Stegmaier Holiday Warmer - Lion Brewery, Inc.

memory

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours chestnut color 1 1/2 inch settles to a nice presence of lacing.
Has the biscuit nose of other Steg offerings undertone.
Cinnamon at first, followed by some light clove leaving a nice feeling on the tongue.
This is for the money is a very nice winter warmer, which got good reviews from my friends not familiar with the style.
In my mind, I prefer draft, and I wonder how it is on tap.
Nice Leo.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2006 08:07:22 | More by memory

artistsatwork

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev +7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is another successful seasonal entry from those malt loving folks from Wilks-Barre, PA.

Why some people are so in love with hoppy beers is beyond me.

If you don't think this is worth $20 for a case, you need to be committed.

A hint of spice to get you in the mood to buy my Christmas gifts.

Put on some Tom Waits "Little Drop of Poison" and drink to the dregs.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2006 22:41:41 | More by artistsatwork

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The Lion's Stegmaier Holiday Warmer pours a clear deep chestnut body with an orange cast beneath a creamy head of light tan. The head drops fairly readily, and not much lacing is left behind.

Notes of delicate spice, fruit, and vanilla welcome you in the nose, beckoning you to partake.

In the mouth it's medium bodied and gently crisp with a fine-bubbled, median carbonation.

The flavor offers a velvety blanket of sweetish and fruity caramel-laced malt that sparkles with delicate spice. It's rich but not overpowering, and displays delicate notes of cherry, wood, and spice. A firm bitterness balances it, and it finishes dry and woody with a splash of alcohol and a swirl of sublime spice.

Overall this is a remarkably tasty, clean, and exciting specialty offering with an intriguing complexity and sparkling balance. It would be perfect with any holiday meal, or even the dessert afterwards (mmmm... I could really see it with some rich, dark chocolate cake); and could even fit in just hanging with the guys during a game or out on the back porch in the cold. I personally enjoyed it in the warmth of my cozy "special" chair while watching the Arthur Rankin Jr. & Jules Bass claymation classic version of "Rudolph The Red-nosed Reindeer", but that's just me! Do what you want with it, but it's certainly worth a try.

PS - I apologize for listing this as a "winter warmer", but the "Herbed/Spiced Ale" category is being removed from the site.

RE-REVIEWED: Tasted on tap, January 2008. Harsh bitterness. Deep acidity. Very fruity - which is OK, but different from what I'd tasted before. Numbers have been adjusted.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2006 22:30:01 | More by NeroFiddled