Blue Moon Winter Abbey Ale - Coors Brewing Company

WanderingFool

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev +22.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Blue Moon Winter Ale pours a clear dark copper color into the glass, with a frothy off white head on top. The foam dissolves slowly back down to the surface leaving some spots and lines of lace behind. The aroma is a sweet combination of maple syrup and vanilla with a hint of caramel malt mixed in.

This medium bodied beer is smooth on the palate with a mild carbonated tingle on the tip of the tongue. The flavor is much like the aroma with notes of vanilla and maple syrup. There's a hint of brown sugar and oak mixed in too. Once gone some of the vanilla flavors linger on the tongue.

Overall, this is a quite tasty winter warmer. Perhaps a few spices added into the mix could help balance out the sweetness and I found it to be a bit thin bodied. Otherwise It's probably one of the best Coors beers I've had.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2007 17:33:32 | More by WanderingFool

Padron4KM

Arizona

2.15/5  rDev -29.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

12 oz bottle Best before April 15 ’07. Clear copper with a thick, creamy, tan head.

Aroma is heavy on the vanilla, with some maple syrup and hazelnuts.

Flavor is caramel, vanilla and nuts.

Finish is short, with touch of nutty sweetness but not much else.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2006 06:36:13 | More by Padron4KM

TexIndy

Texas

1.68/5  rDev -44.9%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle with a best by date printed on the bottle by the neck. Label describes it as an "Amber ale with winter spices". I'd call it Liquid Praline. It poured with a good couple finger head that slowly dissipated. It was a solid amber color and had good carb. The smell was dead-on praline with some vanilla in background. Great smell for a soda but not for a beer. The taste was basically the same as the smell and again great for a cream soda but not a beer. Not sure what they were trying to do here but it didn't work for me. I'm extremely glad that I got this as a single instead of a 6ixer. Highly recommend that you avoid unless you are looking for a cream soda (1.5, NA, ML, N)

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2006 00:20:47 | More by TexIndy

JoEBoBpr

Missouri

2/5  rDev -34.4%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

personally i like my beers to tase like beer not Cream Soda. Then again thats just my opinion. The beer had a nice color to it but i thought i was drinking Mug cream soda and after a couple of sips i wanted to vomit i ended up giving the other 5 beers away. I would only recomended if you like sweet candy tasting beers. but otherwise steer clear

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2006 19:59:32 | More by JoEBoBpr

plrooney

Ohio

1.2/5  rDev -60.7%
look: 3 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

I can honestly say this is one of the worst beers I have ever tasted. It was thin and had an artificial taste like I was drinking cold runny maple syrup. Also, the smell seemed to linger long after the beer was gone. It was not a pleasent experience, whicb is a suprise, because I am fond of the regular Blue Moon. This however was not a good effort. I would avoid this beer.

Serving type: on-tap

12-21-2006 17:44:06 | More by plrooney

Applesauce1

Virginia

3.8/5  rDev +24.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

I found this in my car one day after driving all my buddies to the liquor store. Anyways, I'll give it a whirl. A freshness date of April 17, 2007 is printed on the bottle.

Appearance: dark copper-amber color with about a 3/4" head off the pour; looks tempting
Smell: caramel, coffee flavored ice cream; those are the two most dominant smells
Taste: coffee flavored ice cream is very prevalent, a nice sweetness to this beer; i can't sense any hops; overall, a good, unique flavor for a beer
Mouthfeel: light to medium bodied
Drinkability: decent, a little sweet for another right away, but very tempting for drinking one a night

Overall, I was impressed with this beer. It's not very balanced, but still delicious. This is the best beer I've drank from Coors, ever.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2006 20:09:03 | More by Applesauce1

balconybrew

Illinois

2.3/5  rDev -24.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Appearance: Bronze, carmel color, slightly hazy.

Aroma: Sweet, not complex, maybe some vanilla.

Taste/MF: Medium body, light carbonation. Not quite right. It seems like they just put something into already brewed blue moon. The ladies at the party liked it more than I did.

