Day 21 of the 5th Annual Advent-ure Calendar
Day 21: Moerlein Christkindl Winter Warmer Ale
Now this is a great can. We’re suckers for the festive, holiday cans. This beer has been on our calendar before but we don’t remember too much about it. Moerlein is however, is a pretty popular Cincinnati brewery that’s been around for forever, so we’re excited to rediscover this one. There’s not a lot of information about it from the website but judging from the can, it looks like a festive holiday beer.
Reflections
Beard & Broad
Beard: I…think there might be something wrong with this. There’s not a whole lot to it in aroma or taste and it finishes kind of sour, but I’m not sure it’s actually supposed to finish that way. Maybe it’s orange peel? I dunno. Either way, not a big fan of this. I’d like to try another one just to make sure, but otherwise I’m going to steer clear.
Broad: This beer is wow, just awful. I’m pretty sure it has to be an old can, perhaps from last year. It has a straight liquid pennies taste. I get no spices or holiday flavors, or any other flavor at all. I’m not happy about it. I love the can and was super interested to try it but I’m disappointed. I would for sure try a fresh can of this or another beer by this brewery.
Adam & Alex
Adam: This beer is, unfortunately, quite bad. I think it’s an old can because it tastes basically like metallic mead. The spiced flavors get completely lost by the after taste of pennies. I’d be interested in trying this again from the brewery because this let me down
Alex: Moerlein Christkindl Winter Warmer Ale is not for me. Maybe it’s an old can, but it reminds me of what a musty basement smells like. I can’t really taste anything significant other than maltiness. I probably wouldn’t grab this one again.
Scott & Christa
Scott: I was afraid I wasn’t ready for another winter warmer, but the Moerlein Christkindl is one of my new favorites. It’s a malty, full winter warmer style beer that is really well balanced from a spice-level and richness standpoint. It’s a beer I could easily have 2 or three more and convince myself that driving is okay…but it won’t be, this is 7%!
Christa: Up to this point, I’ve not loved the winter warmers on our list and wasn’t expecting anything different with Moerlein‘s Christkindl. But, Christmas miracle, this is really freaking good. It’s a chocolate-y malty treat, with a nice hop balance. The sweet and spicy notes are subtle and well balanced and this finishes really smooth. 10/10 would recommend.
Tony & Megan
Tony: Back from our honeymoon, had an awesome time!, and ready to taste some more holiday beers!!! However, this one wasn’t the winter warmer welcome I was looking for. Its a new one that we found this year from a brewery in Cincinnati, pretty dark in color, but the flavor really lacks depth in my opinion. It comes across very light and almost watered down. I get a little bit of the chocolatd but thats about it. It also has a strange aftertaste. I don’t think this one is going to get rave reviews but always fun to try a new one.
Megan: Christkindl reminds me of the Three Floyds Alpha Klaus in that it’s a dark pour and you taste chocolate without the sweetness but I like the Alpha Klaus a lot more. The malts and chocolate are ok but I’m left with a weird after taste. I like the effort but it’s not one of my favorites this season.
Brad & Heather
Brad: I’m a little confused with this winter warmer. It doesn’t really taste like anything specific to me that would scream holidays. It also doesn’t seem to have any distinct taste at all. I have not heard of this brewery but I’m going to give some of their other beers a chance if available.
Heather: I taste nothing. I feel nothing. It started off slightly promising but finished super watery. It’s not gross or anything, but it’s entirely forgettable. I really want to try another beer from this brewery, but I’m not feeling this one.