Truth be told, this time of year is pretty much as good as it gets for incredibly strong, flavourful beers. The winter ales are out in droves, various stouts and porters receive all manner of twists and general 'amping' up, and best of all, some breweries like to go just a little bit crazy.
Leading the way is Dead Frog. It should come as no surprise with a name like Dead Frog that ridiculous, off-the-wall beer ideas would be old hat for such a brewery. Luckily, their efforts are actually quite remarkable, rather than being all show and no play. A Citra IPA, a Coconut Wit, a (quite sensational) Mint Chocolate Brown Ale, and, perhaps their most playful installment, the Christmas Beeracle. Instant internet street-credit points for the name.
But a fantastic name alone won't sway the most steadfast of beer drinker. Beer is for drinking, not just admiring. Happily, Dead Frog does not disappoint. The Beeracle is...well it's certainly unique. It's difficult to compare to other beers, because quite frankly I haven't had anything quite like it. The easiest thing to liken it to is a gingerbread cookie...melted down, fermented and bottled for your pleasure. And if that doesn't tempt your palate, well then good sir or madame, you are beyond help.
While this beer lacks the intensity, savagery or complexity of some of the year's best porters, stouts, bocks and IPAs, it more than makes up for these drawbacks with curious and delicious flavour. It really is a great desert beer. But best of all, unlike most other desert beers, it's certainly not pigeon-holed into this one role. The Beeracle works for just about anything; it won't fill you up before delicious Christmas gluttony, it won't leave you wanting for more like many of the more limp-wristed beers, and it will never leave you with a sense of boredom or disappointment.
I can see why stouts, porters and IPAs don't appeal to certain people (I myself do not fancy IPAs). They are the extremists of the beer world, and while those extremes offer real excitement and variety, they can be off-putting as well. The Christmas Beeracle, on the other hand, is probably the closest thing we're offered this season as a holiday beer that's all things to all men.
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| 'Tis the season. |
Taste: As previously mentioned, it's like Dead Frog had a vat of molten gingerbread cookie, infused it with a dash of hops, barely and alcohol, bottled it, and put a clever, Christmas-y label on it, which will delight you when you find it under your tree this year.
Aroma: If I'm honest, it's a bit disappointing. It's certainly not indicative of the great flavour.
Aftertaste: Very little complexity. The gingerbread flavour fades to a more traditional ale flavour. It's certainly not bad, but like the aroma, it's not necessarily the selling point of the beer.
Recommended?: Can you seriously resist its charms? The baked-goods taste? The tongue-in-cheek nature of the brewery? That lovable face, er, label?
Verdict: Christmas...a time for good will for all mankind. Alternatively, a time for everyone to drink a copious amount in order to tolerate relatives, crowds, co-workers at office parties, bad weather, idiot drivers and infectiously irritating Christmas carols. What better way to celebrate this momentous time of year than to crack a bottle of 'Beeracle? Ho ho ho, Merry Christmalt!
Score: 8 mugs out of 10.