Drinkability: Didn't finish a bottle. Too watery.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2006 22:49:25 | More by balconybrew

Bighuge

Minnesota

1.4/5  rDev -54.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

Appearance: Clear bronze. Thin dirty white head. Minimal Lace.

Aroma: Very sweet. Not a lot of depth. Artificial.

Taste/MF: In a word, Artificial. I had beers that taste artificial. Like a bunch of extract was dumped in. Vanilla. Cherry. Something like that. Very sweet overall impression. Medium bodied and lightly carbonated.

Drinkability: Going through one was tough. Now I've got 5 left. What to do with those... I hate when this happens.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2006 05:05:40 | More by Bighuge

TastyTaste

Minnesota

2.15/5  rDev -29.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Appearance: Dark brown body, most likely due to the caramel coloring the bottle states was added.

Smell: Sweet brown sugar and cinnamon, artificial, but not bad.

Taste: Spiced yet overly sweet and saccharin tasting. Funky and sour in the aftertaste. Not a very good beer, I will pass.

Drinkability: A halfway approach to a winter beer, artificial and thin tasting.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2006 04:16:38 | More by TastyTaste

PBRstreetgang

Ohio

3.68/5  rDev +20.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours a clear mahogany-amber with an off-white, creamy three finger head. Decent retention but minimal lacing. Vanilla bean and ginger in the nose with strong caramel and toffee notes; some background crystal malt aroma. Pale malt and crystal sweetness upfront, followed by mild cinnamon and ginger flavors, then an assertive caramel taste. The semi-dry aftertaste shows some mellow english hops, mabye Fuggle or East Kent goldings. The caramel taste is really pronounced and kind of drowns out everything else, but the flavor remains mostly balanced. Medium in body with a medium/high carbonation; it's smooth and has some texture, but could have been a little less crisp to preserve the maltiness. Finishes mellow and drinkable with lingering caramel and soft english hop character; last few swigs present a ghost-like hefe-yeast notes. Coors has produced another affordable craft beer with respectable complexity AND a high drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2006 08:55:28 | More by PBRstreetgang

jettjon

Florida

3.68/5  rDev +20.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Another surprise from Coors/Blue Moon. From the bottle, pours a reddish brown color with a 2-finger head of thick, semi-creamy whitish foam. Head fades at a moderate to slow rate, leaving good lacing along the sides of the glass. Sweet malt on the nose, light caramel liqueur smell like Southern Comfort. Again, the SoCo flavor asserts itself upon tasting, with a sweet malt up front and caramel notes, mild alcohol presence, and a moderate bittering toward the end. Pretty good flavor balance overall. Finishes on a bit of a cloying sugary note. Mouth is good: full body, solid carbonation, and a good creamy mouthfeel. Drinkability is very good; feels good in the mouth and goes down easily.

Overall: this is a solid brew, surprisingly so since it carries the Blue Moon label, but I suppose that underscores the thought that you shouldn’t prejudge. Flavor is not incredible, but overall, this is a very decent beer. Worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2006 16:29:13 | More by jettjon

Hibernator

Massachusetts

3.6/5  rDev +18%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Blue Moon Winter Ale
12 oz brown bottle
Served in an Allagash tulip glass

Pours a light brown with a decent head on top. Spots and trails of sticky lace cling to the sides of the glass.

Pleasant nose with whiffs of vanilla and juicy malts.

Sweet malty backbone with flavors of bubblegum, vanilla cookies, caramel and cinnamon. Mini hop presence on the finish.

An enjoyable winter brew with some unique spices, but the mouthfeel is a tad thin overall.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2006 01:24:24 | More by Hibernator

Redrover

Illinois

3.48/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 oz brown bottle with clear freshness dating. I see the label states that they blend three varieties of slow roasted malts and multiple hops to deliver exquisite taste and aroma. Sounds good, then I see that that they use caramel coloring…

The beer pours a copper/amber with a fairly substantial tan head. Decent lacing.

