Moon Dog Dasher's Envy

Apparently this is a "Fancy Christmas Ale". We're not sure what that means, to be honest. Does it mean that there are brewers out there producing beers for the festive period that aren't fancy? Or have the Moon Doggers done something particularly out there for this one - perhaps swimming in the mash tun again? Perhaps the fact that they seem to have emptied the majority of the contents of their malt cupboard and spice rack into it has something to do with its elevated status - with a little black treacle added for good measure. Either way, the contents of the bottle (complete with female reindeer in 1980s Christmas office party stripper gear - to appease those who were upset at Wet Nurse Tonic's boobie cakes, perhaps) do indeed smell like early evening on a Northern Hemisphere Christmas. A dark ruddy brown ale with a thick, treacly body, the spices are of the cakey variety and the aromas darkly sweet and fruity with a spot of what appears to be marzipan thrown in too. It brought to mind Holgate's Double Trouble and is a beer we'd like to revisit on a Christmas future once Dasher, the racing reindeer, has put a few more miles on the clock.

Published December 24, 2012 2012-12-24 00:00:00