Columbus Winter Warmer - Columbus Brewing Company

superspak

Michigan

3.53/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 ounce bottle into pint glass, bottled on 10/31/2012. Pours hazy and cloudy reddish orange color with a 1 finger foamy off white head with decent retention, that reduces to a minimal ring of lace. No glass lacing, and some moderate streaming carbonation. Aromas of caramel, brown sugar, apple, cinnamon, gingerbread, and light floral. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of malt and spices notes; with moderate strength. Taste of caramel, apple, brown sugar, cinnamon, toast, gingerbread, clove, pepper, and light floral. Lingering notes of caramel, brown sugar, apple, cinnamon, toast, gingerbread, and clove on the finish for a bit. Nice balance and robustness of malt and spice flavor; with a solid malt/spice balance and a fair amount of cloying sweetness/spice flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy and slick mouthfeel that is good. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a solid winter warmer. Good robustness and solid balance of flavors; and very smooth to drink. An enjoyable offering.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 07:42:34 | More by superspak

buschbeer

Ohio

3.86/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

12 ounce bottle
Served in a conical pint glass

A - It is the color of weak iced tea with suspended sediment. It has some amber highlights. Maybe, an inch of off-white head.

S - I really have to search for much aroma. I get some faint caramel malt and cinnamon.

T - The taste does not have to be sought. At first I tasted ginger bread. Then I got molasses cookie. Good either way.

M - Medium with some chalkiness

O - When I didn't get much on the smell I figured this was an old winter warmer. The taste changed that notion. I enjoyed the cookie-like flavor. I want a molasses cookie now.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 00:59:38 | More by buschbeer

CommanderOfAwesome

California

3.93/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

2012 bottle sent to me via Ohio. Poured into a snifter.

A: Pours a dark cherry with 1.5 finger head. Solid head retention.

S: Winter spices, some ginger, and sweetness that I'm having difficulty placing. Sort of like a raspberry snow cone or something. Definitely smelled it before as a child, but having trouble recalling exactly the smell now.

T: The flavor delivers on the odd aroma I was talking about. Something of a raspberry sweetness that's very nice. Can't think of another beer that has this same flavor profile. Malt forward, big caramel notes spices and cinnamon.

M: Medium bodied, carbonation heavy, swirled it a bit to reduce it as I drank. Finishes with a creamy sweetness.

O: Very good winter warmer, usually not my favorite style. This however delivers and would probably be my favorite of this years style next to Anderson Valley.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2013 16:43:25 | More by CommanderOfAwesome

BB1313

Ohio

3.89/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass. Pours a murky, hazy, burnt orange/auburn. Nice fluffy off-white head that sticks around and leaves really nice retention. First off, I'll say the aromas get better as this beer warms. There's alot of ginger going on. Lots of sweet caramel malts as well. It basically smells like combination of a gingerbread cookie and a carmel apple. Also some chocolate malts in the mix as well. The flavors match the nose. The spices are definitely there, but far from overwhelming. The cinnamon is pretty subtle, but does its thing. This one doesn't really have a strong bitterness to it. This one has a strong English influence to it. Flavors are really nice, but one note. Mouthfeel is wonderful, just like most Columbus beers. It's light, creamy, fluffy with the perfect amount of carbonation. It's a very smooth beer. Alcohol goes unnoticed. Once again, it changes for the better as it warms up. Nice brew.

I like this beer and it's just short of being something really special. It's pretty unique and stands out with all of the other cinnamon spiced beers brewed in Ohio. Not sure if it can go toe to toe with some of them, but it can definitely hang and is better than others. My only beef is that it becomes one note and lacks true depth. It's a good beer to enjoy on a rainy day.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 21:50:58 | More by BB1313

JoeyBeerBelly

New York

3.95/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I got this in a beer exchange. Thanks Chris!

12oz bottle served in a standard pint glass.

L - hazed amber color with a thin off-white head.

S - lots of winter spices, ginger bread is good.

T - ginger bread and cinnamon with just a hint of bitterness on the finish.

F - medium bodied with mild carbonation, easy to drink.

