Brewer's Art St. Festivus Holiday Ale - The Brewer's Art

yourefragile

District of Columbia

3.75/5  rDev -6.3%

02-10-2013 17:53:27 | More by yourefragile

BeerForMuscle

New Jersey

3.88/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Dark brown pour, some slight haze, looks flavorful. Had this on tap at The Brewer's Art.

S - Not much aroma present in the nose. Mild spiced citrus, sweet orange scents, maybe some clove or other spices.

T - A nice blend of flavors. Lots of orange and orange peel, and some carob. Nutmeg, cinnamon and clove. A combination of sweet, spiced and warming with some bitter notes also.

M - Tingly carbonation lends itself nicely to the flavor of the brew. Soft silky body with a smooth semi dry finish.

O - I like that it's not overly spiced like many winter/holiday beers are. The abv is presented nicely and overall its a well balanced tasty beer.

Serving type: on-tap

05-20-2013 19:27:46 | More by BeerForMuscle

slay

Delaware

3.75/5  rDev -6.3%

03-25-2013 22:41:59 | More by slay

Heathbrook

4.25/5  rDev +6.3%

01-26-2013 13:41:51 | More by Heathbrook

mendvicdog

Maryland

4/5  rDev 0%

01-22-2013 01:41:21 | More by mendvicdog

StaindProject86

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +6.3%

12-29-2012 04:28:52 | More by StaindProject86

Page76

Maryland

4/5  rDev 0%

12-21-2012 22:47:36 | More by Page76

notdriving

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +6.3%

12-21-2012 00:58:18 | More by notdriving

Gatordaddy

Maryland

4/5  rDev 0%

12-15-2012 02:48:48 | More by Gatordaddy

Daniellobo

District of Columbia

4/5  rDev 0%

12-09-2012 01:23:40 | More by Daniellobo

theleechster

District of Columbia

3.5/5  rDev -12.5%

12-04-2012 03:31:43 | More by theleechster

mportnoy

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -25%

12-02-2012 18:54:24 | More by mportnoy

JakeDebus

Maryland

4/5  rDev 0%

11-26-2012 15:25:13 | More by JakeDebus

sneth019

Maryland

4/5  rDev 0%

11-10-2012 13:33:40 | More by sneth019

tcwaugh

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +6.3%

10-25-2012 17:58:30 | More by tcwaugh

Ghizmo

West Virginia

4/5  rDev 0%

01-06-2012 02:42:36 | More by Ghizmo

ckollias

Maryland

3.68/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed this at Brewer’s art in Baltimore, Maryland.

A: Pours dark mahogany hue a tan 1 -finger head that dissipates slowly and leaves a wispy lace.

S: Sweet Belgian candi aroma with burnt caramel in the background.

T: Similar to the aroma the flavor consist of a sweet Belgian candi flavor aroma, with hints of fruits in the background. Slight tastes of curacao orange peel and ginger.

M: Very strong and boozy. Medium body and medium carbonation.

O: Nice Winter Warmer – great flavor and enough alcohol to make it interesting.

Serving type: on-tap

11-24-2011 20:06:40 | More by ckollias

vandemonian

Maryland

4.03/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Brewer's Art Festivus is a nice, spicy winter warmer. I really enjoyed drinking it on a cold, snowy Baltimore Boxing day.

A: It was server in a nice goblet and had a brown colour and good 3 mm head. 4.5

S: Smells of spicy Ginger. Not a strong smell. 3.5

T: Very malty up front with some hints of ginger. Smooth and super drinable. 4

M: Quite carbonated. Feels good man. 4

O: A very nice brew. 4.5

NOTE: I had this back on Boxing day last year but I didn't bother putting up the review until now.

Serving type: on-tap

05-04-2011 00:25:55 | More by vandemonian

u2carew

Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev -5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a goblet. Consumed 11/27/09
A- Creamy one finger head. Lacing is thin and sticky. Dark mahogany in color.
S - The aroma was muted - possibly the goblet serving hindered this. What I did pick up was some caramel. Light graininess. Alcohol.
T - Blast of malty sweetness up front. Slightly smoky. Mellow caramel. Cherry. A subtle hop bite. The malt combinations are fantastic. The added spices are hard to pick out but that doesn't effect the overall taste.
M - Fizzy. Crisp. Medium body.
D - A delicious seasonal brew. I'd definitely have another one.

Serving type: on-tap

11-28-2009 17:46:38 | More by u2carew

garcia2a

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Just got back from a meeting in Baltimore and as always, traffic seems to push me to Charles Street.

This tasty poured a nice deep amber color, cloudy with a nice quarter inch off white head. Nice carbonation.

The nose had a nice mix of warm spices and rich malts. I get a hint of cherry as well as alspice on the backnose.

The taste is warm and welcoming. The malts are well in balance on the tongue. There are hints of clove, alspice, fruit and chocolate.

With the malt combination in this brew, one would expect it to heavy on the mouth. The malts really work together and don't make the beer a viscous cloying monster. Instead the beer was slightly lighter in body than I expected, which in my view made this a tasty for in front of the fireplace.

