Warmer Winter Winter Warmer - Cigar City Brewing

ShadesOfGray

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 750ml bottle into my Corsedonk snifter. Pours a deep caramel color at first, finishing as a darker brown with caramel colored edging. Huge initial ten head, frothy, and lacing is sticky and plentiful. Head dissipates slowly to a nice creamy surface of bubbles.

Aroma is typical Old Ale. Bitter after-tones, sweet fruit up front, roasted malts. A very inviting and strong aroma.

Flavor...wow. Very sweet, raisins, cherries...huge roasted malts and booze. Caramel flavors as well. Very sweet and creamy mouthful. Nice complexity and low-er carbonation. Very tasty beer!

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2009 18:17:53 | More by ShadesOfGray

hmf05

Florida

4.35/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Pours a beautiful dark brownish color with a one finger creamy head. Looks fantastic in the glass. Aroma is pleasant dark fruits, spice, caramel, and slight smokiness. Not a very aromatic smell, but nice. Taste mirrors the smell. I get a nice malty sweetness up front. Tons of dark fruits and spice hitting the palate. Finishes with slight hops that leaves a semi-dry finish. I can detect a slight booziness, but nothing off-putting (especially for an 11% brew). Overall, a great winter warmer/old ale. Although this is a pretty sweet ale, there is enough hop bitterness that keeps this from being too sweet.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2011 18:59:27 | More by hmf05

JoEBoBpr

Missouri

4.35/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a tulip glass from a 750ml bottle.

Beautiful looking mildly aggressive pour leads to a nice hazy and murky mahogany color with a nice copper hue on the edges. The head is huge with 2 inches of billowing dense cream colored foam. Brew looks delicious.

Already from the pour I could pick up on some of the resinous and slightly citrus hops. Upon close inspection there is some nice caramel malt sweetness up front with some nice toffee. There is some fruity sweetness in there as well with some nice pear and apple. There is some tropical fruit notes in there as well with some papaya and some mango mixed in with some nice toffee and butterscotch.

Flavor is very interesting and complex. Starts off with some fruity sweetness that is very nice and not too overwhelming. There are some apple and pear notes as well as some mango. Then there is some nice caramel and toffee notes in there. Underlying this sweetness is an interesting and delicious citrus background that give s the beer an interesting dimension. There is also some nice slight boozy heat but nothing too intense. The blend between the sweetness and malt notes and the slight underlying hops is very interesting and complex. Very well crafted and creative take on the Old Ale style. Very nice smooth fell with some slight oily notes but also a nice hop dryness on the back end. Nice and medium-full bodied.

This brew is delicious. Very nice balance of malt sweetness with the hop notes. This beer is creative and well crafted. Nice touch on a classic style.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2012 22:57:40 | More by JoEBoBpr

ugaterrapin

Georgia

4.33/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass. Left about two fingers of light tan head. Has a sweet malt smell. There is a slight roasted character to the aroma with hints of toffee. There is a noticeable alcohol character on the front end which is not surprising at 10% but it mellows as the sip progresses. Has a nice rich sweetness that is on the heavier side but not in a bad way. The roasted malt character is even slighter in the taste as it is overpowered by the sweetness. This one is hard for me to pinpoint the flavors in the sweet character, but overall this a very enjoyable beer. Nice to try a Winter Warmer that is different than others.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2009 22:33:02 | More by ugaterrapin

Yimosan

Florida

4.33/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pint bottle served onto my tulip glass.

A: Dark brown, almost cola-like. Two inch beige head at pour, but dissipated after about a minute and a half. The lacing on my glass was nice and sticky.

S: Chocolate, coffee, malt, and dark fruits, accompanied by faint hops.

T: Initially this beer is malty and chocolaty, then a slight hoppy kick rounds the middle palate nicely...I was pleasantly surprised, even though I had read about it.

M: Silky, creamy long lasting goodness.

D: Easy drinking in my opinion, especially since this is right along my favorite flavor profile; However at 10%, this becomes a treat and not a session brew...for sure.

