. The Heavy Seas looked prettier and smelled nicer, but this beer had a comparable taste and a slightly better mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2011 01:52:36 | More by SolipsismalCat

BeerResearcher

Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz brown bottle. Served in a SA Perfect Pint glass.
Pours a dark amber with a very fast-fading off-white head.
A smell of fruit cake leaps out at first pour. Smells of caramel malt, toffee, tea-like hops, plums and a whiff of rum follow.
A sweet fruity malt flavor carries tastes of citrus, tea, berries, edgy hops and white rum.
This is a very fluid, liquidy slip & sliding brew.
Highly drinkable, plus a good value.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2011 22:22:49 | More by BeerResearcher

beyah

Maine

4.03/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - Deep reddish brown, lacing sticks to the side of the glass head does not hang around very long..

Smell - Buttery Malty with a trace of earthy English hops

Taste - The correct carbonation, mild earthy hop and diacetyl. Alcohol is not overbearing.

Mouthfeel - Slick smooth, not overly carbonated, a slight hint of alcohol and a little hops flavor left after the beer has past the tongue.

Overall - Really like this Gritty's offering now the hard part Halloween Ale or Christmas Ale? Better yet keep 6 of each on hand.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2011 00:41:59 | More by beyah

kangarooAdam59

Wyoming

3.46/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

In a pint glass:

A: chestnut/copper colored body, small white one finger head, lacing slid quickly into the body

S: sweet subdued caramel, slightly bready

T: pretty much the same, but coming through in a bland sort of way

M: medium, slightly sessionable, creamy aftertaste, sweet bready finish

O: average for the style, but acutally I liked it and went nicely with some Christmas cookies

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2011 20:44:34 | More by kangarooAdam59

TK5150

Maine

3.7/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A- Pours dark amber (bordering on ruby) with a beige head.

S- Bread, Ringwood yeast, plums, light hints of roasted malt.

T- Sweet malt, sour cherry, plums, Ringwood yeast butter, nutty, lingering continental hop bitterness.

M- Medium bodied, sharp carbonation.

O- When I first started drinking beer, this was my favorite. While not a great beer, the sentimental value makes this one of my favorite beers for the holiday season nowadays.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2011 21:43:45 | More by TK5150

Centennial

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2011 Vintage 12oz bottle poured into pint glass

A. Dark amber hue, darker then your average esb with good initial head that recedes to next to nothing

S. sweet and slightly roasted malt aroma

T. roasted semi sweet flavor, slightly balanced with a mild hop presence

M. bubbly, crisp, clean

O. good to the style of esb, not your typical christmas or holiday ale but a nice change of pace away from normal spiced up holiday ales.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2011 16:47:17 | More by Centennial

BeefyMee

Connecticut

2.63/5  rDev -30.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Decent if a little boring. Coppery red color, weak head.

S: Buttery ringwood, some hops and alcohol.

T: I'm not into this at all. The sweet and fruity malt profile seems off, the hop notes from the aroma are gone, the nice butteriness from the aroma is gone. It's not horrible, but it's far from enjoyable. The flavors just don't seem to work right.

M: Good substance but a little too bubbly.

D: I could drink a few but I wouldn't really want to.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2011 01:15:35 | More by BeefyMee

cbutova

Massachusetts

3.55/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A- Dark red with a small off-white head that has decent retention. A small ring and not much lace, suspicious about my glass.

S- Dark fruit and spice are big with some bread and caramel malt in the background. Has a toffee character to it as well as slight buttery notes.

T- Dark fruit, caramel and an almost raisin-like juniper spice character. Hops are spicier and grassier like the English varieties, some floral hints as well. Citrus just a bit as well as nutty hints.

MF- Highly carbonated light-end body with a somewhat creamy feel to it. Just a slight bitterness.

DB- Not bad, a bit different from what I am used to for the style bust still within the boundaries for the most part.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2010 04:59:26 | More by cbutova

DrinkingDrake

Massachusetts

3.83/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This pours out a nice woody red with a good amount of bubbly foam for the head. Foam dissipates pretty quickly to some scattered lacing.

Smells of sweet malts and a nice spice combination. Cinnamon, nutmeg and there is a little twist I can't quite pick out.

The taste has a toasty malts and some biscuit along with a smooth vanilla, buttery flavor. It finishes with a smooth bitterness. Some good hop balance with a robust base.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2010 14:33:37 | More by DrinkingDrake

Genuine

Connecticut

3.73/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

the pour resulted in a dark red/amber body with a light tan head, which was quickly dissipated.