O - a good example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2012 23:00:37 | More by JoeyBeerBelly

Bonis

Ohio

4.1/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer is amber in color with a slight haze. Aroma is earthy with lots of nutmeg, biscuit and caramel malts, as well as a touch of fruity hops. The combination is reminiscent of apple pie. Outstanding aroma. This beer is spice forward in flavor with a nice dose of hops. It is NOT bitter, but the hop flavors seem to be accentuated by the spices. Finish is cinnamon spice and a rich pie crust maltiness. Really, this is more like apple pie than a winter warmer. I am really enjoying the flavor. The taste starts out with a decent sweetness on the tongue, but the finish is rather dry. Alcohol is there, but well hidden by spices and other rich flavors. The body is rather large for a 7% beer, but it is a fairly easy drink nonetheless. This might be the best winter warmer I've had. Definitely better than GL Xmas and probably better than 2XMAS, TBK Winter Warmer, and 12 Dogs as well.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2012 05:26:10 | More by Bonis

Spider889

Ohio

4.35/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Into a Duvel tulip.

Pours very clear with a tall frothy cream colored head. The beer is a nice caramel color which appears to be a glowing honey/amber color when held to the light. Dark enough to prove its place as a winter warmer whilst not being so dark as to hide the brilliance of its color and clarity the way many recent warmers are doing.

As I drink nice mounds of rocky lace coat the edges of my glass, and the short cap of residual foam I am left with is still going strong 10 minutes later.

The aroma shows signs of cinnamon stick, birch bark, honey, and light but fresh raw ginger. This isn't the freshest of bottles which is a shame, because the last time I had this on draft I kept stealing my wife's glass of this just to smell it. A month or two old now, this still has a complex and fitting aroma, though perhaps minus the lovely punch that this beer has when extremely fresh.

The flavor is actually much better than I remembered it from last year. Rich gingerbread mingles with potent earthy hops and a nice spice kick at the end. Bitterness only checks the sweetness of the maris otter malt - allowing the range of spice additions to ride full-circle around the palate. The malt is very nice though and more forward than some warmers that try to showcase their ability to be a spice bomb. Toffee and baked dark bread round out this Columbus offering.

Very smooth with soft carbonation. Finishes a bit dry and has a bitter herbal hop aftertaste.

Overall this is one of the better Winter Warmers I have had this year. Given the availability of this compared to GLBC's Christmas Ale (and the price difference to boot) I might have to rethink my buying strategy next winter and stock my fridge with this instead!

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2012 20:19:53 | More by Spider889

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

3.63/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle shared by ygtbsm94. Thanks Brad.

The beer is hazy orange with a small, off white head. The aroma offers cinnamon, apples - smells like apple cobbler/pie. The flavor is heavily spiced, with cinnamon leading the way. Lacking balance. Best in small quantities. Like drinking sweet apple pie. Thin bodied with adequate carbonation. Overall, tasty but one dimensional. Worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2012 18:06:31 | More by Huhzubendah

Ryan011235

Ohio

3.68/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured into an A-B flute on 1/9/12

Rustic looking tobacco brown hue with a golden amber highlight at the stem. Three fingers worth of foam slowly settles to about 1/3rd inch layer. Rings of drippy lace.

The aroma is a treat. Sweet cinnamon bread, caramel, orange peel, toasty brown sugar and a subtle ginger spiciness. Ample malt notes are accented by overtones of piney hops. It also shies from smelling to sweet. Everything about the nose calls to mind winter and Christmas and such.

Winter Warmer tastes right in line with the aroma. Lots of toasted bread, dusty caramel undertones, dry cinnamon and ginger notes and earthy/piney hops. It's very dry, too.

Easily medium-full body, though I'm inclined to say it leans more toward the robust side. Moderate carbonation is checked by the body, though it provides a focused, prickly addition to the spices and hops. Finishes rather dry with residuals of the aforementioned toasted bread, hops and spice.

I started the bottle while still pretty cold. After it warms and opens up, I find it loses some of its distinctiveness; the aroma is most affected and the flavors start to blur. Thus, I much prefer it cold.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2012 07:08:40 | More by Ryan011235

McNealc31

Ohio

3.9/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

The color of Columbus Brewing Winter Warmer is rather attractive. A rich caramel hue. But the aroma is what really draws you in. Loads of ginger and cinnamon. The white head thins out rapidly, but it sticks around all the way through with fantastic lacing.

Ginger and caramel are the biggest flavors here. The cinnamon adds just a late heat followed by a bite from the hops. Tastes a bit like a graham cracker, too.

Maybe not the top tier of winter beers, but I would have no problem doing this again

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2012 16:41:24 | More by McNealc31

beesy

Ohio

4/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured in a standard pint glass

A pours a brilliant amber with a khaki colored one and a half finger head

S spices; cinnamon apparant, with a slight sweetness

T a nice mix of spice, sweetness, malt and hops. Cinnamon. One of the few winter warmers that is a nice balance without being too spicey or sweet.

