Winter Ale - Rivertown Brewing Co.

bamadog

Kentucky

3.43/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Well, I guess I'll give Rivertown another shot. Review is from notes taken on 12/30/2010 and poured from the bottle to a pint glass.

Appearance: Pour is a dark coppery color with some burnt orange aspects to it; starts with a scant 1/4 finger off-white head that fades immediately to nothing other than a thin pond of skim and a thin ring around the surface; body is very clear and shows some faint carbonation;

Smell: OK, we've got quite a bit of warm and spicy cinnamon in there, and perhaps even a hint of some cocoa; a bit of toasty and grainy barley as well.

Taste: Yep, lots of cinnamon -- I like cinnamon and all, but this may be a little bit overdone -- still though, not too bad; beyond the cinnamon, I do believe there is just a touch of cocoa (probably from some chocolate malt?); bit of a slight, toasty graininess underneath it. Overall, it's one of the more drinkable RTB beers, but not something to go out of your way to get.

Mouthfeel: Body is just lighter than medium in weight, and the carbonation is much better in the mouth than one would think based upon looking at it; a moderately thick, semi-dry and very sticky coating is left all over the roof of the mouth; the gums are left a little tingly from the carbonation, and the belly is left warm from the slightly overdone cinnamon.

Drinkability: I can handle one or two of these, but the spiciness does become more overbearing as I continue to drink it, and it tastes kind of like freshly ground cinnamon has been poured into it... for RTB, it's good, for other and better established breweries, it would be subpar.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2010 04:22:54 | More by bamadog

gmfessen

Michigan

2.48/5  rDev -33.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Poured from the bottle into a pint glass, Winter Ale is an amber sweet-tea color with a soapy tan head. The nose is all malt and spice; thick, bready with molasses and cinnamon - there is also a faint whiff of alcohol at the end. Gingerbread followed by hot damn! The taste starts out as malty sweet but transitions to overly bitter and dry. The cinnamon does not seem to be overdone but doesn't help the cause on the finish either. Mouthfeel is medium and slick yet drying on the finish. Overall, not a beer I will be going back for.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2010 03:57:49 | More by gmfessen

brewdlyhooked13

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance - iced-tea color with a thin, soapy layer of manila. Good staying power for less than a finger of thickness. Nice lace stickiness too, and there was a layer of foam from start to finish.

Aroma - has a caramelly, Coke-like aroma. Light spicing that is hard to identify. It smells like licorice and cinnamon because that's what it says on the label, but without knowing, I might guess clove, cardamom, or anise.

Taste - malty with a touch of roast. The molasses and cinnamon dominate the palate at first, followed by a stiff bite of hops. Quite the heavy hand on hop additions, I'd say. It's a decent counter to the sweeter ingredients. I generally like a little less bitterness in a winter warmer, but this has good balance. Ends bitter but on the wet side.

Mouthfeel - smooth and lightly crisp. Medium body, pretty ideal for the style.

Drinkability - a tasty winter brew from the good guys at RTB. Happy holidays, guys, and thanks for this seasonal easy drinker.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2010 03:20:17 | More by brewdlyhooked13

cincibrew

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle, appearance is a clear copper color. Not much head, but some lacing. Nose and taste are both pure cinnamon, with the molasses and brown sugar bringing up the rear. No indication of ABV but has a nice tingle in the throat. I can't get the cinnamon out of my nose and mouth but the beers not half bad. A good sipper on a cold night, and would match a Christmas or thanksgiving dessert quite nicely.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2010 02:29:36 | More by cincibrew

BigDRS

Ohio

3.65/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a bottle (with no freshness date) into a mug. The bottle reads "What ales you? Winter ale: Ale brewed with molasses and cinnamon"

Appearance - Poured with very little head and produced no lace. The beer is dark copper/brown in color and looks fairly dull.

Smell - The nose has a very strong cinnamon smell with hints of molasses and cherry.

Taste - WOW CINNAMON - lots of it. The sweetness of the molasses definitely comes through, but plays a secondary role. Fits the bill of a winter warmer as it goes down the throat.

Mouthfeel - Has a slightly mid to light body. Carbonation level is good.

Drinkability - Don't think that I could have more than one in a sitting. This is a beer best paired with a large holiday meal.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2010 21:50:36 | More by BigDRS

ltjska04

Kentucky

3.95/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 2 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Tonight we have Rivertown's aptly-named Winter Ale, a winter warmer-style ale brewed with molasses and cinnamon. As suggested by the bottle, I poured this into a snifter at roughly 45F. This beer is a hazy deep red/mahogany color with a tiny head that disappears as quickly as it appeared, leaving barely a ring of slow-rising bubbles around the outskirts of the glass. The appearance is not very impressive. My first whiff of the beer reveals cinnamon as expected. Unexpectedly, the smell follows up with tart cherries; very nice. As it warms this smells like cherry pie in a glass. The flavor reveals more of the cinnamon and cherry; sweet and tart flavors bounce off each other in a playful snowball fight. Oh yeah, we're getting metaphorical. The flavors come out more as the beer warms. The bottle claims a "big, bold, thick-bodied ale" that I won't necessarily disagree with, but while bigger-bodied than other Rivertown brews I've had I'd like to see this one really being fuller and more robust. The carbonation is low and it works for me. There is no indication of ABV but I'd guess it's around the 7-8% range... smooth going down with no burn but it starts to give you that warm holiday feeling towards the end. I could definitely associate this beer with the holidays and drink many of them. It hints at greatness and reminds me slightly of Troegs Mad Elf but unfortunately it doesn't quite measure up to it. Overall a good beer from Rivertown that has room for improvement.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2010 03:36:13 | More by ltjska04