Prairie The Beer That Saved Christmas

The Beer that Saved Christmas is an old ale aged in oak barrels with a mixture of wild bacteria. Notes of chocolate, cherry, vanilla and carmel can be found in this holiday beer.

3.6

156 reviews

Tulsa, United States

Community reviews

3.5 Bottle. Thanks to mike12da. Rich chocolate nose, with some dark fruit. Dark translucent brown color. Sourish initial, raisins and light berries, sugary in mid palate, gentle pruney finish. Medium body. Slgitly tart. Pleasant but a bit weak overall. Some mix of good flavors that don’t quite come together.

3.7 Bottle. Tangy chocolate, berries, yogurt, some vanilla in the nose. Brown-orange color. Tangy falvor of chocolate, cocoa, cherry, plum. Airy, prickly body, light, silky and fizzy. Interesting stuff.

3.8 This is from last years batch. It is better than last year and I bet it would still age well. Dark brown beer with a foamy tan head. Big sweet dried fruit and rich oak aromas. Lots of raisin, fig and dried fruit sweetness with warming bourbon, vanilla, oak and a pretty strong acidity. The ABV compliments the flavors well. I’m only sorry this is my last bottle. I bet it will be better next year.

3.5 Bottle. Brown pour with tan head. Dark malty, oak, bourbon, spice aromas. Bourbon, oak and dark malt tones, flavors are dark and woody.

3.9 Bottle: Per recommendations from the peanut gallery I have let this age since last year and figured tonight would be a good night to finally open one. Nice smooth malty notes without being sweet thanks to the tannic addition of the oak barrel. A bit of whisky but hardly a booze bomb but a worthy compliment to the complexities. Slight fig and plum fruitiness along with a dollop of acidity. I would say that this is still in need of maturity and further depth that is common with the best of the olde ale genre but I can see this achieving that level in 3-5 years. The other bottle is now at rest for many many moons.

3.2 bottled, not sure how old. light fig water prune juice pour a 1 finger off white espresso cream head. a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg and chocolate milk nose. cocoa, tobacco very medicinal. lots of weird chocolate burnt oak flavors. great mouthfeel and the abv is well hidden.

3.9 Bottle. Hazy to cloudy brown color, beige head. Aroma of licorice, coffee. Taste is lightly spiced tootsie roll. Very good.

3.9 A two inch frothy-smooth light khaki head creates short peninsulas and thin trailing islands of lace over an extremely deep mahogany body Light fruits and dusty barn merge flawlessly into basement, cherry, coffee cake, and mild dark chocolate notes with clean alcohol accents on a smooth, moderately carbonated medium body offering a light, slowly building, sweet and sticky residual full of the fore mentioned flavor components Solid complexity, smooth transitions, medium intensity, an intelligent merging of styles creating a flavorful brew reminiscent of a strong oud bruin 16.9oz bottle aged for about five months at 55-60°, served at 50° and warming into TeKu

2.7 Bottle pours a dark brown with a large khaki head. Fruity aroma, dates, plum, sour cherry, brown sugar, and caramel. Oak present in taste, some out of place sour, with bitter alcohol on the finish. Uhm, yeah doesn’t seem to have held up.

4.1 Rated from notes taken on 1 Jun 2014 -- I like old ales. I really like this beer.

2.4 50cl bottle pours a murky brown with some creamy, off white head. Nose is sour, wood pulp, a little tobacco leaf, some vanilla, some cocoa nib. Flavor is off, odd, dusty malt, tastes like bad home brew, vanilla, bread crust. Over carbonated creating a harsh finish. Messy.

3.4 Sample @ RBWG, Asheville. Brown pour with a small head. Rich yule log and Christmas cake. Dark boozy fruits and chococlate, toffee. Banana bread. This has definitely soured a little bit. Has a distinct Greek yogurt accent. Dark fruits, cherry skin. Full, rich body. Overall, it feels like this is drinking as it wasn’t intended.

3.6 Bottle to tulip Caramel, plum, granny smith, and a hint if yeast. Reddish brown with a creamy but thin off white head. Soy, caramel, malt, and clove.

3.1 Bottle - Vintage 2013 - Green apple and oak. Cloudy brown with a rich brown head. Light sour and apple, light malts and a light spiced boozy finish. Not sure about this one.

3.6 Dark brown pour with a tan head. The aroma and flavor have a lot of caramel and toffee notes. I also get some big chocolate in the flavor. As the beer warms I start to get some oak character. Medium to thick mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

3.7 This one poured a murky brown color with a beige head. Aroma was of lgiht funk, chocolate, caramel and oak. Falvor was similar, like a semi soured barleywine of sorts. Interesting.

3.6 Pours a nice reddish hue with a thin white head. Whoa! The aroma is tart and fruity. Taste is tart up front, fruit and spice in the middle, with a crisp tart finish. Palate tends to stay on the spice and fruit up front with a ton of tartness throughout.