The beer has an aroma of caramel, slightly roasted malts and brown sugar. Very sweet smelling beer, it almost smells like a piece of toffee candy.

The taste is also sweet, with caramel & molasses notes. The hops are subordinate, but do give the beer a bit of balance. Beer tastes a bit like a Slow Poke sucker. Could use a bit of spice or something to add some complexity.

The mouth is a bit thin for a winter ale. Drinkability is fine, but there are other winter beers I would reach for first.

Come to think about it, this is a lighter version of the style just like regular Blue Moon White is a light tasting version of a wit. Not bad for a change of pace type beer. Did someone say crossover beer?

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2006 01:23:31 | More by Redrover

Burdman

Ohio

4.68/5  rDev +53.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This was a very enjoyable beer to say the least. My buddy picked up a few and immediatly, because he does not like many beers, I thought it was going to be either exceptional or well below par. I was however pleasantly surprised with the taste of familiar winter flavors in it that I did not expect and a smell that that was equally pleasant. I would suggest this a beer to appreciate and enjoy but I couldn't have more than two at a time because I felt as though I was being selfish or spoiling myself. Bottom line though: if given the chance definatly partake in this one.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2006 21:54:52 | More by Burdman

bluejacket74

Ohio

3.98/5  rDev +30.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in a pint glass, the Blue Moon Winter Ale pours a copper color with a good sized off-white head. Nice lacing too. It smells sweet, like caramel, brown sugar, vanilla and fresh baked cookies (yeah, I know that sounds weird). It has a nutty taste, along with caramel and vanilla. It does have a slight bitter/sour aftertaste (which gets less bitter/sour as the beer warms), but overall the taste is mostly sweet. The mouthfeel is light and a little bit creamy. The drinkability is good too, but I don't know if I could drink more than 2 or 3 at a time. This is a pleasant surprise, I really wasn't expecting too much from this but I think this is a decent beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2006 02:06:30 | More by bluejacket74

kevinbradley

Illinois

4.65/5  rDev +52.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

i was very pleased to find this new winter ale at the liquor store. smells rich with various flavors, caramel predominately.

taste is the best out of all of the blue moon family i have ever had. extremely lavish with caramel flavor amongst vanilla and almost a nutty taste. finishing up each sip leaves me anticipating the next.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2006 00:20:04 | More by kevinbradley

sittingcow

Alabama

3.6/5  rDev +18%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

appearance - 12 ounce bottle, poured a dark caramel orange with small head and no retention or lacing.

smell - the smell is not very potent, but it is pleasant. caramel, malt, vanilla, brown sugar...

taste - in the front, strong flavors of caramel, vanilla, and pecan. the finish is slightly sour and shows more, uh, beer-y flavor. quite nice.

mouthfeel - pretty good. a little acidic, a little creamy, just a little too watery.

drinkability - I probably wouldn't want to drink more than 3

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2006 05:54:25 | More by sittingcow

rowew

Colorado

3.38/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Presentation: 12 oz longneck, twist. Label is a white variant of the normal blue moon, with a snowy cabin scene. Described as "Ale brewed with natural flavor & caramel color". Also mentions that it contains pecans. Best by date on the neck.

Appearance: Dark amber, thin head. Fades to just a bit of lacing.

Smell: Sweet caramel aroma with a bit of burnt sugar and vanilla. Just a hint of nut aroma as well.

Taste: Semi-sweet, with lots of vanilla in the flavor. Finishes relatively dry compared to the rest of the flavor.

Overall impression: Not the most exciting seasonal out there, but not too bad either. A bit too sweet for me to drink many.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2006 01:37:19 | More by rowew

thornside

Massachusetts

4.38/5  rDev +43.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I tried this beer on tap at Sky in Sudbury, MA. I was surprised at how much I liked this beer. The head was creamy and the mouthfeel was full. It has a gingerbread aftertaste that I liked. It reminded me of Anderson Valley's Winter Solstice of several years ago. I hope this is available in 1/6ths!

Serving type: on-tap

11-03-2006 02:43:20 | More by thornside