https://share.brewfather.app/TM83B94DnPjgyy

This year we’re coming back with an English style Christmas beer using Maris Otter. No spruce tips this year. We weren’t sure we’d have orange peel this year, so we pulled out some cherries we had frozen for the cherry stout we never ended up making earlier in the fall. But the grocery store had some orange peel, so this year will be a cherry orange Christmas beer.

The first sip on bottling day, pretty spicy. Matt mentioned Underberg. So we’ll see if it mellows out in the next month.

A year later

Trying the beer a year later on November 16, 2025, definitely mellowed out. Aroma is one of the best cherry scents we’ve had. Smells like fresh cherries. Kind of a metallic aftertaste. ginger and orange peel come through in a balanced way. Whatever other spices are in there, they are playing an accompanying role. There’s definitely some spice in there, but it’s not distinct. There’s a bit of a medicinal taste, but it’s not off putting. Overall, this is a really good Christmas beer. It has a nice balance of spices that don’t overwhelm. The cherries come through in a pleasant way. Cherries are a clear characteristic that makes this year’s edition unique, but it’s not something that needs to make an appearance regularly.