Father John's Winter Ale - Howe Sound Inn & Brewing Company

LampertLand

British Columbia (Canada)

3.55/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Howe Sound's 'Father John's Winter Ale' @ 7.0% , 1L pot-stopper bottle , paid $10
A-pour is a rich brown with some xmas red along the glass edge , a beige head which left little lacing along the pint glass
S-sweet spices (caramel , cinnamon , nutmeg , vanilla)
T-malty like a brown ale , no hop presence at all
MF-medium body , light/medium carbonation , don't taste or feel the 7% ABV
Ov-an ok beer , best part is the re-useable Pot Stopper bottle for home brewing

cheers LampertLand

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 07:03:18 | More by LampertLand

Kmat10

Alberta (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev 0%

05-20-2013 05:07:51 | More by Kmat10

DaPan

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev 0%

02-14-2013 12:37:08 | More by DaPan

LagerHOGGER

Alberta (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -6.7%

12-07-2012 00:58:09 | More by LagerHOGGER

KalanM

British Columbia (Canada)

4/5  rDev +6.7%

11-29-2012 02:24:55 | More by KalanM

urbantornado

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +6.7%

11-28-2012 18:12:03 | More by urbantornado

FondueVoodoo

British Columbia (Canada)

3.33/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Clear amber with a full finger of just off white head, noticeable lack of bubbles, and just a scant lacing drifting over the cap.

S: Sweet candy/caramel with bourbon vanilla and not a hint of hops. Very sweet smell with out any bread or yeast notes.

T: Sweet malts and a little bit of artifical caramel taste. Finishes warm, smooth with the bourbon vanilla, similar to a tiny sip of bourbon. It's a caramel and vanilla brew for sure, I'd like to have this after dessert and sip like an after dessert night cap.

M: spanning between light to medium body and a surprise buzz on carbonation on the tongue with each sip.

O: Father John's Winter Ale a great brew to pair with winter snacks of dried fruit, soft cheese and crackers. Comes in a full litre its warming and predictable, tastes are simple and straight forward easy to drink and enjoyable on a cool winter night.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2012 02:44:13 | More by FondueVoodoo

4ster

Quebec (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev 0%

08-18-2012 23:06:39 | More by 4ster

Coastal_Brew

British Columbia (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +13.3%

07-22-2012 13:59:29 | More by Coastal_Brew

bumchilly25

British Columbia (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -6.7%

05-09-2012 02:41:58 | More by bumchilly25

spointon

Illinois

3.85/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I poured this one from a 1 liter crown capped brown bottle into an Imperial nonic pint glass. The bottle is also outfitted with a swing-top closure, making it extra useful for my home brewing hobby!

A= This ale poured a mahogany brown color with some reddish orange highlights. With a fairly aggressive pour the beige head rose about 1.5" and then settled to a 1/4" thick cap. Not much in the way of lacing.

S= This bottle is getting a little old for a winter spiced ale, but its holding up pretty well. I smelled cinnamon and nutmeg first, followed by some nice vanilla and ginger notes. There was a detectable amount of oxidation as is common for a spiced ale such as this, but it was not a deal-breaker.

T= The flavor started off fairly clean, with a light chewy malt character reminiscent of an amber or lighter brown ale. The spices are all there but they are not overwhelming. Nice balance of spices actually. Not much in the way of hop flavor (a good thing) with just enough bitterness to balance. Finished medium dry and spicy.

MF= Medium bodied with a slight creamy mouthfeel and a spritzy carbonation level.

D= A nicely spiced ale that packs the ABV and just enough spice to make it a successful winter warmer. I would have liked to try this when it was super fresh and the spices were at their best but it was still damn good. Would drink again if given the chance.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2012 05:23:58 | More by spointon

Syr

3.5/5  rDev -6.7%

02-27-2012 00:37:53 | More by Syr

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.38/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

(Served in a snifter)

A- This beer pours a dense reddish-brown body with a glow at the base of the glass. There is a thick bubbly beige head that last a bit.

S- The slightly sweet malt aroma has some toast notes and a brassy molasses and dry spice finish.

T- The brassy molasses character has a slight fishy character to it with a dried spice blend in the finish that lingers as molasses and vanilla.

M- The medium mouthfeel has a gentle fizz and no real alcohol heat.

