Pickled Santa - Ridgeway Brewing

DoubleJ

California

3.88/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I picked this up at Coit Liquors about three weeks ago, and now it's going to be consumed. On to the beer:

Cough syrup orange in color with hues going into yellow. The head on top is solid, developing a little bit of gentle lace that sticks. The nose is distinctly English, or at least the soft, buttery, somewhat sweet yeast that arises from the beer.

Although the bottle says that it is a winter warmer style, the taste is telling me a different story. Don't worry, this is still a likable flavor. Buttersctoch, a little diacetyl and husk, also a subtle flavor of esters and vague spice. The package as a whole gets better and better tasting as the beer moves closer towards the bottom of the glass. The carbonation is low in this beer, the texture being soft and medium bodied. While I like the overall package, I would need to be in the mood for something like this, and I would take my time drinking it.

Pickled Santa isn't just for the winter time; it's well into the spring season and all is good around here. I'm already dreaming of a helping of Spotted Dick as I finish my pint.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2011 05:55:13 | More by DoubleJ

depechemode1983

Texas

3.45/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours cloudy orange honey in color with an off white head. Little retention on this one. No lacing on the glass at all. Nice color though. The nose is a little sour and spicy. There is a little bit of nutmeg and cinnamon with some sweet carmel/maple notes, along with an apricot and green apple sourness. Taste is a bit light. There is a little sourness that is balanced out with some sweet caramel and nutmeg. There is a bit of spiciness in the aftertaste. The mouthfeel is good but not great. Very smooth, however I would have liked to see a bit more carbonation. Its minimal. It would have worked well with the spiciness to give it a cleaner finish. Its an average beer. The nose was the best part. However the taste is bland. At 5.99 a bottle I wouldn't buy it again. Worth a try though. If you see it.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2011 01:31:45 | More by depechemode1983

beerprovedwright

Georgia

3.08/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A finger of quickly fading head, leaving a moderate clinging lace. Color of this brew matches a 15 on the SRM beer color chart. A good drawn sniff detects, nutmeg, ginger, citrus, pumpkin, roasted barley, and dill. Tasting the brew I detect flavors of dill, nutmeg, celery, pumpkin, ginger, malt, and citrus. Semi full with some carbonation, but not quite there. Not bad, but not overly uncommon. I would have another if I saw it on tap, but not again in the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2011 19:21:52 | More by beerprovedwright

IchabodcraneIpa

Illinois

1.5/5  rDev -54.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 3 | overall: 1

Served in a bottle

I picked this up during the Christmas season just to try one of the many seasonal types of beer that were available. Once I popped this open and took a smell of the beer inside it smelled a little strange to me. The smell reminded me more of a vinegar- esque flavor and once I took a sip my mouth was taken on a journey that I never want to recreate again. Now don't get me wrong, this isn't that bad of a beer, the flavor just was not something that I myself could truly enjoy. It started off tasting of spices like nutmeg, Dill, and possibly Ginger, but then took a complete 180 and to me it actually tasted like a pickle. The flavor then faded away to leave a strange dill like taste. For those looking for an interesting take on a beer I would suggest this particular brew but I just did not like the feel of the pickle taste in my mouth after awhile.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2011 03:11:35 | More by IchabodcraneIpa

CuriousMonk

Virginia

3/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

From winter brew tasting notes (2010): Aroma of diacetyl, butter, malt, and a hint of spice. Poured amber/orange in color with a medium-sized, creamy, dense, off-white head that diminished but lasted throughout as a film on top of the beer, as well as around the edges. Slightly hazy. Sparkling. A few small particles throughout. Flavor is lightly sweet. Tastes of malt, diacetyl, slight honey, light water, and some grain. Medium body. Slightly viscous, then slightly dry texture. Average carbonation. Diacetyl and malt finish.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2011 19:30:54 | More by CuriousMonk

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +17.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a brown 16.9 oz. bottle. Has a copper color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is strong of spices. Taste also has considerable spice, nutmeg and cardamon standing out, a touch of hop bitterness. Feels full bodied in the mouth and has good drinkability. Overall this is a very good brew.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2011 14:35:09 | More by tone77

mdfb79

New York

2.98/5  rDev -10%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 16.9 oz. bottle into a pint glass.

a - Pours a somewhat hazy copper color with one inch of white head and light carbonation evident.

