A KegWorks’ Holiday party tradition is a keg of Custom BrewCrafter’s Christmas Ale. The company Holiday party is this coming Friday, but I got a preview of this year’s batch of Christmas Ale. I liked it so much last year; I bought a keg of it as soon as it became available this year. Custom BrewCrafter’s is a local brewery whose production is mostly limited to kegs for bars and restaurants in Western New York, so I knew when the opportunity to get my own keg arose this year I had to act on it.

The beer is very dark, ruby red with a subdued nose that only hints at the ale’s spicy goodness. The beer tastes like childhood Christmas memories with noticeable, but not overwhelming, flavors of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. The malt used is sweet and with a toasted caramel flavor; while the hops stay in the background supplying just enough bitterness to not make this ale over sweet and cloying. I am not huge fan of spiced beers, as most tend to overdo it, but not this great seasonal ale.

A friend of mine (who I was tasting the beer with) said it reminded him of fruitcake or spiced Christmas cookies. If you live outside of Western New York, and cannot get Custom BrewCrafter’s Christmas Ale (Sorry!); go to your local brewery and toast the Holidays with a winter seasonal from your neck of the woods.

TAGS [ CUSTOM BREWCRAFTERS | CHRISTMAS ALE | DRAFT BEER ]