Ohio Brewing Co. - Jingle Bell Ale

"Spice up your holiday season!"

Next up is Jingle Bell Ale from Ohio Brewing Company purchased at Havana House.

(I cannot find a picture of this beer anywhere. There isn't even a description of it on their website.)

"In the spirit of giving we have concocted this festive holiday brew. One sip ofour slightly sweet and spice amber ale will bring joy to your heart and peace to your senses." Interestingly, the Ohio Brewing Company was founded in 1997 in Niles, Ohio, before moving to Akron. This has 25 IBUs and is 7.5% ABV.

Overall average rating: 7.1/10

This beer is a very clear red amber color. The aroma is very sweet, with honey, cherry, and a slight caramel malt scents. It reminds me of caramel candies. The taste is creamy with a slight syrupiness. It has a bubbly sweet soda finish.

Shawn- This reminds me of a cream soda, and the vanilla is a suprise. It's a little sweet for me, and I'm not sure it's truly a Christmas ale. I think the sugary richness could hold more flavor, however it is still pretty balanced, though the taste doesn't develop enough for me, 7/10.
Angela- I didn't expect the taste based on the smell, though it is a very interesting flavor. It makes me think of eating those bullseye caramels, 7/10.
Chris- It's like a red ale trying to be a Christmas ale; it should taste stronger. It's not bad, but they could do more with it, 7.25/10.

Goose Island - Christmas Ale

Our next beer is http://www.gooseisland.com/pages/beers/3.php Christmas Ale purchased at Cornersburg Party Shop.

Goose Island changes the recipe of this beer slightly each year to give its customers something to look forward to. It is an American Brown Ale best enjoyed in a nonic pint glass (where the glass bulges out a couple of inches from the top) and can develop in the bottle for up to five years. It is 6.2% ABV.

Overall average rating: 5.8/10

It is an orange-y amber colored beer with a quick to diminish off-white head. There is citrus hop in the aroma, as well as a pine/evergreen scent (from the hops?) and a rich sweetness (honey?). We taste hops at the beginning, then cherry with an earthy honey finish.

Shawn- It reminds me of a honey cough drop, something you'd curl up with if you aren't feeling well. It's like the beer version of a hot toddy, 6/10.
Angela- It's an okay beer with a unique flavor, but not one that's very drinkable for me, 5.5/10.
Chris- It's alright, but I think more could have been done with the flavor because the hop overpowers whatever else there is, 6/10.

St. Bernardus - Christmas Ale

"Bringing heavenly nectar within reach."

Our eighth Christmas ale comes all the way from Belgium! It's the St. Bernardus Christmas Ale purchased at Vintage Estates.

The term "Watou" is on the glass on the label, and it refers to the village in Belgium where the beer is brewed. It is a Belgian Abbey Ale that is best stored in a cool, dark place and is best served between 46-50°F. It is 10% ABV.

Overall average rating: 9.25/10

This pours a rusty red color and is opaque because of being bottle conditioned with a good head and lacing. You get aromas of Belgian yeast, dark cherry, honey, a little molasses, and maybe wheat and cranberry. The taste gives flavors of honey, Belgian yeast, and cherry. There is a bite on the tip of the tongue. The guys agree that this is "simple but perfect."

Shawn- "It's just beautiful." It is extremely well-balanced, although I would prefer a little less of the Belgian yeast. For being 10% ABV, you don't taste it, so be careful when drinking this! The brewer definitely hit a homerun with this, 9.25/10.

Angela- This is a very good Belgian beer and a good representation of what a Christmas ale should be. It is a fulfilling, flavorful beer, 9/10.

Chris- "This beer leaves me speechless," 9.5/10.

Label:

"Brewery St. Bernardus was founded in 1946 in Watou, Province of West Flanders in Belgium. These exceptional quality ales are brewed by using only the finest malts, local grown hops, yeast and artesian water pumped from a depth of 500 feet. After the brewing process these traditional ales are matured in tanks for three months, before being bottle conditioned. The result is a naturally carbonated 'living ale,' which can be aged for up to 15 years and will satisfy the taste of even the most discriminating connoisseurs.

