Beer of the Weekend #174: Bell's Christmas Ale
Today at Dirty John’s, I saw a man browsing the room temperature beer shelves with a brand new, unwrapped Danzig record (yes, actual vinyl) under his arm. I thought about saying something observational like, “Danzig, eh,” but decided against it. I could not think of a single Danzig song.
Tonight, I Googled Danzig to refresh my memory. After watching the music video to “Mother” (which I always thought was sung by Judas Priest) I clicked a search link to the Wikipedia page for the city of Gdańsk, Poland, which was formally known as Danzig. Gdańsk was the birthplace of the Solidarity movement, and after clicking a couple more interesting links I learned about this: the Polish Beer-Lovers’ Party. Awesome stuff.
My nightcap is another winter/holiday candidate for my LV recommendation: Bell’s Christmas Ale, brewed by Bell’s Brewery, Inc. of Comstock, Michigan.
Serving type: One 12-ounce bottle. There is a batch number printed on the back label, much like there was on Kalamazoo Stout (I forgot to mention it). The helpful “Batch Finder” on the Bell’s website told me this batch of Christmas Ale was bottled on October 13, 2010.
Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is a clear, clean copper with slight ruby undertones. Two fingers of off-white head developed and dissipated quickly to leave a spotted lacing and ring around the edge.
Smell: Very subdued, but there is an enticing and complex nose. Sweet toffee and honey, perhaps, are noticeable at first. Slightly toasted caramel and mild citrus hops follow.
Taste: It is important to let the beer warm, otherwise the flavors will be masked by an overshadowing bitterness and metallic hop aftertaste. After a few minutes the flavor is nutty and also mirrors the smell: sweet toffee and honey, toasted caramel, mild citrus, and just a hint of holiday spice.
Drinkability: Decent and is more inline with what I expect from a Christmas Ale, though I was not expecting it from what the back of label and brewery website said. It is a Scottish Ale with a tiny bit of edge.
Fun facts about Bell’s Christmas Ale:
-Style: Scottish Ale, which is a real mindbender. Scottish Ale for Christmas? Awesome. Here’s what BA has to say:
-Price: $2.49/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 5.5 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: The beer’s page on Bell’s website says it “stands as a smooth, highly drinkable beer intended to complement holiday menus.” BA has no recommendations…yet. Frankly, I am actually thankful because I hate including food pairings in these reviews. But I do it out of beer geekiness. Plus, someone out there may actually uses my pairing collections. Who knows?
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
Tonight, I Googled Danzig to refresh my memory. After watching the music video to “Mother” (which I always thought was sung by Judas Priest) I clicked a search link to the Wikipedia page for the city of Gdańsk, Poland, which was formally known as Danzig. Gdańsk was the birthplace of the Solidarity movement, and after clicking a couple more interesting links I learned about this: the Polish Beer-Lovers’ Party. Awesome stuff.
My nightcap is another winter/holiday candidate for my LV recommendation: Bell’s Christmas Ale, brewed by Bell’s Brewery, Inc. of Comstock, Michigan.
Serving type: One 12-ounce bottle. There is a batch number printed on the back label, much like there was on Kalamazoo Stout (I forgot to mention it). The helpful “Batch Finder” on the Bell’s website told me this batch of Christmas Ale was bottled on October 13, 2010.
Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is a clear, clean copper with slight ruby undertones. Two fingers of off-white head developed and dissipated quickly to leave a spotted lacing and ring around the edge.
Smell: Very subdued, but there is an enticing and complex nose. Sweet toffee and honey, perhaps, are noticeable at first. Slightly toasted caramel and mild citrus hops follow.
Taste: It is important to let the beer warm, otherwise the flavors will be masked by an overshadowing bitterness and metallic hop aftertaste. After a few minutes the flavor is nutty and also mirrors the smell: sweet toffee and honey, toasted caramel, mild citrus, and just a hint of holiday spice.
Drinkability: Decent and is more inline with what I expect from a Christmas Ale, though I was not expecting it from what the back of label and brewery website said. It is a Scottish Ale with a tiny bit of edge.
Fun facts about Bell’s Christmas Ale:
-Style: Scottish Ale, which is a real mindbender. Scottish Ale for Christmas? Awesome. Here’s what BA has to say:
The Scottish style of ales break down into Light, Heavy and Export. In the 19th century Scotland, a nomenclature, based on the now obsolete shilling currency, was devised in order to distinguish each. 60/- (light), 70/- (heavy), 80/- (export), 90/- to 160/- for Scotch Ales.
Scottish Ales traditionally go through a long boil in the kettle for a caramelization of the wort. This produces a deep copper to brown in colored brew and a higher level of unfermentable sugars which create a rich mouthfeel and malty flavors and aromas. Overall hop character is low, light floral or herbal, allowing its signature malt profile to be the highlight. Smoky characters are also common.
-Price: $2.49/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 5.5 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: The beer’s page on Bell’s website says it “stands as a smooth, highly drinkable beer intended to complement holiday menus.” BA has no recommendations…yet. Frankly, I am actually thankful because I hate including food pairings in these reviews. But I do it out of beer geekiness. Plus, someone out there may actually uses my pairing collections. Who knows?
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
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