Christmas Beer of the Year

[Old Blue]

Has anyone come across any outstanding celebratory beers this year? I can't say I have, though I've tried quite a few Christmas beers.

Replies so far, with the indifferent ones I've had added in, gives us goes something like:

Good
York Humbug (Rob andMillay)
O'Hanlons' Christmas Goodwill (Runningdog and Rob)
Salopian Sleighrider (ThuckPhat)
Hornbeam FestiveChristmas Ale (Rob)
George Wright Two Turtle Doves (Rob)
Abbeydale Advent (ThuckPhat)
West Berks Xmas Beer (Quinno)
Havant Unwrapped (Farway)
Old Dairy Snow Top (Wittenden)
Saltaire White Christmas (Rob)
Blindmans Bah Humbug (Rob)
Thwaites Very Good Elf (RogerB)
Shepherd Neame Christmas Ale (Strongers and RPA)

Indifferent
Hardy & Hanson Rocking Rudolf (Millay)
Brentwood Ho Ho Soho (Old Blue)
Rudgate Auld St. Nick (Old Blue)
Cropton Elf Indulgence(Old Blue)

Bad
Grafton Cracker (Rob)
Three B's Santa's Skinful (Rob)
Harveys Christmas Ale (Strongers)
Brakspear Oh Be Joyful (Quinno)

I know I also had the York's one, but it was at the end of a long night and I possibly didn't appreciate it as I normally would. It was either in the Old Mitre or the Craft Beer Co so it would have been my fault not the pub. Humbug!

[Farway]

I had a pint of Havant Unwrapped (http://www.thehavantbrewery.co.uk/seasonal_ales_4.html) in the Bird in Hand (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/14086/), very much a local brew, I thought it nice, but not outstanding, preferred the Gales Winter Brew, thanks Fuller's for killing it :mad:

[ROBCamra]

Hornbeam Festive Christmas Ale
York Humbug
George Wright Two Turtle Doves

Have all been good Christmas Beers so far.

At the other end of the scale Grafton Cracker didn't do it for me at all. :cheers:

[Wittenden]

Haven't been to the pub since last weekend, and don't really run after Christmas specials anyway, but I've got a stash of Snow Top from Old Dairy: dark but not too sweet at 6% ABV. However this pales before my regular Christmas Eve treat-after I've finished kitchen duty, well almost as the Turkey goes in the oven at midnight, I break out the bottles of Dark Star Imperial Russian Stout (10.5% ABV) that I've been nurturing. Dark,rich and mysterious:why drink wine or whisky when there's stuff like this about?

[Old Blue]

I break out the bottles of Dark Star Imperial Russian Stout (10.5% ABV) that I've been nurturing. Dark,rich and mysterious:why drink wine or whisky when there's stuff like this about?

Perfect! Wish I'd had your foresight on this, the one day of the year when I don't get to go to the pub. Though I'm sure I'll have other entertainments.

Merry Christmas, everybody!

[Millay]

I don't really go for the 'novelty' ales but have been drinking a fair bit of Hardy & Hansons Rocking Rudolf. Largely because most of my lunchtime drinking is done in a GK pub when I'm at work. It's not bad, once you get past the flashing pump clip.

But my favourite has been one that ROBC mentioned. From York brewery, who are pretty good at dark beers, it's called Humbug - which was especially good as I'm a Bah Humbug sort of person ;)

[Thuck Phat]

A very good pint of Abbeydale Advent - pale but very well balanced -was topped by Salopian Sleighrider which at 4.9% flew out of the glass and had a bitter enough finish to keep you wanting more.

[ROBCamra]

Tried Saltaire White Christmas and Blindmans Bah Humbug last night whch were very good. :drinkup:

Also tried Three B's Santa's Skinful which wasn't. :(

[runningdog]

The few 'seasonal ales' I've had have been, on the whole, easily forgettable. But I spent a couple of happy lunchtimes knocking back O'Hanlons' Christmas Goodwill. Nothing outstanding, but a good, straightforward, if a touch spicy, brown bitter. There are a lot of worse things to drink come Christmas..........

[Quinno]

I spent a couple of happy lunchtimes knocking back O'Hanlons' Christmas Goodwill. Nothing outstanding, but a good, straightforward, if a touch spicy, brown bitter.

Good call, sir! I enjoyed that one too.

The West Berks Xmas Beer I had at the Nags last night was lovely, hoping there might be some left for me in a bit :)

[RogerB]

I find Xmas beers all much of a muchness but one that stood out for me was Thwaites Very Good Elf which is one of only 2 beers on my shortlist for BotW looking at my list.

[Strongers]

I either mentioned in another thread or maybe a pub review that Harveys Christmas Ale is like a sickly syrup and I struggled to finish a half. On the other hand Shepherd Neame's Christmas Ale hit the spot and I wish I enjoyed their other brews as much.

[rpadam]

Shepherd Neame's Christmas Ale hit the spot
It was a cracker this/last year, and much better than the 2009/10 offering...

[Quinno]

It was a cracker this/last year, and much better than the 2009/10 offering...

As opposed to Brakspars Oh Be Joyful, which has been ratched down by around 0.5% this year and now tastes like a watered down shadow of its former impressive self.