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

Anthony1

Colorado

3.9/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

had a sample at a christmas party

pouted into a little tasting glass. pours thick brown with a mocha tan head. nice and roasted aroma, toffee, caramel, chocolate. bit of sweetness. several citrus notes in the smell, and very sweet in taste. thick beer with medium carb.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2009 01:34:55 | More by Anthony1

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

nickfl

Florida

4.43/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - One and a half fingers of medium-tan foam on top of an opaque, dark brown body with some ruby highlights. The foam settles slowly and leaves nice lace.

S - Thick, rich brown malt aromas of toffee, caramel, and bittersweet chocolate. Strong pine and citrus hop aromas as well with notes of pineapple, grapefruit, and orange.

T - Lots of dark, toffee malt up front along with burnt caramel and some fruity notes of plum and black cherries. The sugary character increases in complexity towards the middle with notes of brown sugar, rum, and molasses that blend with citrus and pine hop flavors to create a velvety balance of dark malt and hops. Finishes with some nice orange hop notes and moderate bitterness balancing dark caramel malts, chocolate, some roast. Lingering flavors of burnt sugar and pine hops with light tobacco and smoke.

M - Thick, chewy body, moderate carbonation, and a sweet, but balanced finish.

D - This is a well made beer that thoroughly succeeds in its role as a winter warmer. The malt character is excellent, it compares well to the best English and American examples of the style with a complex blend of dark sugar and roasted/caramel malts. The hops balance well and the strong fruity character is an unusual twist on what I would normally expect in this sort of beer. The fruit character works, especially in the aroma, nevertheless I can't help but think that a more traditional pine or earthy hop character might have made for a more balanced and subtle flavor profile. I enjoyed this beer and I would be really interested to see how one would mellow and age for next year.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2009 05:37:52 | More by nickfl

scottyshades

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a rich mahogany color that creates a nice, tightly knit head that retains pretty well and leaves some lacing. Not quite as dark as I thought, but still really beautiful.

S: The first thing I get is a cheese note (bleu cheese almost), lots of residual sugar, a spicy alcohol note that REALLY adds some awesome character. Dark fruits, banana!, some citrus notes, and an underlying hop profile that is subtle but awesome!

T: Much sweeter than I thought. Caramel, toffee!!, banana, molasses, and much more profound hop profile than the nose. Dark fruits, chocolate, and just deliciousness

MF/D: Big body, lingering sweetness, malty residual sugar finish

Notes:

(1) this is a desert or after dinner beer for sure, or possibly with some sharp cheese

(2) this beer IS available in South Florida- south of Orlando (Total Wine Boca, BX Beer Depot are the stores that I know have this)

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2009 20:39:08 | More by scottyshades

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

kfsv034

Florida

4.55/5  rDev +17.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Shared a bottle with drink1121

A - poured a burnt auburn with a reddish hue, full 1.5 finger head the appearance overall was very good.

S - At first following the pour i smelled candy malt and piney hops as the beer settled the smell became more of a belgium candy malt smell.

T - Wow this is my first old ale and i certainly wasn't disappointed. Huge candy malts up front that melted into carmel and burnt candy and finally a faint piney hop bitterness at the end.

M - not thin and not syrupy overall very good

D - the ABV is definitely masked well, this beer is so good i could certainly get myself into trouble without even knowing it.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2009 04:53:34 | More by kfsv034

drink1121

California

4.65/5  rDev +20.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Bottle provided to me by kfsv034.

A-Poured this into a Duvel tulip glass. Wonderful, fluffy head with good retention and great lacing. "India summer" from a Crayola box.I docked .5 for some sediment from the bottle conditioning.

S- I smell a little hotness from the high alcohol initially. Then I get some candied sugar smeel, similiar to that of a Belgian with some dark dried fruits. Good carmel malts with light hops come in on the back-end.

T- Dark dried fruits, like the taste with some hops bitterness. I get some pipe tobacco aftertaste.

M- Creamy and full. VERY smooth.

D- Ringing in @ 10% I could have a few of these from a pure drinkability standpoint. Great beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2009 04:42:18 | More by drink1121

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