Christmas vs X-Mas Ales

Sunday, I posted SheppyBrew vs Breckenridge Autumn Ales where I compared Breckenridge Autumn Ale with my Will-o'-Wisp Autumn Ale (no pumpkin).

Of course, I also have my X-Mas Ale 2024 on tap, and it just so happens that I also have some bottles of Breckenridge Christmas Ale.

Breckenridge Christmas Ale actually inspired my traditional base beer recipe of my X-Mas Ales.

"The chill of winter calls for a beer with extra flavor and strength! An abundance of carefully roasted malts create notes of caramel and chocolate, while Chinook and Mt. Hood hops contribute a spicy quality for balance and a clean finish."

I purposely changed this year's X-Mas Ale recipe so that I could mark the 17A. British Strong Ale off my BJCP Goal, so I know these two beers are not comparable, but I decided to do it anyway.

Breckenridge Christmas Ale is considerably darker in color, and much sweeter / more caramelly. It is also a full percentage point bigger in alcohol than X-Mas Ale 2024.

X-Mas Ale 2024 is drier and more drinkable. It's EKG hops come through more nicely than I get any hop flavor in Breckenridge Christmas Ale.

While Breckenridge Christmas Ale is a classic that I'll always probably pick up, I much prefer the SheppyBrew X-Mas Ale,

I might have to think about using this base going forward in the future for the base of X-Mas Ales.

Yummy stuff.

I also grilled / smoked a whole chicken while sampling these beers. 

I wanted to try the same "quartered bird" technique that I did with the 2024 Thanksgiving Turkey. I also seasoned with the same "Crack" I did the turkey in.

Similarly to being more flexible in moving the pieces around on the Turkey, the quartered chicken has the same advantage.

It isn't quite as necessary with the whole chicken as with the bigger turkey, but it still does make things a little easier.

Especially when the breasts are running behind the legs and thighs, which is what happened on this cook.

So, I'm glad I was able to place the breasts over the direct heat to finish them up.

And the chicken turned out just about perfect. 

We really enjoyed this meal.

Yummy stuff.

As always, stay tuned on the regular SheppyBrew Channels to see what is happening with beer, barbeque, biking and other things in my life: SheppyBrew's Facebook Page; Sheppy's Twitter Feed; SheppyBrew's Instagram Page; and SheppyBrew's Website.

Go Broncos!