Wintertime Ale - North Coast Brewing Co.

brewdlyhooked13

Ohio

4.72/5  rDev +33.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Well, it's spring, no time to be reviewing winter beers and yet this one remains to be tried. It has a honey amber color and pours to a light head. The tiny bubbles cannot sustain any of the head whatsoever and it is quickly lost.

The aroma is spicy, cinnamon and cloves or allspice.

I am a big fan of spiced beers and really enjoyed this one. It has a great flavor - moderate malty feel mixed with the aforementioned spices. A touch of a hop bite there, just a brief bit of bitterness mixed, I think, with allspice or clove, I can't nail it down. It's a clean beer, just slightly heavy feeling going down, and would have been great by the fire or the Christmas tree while wrapping presents. Oh well, there's always next year, next time I'll buy a few 6-packs instead of just one bottle.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2003 07:00:13 | More by brewdlyhooked13

BeerManDan

California

4.65/5  rDev +31.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

I really like this beer. It poured an amber color with very little foam and nice lace. The aroma was of roasted malts, big time. The taste was of sweet creamy roasted malts with a hint of spices. This is a smooth, creamy, sweet, pleasant beer that is very good, I think. It has a well balance, complex aroma and taste. If you don't like bitterness and like a smooth, mellow, creamy, off sweet, malty beer. This is the one for you!

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2003 13:45:07 | More by BeerManDan

RBorsato

Virginia

4.53/5  rDev +28%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Copper color with nice tan head that had some staying power. Sediment evident. Raisiney and light Belgian yeasty aroma. Light raisiney Belgian double malt character. Medium bodied, smooth, creamy (like velvet)...

Going out on a limb here but I think this beer was a really light Belgian double meaning you can drink more than one since the strength is not noticable.... very nice!

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2002 09:00:52 | More by RBorsato

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.33/5  rDev +22.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours out a lovely ruby red colr, with a thick, creamy white head. Bold, outstanding aromatics: fresh, sweet, creamy, with dark, rustic notes, as well, slightly spicy, with cinnamon, fruitiness, touches of cheries, grapes, bright and lively.
On the palate, warm and tasty, and surprisingly smooth. Full malt, and dazzling hop play. Medium body, and it feels light in ABV, but is aflood with flavor. Quite delicious, but lacking some depth that would push it further.
As far as winter ales go, at the top of the middle, or near the bottom of the top!

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2003 03:18:48 | More by feloniousmonk

kbub6f

New York

4.3/5  rDev +21.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A small, light beige head; a cloudy, amber-brown beer. Lightly spotty lacing. Sweet milk with slight chocolate/hazelnut and alcohol in the nose. Milk chocolate in front; tingly toffee malt in the fruity, buttery middle; nice, dry, hoppy, nutty, milk chocolate finish. This is a really good, light, chocolatey, fruity, malty beer. Very milky. I like it a lot.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2005 21:09:46 | More by kbub6f

chilidog

Ohio

4.22/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I enjoyed this seasonal and I got more than I was expecting from it. I found it poured a nice clear red-amber with a slight off-white head that maintained ok. The aroma is of a spicey hop. The taste was well balanced I thought of malt, spice, grain & hop. Not overpowering in one area over another. While not to be overlooked is a slight alcohol warmth to the mouth/chest. A very nice Wintertime brew.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2003 04:12:14 | More by chilidog

garymuchow

Minnesota

4.15/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This really grew on me as I drank it and as it warmed.
Malty, slightly sweet aroma with a slight roast quality. Little caramel and some phenol. Nice complexity. Pretty amber color (like an Marzen), clear large full head with good lacing.
Flavor not over powering with a slight hard water quality. Mostly malt, with good balancing with hops. Taste become richer and more satisfying as drink warmed. Pretty good ale smoothness with richness noted.
As this sat it became more flavorful, almost like it needed to breath (like a red wine). Seems like an ale version of a Marzen with similar malt make-up, but with nice ale smoothness.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2003 16:58:55 | More by garymuchow

Bighuge

Minnesota

4.1/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I believe this sample is a year old. And I believe it is a Belgian Dubbel in style.

Clear copper color. Thin beige head that recedes to a thin film quickly. The collar is thick however. Aroma is very caramelly. A little bit of dry bitterness apparant on the nose as well. The taste is subdued, but somewhat complex. A dry aspect is apparant as well as cedar tones. Fruitiness is present in small quantities. Musty herbalness also come through on the palate. Caramel sweetness blends with a minute cider-like quality. Drinkability is great. Body is about medium.

Last winter I didn't care for this beer. Thought it tasted like a wheat style beer. This year I had a knowledgeable friend tip me off that this beer is best at a year old and that it was a Dubbel in style. He told me of a store where they were discounted and I cashed in.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2003 21:17:13 | More by Bighuge

schoolboy

Ohio

4.03/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

This winter warmer has waited until now to grace myself with tis presence. I'm glad I waited. It seems just right. My guess is that most of this that got drank was a bit rough around the edges, but this one tastes just right. It's just like home brew - the last one tastes the best.

