Day One: Bah Humbug! from Wychwood

The Christmas season is upon us. Shoppers are over-crowding the malls in search of that perfect gift for loved ones, while you curse for having to park on the far side of the lot. A bitter cold winter is in full effect here in Wisconsin. Chilling us with temperatures in the teens and plenty of snow which should ensure a white Christmas and must certainly be putting smiles on the faces of the CEOs at WE engergies as we try to keep our houses warm. To top things off, my car decides to give me its annual Christmas present of expensive repairs... it never fails this time of year. So what do you do when the holiday season turns for the worse... reach for a Bah Humbug! to warm your heart.

Bah Humbug! is from Wychwood Brewery in England. Their annual Christmas ale weighs in at 6.0% alcohol by volume. The bottle is 1 pint, 9 oz. Unlike most Wychwood brews, this comes in a brown bottle, as opposed to the clear ones they often use, that are prone to skunking from being lightstruck. Scrooge is on the label, in his pajamas and cap holding a candle. It looks like he's got his first visitor of the night because in the background, the ghost of his former associate, Marley, is harkening.

The beer pours a hazy reddish amber in color with a thick creamy light tan head. Plenty of lacing down the side of my imperial pint glass. Nice malty aroma with a hint of cinnamon, sweet caramel, raisin and a feint whiff of alcohol. Medium-to-full-bodied mouthfeel with pleasant carbonation. Very malty upfront. Dried fruit and spices emerge in the middle. Hint of raisin and vanilla in the finish. The 6.0% abv is masked pretty well. This is a very smooth winter warmer.