Epilogue: This is my favorite Cigar City offering so far and considering how cold it is in Brandon right now, this hits the proverbial spot perfectly.

PS. I say, honey turn the heater off, we're drinking this tonight!

Salud!

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2010 23:44:27 | More by Yimosan

ClockworkOrange

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A capped 750ml bottle purchased at Abe's in Bethlehem for $10. Poured into my tumbler. The ale appears a dark chestnut color with about a finger or so of ecru foam. Nose and flavors consist of caramel, semisweet chocolate, raisins, mild pine, citrus, figs, dates. Medium to full bodied and amply carbonated. Surprisingly, not much alcohol heat here. Quite drinkable, kept me wanting another pour. Wish I had one to age.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2010 04:58:33 | More by ClockworkOrange

JoeBloe

New York

4.33/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

i first tried this brew last week and really liked it - i picked up this second bomber to enjoy it again - pours a caramel / hazel translucent brown into my dfh snifter with a thin 1/2 finger head -
the slight head became a thin ring around the sides of the glass -
lacing is minimally spotty - smell is pleasantly sweet toffee and malt, alcohol and hops - love the taste - initial hop bite yields to a nicely swweeeet malt and well balanced candy-like finish -
mouthfeel is slick with a little stickiness - drinkability is very good but one bomber will do me just fine -10% abv is very well hidden, yet warms the body and mind - as a good winter warmer should - real good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2010 13:53:07 | More by JoeBloe

Wasatch

Utah

4.33/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks goes out to Rbald42 for this brew.

750ml Bottle

Enjoying this brew on my 55th Birthday.

Poured into a chalice a nice dark brown color, nice carbonation, nice one-finger creamy light tan head, with some nice small islands and sticky lacing left behind. The nose is malty, with some slight citrus/pine notes, chocolate/toffee. The taste is malty, sweet, slight citrus/pine notes in the finish, nice touch of chocolate/toffee. Medium body, at 10% ABV it's hidden pretty well. Very Drinkable, another very nice brew from CC.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2010 20:28:32 | More by Wasatch

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes. Last year's vintage, which I picked up at Capone's.

Poured into a snifter. Color is a moderate caramel color. Single-finger white head recedes somewhat quickly but leaves a few legs and a bit of lace. The nose is really fruity, with large amounts of raisins, figs, and stone fruits. Good dose of caramel and booze as well. The taste focuses on fruit and alcohol, with a bit of malty sweetness. Feel is a bit boozy, but melds well with the flavors. A nice sipper.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2010 23:12:09 | More by Thorpe429

Bmoyer0301

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance:

I pulled the cap off this large bottle and was greeted with a very loud pop and the ale even started to foam up the neck so i grabbed my glass quickly for the pour. I used my DFH snifter and poured straight on and was left with a huge four finger thick light tan head that hung around for a long time. As I hold the glass up to the light it appears a dark plum color with some brown and red highlights. There is no haze of yeast chunks floating around and viscosity seems to be rather thick.

Smell:

Very sharp prickly warming alcohol hit your right off the start. Loads of rum, figs, plums, and brown sugar surround your nostrils. There are some earthy hops in the front mossy and dirt like. In the finish chocolate and slight roast with candi sugar.

Appearance:

Very sweet right off the start, loads of raisins, and dark sugars, Very little hop flavors poking through the chewy sweetness. Slightly tangy finish with a nice thick mouthfeel, nutty and creamy. Very good for a barleywine but glad I split a bottle becuase it does become a little overwhelming after awhile.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2011 13:20:19 | More by Bmoyer0301

codewarrior

New York

4.33/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Capped 750mL, poured into a Snifter

chcfan sent this bottle my way, an old favorite of mine. Poured it with a few friends, and it become an old favorite of theirs too.

L: Deep, deep brown and thick as hell, even when held to light. Beautiful big, foamy head with phenomenal retention. Looks wonderful.

