Breckenridge Christmas Ale
Review Date 7/20/2008 Last Updated 7/25/2020 By John Staradumsky
Every beer lover knows how special a time the holiday
season really is. Partly that’s because most of us adore the holiday
traditions, the colorful lights, and the festive music. But mostly we enjoy
it because a lot of really great beer hits store shelves during the
holidays, too. Just about every brewpub and microbrewery has a special
seasonal brew of some sort or another, after all.
Colorado’s Breckenridge Brewery is no exception. Their offering,
Breckenridge Christmas Ale, is a rich and warming holiday treat styled by
the brewery as an “American Style Strong Ale”. In fact, this is a stretch on
the English Old Ale or Winter Warmer style. No matter how you pour it, this
is a strong and warming beer at 7.5% alcohol by volume, half again as strong
as most. And that helps make it a perfect choice for a cold December night
(or, if you’re sipping it in July, a cold air-conditioned night).
This beer has beaucoup dark malt flavor, derived from the Caramel, black,
and chocolate malts that supplement the standard two-row pale. Chinook and
Mt. Hood hops add bitterness, but not too much: Breckenridge Christmas Ale
has a surprisingly moderate 22 international bitterness units. I have a
habit of stashing away a few Christmas beers in the DBR (Dedicated Beer
Refrigerator) until July, and as you probably have guessed by now, I held
onto some Breckenridge Christmas Ale this year.
I happened to take some notes on the beer in December:
Breckenridge Christmas Ale pours to a dark ruby red color with a
light creamy head formation and a candyish malt nose. This isn’t a spiced
ale, as you’ll pick up right away upon sipping, but it is a warming one well
suited to a cold winter’s night.
Breckenridge Christmas Ale is definitely
heavy on the malt, with notes of chewy caramel and hints of chocolate.
Grassy hops balance out the finish with a touch of aroma and spice, and a
subtle alcohol burn (this one weighs in around 7.4% alcohol by volume).
They call this a winter warmer, and I can see that. In some ways, it reminds
me of a souped-up Winterhook. However you classify it, it’s worth trying,
and a refreshing malty departure from the steady parade of spiced beers that
show up every Christmas.
Sipping a glass of the beer in July, the nose seems to have more of a malty
dark fruit aroma. This is a full bodied beer, with a thick luxurious texture
that bathes the tongue with dark malt flavors. A bit of chocolate, a hint of
caramel, toasted nuts, raisin, and spice cake are all present. Some herbal,
slightly minty hops make themselves known underneath and add a slightly
bitter buzz in the finish, but they’re a little less prominent than when the
beer was young. I think the dark malt flavors, especially the nuttiness,
really become apparent in the finish, too, and there’s a definite alcohol
warmth, as well.
I think I like this one even better after eight months in the DBR.
Breckenridge Christmas Ale is a decidedly welcome beer for your Christmas
enjoyment-whether you’re celebrating it in July or December.
Update 12/30/2014: Here we are again, another holiday and another holiday favorite, this time while watching football on a late Sunday evening.
Breckenridge Christmas Ale pours to a dark mahogany color with a minimal creamy head formation and a delicious dark nutty malt nose. Taking a sip I get wonderful, cookie-like, toasty nutty maltiness and light chocolate with a hint of candied fruit, raisin and a dry gentle hop bitterness in the finish. About average in price at $9.99 for six, and very, very delicious.
Update 7/25/2020: It's here! Christmas Day in July!!! This delightful winter warmer (2019 bottling) is a malt bomb, chocolate chip cookies, toasted nuts, flinty notes, stewed malts, and a crisp balancing hop finish. It just wouldn't be Christmas (in December or July) without Breckenridge Christmas Ale.
Glad I tried it?
T
Would I rebuy it??
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled, Canned
(D)=Draft