Young's Winter Warmer - Wells & Young's Ltd

instrumentality

California

3.6/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This marks my first "winter warmer." Although I reviewed the style description on this site, I'm still somewhat in the dark as to what to expect. At 5% ABV, I'm not sure how "warming" this experience will be, but given my enjoyment of Young's Double Chocolate Stout and Special London Ale, I have somewhat high expectations.


I poured this brew into my gold-rimmed Chimay goblet. The liquid was a rich mahogany (damn you Will Ferrell), for the most part transparent, with next to no head save a swirling lace in the center and a bubbly halo.

I took a whiff. I don't know how a beer can smell flat, but this one did. Along with this was a strong malty presence with hints of clove and raisin.

The first taste revealed that there was actually a substantial degree of carbonation, which gave a bit of a boost to a mediocre flavor of malt and, surprisingly, alcohol. The maltiness permeated my tongue and gave me the glorious sensation of cotton mouth.

I continued to consume this brew with an open mind, but it failed to improve. While relatively easy to drink, this was a thin-bodied beverage with minimal complexity, and those flavors that were present were forgettable at best.

This isn't a bad beer, but with so many options out there, I fail to see any value in trying it again.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2006 11:53:53 | More by instrumentality

ejimhof

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -14.8%

05-05-2013 22:21:40 | More by ejimhof

BGsWo22

New York

2.5/5  rDev -29%

03-20-2013 22:45:48 | More by BGsWo22

spycow

Illinois

4/5  rDev +13.6%

03-10-2013 19:39:11 | More by spycow

Seaba

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -7.7%

02-26-2013 19:33:14 | More by Seaba

hayesjw

California

3.75/5  rDev +6.5%

02-20-2013 21:15:17 | More by hayesjw

DmanGTR

New York

3.75/5  rDev +6.5%

02-06-2013 21:41:04 | More by DmanGTR

matjack85

Illinois

3/5  rDev -14.8%

02-01-2013 06:50:50 | More by matjack85

stereosforgeeks

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -0.6%

12-17-2012 15:17:56 | More by stereosforgeeks

kobeer

Texas

3.25/5  rDev -7.7%

07-22-2012 18:49:55 | More by kobeer

jda007

Florida

3.25/5  rDev -7.7%

07-05-2012 16:11:18 | More by jda007

Halcyondays

California

4.25/5  rDev +20.7%

06-05-2012 05:57:00 | More by Halcyondays

tbeer40

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +13.6%

05-04-2012 02:05:06 | More by tbeer40

Cattafin

4/5  rDev +13.6%

03-23-2012 01:17:00 | More by Cattafin

pperez38

California

3/5  rDev -14.8%

01-31-2012 10:27:10 | More by pperez38

JAHMUR

Connecticut

3/5  rDev -14.8%

01-09-2012 16:31:46 | More by JAHMUR

Ruds

United Kingdom (England)

3.23/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Served on cask at the Rose and Thistle, Frimley Green into a UK pint glass

For background purposes I'm not a fan of Young's (or Wells for that matter) and had not had this beer for some 8 or 9 years!

However, I went in with an open mind!

The colour was a dark rich, brown, darker than mid brown and a decent half finger of white head that remained pretty much throughout the first 2/3rds of the drinking experience

In terms of smell, fruits of the dark and dried variety stand out, along with spices and a little malt aroma

Tastewise, definately dominated by the fruits and malts, quite a complex taste of different malts going on, also caramel/toffee/sugars, and a toasted flavour blending in with the spices present (maybe a pinch of nutmeg/cinnamon?)

A fairly full bodied beer for 5% with a certain amount of chewiness, I took my time over this one! A Bitter/soured aftertaste.

Overall - I doubt I'll be re-visting this beer in the near future, but if it was the only cask ale present I wouldn't be too shy !

Serving type: cask

01-08-2012 11:55:57 | More by Ruds

voodoo

Maryland

4/5  rDev +13.6%

12-27-2011 18:43:05 | More by voodoo

Beertracker

Oklahoma

3.5/5  rDev -0.6%

12-19-2011 04:13:48 | More by Beertracker

barnzy78

Illinois

3/5  rDev -14.8%

12-05-2011 04:51:14 | More by barnzy78

Rochefort10nh

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +13.6%

12-01-2011 15:15:26 | More by Rochefort10nh

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Another bottle from the BeerFrigerator, which means that it has been aged, intentionally or not. Nothing seems to be indicated on the bottle, but figure 5 + years in a nice cool/cold environment ...