St. Bernardus Christmas Ale is the youngest descendant in the illustrious family of delicious Abbey Ales brewed by brewery St. Bernardus since 1946. This specialty ale of 10% is characterized by its deep dark color with a creamy, thick head, and a full, almost velvety mouthfeel with a fruity nose. It's a seasonal ale, brewed annually for the Holiday season. The long winter nights are perfect moments to savor this ale, with family and friends, and to enjoy its unique, complex taste."

Ridgeway Brewing - Lump of Coal Dark Holiday Stout

"This little coal-black gem is much more than you deserve for Christmas this year."

Next up is Ridgeway Brewing Lump of Coal Dark Holiday Stout, purchased at Havana House.

"Yet another bummed-out holiday? Lump of Coal Dark Holiday Stout is liquid consolation. It's a deep, rich, sweetly rewarding stout to take the edge off of that grim family gathering, that cheerless annual festival of alienation. This brew is as dark as it gets, as black as the lump of coal you'll be getting for Christmas. Because, let's face it, you've been pretty bad this year." It is 8% ABV.

Overall average rating: 8.0/10

This beer is dark brown, almost black - Chris says a "hinch" of red as well (hint + pinch? lol). The aromas are rich malt, cherry, and honey with slight alcohol undertones. The taste gives flavors of chickory and slight coffee with a side tongue bite and a light back at the back of the tongue. It tastes richer than it smells.

Shawn- This beer has a deep, rich, complex flavor that leads toa great finish. I like how the more you drink, the more it develops. This would be good to drink by the fire at the end of the day, 8/10.

Angela- This is a fantastic cold weather beer; it's one of those that warms you up even though it's cold. I love the rich malty flavor. This is definitely a beer to be enjoyed by a fire or by the light of the Christmas tree, 8/10.

Chris- This is much better compared to the previous beer from this brewery. This reminds me of a stout mixed with a winter warmer. I like the full, rich flavor with the minimal alcohol smell, 8/10.

Bell's Christmas Ale

"A bit of cheer from the north country"

Our next Christmas ale is Bell's Christmas Ale purchased at Vintage Estates.

This beer was created to be "a sessionable holiday beer" differing from the "spiced winter warmers" standard to this time of year. It is a malt-driven beer, "made with 100% Michigan grown two-row barley malt and a mix of Michigan and Northwest hops." It has a shelf life of six months and is 5.5% ABV.

Overall average rating: 6.2/10

This pours a slightly cloudy red amber color with aromas of honey, cinnamon, and nutmeg - very Christmas-y, in my opinion. There is a lot of tongue bite with flavors of honey and cherry. It very crisp and refreshing.

Shawn- It is pretty well-balanced, but I wish the complexity developed more, 6/10.
Angela- It is a good and very drinkable Christmas ale, so their goal to make a sessionable holiday beer succeeded, 6/10.
Chris- I was disappointed in the aroma, but the taste made up for it. It is a delicious Christmas ale I would recommend to anyone as a good starter Christmas ale.

Great Lakes - Christmas Ale

"Savor the flavor - responsibly."

Being as close to Cleveland as we are, we most certainly had to include Great Lakes Christmas Ale, purchased at Havana House. Well, we would have included it anyway because it's good. Shawn and I have been on a couple tours of the brewery - it's really cool. (And I still have to try that Edmund Fitzgerald chocolate ice cream!)

This is brewed from all natural ingredients - barley, hops, yeast, water - no chemicals or preservatives. This is a gold medal winner at the World Beer Championship and is best served at 55 F. It is 7.5% ABV.

Overall average rating: 8.0/10

It pours a translucent amber/red color and gives off aromas of honey, light cherry, a little nutmeg, and cinnamon. It tastes spicy with flavors of hops, a little malt, nutmeg, and light cherry.

Shawn- This beer could use a little more body, but it is complex and rich with a sweetness that lingers, not overpowers. The delicious flavors within the beer definitely beat out the taste of Cleveland water, 8.25/10.
Angela- This is very flavorful and spicy; it is a delicious go-to Christmas ale, 8/10.
Chris- It lacks some body, and I find that while you get what you smell in the taste, the flavor fades - you get it all up front, 7.75/10.