S: Massively malt forward, caramel and rich. Lots of fruit behind as the caramel falls off ... candied apple and overripe berries.

T: Huge malt profile right up front, fades into a big cloying fruitiness. Really really palatable for how epic it is. Lingers in the finish with a rich, velvet sweetness for a while ... slight iron in the back.

F: Thick, thick and thicker. Velvety-smooth and wonderfully carbonated.

D: Easy-drinking for how massive it is.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2011 15:03:16 | More by codewarrior

jmdrpi

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 mL capped bottle. no date, but i purchased during the Winter of 2009/2010, and aged about a year and a half.

appears deep brown hue with amber highlights. 1/2' thick cream colored head. rich sweet aroma of heavy malt, a bit boozy, complex.

taste is similar. as it warms up the flavors expand. big on malt and spice. medium body, but sticky. low carbonation.

overall, the age did it good

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2011 05:20:07 | More by jmdrpi

bonkers

New Jersey

4.33/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The bottle was 2010, poured into a snifter. It pours a deep copper, slight white head. The aroma is sweeet and boozey. Lots of dark fruit notes. Taste like it smells. The dark fruit flavors really shine. It has a bit of an alcohol burn on the finish. The carbonation is moderate, very smooth. I loved it, can not wait to try my 2011 bottle.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2012 17:33:06 | More by bonkers

tpd975

Florida

4.3/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: a nice brown hue with a creamy head. Nice retention and excellent lace.

S: Wonderful sweet malt aromas with notes of caramel and brown sugar. The hops are there as well, very piney with some sharp citric notes.

T: Wonderful mix of malt and hops. Very much toffee like up front. Sweet with a nice touch of roast. The back end is very hoppy. Nice blend of pine and citrus.

M: Rather full in body, smooth, tasty, damn drinkable. Nice hopped up Old Ale.

D: Rather good. This is one I will buy quite a few bottles of.

Serving type: on-tap

12-09-2009 12:50:50 | More by tpd975

avalon07

South Carolina

4.3/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bomber to a pint glass. Had a coppery color and a cloudy consistency. There was a huge amount of off white, creamy, very long-lasting head. Excellent lacing. One of the best-looking Old Ales I've ever seen.

S: A subtle, underplayed aroma of malt, hops, toffee and some other sweets.

T: Tasted of toffee, a little chocolate, malt, and a bit of hops. Well-balanced and flavorful. Even the ABV% isn't too overpowering.

M: A highly carbonated beer with a dry finish. Medium-bodied.

D: An extremely drinkable Old Ale.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2010 13:22:32 | More by avalon07

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

AHH HAAA! The tables have turned on Cigar City's "WARMER Winter Winter Warmer" - it's not warm in Tampa right now! When a cold spell hits and the nighttime temperature in Tampa drops to 32 F, it goes down just fine!!! Sitting outside by the pool beneath the night time sky with a snifter of WWWW it's freakishly cold!

A: Despite the fact that I started with a very visible layer of sedimented yeast at the bottom of the bottle, I've got a surprisingly clear dark mahogany body in front of me (only in the last two pours was the sediment disturbed). Held up to the light it displays a brilliant crimson glow, not unlike Rudolph's nose! The creamy, two-finger thick head atop it is a dark tan; and it leaves some very beautiful sheets of broken, craggy lace as it goes.

S: In the nose it's sweet and syrupy with a bit of a perfumey quality, quite possibly from the alcohol. It's floral and fruity (red berries) with a touch of what I'd liken to the edge of an almost-burnt gingerbread cookie (a little bit of burnt sugar, a little bit of burnt cookie dough).

T: The flavor is sweet, raisin-like, sugary, floral, bready, caramelsih, toasty, malty, and even oatmeal-like. It's rich, intense, and complex. With each sip, layers of residual sugar are left to slowly erode from the palate, leaving behind brown sugar, fruit, and eventually bitterness and molasses. And it constantly changes. At first it's very sugary, but then as the alcohol works its way through, it displays more fruity and softly spicy notes. There's raisin, plum and red berries, but I even find some cherry in it. A solid bitterness emerges from beneath to bring it down in the end.

