It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas...

Just in time for the holiday season, a Christmas Ale from Bell's Brewery located over the hill and through the woods in Kalamazoo, Michigan. They've been around since 1985, and are a regional craft brewery. They have over 20 beers plus some small batch beers they sell locally. Let's give this Christmas Ale a taste-see.

Pouring the ale (another ale… hmm) into the glass produces a good foamy head. I thought that's a nice start. The color of the ale is golden brown. Christmas Ale is labeled as a malt driven brew, so I had high expectations. I was wondering at the time if they threw in anything else to give it a Christmas, or holiday twist. Tasting the ale gave a good malty taste upfront. It sat in the teeth and gums with a nice hoppy, malty taste; if not a bit too bitter for me. The ale finished nice and crisp with that same bitter aftertaste. It's not a bad beer. Only problem I have with it is that there's nothing that screams Christmas to me! It tasted as if I was drinking an IPA. Other beers that I have tasted that are labeled Winter or Christmas usually have other spices brewed into it to offset them from ordinary beers. Christmas Ale just doesn't seem to do that. So, for giving me false expectations, I'm putting this Christmas Ale on the naughty list.

Bad Beer!