Sorry this is coming so late in the month! I have five beers slated for the holiday season and I'm anticipating getting through them all by the big day itself. 

Is your tree trimmed? Are your lights up? Gifts secured and wrapped? Mine, neither (well, okay, our tree is trimmed and lights are up. The gifts are another story). December's hectic. Take a moment, grab a cold one, and snuggle up for the first Christmas season post of 2024: State of Brewing's Holiday Ale.

State of Brewing's a beer brand owned by Aldi (the grocery chain). It's not an actual brewery. The brewery that brews State of Brewing beers--please appreciate that I used "beers" here instead of "brews"--is Octopi Brewing, out of Wisconsin. I have two quick links for you: One that talks about about Octopi and another that's a post I did for a beer they made under their own name.

Holiday Ale (Octopi-made and Aldi-owned and -sold) currently has a spot on Aldi's website. This lists the 5.6% ABV ale as a seasonal ale that features "...notes of cinnamon, ginger and orange peel." Seems holiday enough for me. Let's see how it's drinking.

I get all mentioned notes on the nose--cinnamon, orange peel, and ginger. I'm also finding a little graham cracker. And that's it. It's a simple and straightforward bouquet. Purrl gave it seven whiffs, so she can get down with the ale.

The ginger and orange peel are prominent on Holiday Ale's palate. It's a citrusy ale and the orange is what settles into the finish. There's a bit of roastiness from the malt but, really, this is a no-frills beer.

Holiday Ale's mouthfeel is sharp. It's a good, bitey ale. No complaints here. 

This ale'd be a good one for hanging Christmas lights (as we've covered already, I'm done with that task). It's easy-drinking and bright, with just enough spice to be Christmassy without being so heavy that it forces you into a nap instead of decorating.

State of Brewing (or, Octopi) nailed the assignment with this one. Holiday Ale's simple and fun to drink. And, at $8 a sixer, you can't beat it for price or convenience. It's a solid 8.5/10.