Christmas season is behind us, but Christmastime seasonal beers can still be enjoyed throughout the winter months. Rich, malty, and spicy flavors are a perfect backdrop to cold, snowy weather. Upslope Brewing Company in Boulder delivers a Belgian style take on a winter warmer with its Christmas Ale, available only during winter. It's a delicious Belgian style dubbel ale with holiday spices added.
Upslope was started in 2008 by founders who are passionate about the active Colorado lifestyle and brewing high quality craft beer for like-minded beer lovers. Those values are reflected in the brewery's decision to can all their beer, a packaging method that makes the beer easier to transport and is better for the environment. Their standard line-up of beers includes a craft lager, pale ale, IPA and brown ale. Christmas Ale, which was first released as the brewery's Christmas seasonal beer in 2009, is one of five seasonal or limited release beers. It comes in 4-packs of 16 ounce cans, and can be found on tap if you look hard enough. An aspect about Upslope's branding I really admire is their straight-forward and simple approach to their product. On the side of the cans, they include a simple list of ingredients, specs for the packaging, and then let the product inside speak for itself.
Christmas Ale is a great example of a lightly spiced Belgian style dubbel. It pours a deep ruby red, slightly translucent color with a thin head. The aroma exudes a faint spiciness, Abbey ale yeast, and dark fruit. The flavors that follow are complex - dark fruits like raisins, plums and cherries, a sweetness from the darker malts, mild spices, and yeast esters. It's a well-crafted, balanced beer that's a bit on the stronger side at 8.2% ABV, just right for the season. With all the winter seasonal beers out there to try, this one is different than most. Don't let it vanish from the shelves before you've had this taste of Christmas!
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