Brooklyn Brewery - Winter Ale

Today I'm drinking a Winter Ale from Brooklyn Brewery in Utica, NY.  This is a seasonal Scottish Ale from Brooklyn with 6.1% alcohol and a hefty grain bill, straight-lined with Willamette hops.  I am not a fan of this style - Scottish Ales tend to make me cringe with their intense peaty, smoky malt flavors.  I also had a bad experience with a "heather-hopped" Scottish ale last year that left me with a negative association for all ales Scottish.  Kind of like that one liquor that you drank too much of in college, and just the smell of it now makes you gag....(mine was Captain Morgan).  Hopefully this Brooklyn brew can help break these negative psychological chains.

The beer is a dark amber color, clear, with a fluffy 2 inches of egg-white foam.  Not a whole lot of lacing left behind as it recedes.  The aroma is malt-forward with biscuits and bread dough, combined with a tart, grassy, herbal undertone.  The taste starts off with a nutty, bready malt characteristic.  Some earthy, herbal bitterness comes in almost immediately after that and takes this beer into a strange, farmhouse-ish realm.  Some spiciness comes in towards the end and dries things up a bit.  A hint of raisin also makes itself known, popping in and out randomly.   The texture is medium-bodied, with a higher-than-normal amount of carbonation keeping things bubbly.

Overall Rating:  Winter Ale is a mediocre beer from Brooklyn Brewery.  Certainly very drinkable, smooth, and some nice characteristics of the Scottish Ale style that I actually enjoyed.  But there was an underlying, earthy, almost dirty flavor that I had a hard time accepting.  Not great, but certainly a step in the right direction for me in terms of the style.  B-

Alaskan Brewing - Winter Ale

Tonight I am reviewing another new brew to Minnesota, Alaskan Winter Ale.  I also learned that today is Alaskan Day!  This annual festival commemorates the Purchase Transfer of Russian claim of Alaska to the United States of America at Sitka on October 18, 1867, and celebrates the diversity of cultures and historical perspectives of the Alaskan people.  I bet they have some pretty tasty beer at this festival.  Check out the site if you are interested in the history of the event.

If I had to guess, I would guess the bald eagle on this
label is trained by Alaskan Brewery to harvest spruce
tips for this beer.  Just a hunch.

Ever since Alaskan Brewing started distributing to MN in May, Duns and I have been all over their brew.  We have reviewed almost everything they have thrown our way.  Their Amber is one of the best alts on the market.  The Kolsch, refreshing and tasty.  The IPA made Duns happier with each sip!  Our expectations were high with Perseverance Ale and it fell just a bit short, but not bad.  And I have a bottle of White in my fridge, screaming to be reviewed.  Soon, little one, very soon.

This winter warmer is a light pale orange with a nice frothy head.  The nose is a bit fruity with sweet malt and earthy hops and spruce.  Although, the spruce isn't as prominent as I had anticipated.  No matter, the flavors await! A fuller malt body than anticipated greets my palate and brings forth a subtle mixture of toasted bread, caramel and a slight hop bite.  The spruce comes through ever so slightly on the heels of the hops.  Complex but not over done.  Some alcohol warmth sneaks in and drys out the finish.

Overall - Before I opened the bottle, I had hoped for a lot of spruce flavors since I have never enjoyed a beer brewed with spruce tips.  But after finishing this bottle, I'm very happy that the spruce was a subtle accent to an otherwise tasty winter warmer.  I generally stray away from the winter warmer ales since most are over spiced or too alcoholic for their own good.  Alaskan's iteration makes me rethink my bias.  Next time I'm looking for a winter warmer, this is the six pack that I'll go to first.  Happy Alaska Day!!!

Full Sail - Wassail

Tonights brew is a winter ale that I picked up during one of my "make your own six pack" sprees I had back in December.  I knew it was one I wanted to try but I never got around to cracking it open.  I decided to take this ale, along with a few others, over to my parents the other day and finally give it a shot.

The color of this winter warmer reminds me of a coke.  Deep brown with a red hue and off white foam.  The aromas are not quite what I expected.  More hops than I'm used to for this style.  Some roast and burnt caramel and toffee mingle in with the hops.  My first sip is a bit harsh.  I think the bitterness of the hops are assaulting my senses before the rest of the beer shows up.  A little warmth brings some subtle cherry and chocolate flavors as well as roasted toffee and bittersweet chocolate.  The alcohol is a bit sharp but mostly adds to the warmth of the beer.  Carbonation is moderate and the mouthfeel is a bit thin.

Overall 3.0/6.0 - I'm normally not a huge fan of the winter warmer category.  Every so often I would find one that I can enjoy and drink a couple pints of without feeling full/drunk.  Full Sails Wassail was not one of those.  I wasn't very pleased with the sharp bitterness and alcohol zing that I initially experienced.  As it warmed, though, I found the flavors I'm used to for a winter warmer.  I think one of these is enough for me.

21st Amendment - Fireside Chat Winter Spiced Ale

Today is a winter warmer from 21st Amendment brewery in San Fransisco, CA.  This brewery is obviously named after the end of prohibition which is probably the best piece of legislation our congress has ever passed.  One thing you will notice from the picture is that they like to put their beer in cans.  This has been a recent trend amongst craft brewers but 21st Amendment has been doing this since their inception in 2000.  Canning the beer allows the brew to retain its freshness for longer since it is not subjected to light or oxygen like bottles typically are.  Fireside chat is their early winter seasonal.  I have had their Brew Free or Die IPA and Back in Black IPA and both were good.  This will be my first time tasting this iteration of their winter warmer so I'm excited to see what it has in store.

Color is a deep mahogany, almost brown but when held up to the light I see ruby red.  The little head formation created during the pour recedes into a thin lacing.  The aroma, still cool from the fridge, gives me some dark fruit, maybe black cherries?  The spices are certainly there as well and remind me of a mild ginger snap.  I think I can smell the malt but its overshadowed by the spices added.  No description of these spices exist on their website other than "spices and coco nibs".  I cant pick out the coco nibs but ill accept the fact that they're there.  Maybe they will make a presence in the flavor.  The body is nice and full.  Lots of spice!  Cinnamon, hints of clove, ginger and nutmeg make a bold presence.  Reminds me of a gingerbread without the molasses.  The malt is there but only in the body and as a background flavor.  No hops present at all in the nose but are noticeable in the finish which is to be expected at 45 IBU's.  After about 10 min on the counter the spices really take over and the sweetness of this brew punches its way into the profile.  The 7.9% ABV is absent throughout. 

Overall 3.1/6.0 - While I may be able to drink a few of these I think the spices eventually get in the way of this brews enjoyability.  Be sure to drink this on the cooler side.  This would be a nice beer to have with dinner or an appetizer but not so much as a stand alone drink.  Thats not to say its not enjoyable, but one serving of this winter warmer is enough for me.