M: In the mouth it's decidedly full bodied and dextrinous. I'm not sure what the carbonation level is, (as whatever is in it is certainly well-contained by the dextrinous body) but it comes across as creamy and smooth.

D: Drinkability once again comes down to how much did you like it? And how much would you like to have another if you could? It's a pretty solid beer, and it's fairly strong to boot, but more importantly, it's very sweet. I drank two 10 oz glasses and my palate was overwhelmed with flavor. I'd certainly have another though, and it's unique enough that I'd say it's certainly worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2010 00:46:30 | More by NeroFiddled

Hojaminbag

Colorado

4.28/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Mikesgroove sent me this bottle. Thanks Mike.

CCB Warmer Winter Winter Warmer has a deep brown body and a very tall, light brown head. The head is quite substantial also, with the consistency of sea foam. It doesn't seem to back down at all, with great retention. The few strands of lacing that stay behind are quite thick. Another thing I noticed was that pouring this beer felt more like pouring some kind of oil and not beer. It kind of sounded like it too. I'm guessing this is going to a full bodied one.

The aroma is mostly toffee, with hints of spice and hints of dark fruits. Maybe a bit of chocolate also. Smells a little bit like some sort of holiday cake.

Loads of caramel and toffee take off right in the beginning. Thick, rich, sweet, this is a malt bomb. It's a good malt bomb. Layers upon layers of malt, with the aforementioned caramel and toffee, along with chocolate. The spiciness that I noticed in the aroma is not due to added spices, but mostly malted rye, that adds a seedy, rye bread quality to the flavor. Toffee is probably the most pronounced flavor, followed by the other malts in about equal doses. The hops are noticeable, but they definitely play a supporting role. Hints of pine and light citrus that bring a low bitterness. There might be a touch of dark fruit lurking in the background, but it is minimal. A little bit of warmth from alcohol comes through also; I can feel it in the back of my throat. Warmer Winter Winter Warmer's huge malt profile definitely makes it a very sweet beer; open it expecting lots of malt and sweetness.

I can't remember the last time I poured a beer and though to myself, “this beer is going to be thick.” Maybe it never happened before, but it did happen tonight. The body is huge and chewy, viscous, full, about what I expect from a bottle of motor oil. The carbonation is surprisingly high for how big the body is, although still not high relative to other beers, that have normal viscosity. Overall, I love this type of feel for a malt bomb.

Winter warmers seldom excite me, but huge malt bombs that aren't too boozy are quite a treat. The more I think about it, however, this beer is probably more of an English Barleywine than a Winter Warmer, because its ABV is so high. Whatever it is, I might get my hands on it again in the future.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2011 23:07:23 | More by Hojaminbag

JayS2629

Alabama

4.28/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This was my favorite I had from the tap at the brewery. It poured a deep brown, almost black with a two finger head, descent retention, and nice lacing.

The aroma was lightly spiced with hints of nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla with dark fruit hints of raisin and plum. Some hints of chocolate.

Chocolate, raisins, vanilla, brown sugar, honey and other complex malty flavors. Loads of dark fruit and plum. Spice hints peek through.

Warming, medium bodied, slightly creamy, smooth

Delicious treat!

Serving type: on-tap

01-02-2012 05:29:49 | More by JayS2629

VncentLIFE

North Carolina

4.28/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Cold winter day deserves a Winter warmer!

Very carbonated, almost too much. Muddy, murky brown, like a barleywine (basically like the label says). Very thick and frothy head. Off-white.

Very sweet smelling, plums, dried fruits, and brown sugar. Hints of dried grains, and hop bitterness.

