We we picked it: We like Goose Island and wanted to try there seasonal beer.
About Goose Island's Christmas Ale: Every year to celebrate the holiday season, we brew up our Christmas Ale, and with each year we change the recipe slightly so that you have something special to look forward to.
Style: Brown Ale
Alcohol by Volume: 7.3%
International Bitterness Units: Change year to year
Color: Chocolate
Hops: Change year to year
Malt: Pale, Munich, Caramel
Preferred Glass: Nonic
Food Pairings: Ham, Turkey, Lamb
Cheese Pairings: Aged Gouda, Dry Jack
Cellaring Notes: 180 days
Case Cost: $45
*website: http://www.gooseisland.com/pages/christmas_ale/24.php
Where's everyone's comments today? I like this beer. Kind of reminds me of Bell's Christmas Ale. It went down pretty smooth and pretty fast. I like the 7.3% ABV and paired this with a Redskins victory! Grade 7.5 out of 10, B
ReplyDeleteI drank this with PB&J with several bar bq chips and WOW what an explosion of flavor. Great choice on a day watching the Eagles almost win but the defense coming up on the last play of the game! The beer was not the best however it was very good. Lots of flavor in every sip but I couldn't decipher what the spices were but it sure reminded me of xmas! I would guess Nutmeg, caramel, Cinnamon??? Not for the Miller Lite crowd at all! Very dark heavy beer that went down smooth, slowly and subtle (Just like my )
ReplyDeleteRating 8
I think all these winter beers are starting to run together. I'd need some side-by-side taste tests to tell them apart. Definitely malty, but not that bad. Just not that great. On par with the Heavy Seas.
ReplyDeleteGo Hawks!
Tastes like bananas. Not a huge fan.
ReplyDeleteJust ok. It helped that the Redskins pulled out a victory while I was getting to the end of this one. I'd like to say it was better(or worse) but with so many of these brews having such a common taste, I'm really having a tough time differentiating between all of them. It wasn't as terrible as last nights, but is nothing compared to the amazing taste of a National Bohemian! I'm actually going to finish up the list tonight. I have to work tomorrow and I don't think the Chief would think too highly of me drinking the worlds largest single serving beer when I have to drive a fire truck all night. So I hope all my "24 Days of Christmas Beers" friends don't mind me posting my comments about it this evening. Lets hope this last one really brings it home.
ReplyDeleteTony said it best!
ReplyDeletenice beer however yesterday was better....
Rated.7/10
Go redskins....!
ReplyDeletep.s. Surprise our local veggie guy like it!
'Twas two nights before Christmas and all through house, the football games had all ended and National Lampoons was all but doused.
ReplyDeleteI had sat my fat ass on the couch and snuggled in with the last day of beer,
I had hopes that it would be filled with yeast and hops and good cheer,
I had to call my neighbor to help me carry it from the fridge,
Because you see it was so damn big, it wouldn't fit under the 14th St. bridge!
At first I thought it was great that it had a champaign like cork,
But couldn't fucking open it, not even with a fork!
I decided to drink from the bottle and forgo an ice cold glass,
But with the weight of this damn thing, all 63 tips became a pain in the ass!
Now I'm tired and bloated with a stomach full of dark ale,
But since it is Christmas, I won't call Trader Joes and tell them this beers a huge fail.
It's definitely not to my liking, my style or my taste,
But I'll cut this short, for your time I won't waste.
This has been a great "24 Days of Christmas Beer",
I think we should consider the beers of Uzbekistan next year.
For next year my taste buds will be less sensitive and another year older,
But as for this year, I owe the most thanks to my bro Mark Bolter!
MERRY CHRISTMAS to all and to all a GOOD NIGHT!
Bravo my friend!!!
DeleteThis is the best thing I've ever tasted.
ReplyDeleteOK, I was drinking this while watching my beloved Seahawks lay the wood on the the hated 49ers while simultaneously winning my fantasy football title (and its big $$$). So my senses may be a little warped.
Still from what I can tell, it had good flavor, a good kick of ABV and an decent aftertaste. Grade: 7/10.
If the Hawks somehow lose, the grade drops to a 5.
Closed the restaurant tonight so I'm a little late to the game. I also will be drinking 2 beers back to back tonight. I'm driving to Rochester after closing the restaurant tomorrow and and I'm sure the state police would appreciate me not doing the driving while enjoying this enormous beer. I will draft my tasting notes and post whenever the blog is updated.
ReplyDeleteI have never had a beer from goose island that I did not enjoy. The thing that sets this Xmas beer apart is the craftsmanship and raw nature of this brew. That taste that everyone is describing (wether they like it or not) is this... Have you ever been in a brewery when they are "cooking the wort"? That effusive smell that pervades the air of the grains boiling...this beer really captures that along with all the other usual elements that come along with Xmas beers.
It is well done and I am really enjoying this beer. Def not something I could drink too many of...luckily with this ABV, I don't have to
Public service announcement!!!
ReplyDeleteI recommend a corkscrew when trying to open chrstmas eve's bottle. It makes the process significantly more manageable. Just open it like a wine bottle!
(I did in fact fail a number of attempts to open this beer by traditional methods)
while i did not pair this with any of the suggested food pairings, it did go good as an after dinner beer which was lasagna. I tasted the chocolate in the after taste and wasted no time in finishing this one. Maybe i'll luck out tonight and Cassandra won't like her's and I'll get another one to go along with my christmas eve beer.
ReplyDeleteThis one was a little too heavy for me. Thanks for all the tips on the Trader's Joes beer for tonight!
ReplyDeleteLiked this one a lot too. Not as good as the Abita, but close.
ReplyDeleteGrade: Checking pockets next morning for cash and pleasantly surprised there is some left.