Bison Organic Gingerbread Ale
A dark mohogany, medium-bodied porter. Chewy dark malt flavors have a big spicy overlay of fresh baked gingerbread men.
3.2
282 reviews
Berkeley, United States
Community reviews
This rich dark brown ale has a strong ginger aroma and cinnamon flavor. Very interesting.
Not good. Not much smell but some faint gingerbread aroma. Taste was stronger and worse.
12 oz bottle. Poured very dark brown with a semi-durable beige head.
Aroma: excellent balance in a blend of porter and gingerbread.
Flavor: not so balanced as the aroma, but richer and with more ginger. Also a touch of spicy hops. Lingering bready malt and ginger flavor.
Feel: medium-light body and medium carbonation; lively; enough ginger to add to the feel.
Poured from a regular bottle into a pint glass to drink. The beer had a very dark brown hue with a lighter brown to deep amber hue and a very small, foamy, off-white head with short retention, and minor cling and lacing. The aroma had a notable gingerbread scent, but also tones of chocolate and coffee, some sugar and yeast, and a bit of molasses and grain. Its taste was somewhat sweet with notes of coffee and chocolate, but also a grainy bitterness throughout. The body was mostly wet and thin with low carbonation and a lighter, watery mouthfeel. Thanks to Siobhan for the Christmas present!
Bottle 355ml in Singapore. Very faint ginger aroma, no real ginger flavour, pours dark brown with a thin head. Smooth but not amazing, don’t expect any gingerbread.
There’s a gingerbread man sitting on my nose. It pours a dark brown like a gingerbread man which has been left in th oven too long, with a mostly deminishing white head and a smidgen of lacing. The gingerbread man is accompanied by his friends, toasted malts, bread, and a rewarding hop finish. Medium body with medium carbonation. Overall, a nice winter drink - a pumpkin beer without the pumpkin. Thanks to Ken for the treat.
12oz bottle from ABC on Apalachee. Deep dark brown with a thin tan head. Aroma is ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon. Tastes are ginger/nutmeg and roasty, chocolate - slight smoke vibe. Lightly bitter, spice finish.
Pours a brown color with a brown head. Nose is strong ginger. Taste is sweet ginger and malty. Finishes on the same tasting notes with some mild lingering. An ok ale at best. Quaff Score 7 / 10
Pours a red brown with a brown head and aroma of gingerbread, spices, and Christmas cookies. Taste is of spices-ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon- with gingerbread cookie and malt with a ginger filled finish.
Poured a dark mahogany with a thick cream head. Nose was of sweet roasted malts with a hint of the ginger spice. The flavor was not overpoweringly spicy, however, and the beer was very refreshing and well balanced.
Pours an opaque dark brown with a massive head that laces and retains very well. Nose is like a weak porter with ginger added. Some hint of dark malts is present, but very subdued. The body barely makes it past the light category. Very well carbonated, which helps bring forth what flavor is there. Like the nose, dark malt flavor is subdued resulting in a profile that is mostly ginger. While not overpowering, it is rather mild, the ginger needs to be balanced with a background malt flavor profile. The finish is somewhat crisp with a residual weak ginger astringency. Not a bad beer, but it could be improved upon.
Fine. Not overwhelmingly gingerbread-y. Let’s the beer flavor through with a hint of the spices.
11 Dec 2013, bottle. black. nose is nothing but gingerbread. thin body and moderately fizzy. tastes of gingerbread at first but strangely immediately i get hints of McDonald’s hamburger, slightly burnt. bit of a sweet finish. meh.
12 oz bottle. Spices present in aroma but it tastes a bit thin. Honestly doesn’t taste very different from most "pumpkin" beers.
Dark brown color with small tan head and minimal lacing. Aroma and flavor
have great cocoa malts with slight spicy, ginger notes. Slightly sweet and slightly bitter. Pretty good overall.
Ok. Good ginger bread aroma, followed through in flavor. What I don't like is this is quite thin, and the base beer is not superb. Should've been a stout. B-
On draft at Galaxy Hut in Arlington VA. Pours a ear cola brown with a tan head. Aroma of cloves and cinnamon. Only a hint of ginger. Light to medium bodied. Short dry finish.
Poured from bottle. Pours a dark brown, 1 finger head which dissipates fairly quickly. Aroma is initially ginger and sweetness from the malt, followed by a bit of coffee. Taste is good with a fairly typical porter profile of coffe and chocoloate followed with the ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg. The carbonation is fairly high, but not so much that it is out of style.
Pours a dark brownish black color with a light tan head with good retention and lacing. The aroma is holiday spices and dark roasted malts. The taste like the aroma is dark roasted malts up front with some sweetness and the spices coming through in the finish. The mouthfeel is light bodied with a good amount if carbonation. Overall, not a bad little holiday porter that is worth a try.
Rich dark chocolate colour. Aroma of gingerbread and spice. Pleasant malt and ginger taste. Unpleasant metallic finish.
12 oz bottle poured to pint glass. Pours dark with slight tan head. Ginger spices on the nose and in the taste. A little sparkly like ginger with your sushi, not like in a cookie. Just ok for a seasonal, and you would have to really be in the mood for one.
Refreshing dessert beer that lacks the pulp and moxie of a thicker, more meaty ale. The cat’s cradle of spices are a decent diversion to the fact that the actual body of the brew is lacking (even the nose comes up short). Still, it’s an okay brew, but one that’s not quite worthy of a six pack.
Dark ruby with great frothy head; wonderful aromas of warm fresh baked gingerbread; discernible hops with a spicy finish.
12 oz bottle compliments of AirForceHops. Darker that expected pour into a perfect pint glass. Aroma of cola, bread, & nutmeg. Flavor of malt, all of the Holiday spices (just enough, not over powering). Hints of cinnamon and nutmeg linger the longest. Hardly any hops flavor. Light carbonation and mouthfeel make this 6.0 abv brew quite drinkable, but not a standout.
Interesting twist on the traditional porter style. The gingerbread flavor profile doesn’t overwhelm, which is a good thing. A bit of smoke in the flavor. Thin in the mouth. Next to no head.
A gift from SJ. The brew was thin in the body, but had some notes of caramel, roast and ginger. The finish was holiday spice. It was ok.
Aromas of ginger, cherries and dark malts. Deep blackish brown with no foam. Fair ginger and oats upfront with a watery mocha behind it. Overall, it’s a little dissapointing. Very watery and unbalanced.
Bison Organic Gingerbread Ale seems to have an identity crisis. The name says ale, but the description says porter. Color is dark like a porter, but the taste is more like a good brown ale. The head dissipates quickly. Aroma is light citrus, Flavor is like a fine brown ale with a slight gingerbread flavor -- not so much as to overpower the beer or make it too sweet. Which ever the style, I am enjoying Gingerbread Ale.
Sample at World of Beer Easton on 1/10/13. Pours dark brown with a medium beige head. Malty nose with notes of ginger, light anise and cinnamon. Malty flavor with dark chocolate accents and plenty of ginger before a dry, grassy finish.
Appearance was clear brown with creamy off white diminishing 1/2 finger head, spotty lacing. Aromas are spices of ginger, nutmeg ,cinnamon and slight chocolate, pale, and crystal malts. Yeasts are clean with no aclohol present. Taste are hints of sweet biscuity, cocoa malts with slight spices of ginger, nutmeg and English yeasts. Palate was soft smooth CO2 with medium body, then an average length boring dryish finish. A little bland, good try.