Serving type: on-tap

12-24-2008 02:56:20 | More by garcia2a

CrellMoset

Virginia

3.93/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap at the Brewer's Art, Baltimore, MD. Served in a Brewer's Art-logoed chalice.

Appearance: A dark, hazy brown-bodied beer with an off-white half-finger head that fades quickly and unevenly. A reasonable attractive beginning to this beer.

Aroma: Spicy phenols and fruity notes are particularly noticeable here. Cherries and faint spices - you definitely get that ginger and orange peel on this one. Some dark notes are present in the background

Taste: Phenolic and fruity, very "high" in the mouth. There's a great deal of spice here and a fair amount of tartness - that citrus zest comes through, though it does feel lighter than orange in places, almost lemon like. You get both roasted and toasted malts, the latter particularly as it warms, and it seems equally sweet and dry. Gingery spiciness is detectable, though not too terribly strong.

Mouthfeel: Same fantastic fluffy and delicate mouthfeel - I continue to be incredibly impressed by the mouthfeels of each of the Brewer's Art's beers. It's soft, big, even and smooth. Very nice.

Drinkability: An interesting brew, and not necessarily one I'd definitely identify as a winter warmer. It's still noticeably Belgian, and though the additions (ginger and citrus peel) do dominate, there's a lot going on here and it's fairly interesting. The abv% is up there, but undetectable.

Serving type: on-tap

12-22-2008 06:51:55 | More by CrellMoset

Foxman

New Jersey

3.7/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

It came to me a clear chestmut brown with fetching ruby highlights. There was nothing more than vestigial traces of light tan head floating amiably on the surface. A pretty-enough ediface of fine lacing was left behind.

The aroma was quite sparse, with a fleeting flicker of syrupy sweetness, which combined with a draft of alcohol vapor came off as almost medicinal.

Upon sipping, there came a swell of an earthy blend of malt sweetness, fruity with dark cherries, various berries, and vinous currants, along with the toasted character of caramel and molasses. The sweetness threatened toward cloying before being mitigated by a zap of ginger and the zest of indistinct citrus, not to mention the ever-present current of alcohol. The malt sweetness curled dowanward on the tongue toward the close, leaving a vague sour trace. The finish was lip-smacking and syrupy, but with a hint of spicy bitterness, more bold here than anywhere else. It's a sugary beast, but manageble, and moreso as it warms.

Medum bodied, it is a bit thinner than the heavy sweet character might lead one to expect. A cough-syrup coating lay on the palate and lips.

The key here was in allowing the beer to come down closer to room temperature, and once done, the flavor developed rather nicely, but there was no real change to speak of in the aroma. Taken for its taste, it is quite enjoyable, but with everything else in play, it was a tad disappointing. The ABV is big and obvious, and it works as a fair obstacle in finishing one and considering another. I'm not averse to having this again in the future, but it's not necessarily something that excites me.

Serving type: on-tap

12-27-2005 17:01:34 | More by Foxman

Fish113d

Pennsylvania

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

Served chilled from a tap, this poured a cloudy chestnut brown color w/ a slight surface layer of head and nice edge lacing on the glass that did dissipate rather quickly. Smell was harder to distinguish, but i got tones of ginger and nutmeg w/ brown roasted malts and a little almond nuttiness. Sweet ginger and nutmeg were apparent on the first sip along with some sugary caramel malts on the finish. Sharp carbonation across my palete w/ a nice little alcohol burn and a spicy (ginger) aftertaste. Overall, a nicely crafted beer.

Serving type: on-tap

01-23-2005 16:51:31 | More by Fish113d

Dithyramb

Maryland

4.28/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Enjoyed the brew named after the patron saint of Ravens post-season on Friday night at the Brewer’s Art. (Might as well celebrate separately, there will be no Ravens Festivus parties this year…)
Pushed my way past the vodka and tonic Mt. Vernoners to call out my order to the excellent basement bartenders. They served it in a tulip glass, charging me an amazing $3.50. The chalkboard claimed an 8% ABV.

Didn’t get much of a head with the pour, but there was a sticky ring of lacing that stayed throughout.
Nose was very faint, but there was some light malt. (Not sure if this was the non-headed pour, smoky surroundings, or my earlier Indian meal…)
Ooh yeah! Mr. Festivus is a very tasty and drinkable beer. I had several that night. No real hops to speak of, but it does have a dry finish. A very well done malt backbone (caramel and biscuits) has a fruity and spiciness with it. Just like a lightly citrus tinged gingerbread cookie. Mmm, I should have stopped by earlier in the season.
8% didn’t warm the mouth, but did warm the head and left the face and cheeks glowing. Had just the right amount of carbonation for the medium bodied brew. Yet again, another incredible beer from Brewer’s Art.

Serving type: on-tap

01-10-2005 18:36:55 | More by Dithyramb

Scoats

Pennsylvania

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

An interesting Christmas seasonal. It's a spiced ale, in the holiday traditon but instead of a medley of spices, this one appears to be spiced with ginger only. The base of the beer is a nice brownish malty taste with a nice just-the-right-amount of ginger aftertaste. Not a session beer, one a night is good for me, but definitely a beer worth trying.

Serving type: on-tap

12-22-2004 16:16:07 | More by Scoats