s - Smells of cinnamon, bready malts, light caramel malts, and light spices.

t - Tastes of bready malts, light spices, light cinnamon and nutmeg. Kind of bland, not much going on here.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation.

d - A pretty bland, average winter warmer. Pretty good smell but the taste is just bready malts with a hint of cinnamon. Wouldn't seek out again.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2011 23:25:04 | More by mdfb79

Mora2000

Texas

3/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

The beer pours a yellow color with a white head. The aroma is heavy on the flowers with some wheat, grain and grass notes. I also get a little bit of cinnamon in the aroma, which is unexpected. The flavor is a mix of cinnamon, biscuits and bread. Fairly basic and one dimensional, but not too offensive. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Better than I remember some of the other Ridgeway Christmas beers being.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2011 06:01:35 | More by Mora2000

metter98

New York

3.38/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: The beer is clear light copper in color and poured with a finger high beige head that quickly died down into a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface. A light amount of carbonation is visible.
S: There are aromas of caramel and spices in the nose.
T: The malty, sweet and spicy flavors in the taste have a strong resemblance to those in gingerbread cookies. A slight amount of sweetness is present.
M: It feels medium-bodied and a bit thin on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
D: The beer definitely tastes interesting but there's no way I could have more than one of these in a night.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2011 03:15:52 | More by metter98

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

(Served in a nonic)
A- This beer has a clear but slightly dense bright copper body with a strong carbonation of big bubbles and an off-white head that is porous with lots of big bubbles.
S- The dry almost salty spiced pale malt has a slight toasted malt note underneath. There is a dry cider aroma that finishes with a buttery quality.
T- The pale malt flavor has a faint toasted note and some dried apple flavors to follow. There is a corn flavor to the bitter finish and a soft caramel quality that lingers. When this beer is pretty warm there is a hint of stale cinnamon in the malt.
M- The medium mouthfeel has a slight slippery texture and a soft fizz note with no alcohol heat in the finish.
D- This beer starts of very bitter in the finish and it is more spice that hop bitterness, but it opens up more flavors come through and the bitterness subsides. There were some ok flavors but nothing really exciting it was just sort of bland.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2011 20:41:27 | More by rhoadsrage

dismal

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a slightly dark orange with a nice big white head. Within a minute or two the head is reduced to almost nothing though still leaves decent lacing down the side of the glass. The first thing I got from the smell was hops, not in your face like an IPA but it was very upfront. The hops were kind of earthy smelling. The other main aromas were fruits and malt. There are hints of spices but nothing really sticks out a lot. The taste is slightly bitter and ends with a mild sweetness. Spices in the background but not as apparent as I was hoping for. Also had sort of an English ale type smell and taste to it that I've noticed in some other beers from England. The mouthfeel is very smooth and medium bodied. A bit lower ABV makes it drinkable. Pretty good tasting, not as spiced up as I was hoping for a Christmas beer but it's definitely isn't bad. Next holiday season I will be thinking about picking another one up.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2010 21:04:32 | More by dismal

cudmud

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Appearance: Color is dull copper, with a thick rocy head of one finger that is long lasting. The head produces medium lacing.

Smell: The aroma starts with a hint of malt and finishes with a combination of spices that I can't identify. There might be hints of ginger and nutmeg. It kind of reminds me of apple cider doughnuts. The label says spices, so I was expecting more spices in the nose.

Taste: Nice malt falvors and very light in the hop department. The bitter atributes appear to be due to the spices. Again, the spices are faint, and I was expecting more exotic falvors.

Mouthfeel: Thin with a nice level of carbonation.

Drinkability: Very drinkable. Sometimes the spices overpower this style of beer. That's not the case with this one; I think they need to add more spice.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2010 02:55:18 | More by cudmud

pzrhsau

District of Columbia

3.73/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

A: A rich golden color with bright orangish notes. A slight head with a little dissipation.
S: Sour fruit aroma with hints of cinnamon stick and other holiday spices.
T: Controlled balance of tartness and a very strong malt flavor. The finish almost has an oatiness to it which really brings out the flavor from the cinnamon.
D/M: Crisp and bubbly feel on the tongue. Much lighter than I expected from a Christmas beer. Decent for a holiday beer but not the weight I was expecting. Very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2010 03:17:59 | More by pzrhsau

JayS2629

Alabama

3.85/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A- Light rusty orange with thin white head and little lacing.

