Wintertime Ale - North Coast Brewing Co.

Gusler

Arizona

3.45/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

The pour is a nice dark ruby red, the head quite small, the lace adequate. Nose is citrus, malts, sweet, nutmeg maybe. Start is slightly sweet, the top is light, the finish has a penetrating acidity, with a pleasing hop bite and a long lasting dry aftertaste A decent beer, drinkable, and a pleasant enough distraction from the "Strong Belgian Ales", that I love.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2002 07:03:28 | More by Gusler

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

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

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

marc77

California

3/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Dark bronze / light ruby hue topped by a quickly receding ivory - white head that leaves a loose pattern. The aroma is an odd but enjoyable melange of tart fruity esters, buttersctoch, medium caramel malt and gints of raspberry. Subdued floral hop nose. The taste doesn't follow up on the aroma, unfortunately. A combination of hop bitterness and non - descript spice hits the palette upfront, and is followed by generic caramel malt sweetness and nutmeg spice. THe flavors fade abruptly & the finish is left a bit of the bland side. Perhaps I'm accustomed to more robust winter seasonals, but I found this this brew to be far too conservative and perhaps a bit weak in flavor. Decent, but lackluster.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2002 11:55:50 | More by marc77

StevieW

Florida

3.35/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I'm way behind the curve on this one, I was worried about it's freshness, but it seems to have kept ok. It just isn't that flavorful of a beer. Medium clear brown color, with a nice fluffy tan head that leaves like it's 10 minutes late to work. Maybe be some floral, and cinnamon spiceyness to the nose, or I could have just wished it there. Not alot of smells, flavors, and richness I expected. Some decent carmel malt flavors, some faintly expressive hops, but the flavors never really got it together. I can see where others thought it was a wheat beer, with the grainy finish, but it's much to thin for that. I had several Samuel Smith Winter's Welcome's last winter, they were much better. A dissapointment from North Coast, I expected so much more, the other beers I have had from them were great.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2002 20:03:30 | More by StevieW

cokes

Wisconsin

3.2/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

ZAP has this one pegged. Seems like a wheat to be too. A pretty thin one at that.
Pours a bronze body with a solid looking head that runs away quickly, screaming something about being promised an Strong Ale.
Smells of clove and some whispers of smokiness. Not a good combination.
Taste consists of wheat-like clove and fruit esters, which is actually somewhat decent. Hops make a appearance, but nothing to brag about. Very little body. Thin and uninspired. Nothing about this says "winter" to me.
It is a brew that could be conceivably quaffed down, due to it's thinness, and not-horrible taste....but there are plenty of more appealing beers that can serve that role.
A let down from North Coast.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2002 22:07:59 | More by cokes

BKotch

Texas

3.05/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Nice dark amber color, good light tan head with lace. But I'm a bit disappointed with this offering from North Coast, also the brewer of one of my all-time favorites and a beer absolutely bursting with flavor, Old Rasputin. This one is just light on flavor and nose. Not my first choice for a strong ale/winter warmer.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2001 20:35:57 | More by BKotch