UPDATED: JAN 7, 2022 Very clear, but ever-so-slightly hazy copper and vermillion coloured body with an amber and bronze glow with a thinnish, single centimetre tall off-white head that fades quickly. Aroma of honey, yeast, coriander seed, wheat, curacao and a good deal of light spices with a sweet scent towards the end - very nice in the nose, showing a bunch of scents, but seemingly not too pungent. Medium to Full-bodied; Strong malt and coriander seed flavours show at first with a big pungency and wheat with a good grassy and dry, herbal finish that has a nice coriander seed freshness with some relatively pungent curacao and full orange flavours at the very end. Aftertaste is rich, dry, very spicey with a good kick of Belgian yeast and an enjoyable freshness with a pleasant sweetness at the very end. Overall, an enjoyable and rich beer with a great sweetness and complex yeastie quality with a dryness and herbal finish that makes this robust and rich, but complex at the end. I sampled this twelve ounce bottle, purchased from Total Wine in Alexandria, Virginia on 24-October-2020 for US$2,99 sampled a bit more than a year later on 06-January-2022, labeled 'best by' 08 October 2021, sampled at my house here in Washington during a small snow.

UPDATED: DEC 24, 2021 Clear, darker copper coloring with a very small tan head. Sweet fruity aroma with Christmas spices added in. Tastes like a Belgian with good deal of nutmeg leading the way. Slightly medicinal alcohol aftertaste. Slick mouthfeel.

UPDATED: DEC 20, 2021 I like this better than the golden, because the mellow fruity profile with the spicy combination gives it abundant character and dimension. In my estimation right up there with American as well as great European Christmas/Holiday ales. A Cognac appeal with moderate body a slight chew and the spice on the finish pairs great with the ever present soft and slightly stingy carbonation. Finishes early and lingers a touch of nut and wheat. Warm but not satisfying in that way so you could over drink this powerful brew. Still not too big in the alcohol.

UPDATED: DEC 20, 2021 12oz bottle from Arrow - Mason, split with Heather. Best by Sep 03 2022. Big character of the base tripel / belgian golden strong (I always thought this was a Tripel but I suppose it does taste more like a B.G.S. right now). Banana, apple, cinnamon spice, burnt sugars. Moderate to bigger sweet taste, light bitter, little warmth. Bigger body, soft moderate carbonation. Nice Belgian Golden Strong, but can hardly taste the 'Merry' part of this, the cranberry of spices, would have figured it was a non-seasonal if the label didn't tell me.

UPDATED: DEC 18, 2021 Big bottle of nope. Takes the already borderline too-sweet Golden Monkey and makes it even more indulgent, adding mouth-coating amounts of cinnamon and nutmeg with a slight note of cranberry and a medicinal sweetness on the finish. Too much of everything. Hard pass.

UPDATED: DEC 1, 2021 Bottle from Total Wine in Folsom, CA. Pours clear, bright copper with a large foamy/creamy beige head. Xmas ale indeed. Med body at least. Flavor has zest, cinnamon and I think cranberry. Not dry, but not sweet. Bitter? Zest and cranberry provide. Nicely done.

UPDATED: NOV 25, 2021 12 oz. bottle from Arrow W&S. Pours a clear golden color with a medium sized off white head. The aroma and flavor have pale and sweet malts, Belgian yeast, spices, nutmeg, orange peel, cinnamon, fruity esters, not as over the top as I expected, the additions to the base hide the abv nicely.

UPDATED: NOV 25, 2021 A copper color with a white head. Some cranberries, caramel, and orange in the aroma. The flavor is a bit spicy similar to a saison with a good bit of cranberries and citrus in the flavor. This hides that 10% alcohol well The aftertaste is slightly sweet and spicy. Overall a nice and different holiday beer.

UPDATED: NOV 9, 2021 From a bottle given t' me by briny, this stuff is exactly as expected; full of bullshit holiday spices and as boozy as ever. The nose is mildly sweet entrancing perfume. The eye is slightly ever so, from aple ale. You can't even get the beer in this. At 10% its one kick ass brew. So over the top, so holiday in attribute. How could you even drink one of these? Its so high alky mouth coating, whew. Super bimbo bambo blaster master of the vasterverse. There you have it, a holiday spiced & up over the top, and down the chimney with a red suit brew. Whew.

UPDATED: NOV 5, 2021 On tap. Honey brown color, smallish head. Sweet grainy flavor, similar to regular Golden Monkey. Mild hints of apple, cinnamon, but very subtle and not overdone. A perfect winter beer for someone who doesn’t typically like these weirdly spiced beers.