S- Spices; ginger and nutmeg, hint of clove. Hints of toffee and dark fruit; plums?

T- Sweet,clean, hints of ginger and spice.

M- Clean, slightly watery with a dry sweet finish.

D- Very easy to drink. Good Christmas beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2010 22:05:41 | More by JayS2629

htomsirveaux

Texas

2.63/5  rDev -20.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

500 mL bottle tried 29 Dec 2009.

Poured in a 0.5 L Adambrau becker. Large light khaki head. Medium carbonation. Clear orange brown color. Aroma is spicy, cinnamon, cherry tart. Starts somewhat watery. Cherryish and slightly spicy in the middle, nutmeg and cinnamon. Faint tartness and woody in the finish. Medium to light body.

Overall pretty meh, can't recommend.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2010 03:49:26 | More by htomsirveaux

mountdew1

New Hampshire

3.58/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured into an imperial pint glass. Colod was a dark amber, almost an orange brown. A multi finger cream white made up of medium sized bubbles lasted for a few minutes. It receded leaving a thin head with a bit of side cling. Small streams of bubbles rose from the bottom. Aroma was slightly sweet with a small amount of spice. Over time, a molasses flavor arose. Nothing else was overly present. Taste was tangy, melted to vanilla, ended up with some pepper spicyness. Overall, not as developed as a winter warmer can be. Coated well in the mouth, was perhaps a bit over carbonated tingly. Easy and pleasant to drink, but not the best winter warmer I have had.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2010 22:48:04 | More by mountdew1

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.53/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

"Dyslexic demonologists often end up selling their soul to Santa."

--Anonymous

The label claims that Pickled Santa is a ruddy chestnut color, but it's actually bright orange with amber highlights. The two finger crown has a bubbly surface and is sticky enough to grace the glass with plenty of attractive lace.

This winter warmer smells like a very lightly spiced amber ale with a hint of butter caramel. In fact, the 'whole spices' are so subtle that no reasonable guesses can be made regarding specifics. The label says cinnamon, coriander and nutmeg. The Shelton Brothers website says allspice, coriander and nutmeg.

Taste mirrors nose. This is better than average beer, but it isn't special in any way, shape or form. It's also quintessentially English in the way that most Ridgeway beer tends to be. Actually, the spices are becoming slightly more bold as Santa loses his starting chill.

Malt is 100% Maris Otter and hops are 100% Goldings. The flavor rundown includes butter toffee, apricots, bitter tea leaves and a pinch of cinnamon. That's the most aggressive of the added spices, so it makes sense that the others remain in the background. All things considered, I'm glad the spice load isn't higher.

The mouthfeel works. It's medium in a general sense and carbonation is on the shy side. It's almost cask-like in that regard, which is always a neat trick in bottled beer.

Ridgeway Brewing brews some excellent beer (IPA) and some lousy beer (Seriously Bad Elf). Pickled Santa is somewhere between those two extremes. It's definitely worth a look for anyone who likes English-style winter warmers. That said, I won't be selling my soul to Santa for another bottle.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2010 14:01:39 | More by BuckeyeNation

beer2day

North Carolina

3.28/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

My bottle indicates this is made by Beer Counter, LTD. They are in Oxfordshire, same as Ridgeway, so might be an off-shoot. Also indicates the beer is specifically made for the US market.

Pours a deep honey gold with frothy 2-finger head. Crystal clear. Retains the head pretty well.

Nose is strong with honey. A little yeast and toffee round things out. About what to expect from a winter warmer.

Very disappointing flavor and body. A little spiciness is there, but really not much else. I'm getting a buttery rum kind of flavor. Faint hop bitters in the finish. Oh, well.

Body is too thin for the style. Not terrible, but definitely want more feel here.

One and done. The flavor profile just really drags this one down. If WW is a big style for you, worth trying. With most of these beers, though, the price point just doesn't match the taste.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2010 02:35:06 | More by beer2day

DesMoinesMike

Iowa

3.78/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This seems a bit lite for a winter warmer. It's a light brown with a finger of white foam and a medium amount of carbonation. The aroma has some notable amount of spice, like cinnamon/nutmeg mixing in with the malts. For taste it had the spices but there was a bit of a hoppy twang. It was an ok beer but seemed to lack the body of a WW.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2010 03:53:14 | More by DesMoinesMike

ImusBeer

Georgia

3.58/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured a yellow amber with an off white head move than two fingers died to light covering quickly, beer was clear.