M medium bodied. Just enough body to hold the spices without becoming cloyingly sweet or thick.

D moderate high. I really can enjoy several of these chilling in front of the fire.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 03:31:37 | More by beesy

CTownDrinker

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

CBC winter Warmer
Appearance-Pours light initially and as it comes together turn beautiful light abler. Thick creamy head-

Smell –cloves fruity smell. Wonderful, Can almost taste it

Taste – complex citrus/spicy flavor, Nice Clean aftertaste, with hints of spice cake. Well balanced,

Mouth Creamy Full bodied Mouth feel, Smooth finish

Overall –Delightful, great winter warmer. Rare Balance in a Winter Warmer

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 02:38:00 | More by CTownDrinker

siege06nd

Virginia

4.08/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A. Copper orange with a half finger crisp white head. Limited retention and lacing.

S. Like cinnamon graham crackers. Tons of cinnamon, traces of ginger, sweet malt, and a touch of zesty hop. I actually love this.

T. Toasted biscuit, cinnamon, ginger. Nice.

M. All in balance. Nicely carbonated. Good.

O. A nice spice beer. Not a heavy hitter, but balanced and flavorful. Perfect for the season.

Serving type: on-tap

12-30-2011 17:36:31 | More by siege06nd

projectflam86

Ohio

3.7/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle.

A- Pours an amber color with a thick white foam head that leaves good lacing.

S- Lots of malt sweetness and spices. A touch of alcohol and maybe some toasted bread.

T- Wow, right away I'm hit with the cinnamon and ginger. Very spicy and sweet with a toasted malt finish. The English malts provide a nice base but the spices definitely steal the show. Not much going on in the hop department. This is most definitely a spicy winter themed beer.

M- Medium bodied with good carbonation. The alcohol doesn't seem bothersome so I'd have to place this at around 6% ABV.

O- A very interesting brew that I could see picking up around the holidays and sharing with family/friends.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2011 22:51:13 | More by projectflam86

Bierguy5

Ohio

3.9/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle. Reddish-amber color, with a good looking off-white head. Retention is decent. A few spots of lace adorn the glass.

Rich, malty nose. Elements of toffee combine with some spices. Cinnamon comes to mind, maybe some ginger and a hint of vanilla.
Malt up front gives some nice caramel and light toffee flavors. A bit of sweetness, some cinnamon and ginger. Earthy bitterness rounds things out. Spices are soft and blend well together.

Medium body, good carbonation. Alcohol is hidden well. A pretty nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2011 23:01:45 | More by Bierguy5

nlmartin

Ohio

4/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

After yesterdays Columbus Brewing Experience I waited until this morning to crack this brew open. In short this beer is very nice. The beer was served chilled in a pint glass.

A- The body of the beer is a clear copper coloration. Active carbonation slowly bubbles to the top of my glass. The head is a thick biege and has pretty nice retention. Lacing streaks my glass as this beer rapidly disappears.

S- Nice cinammon, all spice and cloves combo combines with gingered carameled apple cider like aroma.

T- This is a nice malty treat. The spices are well done and dont overly dominate ginger, cloves, cinnamon combine to make a spiced apple flavor very malty.

M- Full bodied nicely carbonated not a hint of alcohol. No astringency from spices.

O- A very solid offering from Columbus Brewing. Looking forward to drinking some more of these.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2011 13:08:46 | More by nlmartin

OsuJohn

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- copper, clear. Head disappears quickly. There is little to no laceing.

S- ginger, cinnamon, other spices.

T- see above and add an overall maltyness

M- smooth, nothing exceptional, but it leaves you wanting more.

O- one of my favorite winter beers. I look forward to this every year.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2011 02:24:59 | More by OsuJohn

BeerBuckeye

Ohio

3.85/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours a fine deep amber with nice 1.5 finger, off white head, dissipates slowly and leaves a decent amount of lacing along the sides.

S - A lot of caramel and bready malt, but a deeper smell brings out notes of cinnamon, clove, and apple. A bit of an apple pie smell, really.

T - Good balance of malt, spice, and hop in this one. It's not a spice-bomb, but rather one that acknowledges the truer parts of the beer and uses the spice to complement it. Taste begins very heavy and matly, before fading into a light amount of spice, cinnamon and clove, and then finishing with a kick of piney hop. Very nice.

M - Thick mouthfeel, actually, good job embodying the "warming" part of a winter warmer.