Very complex, sweet and dry at the same time. Its almost bordering on too sweet, like a Dubbel. Sweetened dark cherries, hints of oranges. For its stature, it sits light, and feels like cherry syrup. a dry woody oak is felt upon exhale. I can see why this isnt a winter warmer anymore. i might categorize it more as a barleywine, but were just speaking semantics now.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2012 17:10:33 | More by VncentLIFE

emmasdad

Colorado

4.25/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Very deep, dark, mahogany color, with a big, rocky ecru colored head. Aromas of cocoa, caramel and spicy, earthy hops. On the palate, malt dominates, in a very good way, with brown sugar, raisins and caramel, accented nicely by zesty, citrusy hops. An excellent old ale, and something to look forward to for those forced to endure Florida's winters.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2010 04:52:40 | More by emmasdad

saintwarrick

South Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Wow, this is a big brew and a mean winter warmer. I was expecting something lighter, but this is roughly a sweeter barley wine. Pour is a lightish brown with a tan head. Aroma speaks of a stout, lots of chocolate and cream, cocoa; nice alcohol scent. taste starts out a bit like an imperial stout but goes a bit sweeter like a milk stout or some Belgian RIS's. Has some bitterness, making this more of a strong ale, but with some hints of an English barley wine. Very complex brew, and a really pleasant mix to the usual winter styles.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2011 05:13:16 | More by saintwarrick

alkemy

Ohio

4.22/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

(From notes)Stopped by the brewery while on vacation, but was unable to do any tastings on site. Apparently they are still waiting on some municipal red tape before they are able to serve on site. Had to settle for a bottle of this from a nearby Whole Foods rather than the growler of Jai Alai I was hoping for. Poured a deep copper/orange. Has a sweet caramel malt aroma that gives way to citrusy hops. Quite a bit of sweetness up front in the form of burnt toffee/caramel. The hops comes on at the back, which is a bit odd to me...not bad, just different. Completely agree with the other reviewers on the well hidden alcohol characteristic.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2009 20:32:54 | More by alkemy

aubuc1

Florida

4.22/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle poured in to a snifter.

Pours a hazy brown/ ruby with a thick steady off white.

Smell is a piney, biscuity, and fruity.

Taste is a big, lively, creamy, ripe fruit, and bitter sweet.

Mouthfeel is pretty sticky, creamy delight.

The beer is warming, but the booze does not overpower.

A beautiful beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2010 01:38:25 | More by aubuc1

farrago

New Jersey

4.22/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Huge head even with a semi-passive pour, up over three fingers of deep tan foam accompanied by larger bubbles of varied sizes, extremely slow to dissipate, strong webbing of lace left behind all over the glass sides. As a result, you have to wait some time to even get the scents able to show, then golden raisin, fig, milk chocolate, these contrasted nicely by white pepper, crushed clove, dried hay, pine cone, suggestion of white citrus, most compelling is not so much the role call of scents but the constant interplay among them. Full-bodied, bottom heavy and once it gets into your mouth only moves when prodded. Apricot, red cherry, raisin, fig, pear fruit spiced up by nutmeg, clove, allspice and a touch of cumin, cola nut and vanilla bean present and accounted for. The brown sugar element has a somewhat caramelized, cooked quality to it. Plenty of downy fluff in the carbonation, lacks the muscles to lift things up into the air. Very subtle grassiness at the end soaks up some of the extra sugar. No arrow left unused in its quiver when all is said and done.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2010 04:09:31 | More by farrago

Billolick

New York

4.22/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Large bottle, $10.99/DeCiccos in Ardsley, NY/no freshness/vintage info. Pours murky dark brown, with some small chunks floating around and bubbles continuing to rise to the top, the head is medium khaki,thick and frothy, leaving ample, good looking sheeting and webs of lite lace. Ginger snap cookies, holiday spicing, smoky brandy and chocolate in the nose. Brown sugar, cinnimon buns, brandy, booze soaked fruits, tasty, bold brew. Also picking up some woody smoke, and dark chocolate. Sweetness, somewhat balanced by citric hops on the back end. Comlex and heady brew, nice night capper or would be lights out with a chocolate dessert. Nice creation from the impressive brewers from Tampa's Cigar city.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2010 05:04:32 | More by Billolick