Smell of coriandor spice and cinnamon. Taste mimiced the aromas and no bitterness to speak of.

The mouth was light and spicy but not in a heavy way. A nice Christmasy beer not too high grav and enjoyable without being over the top.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2010 03:29:44 | More by ImusBeer

wangbruins

Florida

3.85/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- Light copper/caramel color with a decently thick head that stayed until I started drinking

S- Cinnamon, paprika, nutmeg, and other spices with a kind of a cookie scent that seems fitting

T- Strong cookie taste with a little cinnamon but it has a nutty aftertaste

M- Bold at first and crisp at the finish. It's almost like a dessert or pumpkin beer

D- Since it's only going to be around for a bit, I've got to get more. It's pretty darn good

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2010 02:45:13 | More by wangbruins

Dukeofearl

California

3.23/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Purchased at bevMo for about $4.99 (a guess) in December 2009; tasted in January 2010.

Pours a moderate caramel amber, clear as a bell, with little to no head, but there is a steady stream (really, more of a trickle) of internal carbonation rising up to form a thin cover of bubbles.

Aroma is very faint, a little grassy organics and a hint of spiciness. Gets better when tasted- the caramel, nutmeg and clove and almost banana flavors appear in the malt-dominated brew. Almost heading to being too sweet, but fortunately it stops before it gets there. No hop bitterness to speak of.

Overall a drinakble beer, not bad, but not anything to get excited about either.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2010 01:28:33 | More by Dukeofearl

rtratzlaff

North Carolina

3.48/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

The pour is a clear golden amber body with what looks to be ample carbonation. Filtered clear which is odd since the label claims bottle conditioned, but there was not a bit of yeast in my bottle. A white two finger heads looks pretty awesome in the glass.

The first thing that hits me is actually hops. Perhaps I served it a bit cold, but the aroma seems a bit muted in the spice department.

The flavor is sweet malts up front followed by some cinnamon and coriander. There is a banana ester thing happening pretty strong in this brew. It reminds me somewhat of Well's Banana Bread. As this warms, the spices do pull through quite a bit more. I think they may have used too much nutmeg. In fact, it may be the nutmeg that I first smelled rather than the hops. Ok, near the end of this glass the spices are wearing on me. The best taste was mid pint

I am digging the mouthfeel. Medium full, slightly creamy.

Definitely would not want another one, but one was okay.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2010 22:02:23 | More by rtratzlaff

dstc

Florida

2.73/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours a golden orange color. Fairly big off-white head that falls to a minimal one. Thin lace.

Funky, musty, metallic smell. This may sound bad but reminds me of the smell of an ashtray.

Has a funky, musty taste to it as well. There are mild malts in there but it is not that great.

Thin in the mouth with very low carbonation.

Okay, I must admit I'm a bit disappointed. Not a great beer. The description on the side of the bottle sounds great but in my opinion does not accurately describe this beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2010 14:54:41 | More by dstc

FeDUBBELFIST

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

16.9 oz bottle poured into a wine glass. A re-gift to me, the last of the re-gifting chain I suppose. ("I'LL put an end to this!") The bottle says 'English Xmas Ale...bottle conditioned...product of UK.' The batch number is F11 244. Not sure what to expect here with this goofy (and not exactly intuitive) name and label design...

A: A 1 finger, frothy, off-white head sits atop a clear, sparkling medium orange-brown body. Ruby lines the edge of my glass. I was pleased and surprised with the clarity of this bottle-conditioned brew.

S: The malts are closing in on heavy. Caramel, cookie and toffee - all toasted. The hops were light and not much to speak of other than they added a floral bouquet.

T: Spicey. And a pretty nice blend at that. I get allspice, nutmeg & chai. Other herbal tea character, some sweetness from honey, light brown sugar and maple syrup, and an appropriate oaky woodiness. A bit of warmth from the alcohol comes through as well.

M: The medium body was a bit thin and the carbonation was not soft but below average.

D: Well, my expectations were exceeded. This beer proved to be better than my 'judging a book by it's cover' notions and for that I am thankful. And thank you mom for the re-gift!

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2010 15:30:15 | More by FeDUBBELFIST