Home » Beer Reviews » Ales (page 5)

Ales

Bell’s Christmas Ale

Mmm..just like the smell leads on this is one well balanced beer. Sweet flavors of toasted malt and bittersweet chocolate hit the mouth first creating a sweet yet dry flavor profile. But not to worry there are hops and they do make themselves present even though they are quite subdued. The hops come through only as a faint hint of earthy bitterness. But it's just enough to balance this mildy sweet flavors we tasted initially. The finish is sweet with some lingering bitterness on the back of the tongue. Read More »

Breckenridge Christmas Ale

Breckenridge Brewery is no stranger to making unique and delicious beers like their Vanilla Porter and Agave Wheat so when it came time to check out their Christmas seasonal I knew I would be in for a treat and happily I was right. Their Christmas Ale is everything you would expect from a well crafted winter warmer: spicy, strong, sweet, malty backbone with a good hop presence. This holiday beer delivers right on par with good strong malt flavors and spicy hops and dark fruits with a high alcohol content to keep you warm on those chilly freezing winter nights. So a Merry Christmas to all and to all a good a beer! Read More »

Blue Moon Winter Abby Ale

Candied sugar and sweet toasted malts make up a predominant amount of the flavor. While it's very sweet it's still a very thin, watered down flavor. There is some bready-malts that come through on the end but it's just not give this beer any sort of body. There is pretty much zero hop bitterness or taste. Which is would have really helped cut through the heavy sweetness of this beer. The finish is muddy and malty with a hint of alcohol. Read More »

Hex

It's important to remember that this isn't your typical oktoberfest lager. It's an ale (amber ale) with oktoberfest style ingredients. Magic Hat is well known for making slightly odd-ball brews with flavors you normally wouldn't see in beers. Hex fits in very well to their lineup of strange brews. This "hybrid" oktoberfest or as they put it "Ourtoberfest" is a mild beer that tastes mostly like a Marzan with it's sweet flavors and buscuity maltiness. There is only a slight hint that this beer isn't a lager as the hops make the beer a little dryer than what you would normally see in an oktoberfest marzan style lager. The is also a special ingredient they fail to mention. I personally think it's some sort of melon but you will have to taste to determine for yourself. The flavors are quite mild making this is a worth session beer. I would have liked a little less carbonation, more flavor and a little more balance to the sweetness but overall it's a decent beer that I will certainly buy again. Cheers! Read More »