This one pours dark, like so many of these, but uninteresting. The aroma is nice - a precursor of the nice well balanced taste. It lingers as it should. This is a very well behaved brew

Good bye, winter!

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 20:32:00 | More by schoolboy

Zorro

California

4/5  rDev +13%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a cloudy brown ale.

Smell is spicy with a bit of chocolate malt smell. There is also a herbal and apples smell here.

Taste is fruity and strong, and a bit sweet. There is a slight lemon tea flavor to this.

Mouthfeel is good.

Drinkable, all most tastes like a Belgian ale.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2004 01:55:25 | More by Zorro

ColdPoncho

Ohio

3.99/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Been curious about this since I saw it for the first time a few months ago, pulled the trigger on a single. It was a big day for me.

A - Medium garnet body, quite clear, a big tan head with good staying power.

S - Heavy on caramel and dark fruits. This is English Barleywine territory. Malt forward, maybe fruitcake? A little one-dimensional, but nice job.

T - Surprisingly bitter, but its got a nice deeply roasted malt character as well. An interesting malt dimension and hop pairing. It's pretty complex. This is nice. A little weird, but nice.

M - drying, full-bodied.

O - this beer is kind of strange, it seems to span several styles (winter warmer, english barleywine, amber ale) and its flavor profile is not really traditional as far as I can tell, but i think it's interesting and good.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2013 04:03:01 | More by ColdPoncho

hyuga

North Carolina

3.98/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

2002 edition. Cloudy amber with a small off-white head that thins quickly. Aroma of dried fruit and subtle spices, as well as some sweeter fruitiness and maltiness. A bit peaty as well. Maltiness is first, a bit grainy, but more wood-like and spicy. Nutty and fruity as well. Winter spices are definitely present. Slight hop character combined with the grain gives it a bit of crispness to balance out the sweetness. Unique, but very much in tune with the season. Medium-bodied and flavorful with complexity from the spices. Hops are more apparent in the finish. Very tasty, but it could get cloying after a while. I think I'll get more of this before the season is over.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2002 08:22:11 | More by hyuga

beerguy101

California

3.95/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2002 version Medium brown color, small head. Aroma is malty, sweet and spicy (nutmeg?). A lighter bodied winter beer. Mild malts are spiced with nutmeg, cinnamon and coriander and ??. Starts out sweet and mellows to a spicy, slightly hoppy bitterness. Flavor is a little light for a winter beer, and its a little thin tasting, but there is something I like about this beer. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2003 02:40:20 | More by beerguy101

TXHops

Texas

3.93/5  rDev +11%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Hey BA's--A week or two ago someone posed us a question on the forum: something to the affect: have you heard of Northcoast Festivus Maximus? I followed the thread for a day or two and no one knew what it was. Well, at Central Market tonight I found some--it's Northcoast's annual Winter Time beer. The website still has no mention of it. I'm drinking it now and it's Belgian in style, like it always is. It's the color of Sam Adams Boston Lager, with a slightly more beige head, which isn't interested in hanging around for long. It's got a nose of spicing: maybe nutmeg, allspice and cinnamon? I'm not real good at identifying spice since I try to avoid spiced beer, but I've got some now. It might also have either coriander or bitter orange peel (if not both) as it reminds me a little of the celery-like flavor I always think Belgian Wits exhibit. It doesn't taste or feel too terribly strong: maybe 7.5%? The finish is quite long and reminiscent of cocoa butter suntan lotion. Since I don’t like spiced beer, I’m not an accurate judge of its merits. I’ve tried to be objective, but I can’t guarantee it…

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2002 18:40:32 | More by TXHops

hosehead83

Ohio

3.9/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from"stubby" 12oz. bottle into a standard pint glass.
Clear copper in color, with a nice-looking cap of tan foam.
Aroma-toasted malt note
Taste-Toasted malt,caramel, subtle cinnamon. Smooth and nicely balanced. Quaffable and tasty. A pleasant, easy drinking offering from North Coast.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2012 18:33:06 | More by hosehead83

Chaz

Minnesota

3.85/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Is everybody clued in to North Coast yet? You all should know 'em by now, as the brewers of Old Rasputin and Old Stock Ale (a fine interpretation of a Russian Imperial Stout and an excellent 11% sipper respectively) I'd gather we all know what they're capable of and respect their approach to bigger styles. Locally, the first time Wintertime hit the shelves it was apparent that beer geeks were expecting a massive holiday offering from North Coast - perhaps a barleywine ala Old Stock or even a beefed-up version of Pranquster. But no, North Coast threw
a curve ball and everyone seemed to miss the pitch: this beer
was fresh and showed plenty of legs for aging. Stylistically it's only a nose away from a wee heavy, but as a winter warmer / old ale it works, too. Yet it sat at a relatively high price-point and didn't catch on at all, sales wise, so we had a beer that didn't seem "ready" to drink a year ago, with plenty of stashes around town, but after a year it tasted fantastic! Closer to a Belgian Dubbel style after a year, and a better buy for the money than most of the imports. Definitely worth picking up a sixer when you have a chance.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2007 22:43:42 | More by Chaz

hotstuff

Indiana

3.83/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The head was medium sized and ivory with fine-medium bubbles.The body was carbonated and slightly cloudy.The hue was amber and the lacing had a nice appearance on the sides of my glass.The nose was that of hops, clove and spice.The flavor was somewhat bitter and the mouthfeel was tingly, medium bodied and smooth.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2003 01:44:47 | More by hotstuff

