UPDATED: DEC 25, 2021 Amber with a white head and a malty, caramel nose. Well-carbonated with a malty mouthfeel and a warm, caramel finish.

UPDATED: JAN 15, 2021 12 oz can from Total Wine, San Antonio, TX. Pours a crystal clear dark amber color with a large khaki head and excellent retention. Looks like an Oktoberfest. Fair lacing. Caramel and hops aroma. Sweet but light caramel flavor with a warming boozy finish. Tastes like an imperial amber ale, but smoother. The 7.5% ABV is fairly well hidden but you can feel the heat.

UPDATED: OCT 25, 2020 Canned at 7.5% from Market Street. Roasty up front. A hint of sweetness with a subtle nutty quality to it. A slight herbal character with a hint of spice.

UPDATED: NOV 16, 2019 Malty flavor. It’s time for Christmas ale. I don’t have any plan for the coming Christmas.

UPDATED: DEC 1, 2018 I mostly enjoy Christmas brews, something a little dark and earthy. Saint Arnold's version was found at the local supermarket as a 12 oz single, the label says 7.5% abv. Cooled off and poured into a shaker glass I see a red-brown body topped by a strong, light tan head, looks to be sticking around for a while. The scent is wheat bread and malt. With a drink I find the malt in there for sure, grain, a slight spiciness and a small caramel sweetness. I am the better for having tried.

UPDATED: DEC 1, 2018 I'm not getting 'Christmas' from this beer. To me, this is a Scottish Ale: very rich caramel malt flavour, balanced quite nicely with earthy and mild spicy (clove) hops. A good beer, but not really what I expected from a beer that advertised itself as a Christmas Beer.

Tap at The Ginger Man in Austin with blonderedhead. Pint glass. Deep, rich amber color with well accompanied half finger white head. Nose is malty and slightly floral. Taste is more traditional English malty ale than anticipated. Spicy notes wait until the end to spike up. Rich and hearty. Slightly sweet. Feels like the type of winter beer I could imagine having more than once. Solid.

This smells like the potpourri at grandma’s house in december. Or holy shit that perfume place you always get dragged into over the holidays by your overzealous sisters. They are doting over the plastic floral arrangements and wicker endtables and you are standing there awkwardly wonder how you can duck out and fuck off to the bar. But this has great head and a nice clear brown body. Looks like your average amber right out but obviously that ain’t the case with that potpourri stench. This is like drinking a poundcake straight up, good sweetness and year, this would go great with a Christmas custard. Good on the mouth and not too intrusive. This is really a good seasonal brew, would go well with dessert if you can convince grandma to let you drink it when she pulls out the pudding.

Draft at DFW. Aroma is lightly spicy and phenolic, cloves. Pour is fairly clear, deep red. Minimal off white head. Taste is caramel sweet with a faint bitterness. Flavor seems like a muddled combo of clove and allspice with a sweet caramel backbone that isn’t balanced. Ok at best.

12 oz. bottle. 7.5% ABV per the label. Pours a thin well retained ivory head over a clear dark Amber (SRM 14) body......"nose is toasted malts with toffee/caramel tones, light dried fruits, primarily raisin, fig, light spice tones, balance to the malts........taste is mild sweetness with toffee/caramel notes, moderate bread, cracker, mild hop spice, becoming lingering hop bitter.....mouth feel, medium light body, moderate alcohol warmth, moderate to high carbonation with light acid tingle. The malts are a bit on the light side in aroma and flavor and the hops a bit too big for the British Strong Ale category. More toffee/caramel and nuttiness would be the goal, which would balance the hops. As the beer warms the malts come up somewhat. BJCP 8/3/15/4/7