3.7 Bottle purchased in February @ 7-11 Kittery, ME. Deep, dark brown with very little retention. Aroma is sweet and boozy with a huge oak barrel influence. Old plums and an odd sour hint. Flavor is rum soaked raisins, spice, chocolate malt base with a big oak finish. Notes of tobacco and a light tart fruit. Medium body with a light to moderate level of carbonation with a syrupy sweet texture over the tongue. The booze is a bit over the top and sure this would mellow with some age. I’m sure this would have benefited to let this sit in the cellar a bit longer but I needed a beer and I just had a massive cellar clean out. Cheers Santa!

3.8 Hazy light brown, with a nice tan head. Spices and slight tart nose. Nice taste to this, surprised by the sourness. Not overwhelmed by any aspect of sour, spice and malt - and they all work together.

3.6 Bottle shared by Bacterial! Medium brown pour, light carbonation and an aroma of woody mild woody grapes. Flavor is slightly soured apple, hints of hazelnuts, nice noticeable alcohol and a dry woody aftertaste. Tasty.

3.6 Bottle. Hazy brown with a big foamy brown head. Aromas of sour apple, cherry, toasted malt, light funk, oak, earhty must. Flavor is toasted malt, raisins, caramel, tart fruit, sour apple, oak, vanilla, and some funk. Medium bodied, slightly dry finish with lingering sour apple.

3.9 2013 release. Opened 12/27/13. Pours murky, ruby brown. Lots of lacing after minimal head. Big oak barrel on the nose, with some dark fruit (fig, raisin etc). A lot more malt and oak notes to balance the big dark fruit than I expected. Some booziness and a medium thick mouthfeel.

3.9 Lots of dark fruit on the aroma, hints of oak sneak in. On the palate there is dark fruit, some Christmas time spices like nutmeg and ginger, with and oak finish. Alcohol is hidden well.

3.6 Bottle split at Bruce’s pad, thanks to Leighton, 08/04/14. Murky chestnut brown with moderate beige spotting. Nose is dark fruit rinds, Xmas cake, light marzipan, spice, toffee. Taste comprises bitter fruit peel, tarte fruit, candied sugars, toffee, spice. Medium bodied, fine carbonationa, light dryness in the close. Solid old ale.

3.6 8th April 2014 Tasting at Bruce’s Pad. Thanks to Leighton. Very hazy dark brown beer, small pale cream coloured head. Palate is light and airy with light fine carbonation. Light thin malt cream. Tangy dried fruits and fruity bourbon. Touch of dark chocolate, well buried. Light finish with a bitter wood linger.

3.7 Bottle shared in London - picked up somewhere in the US. Pours deep brown with a frothy, off-white head. The nose has a lot of ripe fruits, some brown bread, dryish toffee, a bit of orange peel. Medium sweet flavor with further toasty bread, some ripening fruits, mild dates, slight toffee. Medium bodied with fine carbonation. Lightly warming on the finish with more dates, berries, moderate toffee, dried bread. Very nice.

3.6 Bottle at Bruce’s, thanks to Leighton. Deep brown with a thick beige head. The nose is earthy, wood, vanilla, toasty coconut, dark fruit, must and leather. The taste is wood, earthy, toast, dirt, lemony sherbet, candied peel, earth, must, pear, apple and dull tartness with a dry finish. Medium body and moderate carbonation. Pretty alright.

1.4 Bottle: Thanks, Jason! Gusher!! Just a light crack of the cap & this beer was everywhere. First gushing "old ale" I’ve ever seen. Huge, volatile head, thick beige foam; the beer is murky, swampy looking brown. Aroma has some tart & sweet red grapes, raisins, caramel, oak, a touch of maple, & a nebulous sour twinge. Kind of strange for an old ale... Messy & all over the place. Unfortunately the flavor is the same way... Tart, wine-like grape & raisin notes, prunes, cola, mild anise, burnt caramel, & a very astringent tannic finish with an oak-y overload. Certainly overcarbonated for an old ale... Prickly carbonation. The first complete disappointment I’ve had from Prairie... It just doesn’t mesh well at all. It’s actually kind of terrible.

3.6 Bottle. Dark mahogony beer with a light tan head. oak and vanilla aroma with caramel and light chocolate. Caramel and oak flavor with light chocolate, light fruitiness, and light tartness. Medium bodied. Tartness and light chocolate lingers with oak, light vanilla, caramel, and light fruitiness.

2.4 Courtesy of umich03jm Bottle: The aroma consists of chocolate, toffee, caramel, oak, vanilla, and spice. It pours a dark brown with some orange highlights and a one finger beige head. The flavor starts with a a quick dose of chocolate, toffee, and caramel. The finish has roasted nuts, some sour fruit, and oak. It’s medium bodied with lively carbonation.