Two Roads Brewing Holiday Ale
What the brewers say
“Our Holiday Ale is inspired by the little known bière de Noel style, a subset of bière de garde. Bière de Noel, which translates as 'Christmas Beer,' tends to exhibit a more malty profile than a typical bière de garde.”
What our panel thought
Aroma: “Munich malt aroma is first note. Light earthy hops. Dark fruity esters—dried figs, plums, and dates. Darker malt character with light chocolate, bread crust, sweetened biscuit.”
Flavor: “Smooth malt base allows restrained earthy hops flavor to come through. Finishes dry while spicy phenols enliven the flavor. The yeast character hews more estery, with enough spice to add a nice note.”
Overall: “Quite enjoyable if you want a slightly less dry bière de garde. Great balance between malt and spicy hops flavors. The Munich and melanoidin malt flavors provide a great background for the spicy hops/yeast character. A fine beer that would be a perfect alternative to the bulking beers that are trying to claim the winter season for their own—I wish more winter beers would return to this level of simplicity.”
