Since I'm leaving town for a few days, I wanted to get in some "12 beer" tasting since I can't take it with me. Below are some thoughts on the first bottles opened.
Group 2
@btbnl
Spiced Cherry Dubbel
Aroma: Malty with caramel notes.
Taste: Nice dubble. There’s this taste I often get in dubbels that I don’t really find in other beers; I identify it as a pleasant tobacco type flavor. I get that here along with the malt and dried dark fruit. Sorry, I’m not sure I perceive the cherries and spice. I take that back -- I get some spice in the lingering aftertaste.
@Blackdirt_cowboy
Spiced dunkel weizenbock
Aroma: Holiday spices and dark dry fruit.
Taste: Ginger snap cookie! Malty, and again, the holiday spice. I feel like I also get a bit of an herbal cola thing. Anyone else? Wonder if that’s an effect from the combination of malt and spice - interesting.
This just gets better and better as it warms toward room temp.
@fourfarthing
Gingerbread
I forgot I was supposed to let this carb when I got it and accidentally opened one early.
Aroma : Ginger, obviously.
Taste: Easy drinking brown ale with light ginger flavor. Nice and I get why the recipe called it liquid cake.
@Auger
Fruitcake ale
Aroma: roasty, graham cracker, chocolate, earthy... dark fruit
Taste: First sip was spice and clove forward. Then that leads to what I can only describe as a coca-cola, sasparilla perception. I really get a herbal cola vibe. Raisin and dark fruit. There’s a good amount of residual sweetness but well balanced by the hop bitterness.
@November
Christmas Gruit
Aroma: Fruity, lightly herbal gin quality. I don’t know if this makes sense but the nose has a similar quality to the aroma of some sours I’ve had (just in the aroma). I also get some menthol as it warms.
Taste: sweet on the front. honey and spices meld together well and even more so as it warms up. Nice tannins. I have no experience at all with gruits so didn't know what to expect. Fun to drink. A little too sweet for my taste buds. I don’t know what yeast was used, but I wonder how it would be with some brett or bugs to dry it out a bit more.
@Zimm9
Abbey Weizen - Shipped but I’ll have to try when I’m back in town after Xmas.
@BigCrazyAl
Caramel Quadrupel
Aroma: Rich caramel/toffee. Earthy. I got some slight spice on the nose which might be yeast derived since I don’t think there is spice in the recipe.
Taste: Wow, big and boozy! Nice bitter finish balances out the malt. I was expecting this to lean toward malty sweetness but happily, no. I need to have the next bottle with a hearty meal.
@mirthfuldragon
Crabapple Lambic
Aroma: First a pleasant lactic sour aroma followed by what I think is a musty/dusty Brett funk (I mean that in the best way).
Taste: Light sourness at the forefront. I don’t know the taste of crabapples, but I get tart green apple here. Nicely carbonated beer. A very enjoyable with a lingering pleasant aftertaste. I really like sour beers and this is one of my favorite 12 Christmas beers.
@anotherbeerplease
Spiced Bourbon Stout
Aroma: Woo! Complex. Roast at first, then chocolate, coffee, and bourbon. Vanilla and lastly… coconut? Yeah, I think I get coconut. S’more and graham cracker, too. Maybe I’m imagining the juniper in the nose but I think I get some.
Taste: Chocolate and coffee again. Bourbon with a lighter roast quality than expected. Well balanced! Creamy mouth feel. Gentle lingering bitterness. Warming alcohol. I’m not that much of a stout fan because often they are too big or unbalanced for me, but this one really works for me. Nicely done!
Group 1
@TBC
Saffron Tripel
Aroma: It’s all about the saffron. Not much room for anything else with this strong spice. I think it’s more restrained than my triple.
Taste: Still sort of all about the saffron but a pretty nice balance between the soft malt and the saffron. Good job!
I’ll have to try saffron in food sometime. Actually, I bet a saffron tripel would be a nice match with the right meal. I wonder what food would be a good pairing.
Looking forward to seeing other brewers' thoughts on these beers.
Thank you all for sharing your beers!