Breckenridge Brewery Christmas Ale
Tags: Ale, Beer, Breckenridge Brewery, Christmas Ale, Seasonal
What’s on Tap: Breckenridge Brewery Christmas Ale
”Living the Dream” the words that jump out at you once you navigate to Breckenridge Brewery Our Story web page. I would have to agree, Richard Squire is living the dream. Making home in Colorado, he was able to fulfill his two passions (brewing and skiing). Not knowing much about his skills in skiing, I guess I can only comment on his brews.
The Head: Breckenridge Brewery Christmas Ale Characteristics
- Alcohol by Volume 7.4% ABV
- Calories / 12 oz. Heck if I know – My resource failed me.
- Color Mahogany
- Hops Chinook, Mt Hood
- Bitterness Units 22
- Availability November through December
The Body: The actual tasting
On Monday, I found myself walking the liquor store aisles looking for a beer to critique. I strolled past the German section, then the Belgium section and found myself in front of the seasonal beers. As my eyes scanned the shelf from left to right and then from top to bottom, I noticed my eyes fixating on the Breckenridge Christmas Ale bottle. There was no doubt, the label is very warm and festive. It was as if the label called out to me. So I couldn’t resist, I grabbed the bottle and off to the cash register I went. Tonight was the night, a night that was well below freezing – ideal for a Christmas Ale. The clear mahogany color with hints of dark brown shades throughout the brew filled my pint glass and left a one finger frothy beige head that quickly dissipated to a thin tan layer on top. Very little lacing was present, but the little that was there had some sticky characteristics. The biggest disappointment – the smell or lack there of. Not much going on with the bouquet. I expected to the nose to be more prevalent with smells of spices, hops and malts. Instead, some hops were there with a little sweetness from the malt. Being weak with the smell, I didn’t expect much from the taste. To my pleasant surprise, the taste had much more flavor than smell. Roasted malt was present which blended with a vanilla and brown sugar sweetness, finishing with a pleasant bitterness from the hops. The mouthfeel is a medium body that was a little oily with a pop of carbonation.
As most holiday beers have strong spices like cinnamon and ginger which can be an overbearing characteristic, Breckenridge brews a decent holiday ale without pilfering the spice cabinet. In my opinion, very drinkable.
look: 4.0 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4.0 | feel: 4.0 | drink: 4.0
Overall : 3.7 / 5.0
Lasting Finish: The final word
A must try…the Christmas Ale coupled with all the spices makes a mean Christmas Ale Pork Chop.
Comments welcomed – until next time