This year it seems as if winter ales have attempted to go myriad directions but have not seemed to really have an outstanding effort. Alaskan Brewing has created a Winter Ale that takes on a great many twists and turns of the old ale style without having to ratchet up the ABV of the beer.
The winter warmer style provides one with a number of solid offerings, many of which have a considerable spice and sugar component. Super Snow Cap pours with a dark brown coloration and a decent amount of tannish/off-white head that sticks around for a decent time after an initial pour. Hints of dark fruits and wheat come forth in the brew’s initial nose, trends that will make themselves known as one…
Portland, Maine’s Peak Organic Brewing has created a winter seasonal in their Holiday Saison that has an incredibly rich and deep set of flavors while keeping the alcohol pegged at a level that makes this a perfect session beer. Peak’s Holiday Season pours with an orange-amber coloration and with a small amount of off-white to tannish head that is slow to break down. Hints of Belgian yeasts and spices (including…
Orange Giant is a limited-run barleywine released by Portland’s Ecliptic Brewery. The effort pours with an orange-red coloration and a small amount of off-white head. The nose has a good amount of piney hops and alcoholic snap to it, while an initial sip knocks one firmly over the head with oily hops (Ecliptic uses Chinook and Nugget varieties) and a warmth that works its way down one’s esophagus. Orange Giant…
Lonerider Brewing Company (Raleigh, North Carolina) is the brewery’s current seasonal, a porter that pours with a brown to dark-brown coloration. A solid amount of tannish head sits on top of the beer. Good amount of roasted malt permeates DeadEye Jack with each sip yielding just enough coffee, brown sugar, caramel, and wheat to keep individuals interested. The beer gains further sweetness as it continues to warm to room temperature,…
A portion of Hunter, 18th Street Brewery’s (Gary, Indiana) imperial milk stout, was placed into barrels of Journeyman Distillery Buggy Whip Wheat whiskey. This effort is thick with an incredibly dark brown to black coloration and pours little to nothing in the way of head. The Bourbon Barrel Hunter is able to have a luxurious mouth feel with a bevy of flavors. Bourbon, vanilla, caramel, milk chocolate and toasted malt all…
Upstate Brewing (New York) has created Common Sense, a Kentucky Common Ale Common Sense would be a great beer paired with burgers, salty foods, or American cuisine. The style is interesting as it had disappeared for the most part after Prohibition; while grain and malt are in ample supply here, one can discern hints of dark fruits and slight floral elements. While a more easy drinking beer, Upstate’s Common Sense…
The HBC-291 hop is a relatively new varietal, and before Flying Dog’s bottling of this IIPA (Imperial India Pale Ale), had only been used in a few beers previously. Single Hop Series: HBC-291 is an utterly distinctive Imperial IPA released by Maryland’s Flying Dog Brewery. The HBC-291 pours with a burnished brown to slightly orange coloration. This effort fills a glass with a significant amount of head that sticks around for a…
There is a richness to Brooklyn Brewery’s Insulated Dark Lager that provides enough twists and turns to impress even the most jaded of beer connoisseurs. The mouthfeel of Insulated is rich and creamy, while there is a toastiness to the effort that counters the tendency of lagers to go wheat-heavy. Insulated pours with a dark brown to blackish coloration and a good amount of white head that is slow to dissipate.…
Hotbox Coffee Porter is a collaboration between Oskar Blues and Hotbox Roasters. The resulting porter (utilizing two varietals of cold-brewed coffee from Burundi and Ethiopia) has a thick mouth feel and an assertive coffee finish that goes down incredibly easy. The beer pours with a dark brown coloration and a thick, slow to dissipate beige-ish head. The lacing sticks stubbornly to the glass as one begins to experience the effort.…
Hoperation Overload is an absolutely intense double/imperial IPA that is a year-round release by Illinois’ Destihl Brewery. This effort pours with a brown, tinged by yellow coloration and a small amount of off-white head that quickly dissipates. An ample amount of lacing will make its way down a glass, a testament to the constancy of the effort.
Port O’ Call is a belgian-style dark ale from Utah’s Uinta Brewing, giving imbibers a very deep set flavors. The beer pours with a dark coloration and a fair amount of off-white head. The large bottle size (750 mL) provides one with the opportunity to experience the shifting set of tastes that are experienced in a bottle of Port O’ Call. This means that note of banana,clove, sugar, and malt are…
Massachusetts’ Wachusett Brewing has created a Blueberry Ale that successfully melds together a fruity flavor with a thirst-quenching lager style. The beer is perfect to session over the course of the night, as the mild flavor profile does not veer too far into tartness. When pouring the beer into a glass, the first thing that one will see is the yellow-gold coloration, upon which a solid amount of whitish head…
Wassail is Full Sail’s latest winter seasonal which is available from October until the end of December. The brew pours with a dark mahogany to reddish coloration, providing imbibers with a good amount of tannish head sitting on top. The decent hop inclusion in Wassail makes for a deeper, more complex set of flavors; nuts, caramel, plum, and molasses all come into focus. Whiskey and vanilla tastes add the final polish…
Winter Camp is described as a winter warmer old ale by Strike Brewing Company, and is the perfect example of a beer that changes its spots from the beginning to the ending of each 22 ounce bottle. The beer initially pours with a dark brown to reddish coloration and has a fair amount of off-white head. There are strong malt elements and a bit of hop bitterness that come forth…
Winter Ale, Smuttynose’s current seasonal, comes forth with a fulfilling and complete set of flavors. Pouring with a dark brown coloration and a small amount of off-white head, this Winter Ale has strong notes of malt, alcohol, and tart cherry. Based on an amber ale and bolstered with Trappist yeast, this beer is warming and possesses a wide array of different flavors. With hints of dark fruits, spices including cinnamon,…
Aspen Brewing is set to release a sour blonde this winter; Cougar (6.5% ABV) will be rolling out from the brewery in 22 ounce bottles and is part of Aspen’s Temerity series.
While there was a certain complexity given to Tallgrass Brewing Company’s Buffalo Sweat when it was given time in bourbon barrels, we found the base-level Buffalo Sweat to be on of the most engrossing and delectable stouts we have reviewed in 2015. This oatmeal cream stout pours with a decent thickness and a dark-brown coloration. A fair amount of tannish head pours on top of Buffalo Sweat; the nose of…
The My Turn series by Lakefront Brewery is an institution at this point; employees of the brewery get the chance to do a one-off effort in a style that the brewery does not create. Todd (quality manager at Lakefront) suggested that a Belgian-style quadrupel be made, and we were lucky enough to receive a bottle.
Boomsauce is a pretty heady IPA (India Pale Ale) from Woburn, MA’s Lord Hobo Brewing Company pouring with a dark yellow to golden coloration and little in the way of head. The lacing from Boomsauce is barely present. Immediately present in a glass of Boomsauce is a good amount of effervescence, which imbues upon the effort a certain lightness. This lightness ensures that one will delve into Boomsauce with aplomb and…