Smell - sweet, almost reminds me of their Halloween Ale, but enough to tell the difference. malts dominate the nose with no evidence of hops. I kind of detect a hint of apple.

Taste - Follows through with the nose - very bready, malty, which turns in to a sweet sour, hoppy finish. Very nice and mouth watering sort of flavor, very nice. lingering flavors that are nice, goes well with the holidays. Again, maybe a hint of apple.

Mouthfeel - this one is light medium. Carbonation is nice and light, fine bubbles.

Drinkability - I can see having 2-3 of these in a session but certainly not the whole sixer. This is another solid brew from Gritty's. Reminds me a bit of their Halloween Ale, but it's different enough. Glad I got to try it, I might pick up another sixer!

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2010 05:45:55 | More by Genuine

caddybuyer

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A-Ruddy bright amber pour with a nice creamy tan head. Filtered clarity. Nice looking brew.

S-Biscuit malts predominate. Slightly nutty, sweet and earthy. A bit underwhelming, it reminds me of a well done brown.

T-Nose carries over to the palate but the taste is spot on and refreshing. The bready malts yield a bit midway to a bit of fresh and slighly sour fruit and a buttery backdrop that closes out with a crisp dry slighly hopped finish.

M-Medium feel and carbonation.

D-This is an exceptionaly drinkable beer, and while not the most complex thing on the shelf, is charming in its quality and its drinkability. This reminds me a bit of their Halloween Ale, although I think this may be a tad bit smoother.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2010 00:16:03 | More by caddybuyer

EtOHMD

Massachusetts

3.53/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from bottle with freshness date Nov 2010 into tulip glass. Chestnut copper color opaque at top and clears towards the bottom. Sweet caramel smell, but not too strong. Bready, caramel flavor, with hints of raisin. Unique for christmas ales in that it's not really spicy. Crisp dry feel. Easily drinkable espeicially for christmas ales.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2010 19:21:15 | More by EtOHMD

bob3701

New Jersey

4.33/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into an imperial pint glass. Pours a clear dark amber with reddish highlights with a small thick head that slowly goes into a film with very good lacing. Buttery toffee aroma. Slight malty sweetness mixed with a little citrus with a mild hoppy bitterness finish. Really enjoyed this brew. Could drink a few of these in a sitting.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2010 00:40:05 | More by bob3701

thecarster1

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

a- bottle poured into a pint, one finger tan head that fades to a wispy layer of lace, deep clear chestnut brown color with highlights of tawny amber.

s- rich, loads of holiday spice, very bready, doughy, some vanilla sweetness, milk chocolate roast, not hoppy really, slight alcohol.

t- solid christmas beer, some roasted malts, vanilla, biscuit, slight alcohol, milk chocolate, slight bitterness on the end, finishes semi dry.

m- medium bodied.

d- solid drinkable christmas esb, not outstanding but drinkable, it really hits the spot on a cold snowy night.
d-

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2009 00:02:21 | More by thecarster1

JayNH

New Hampshire

4.13/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A- Pours a clear deep copper to burgundy color with a large foamy head.

S- Sweet, notes of caramel and toffee, an earthy tea-like hoppiness...

T- Sweet and a bit fruity, biscuity malt, well balanced with a tea-like hoppiness. This brew really feels like a sweet black tea.

M- Lightly carbonated, medium bodied, a bit creamy and pleasant.

D- Pleasant, easy to drink, a nice example of an American ESB. There's a tug of war between the tea-like hoppiness and the sweet malt.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2009 20:34:11 | More by JayNH

GeoffFromSJ

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First time I had this beer (a few weeks ago), I would have told you that it was the best American ESB I've ever had. Now, not so much.

Brilliant dark copper color (true sign of whether an ESB is in consideration for being great or not). Yeasty smell.

Last time I had this it was perfectly balanced between malt and hops. Good butter flavor from the Ringwood yeast. Biscuity malt flavor. But it seems that the Ringwood yeast in this bottle dominates too much and the balance of the previous bottle I had has been lost.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2009 06:24:49 | More by GeoffFromSJ

morebeergood

Massachusetts

3.88/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This is one of the December craft beers of the month at West on Centre, a local restaurant in West Roxbury. Served in the bottle and poured into a pilsner style glass. Dark brown color with a medium sized head. Smelled of cinnamon and pine trees. Taste was perfect for this time of year: nutmeg, brown sugar, and other Christmas spices. Much heartier mouthfeel than other Xmas ales on the market. Due to its rich body and robust flavor, it may not be the best beer to pair with dinner. More of a dessert beer. A great cold weather, holiday brew. I just wish I could find more of it.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2009 06:50:41 | More by morebeergood