Winter Warmer (formerly Ringneck) - The Brew Kettle Taproom & Smokehouse / Production Works

BB1313

Ohio

3.6/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle poured into a snifter. Pours a hazy copper with red hues, head is slightly off white and doesn't really stick around, still nice looking. The aromas are nice, but somewhat faint. I pick up cinnamon and lemon zest. More cinnamon in the flavors, along with ginger and some nutmeg. Also some cocoa powder lingering. There's a nice fruity aspect to it, but the flavors still remain spicy/bitter in a subtle way. There's a nice sweetness from the honey. Mouthfeel is syrupy, but on the thinner side; nicely carbonated. Alcohol goes unnoticed. Easy to drink, but not something I can drink a ton of in one sitting. It's somewhat one note, I'd recommend letting this one warm up, the aromas and flavors will really start to develop. Good stuff.

This beer will most likely be compared to Great Lakes Christmas Ale and Thirsty Dog 12 Dogs, which is fair. This beer is the same concept. It's good, and I love TBK, but this doesn't quite live up to those, IMHO. Either way, there's nothing offensive going on here at all and this still makes a great beer to enjoy during the holidays. If you like holiday beers brewed with cinnamon, you should try this. Not bad at all.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2011 01:44:09 | More by BB1313

ColdPoncho

Ohio

3.65/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - A very pretty deep amber body with a nice tan head on top.

S - Sweet caramel and tangy dark fruits, touch of vanilla, some light seasonal spices. Borderline artificial, but quite good

T - Smooth and malty. Where is all that complexity from the nose? Very limited fruit and spice profile, mostly just medium roasted malts. It's good, but not as good as the nose. Hint of diacetyl

M - relatively smooth, medium body with a hint of coating

O - I got this beer because I love White Rajah, and wanted to check out more offerings from this brewery. I like it, but am a bit disappointed by this. It's hard to live up to such a great beer, so I shouldn't be too upset. It's a fine beer, but a bit lacking.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2011 00:14:26 | More by ColdPoncho

Radome

Spain

3.55/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bomber bottle into a snifter.

A - Beer is a medium amber with red tints and perfectly clear. The head is exceptionally smooth and fluffy and piles inches high when first poured. It fades to a thin layer and lots of lacing.

S - Aroma is of dry grains and holiday spices. Cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger? I can't identify all of them, but it smells like pumpkin pie and reminds me of spiced Christmas ales I've had.

T - There is moderate hop bitterness in the backgroun along with some grainy malt, but the spices dominate. I can't taste any yeast or alcohol notes.

M - Moderate body some creaminess from the carbonation. There is just a tiny bit of astringency at the end of the sip that I believe is coming from the spices.

D - This is a nice Christmas beer, but I feel the spices are just a bit heavy-handed. I don't taste any complexity from the malt or other elements because the spices are so up-front.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2011 06:00:05 | More by Radome

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.25/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a clear, dark amber body with a thin ring of white, lazy bubbles.

Smell: Honey and simple syrup coating a layer of spices and ginger.

Taste: Honey and spiced sweet syrup with a punchy ginger spiciness that lingers and lingers and then I drink some water.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation.

Drinkability: A decent Winter Warmer. But this is the LAST one I'm having for the season, ya hear me?!

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2008 22:16:27 | More by ChainGangGuy

granger10

Wisconsin

3.05/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

This was the second beer I had from Ringneck. It poured copperish in color with a light, rather weak head. The smell was similar to cinnamon bread but a little weak. The flavor, however, was quite strong in cinnamon as the spice overwhelmed my palate. There was also a citric quality to it which provided some tartness. A faint honey sweetness came into play towards the end. Low on hops and a bit too strong in alcohol flavor. This was also a bit thin. This was a decent brew which I would probably try again, but I wouldn't go out of my way to find it.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2004 20:47:23 | More by granger10