O- This beer is heavy on the spice flavor which is a bit odd or cooked in flavor. The malt and hops are buried underneath but some vanilla hint is welcome in the finish. The description on the bottle says it uses yellow sugar? which I hope is different than yellow snow but I don't think I will try this one again.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2012 18:39:05 | More by rhoadsrage

w00ddy

British Columbia (Canada)

3/5  rDev -20%

02-11-2012 18:17:03 | More by w00ddy

TheBarnes

Alberta (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +20%

01-11-2012 05:43:36 | More by TheBarnes

hannaho

Washington

4/5  rDev +6.7%

01-03-2012 16:46:00 | More by hannaho

kelvarnsen

Ontario (Canada)

2.5/5  rDev -33.3%

01-03-2012 15:35:59 | More by kelvarnsen

leaddog

Alberta (Canada)

4.22/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - Dark and hazy copper brown, bubbles present, with a fine white head. Slight lacing on the glass.

Smell - Winter spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and allspice. Slight aromas of ginger, vanilla, and citrus (orange peel).

Taste - The winter spices are the predominant flavour, co-starring flavours of molasses, citrus, and hops. Nice balance of sweetness and bitterness.

Mouthfeel - Very bubbly with plenty of carbonation. Medium bodied ale that goes down smooth (despite all the bubbles). Spices leave a refreshing aftertaste.

Overall - A good example of a winter warmer by Howe Sound, incorporating all the spices of the season. I was pleasantly surprised by the high volume of bubbles, as other winter warmers I have sampled recently have dialed down the carbonation. A great warm-up ale after a day in the snow or on the slopes!

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2011 02:40:56 | More by leaddog

schnarr84

Alberta (Canada)

4/5  rDev +6.7%

11-27-2011 05:21:22 | More by schnarr84

chickenm

British Columbia (Canada)

3.25/5  rDev -13.3%

11-21-2011 05:10:30 | More by chickenm

EskimoDave

British Columbia (Canada)

3/5  rDev -20%

11-21-2011 03:16:57 | More by EskimoDave

Bfarr

Washington

2.75/5  rDev -26.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Slightly hazy red amber with big tan foamy head, poor retention and lacing. Light floral and spice aroma. Light sweet and spice taste with light hops for balance. Thin lager finish. Smooth even feel.

Easy drinking and smooth but spice and sweet dominate with really no discernable flavor, very muddy. Alcohol is well blended. Not really a challenging or special brew just an easy drinking winter warmer. My overall impression is it’s kind of tasteless especially considering all its vaunted ingredients. But it does come in a big 1 liter bottle with a swing top (course it is also $11).

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2011 23:31:23 | More by Bfarr

brewmudgeon

Wisconsin

3.63/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

father john's winter ale

a 4 light to medium brown with a creamy long lasting off-white head.

s 4 smells of cherries and toasted malts. kind of like a brown ale mixed with abt.

t 3.5 lacks the fullness of flavor suggested by the nose. and it's a little tannic for my taste. but it's not hard to put back even for the uninitiated, so that's nice.

m 3.5-4 medium bodied, pleny of carbonation.

d 3.5 the bottle is probably the best part, and the beer is drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2010 16:41:37 | More by brewmudgeon

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The first of a series of tastings following our Christmas beer exchange... Thanks Joe!

A - Pours a nice amber colour, finger of head with solid retention, recedes to small islands, decent visible body carbonation and no real lacing.

S - Very complex and full of spices, namely, nutmeg, cinnamon and a touch of ginger. The bready caramel malts also come through.

T - This one is heavy on the spices, with the Christmas cake and ginger snap flavours coming through. Some toffee notes and the slightest chocolate malt are also present.

M - No complaints here, medium bodied ale that goes down smooth and doesn't finish overly dry.

D - This is a complex ale with lots of flavours going on. I'm glad I'm splitting this bottle and it would be difficult to take down more than one. A very worthy winter warmer though, and highly recommended for this holiday season.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2010 17:45:33 | More by andrenaline

beertunes

Washington

2.98/5  rDev -20.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured from 1liter swing-top bottle into 10oz glass. Poured a very nice, clean reddish-amber with just under an inch of light tan head that had good retention and low lacing.

The aroma was mostly sweet malts and just a trace of the expected spices. There an odd sharpness on the tongue, slightly metallic, otherwise the flavors were fairly typical, just on the benign side.

The body was a couple steps too thin for the style. Drinkability was decent, but not really note-worthy. Overall, a decent, if unspectacular, take on the style. The format is too large for personal consumption, but it's worth sharing with friends if you try it.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2010 01:02:32 | More by beertunes