Harveys Christmas Ale

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 4

Bottle from who the heck knows where and when. Kinda got lost in my cellar, could have been up to two years old. Poured a brown color with some orange hues., small off-white colored head. Aroma of molasses, caramel, dark fruits. The flavor followed, ugh, just a big malty mess, brown sugar, molasses, maple, caramel, toffee, and clashing dark fruits. Mouthfeel was moderately bodied to slightly sticky. Alcohol well-hidden. Meh, not my kind of beer for sure.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

275 ml nip bottle, at London Pub, Aalborg. ABV was 8.1%. Dark ruby colour, minimal beige head. Low carbonation. Intense aroma of malts, molasses, caramel and oak. The flavour has loads of malty sweetness, molasses, fruity, vinous and oaky notes (port wine, sherry), low bitterness.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

fruity, a little sweet, and slightly spiced? this was kinda expensive, but was a rare find in northern Cali, and was very very enjoyable. great body and flavor. ok aroma. lasting finish.

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 5

2004 edition. Pours a dark red/brown with no head. Like others have mentioned, I was initially concerned I had a bad bottle but it was still carbonated. For my first barleywine in quite a while, I was disappointed. Very sweet with an off aroma (maybe more spices than I am used to or care for). Not one I would try again.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

Sampled from bottle. Pours amber with a faint haze and a scattered head. Its aroma foreshadows a sticky-sweet beer - rich malt, sugars and dark fruit. Cloyingly sweet. So much so that it's not easy to drink. Almost as if some homebrewer is trying the style for the first time and fails to oxegenate or pitch the proper amount of yeast. Viscous body and lightly carbonated. Not enjoyable.

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 4

Pours a thick-looking, cloudy copper with zero head (I heard the cap swoosh, so I know it is carbonated and not an altogether dud.) The aroma is strong enough to smell without approaching the glass. Main aromatics include plum, sweet malts, and spice. The flavor is pretty bad: lots of metal and lots of sour maltiness. Seems unintentional; I'm inspired to ask, who would brew this on purpose? Mouthfeel is grossly viscous.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

Pours with a frothy, scant-half-finger thick, amber tinged, tan colored head that sits on top a opaque, reddish tinged, dark amber colored brew. When held up to the light the beer shows an almost brilliantly clear, ruby hue. The aroma is a mix of fruit and malt aromatics with perhaps just a hint of herbal character thrown in. The nose reminds me of tart, dried cherries, brown sugar, caramelized bread crust, prunes and lightly noticed burnt grain. As the beer warms up a bit the herbal hop character becomes much more aromatic in scope, though I would still say that the nose is malt / fruit leaning.

Sweet up front, with a substantial herbal hop character and a finish that is a bit astringent from dark malt flavors and hop bitterness. Quite hoppy with a lingering mix of bergamot, light-menthol notes, and a grassy / herbal edge that lingers on in the finish for quite some time. A substantial malt character that is made up of complex sugars is found in this brew though and it contributes flavors of treacle, dark brown sugar and toffee, when combined with the fermentation influence notes of caramelized fruit, raisins, figs, dried berries and perhaps a touch of sweet cherry flavors. A medium fullness to this brew makes this much more drinkable than many an American alcohol bomb, but it still achieves a richness appropriate to the holiday season.

This is quite hoppy, or much hoppier than I was expecting from this English brew. I really like how the hop character is offset b the complex, dark malt flavors. It is surprisingly evenly balanced between sweet, enveloping malt and sharp hop character. This is definitely a pleasant surprise, one that I will have to pick up more of when I get the chance.

Purchased: Plaza Liquors, Tucson AZ

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Mahogny colour. Small bubbly head. Sweet aroma of fruitcake, plums, dades, chocolate, almonds and wet wood. Full and sweet flavour of plums, caramel, nutmeg, almond, rose-petals and alcohol. Warming and spicy finish with notes of blue grapes, spices, wet wood and alcohol.

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 5

I will regard this as an Old Ale, since, really that's what I found to be in the bottle. Malty and cardboard like oxidative aroma, no hops, but some earthiness. Pours almost completely flat, and ruddy brown, no foam, no lace, nada. Flat and minerally, in the mouth, coating but not obnoxious. Minerally and malty to start, sweet malt and sour finish. I like the interplay between sweet and tart notes, but it lacks the malt complexities of most English Strong Ales (whatever the sort). Not a bad Christmas offering, but it certainly leaves something to be desired.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 9

Huge bouquet of fruits and maybe a few spice here. Gravity dispensed so no great head nor carbonation but what a taste - like drinking candied fruit with extra sugar. Really sweet beer with hop flavour well in the background