Brent

Kentucky

3.78/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The bottle gives no clue as to the style of the beer, and I spent most of my time trying to tag the character. Yeasty, spicy aroma wafts from the beer - Belgian? Dark Hefe? Very malty, at the start with the beer still quite chilly, caramel jumps up and takes charge of the flavor, but the finish lets in a bit of cereal for an end that that hints of Cracker Jacks popcorn and nuts. Once the beer warmed, a more phenolic aspect asserted itself and it seemed to switch nationality from Belgian to German with clove flavors from the yeast bubbling up. Not a great beer, but a good beer and a nice winter diversion.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2002 14:49:24 | More by Brent

WVbeergeek

Ohio

3.78/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a lighter shade of a typical ruby ale with some copper highlights in there and a creamy well-developed head sporting a creamy full head with nice patterns of lacing to boot. Aroma: I believe the Belgian malts and bready spiced yeast aroma are very satisfying, candied sugar thrown in there too. Taste: Is very mild but it ties together subtle flavors very well, with belgian slightly toasted malts and spices for the winter season this is from last winter so I am guessing it's not this tame fresh. Any way you slice it everything that comes from North Coast is solid, this has some subtle hops in the finish very nice beer that I am going to give another go in the colder months. Mouthfeel: Medium bodied fluffy nice texture and very smooth. Drinkability: Is decent have no idea what the alcohol content is but I'm guessing it's substantial as for pure craving this beer after having one it's pretty damn good and I wish I had another one.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2003 21:30:06 | More by WVbeergeek

DrewS

Virginia

3.73/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a reddish copper brown with a nice head that fades into a thin layer. The aroma smacks of sweet malt with something else going on that I can't identify. Seems like it wants to be sweet but dries up quickly. Mouthfeel is pretty watery with some stinging carbonation. I really thought it would be a little more smooth and creamy. Flavor is of malt and some spice with noticeable hop bitterness at the end. Frankly, I am a little disappointed with this brew as it is somewhat thin and not remarkably complex. It's ok, but I expected more from North Coast.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2002 16:31:07 | More by DrewS

PhantomVodoo

Ohio

3.68/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Tan head. Copper colored beer.
Aroma of floral hops and toasty caramel malt. Bit earthy.

Toasty caramel malt backbone. Floral hops provide the balance. Bit earthy yet fruity.

Good body to the mouthfeel.
Good drinkability.
Overall, a solid winter seasonal. Thanks to OldFrothingSlosh for the bottle!

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2004 03:58:59 | More by PhantomVodoo

tavernjef

Minnesota

3.65/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Picked up on sale for 5 bucks for a six, hell of a summer deal. To bad its not a hell of a good beer. Color is a nice dark glowing amber, one finger high head of creamy tight evennesswhich is dark ivory in hue. Settles slowly leaving a good skim and ring with stringy lace that drips morphing into spots. Smell is of musty fruits, orangish, grassy, earthy in tone, but is quite soft. Taste starts quickly with a sharp feel of very dulled sweet malts and stingey hops, then grabs into a dark orangy twang, somewhat earthy and musty. The flavors meld together well but aren't very strong, its pretty light and uneventful. Feel is a solid medium body, starts strong with a good thickness, thats a little tough to swallow and fades into a creamy smoothness with a very light lingering tang. Could make for a good session beer, but beyond that it may be a passable offering for the style.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2003 17:45:33 | More by tavernjef

watermelonman

California

3.65/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer poured to a crisp warm-brown color with lots of carbonation. Its smell is very mild but nice. The head is thin but has good retention. Its flavor is a little bit plain, but still nice. The hops are very subtle and linger ever so lightly in the aftertaste.

This stuff is pretty drinkable for what it is.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2004 10:25:52 | More by watermelonman

Pegasus

Texas

3.63/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Flawlessly clear dark copper color with a large off-white cloud top head and lots of sticky broken lace and good retention. Cloves are quite prominent in the aroma, as well as nutmeg, dark fruits, and toasted malt. Taste begins with strong toasted malt flavor, alcohol, and some spiciness, although less than the aroma would suggest. Late in the taste spicy, mildly bitter but quite lingering hops make their presence known. The finish is dry; mouthfeel seems a bit watery for this style.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2002 19:20:00 | More by Pegasus

Morris729

Texas

3.63/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark orange amber color with a thick and creamy off-white colored head with nice retention that slowly dissipates into a heavy and bubbly lace. Nose is lightly toasted malt and grains, a bit of caramel, and some notes of cloves and nutmeg. Medium in body with a very smooth and creamy mouthfeel. Taste is sweet toasted malts up front followed by flavors of dark fruits, a bit of spice, and alcohol. There is a bite of citrusy hops in the finish. This is a decent brew but is not as good as several other North Coast beers I’ve had. Still, it does pair well with a cold and rainy evening like tonight.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2003 18:53:08 | More by Morris729