Country of Origin: Great Britain
Recommended by: ska-t - sort of. Actually, he recommended Troeg's Mad Elf, but I couldn't find any, so I bought this to console myself.
Availability: Only sold during the winter holidays.
Price comparison: About twice the price of everyday beer.
Alcohol percentage by volume: 6%
Cute bottle/label? Twenty-five ounce brown glass. Label depicts a rather lecherous-looking elf and an admonition that "too much winter's ale may be bad for your elf, and may impair your ability to drive a sleigh or operate toy-making machinery."
Appearance: Dark golden with a frothy white head and lots of pretty lace on the glass.
Scent: Very hoppy and citrusy.
Flavor: Tastes like a mixture of traditional British bitter and American IPA. Hops and citrus peel predominate, as promised in the aroma, but there's also some spun sugar and malt in the background. The finish is unexpectedly dry but once you feel it, it makes sense.
Impressions: I was looking for one thing and found something completely and totally other. I never had an IPA that wasn't domestic before now, and I was intrigued by the concept. The Brits put their own spin on it that makes it different from the American IPA, yet not so different that you don't immediately recognize the style. Kudos to Scottie for pointing me in the right direction, even though this was so not what he had in mind.
Will I buy this beer again? I will, indeed, be having some more of this. Not anytime soon, as I'm currently inundated by new beers and have to lay off the reruns till after the holidays, but I may get a bottle to cellar for after the holidays, and perhaps yet another, because there's a lot of yeast at the bottom, to keep for next year.
I'd recommend this ale to lovers of British bitter or pale ales alike. This is a crowd-pleaser.
Rating:
4 out of 5 cute beer glasses
Reviewed: December 14, 2003
