The first of four Christmas Ales bought in a special four pack put together and marketed in the US by Shelton Brothers from (the appropriately named) Belchertown, MA and bought from Specs Liquor in Houston.
http://www.sheltonbrothers.com/
The beers are produced in the UK by Ridgeway Brewing, a small craft brewery near Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire. I drank this first beer from the pack on a cold and wet fall Sunday afternoon, while watching the peniltimate NASCAR race from Phoenix on TV. The notes on the bottle made me smile: "Overheard at the bar. 'Bartender, if anyone calls, I'm not here, right? Every year, its the same nightmare, hauling that over-sized red-suited endomorph all over kingdom come, up to my shivering haunches in snow and muck! You call him a saint? Slave driver more like. Going down in history is all well and good, but what about the here and now? My therapist says I have to start doing things for me for a change. It's about time I had a merry Christmas myself, don't you think?"
The web site says "A golden-amber, hop-accented, English "winter warmer" brewed without spices. It's lighter on the palate than the other Ridgeway holiday beers. If you're looking for something to drink to escape the drudgery of the holiday season, this would be the beer for you. Perfect for, say, relaxing on the beach with a coconut in one hoof, and a beer in the other."
:-D
This was indeed a nice beer that was pleasant to drink, nicely flavored but with no sharp edges to the taste. Light brown color in the glass with a head that dissipated quickly. Light body and pleasant aftertaste, a nice beer to drink in the afternoon or as an aperitif before dinner, as it will not fill you up and ruin your appetite.
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