Overall - I thought it was solid. Winter warmers tend to either present malt-heavy or spice-heavy, and while this certainly was on the malt-side of things, it did a good job integrating the spices nicely into the beer, and giving a polish of hops. Good beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2011 01:07:09 | More by BeerBuckeye

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

huge creamy head that quickly faded leaving some nice lace down the sides. Smell was hoppy with sweet caramel undertones and a slight smell of alcohol. The taste was extremely sweet. Almost tasted like candy. Dry hopped finish, but still very sweet. Overall this is very drinkable,

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2011 16:58:09 | More by mikesgroove

muttyd

Massachusetts

3.33/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours a deep copper body with a thick off-white/tan head. Aroma is of clove, cinnamon, and (as others before me have already stated) apple pie. This beer smells pretty much exactly like apple pie. Flavor follows the nose - caramel malts mix with spice to give a pleasant graham cracker-crust apple pie. Finishes slightly sticky and sweet. Faint earthy hop flavor in the finish, but it is dominated by the spicy characters of this beer. Very drinkable and one of the most unique beers I've come across.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2011 01:48:15 | More by muttyd

womencantsail

California

4/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks for the gift, Mihir.

A: The pour is a clear amber color with a short lived off-white head.

S: Certainly a lot of spices going on here. Mostly cinnamon, but perhaps some all-spice and clove is there, too. The more I smell it, the more it smells like apple pie. And in this case, that is not a bad thing.

T: It tastes like apple pie too. A big cinnamon flavor to go along with some mostly sweet but slightly tart apples. There's even a bit of a pie crust flavor from the malts.

M: Medium in body with a moderate carbonation as well.

D: This was like drinking apple pie, and I quite liked it. Not as cloying or overly sweet as it sounds, either. Really nicely done, actually.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2011 01:45:36 | More by womencantsail

Gobzilla

California

4/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

bomber shared by torino

A: poured a reddish amber brown in color with yellow highlights when held up to the light and had a thin bubbly head leaving plenty of lacing sticking to the glass.

S: crazy aroma consisting of apple pie, cinnamon, graham cracker notes and pie crust. It did have different spice notes that I could quite put my finger on.

T: the taste actually had various grains flavors but still had the apple pie character with cinnamon, graham cracker accents and pie crust notes.

M: the brew was medium in body with a moderate amount of carbonation which had a sweet, spice, and apple pie finish.

D: very intresting winter warmer beer that reminded me of marie callender pie but in beer form; good dessert brew.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2011 18:12:35 | More by Gobzilla

Tilley4

Tennessee

3.78/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Received as an extra in a trade with inebriatedjoker... Thanks, Mike!!

This beer reminded me quite a bit of a Wee Heavy with a few spices thrown in.... Deep and rich and malty with a definite finish of graham crackers as others have stated... Very rich almost earthy aromas of the sweet sticky caramel maltiness present... Feels quite thick and chewy.... Raisin-like fruitiness present as well... A good one for the holidays for sure... I liked this one...

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2011 16:11:16 | More by Tilley4

tchaos

Florida

3.48/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Received in a BIF haul from russwbeck. I'm stunned he brought back beer from a school rival's location. Poured into a shaker pint -- hey, it's all I had on hand.

A -- hazy amber/ruby color with a two-finger head. Left moderate lacing during consumption.

S -- strong forward cinnamon, with ginger and sweet malt. As it warms, the spice definitely evokes a holiday pour.

T -- no lie...what you smell is what you get -- cinnamon, ginger, and sweet malt. Alcohol is almost indiscernible.

M -- medium body with fairly low carbonation

D -- Within style, strangely drinkable, but that's based almost entirely on your tolerance for cinnamon. Not surprisingly, it seems appropriate solely during the winter holidays. It continues to improve as it warms.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2011 21:37:37 | More by tchaos

russwbeck

Virginia

3.48/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Picked this up a while ago at Ohio State, where I went to see my Nittany Lions blow a halftime lead and get stomped. Oh well, I came out of it with good beer.

A: Very dark brown pour, hazy. Small off white head with hardly any lacing or retention.

S: Smell is really heavy on the spices, cinnamon and gingerbread. Malty and unlike any beer I've ever smelt before.

T: Wow. Sometimes I get a taste in my mouth and I can't think of anything else. This is liquid Graham Crackers, cinnamon ones specifically. It starts off light, but the finish is all graham crackers.

MF: Medium bodied with a nice bite of carbonation.

D: Sort of weird to rate the drinkability on this one. While I can't taste any alcohol, what I am tasting is strange. Taking me a while to get through a 6 pack.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2011 05:50:11 | More by russwbeck