I will be the first to admit that carbonation seems to be among the first things to go. I had a good finger of deep-tan head until it gently fell, leaving behind a thin layer of head. Color was a deep brown with cola highlights and I could not decide if that was the result of my having stirred up some sediment that its clarity was not better. Nose was very caramel-malty, but not much beyond that. Mouthfeel was medium-to-full with a sweet-sour flavor on the tongue. I may have caught this one just in time! It was still caramel-malty sweet, but a sharp sourness was beginning to creep in. Finish was lingering with the caramel sweetness, so perhaps I did not screw it up as badly as I thought ... Winter in the Summer, who'd'a thunk it?

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2011 19:56:17 | More by woodychandler

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had a dusty, vintage bottle at the Farmhouse in Emmaus, PA. Aside from the dust and old green label, this is clearly a cellared, but well-aged beer. There's no strong newspaper or cardboard oxidation (thank god), but still a spicy, leathery character with hints of sherry. There were also pleasant notes of lemon and berry fruit. It was a complex beer, but the aged character was a bit heavy. Still, a very nice experience and tasty beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2011 03:54:06 | More by tempest

Jadjunk

Georgia

2.85/5  rDev -19%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

#57. Young's Winter Warmer. My first of Young's products, another one dated considerably earlier than I had hoped. BBD is 31/08/08, or August 31, 2008 I suppose. It's only going to age more, so let's give it a shot while it's still fresh(er).

Poured from a 1pt, .9oz. bottle to a pint glass at room temp.

(Appearance) Pours a nice billowing 3 finger depth foamy head and retention is nice. Color is a dark hazy brown, close to black with ruby tones of light. The haziness makes the beer a lot darker than it should be in color. Carbonation is spritely but medium at best. Not a bad looking beer. 3.5

(Smell) Pungent enough from a big distance. Most of that comes from some burned sugars, toasted caramel and some distinctive malts. Pretty fair balance of sweet and bitter in this brew, but not sure where the bitterness is coming from. Slight smells of alcohol are easy to draw out in the smell. Interesting. 3.5

(Taste) Molasses and caramel. Somewhat faint and watery. A big part of me wants to say that the aging of this beer, although not as extreme as another beer I recently tried has led to the depreciation of flavor in this brew. If the flavor has gone untarnished over the years than I have to say that the flavor isn't that interesting and leads a droning taste throughout the entire experience. Only in the biggest sips can I detect some interesting toffee or cocoa-like flavors, but they are slight, and hardly round out the flavor here. It seems like a murky malt beverage. I'm a little wary of the aging; I might have to try this again. 2.5

(Mouthfeel) Between crisp and smooth. A tad thin and watery. Alcohol pretty easy to find. Not dry, a medium body. Doesn't feel very good. 2.5

(Drinkability) I could effectively share this bottle between two, but as a solo drinker I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to drink this by myself. I can finish it, but it wasn't very enjoyable. 2.5

Verdict: Again, it could be the aging that has thrown the flavors off, as I felt the beer was quite "stale". Most of the qualities of this beer seem tarnished and off. Not hugely enjoyable but I'm going to try a more recent version next winter to see if I can't change my mind. Pretty average for what it's worth. C (2.95)

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2011 04:23:31 | More by Jadjunk

DaveHS

California

3.55/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On cask at the Bunch of Grapes, London Bridge, London.

A-Pours ruby/mahogany with a very thin khaki head. Leaves light, soapy lacing.

S-Nose has a spiciness that could almost be confused for phenolic, were it not for the low ABV. A bigger whiff reveals hints of chocolate and nutmeg.

T/M-Initially a bit tart/metallic. Could this be infected? The off flavor passes quickly, revealing a body that is soft and rich. Flavors of light roasted coffee, milk chocolate, and nutmeg.

D-Hard to say definitively, due to possible infection, but it seemed okay.

Serving type: cask

01-11-2011 13:17:32 | More by DaveHS