Alameda Brewing Company's Papa Noel's Olde Ale

You see that logo right above this line about winter being the most wonderful time to drink beer? There are plenty of things I dislike about winter, but it is still my favorite season of the year solely due to the abundance of amazing beer that it brings forth. Shades of brown and black with all sorts of crazy spices and super high alcohol content flood pubs and stores seemingly overnight. I buy them in hordes to enjoy over the Summer and don't give a crap when people ask me why I'm drinking a brew as black as Micheal Seraphin's cold, shriveled, holiday-hating heart in the middle of a 95 degree afternoon. These are the kinds of beers that make me a happy (and slightly more intoxicated) man and I couldn't be more excited as a semi-respected online beverage journalist to do some work.

My first selection for Winter Beer Month was actually a difficult choice. There are so many phenomenal winter beers that I have already enjoyed and could share with the world, but I chose to write about a new one from a brewery close to my neck of the woods.

Alameda Brewing Co. is a small brewery that began its life in the heart of the Beaumont Village in Northeast Portland. Our 5 Barrel (155 gallon) brewery began producing craft beers in 1996. All of our beers are produced on location under the careful watch of headbrewer Carston Haney. He produces a wide variety of beers, from the light, refreshing Siskiyou Golden Ale to the deep, impenetrable Black Bear XX Stout to the extremely hoppy Yellow Wolf Imperial IPA

As it turns out, they also make a seasonal winter ale! Enter their Papa Noel's Olde Ale. Beyond being a winter ale from a local brewery that I really enjoy, what intrigued me most about Papa Noel's is that the bottle tells you almost nothing about what you're about to drink. It has a name, you know its from Alameda, and it's going to be a little boozy. Sure I could guess what is most likely in the bottle or use my phone to look it up because the internet could tell me, but I like a mystery. Since Alameda wants me to figure it out myself, figuring it out myself I shall do.

And because my [BW]-style of beer reviewing seems to be popular, I'll follow suit and do the same.

Brewery: Alameda Brewing Company

Style: Winter Warmer / Olde Ale

BeerAdvocate.com Rating: B+

RateBeer.com Rating: 3.59/5

Serving: 22oz Bottle


Appearance - Brown with zero head on the pour. Almost no light gets through either.

Smell - Malty with a hint of nuttiness coming through. Just a tad sweet with no alcohol smell.

Taste - My first reaction was quite surprising as quite a bit of hoppiness comes through first. After that, the taste mellows out with malt and caramel left on your palate. Only a hint of alcohol is present, but the mouthfeel is thick enough that you won't want to drink this super fast anyway. While this could be paired with almost any standard pub fair, this is definitely one of those beers that is great on its own.

All in all, really great winter warmer that is as tasty as it is versatile. I wouldn't say it stands out as entirely unique over other offerings, but at $5.35 a bottle, you can't go wrong picking a couple up.