Bells Christmas Ale is a 7.5% scotch ale, that pours reddish-brown with a light tan head. Its aroma thankfully did not contain any holiday spices. Not that I don’t enjoy them from time to time(Nice & Naughty), I just prefer a more straight forward approach to my holiday-themed beers. The aroma did contain a lot of caramel, along with a nice touch of peat smoke, a beautiful hint of cherry, raisin, toffee, herbal hops and a warm touch of alcohol. Honestly, the aroma was fantastic. I was fairly certain I would enjoy this beer. After my first sip, I knew my next beer purchase would be another 6-pack of this.
Sweet caramel dominates the flavor throughout. It is the first thing you taste and sticks around through the finish. While that might make it sound like Christmas Ale is unbearably sweet, it is beautifully balanced. Notes of cherry, toffee and peat smoke come through before a warm, herbal finish. The 7.5% is not completely hidden and I feel like that helps the beer. Its warmth pairs beautifully with a cold, snowy evening. The only thing I wish there was more of in the taste is the peat smoke. It comes through a lot more in the nose and if there was a bit more in the flavor, this review would be even more glowing.
I think it’s very clear by now that I really enjoyed Bells Christmas Ale. It’s a fantastic scotch ale and easily one of the best beers from Bells I have had in quite some time. If you are looking for a great holiday beer without the spices, I definitely recommend giving this one a try.
Overall rating: 4/5
No comments:
Post a Comment