Highland Cold Mountain Winter Ale - Highland Brewing

brother_kenneth

Virginia

3.85/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22oz bottle, poured into two snifter glasses.

A- Pours a nice deep amber / red. Not a lot of head, but honestly the best lacing I have ever seen. Seriously, this is a beautiful beer!

S- Could be that it needed to warm up a bit, but I didn't get a whole lot on the nose. This is a fairly mild beer though, so that probably explains it. Nonetheless, some vanilla and spices were noticeable.

T- The main thing here for me is the vanilla. Like other reviewers, the first time I had this one, I expected big spices like you usually find in a winter beer. Not the case here. It is mainly vanilla, with some spices in the background. It is somewhat malty, and there is definitely an nice carbonated mouthfeel.

O- This is an exceptional winter beer and I am surprised how much I like it. It is fairly light-weight, all things considered, but it is just the perfect taste! Really enjoy it and intend to drink many more this season!

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2012 13:57:48 | More by brother_kenneth

cpetrone84

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A-it pours a transparent dark cherry red color with two full fingers of a thinner off white head that has some retention and leaves a nice lace on the glass

S-the nose is relatively subdued but what i get seems nice. there is some vanilla in there with a hint of caramel malt and a touch of cinnamon spice

T-the taste is a little bigger than the nose, it brings the vanilla right up front with lots more cinnamon than smell would have let on. there is a light floral ester taste and some bitterness towards the finish

M-this is a light bodied beer with the right amount of carbonation. it is relatively smooth with some presence of alcohol

D-its not bad, i like the taste but the body could have been a little fuller. some presence of alcohol also take away from a decent winter warmer.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2010 21:55:59 | More by cpetrone84

Jwale73

Rhode Island

3.88/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Bucketboy for the opportunity to try this one. 22oz. bottle served in a standard pint. Pours a translucent amber with a quarter inch, loose, off-white head that quickly disperses into a thin band around the shoulders. Some strands of lacing appear during the tasting, but exhibit poor retention. Nose is somewhat muted - light to medium malt with a suggestion of spice. Taste consistent with nose with the addition of some caramel/toffee notes. The spice seems to be be nutmeg. Mouthfeel is light-medium with a lively carbonation which contributes to a semi-dry finish. All and all a pretty drinkable beer for the style. Not at all cloying with enough flavor to make this quite quaffable.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2011 01:06:17 | More by Jwale73

Urbancaver

Ohio

3.88/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a pretty reddish orange. A touch of white head. A very nice colour. Smells sweet sweet sweet. Cinnamon as well on the nose with a touch of vanilla. Tastes very busy. Vanilla, cinnamon, some light nuttiness. Lots going on in this beer. It's really quite tasty. Thick boozy mouthfeel. Overall pretty tasty.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2011 22:59:13 | More by Urbancaver

Wasatch

Utah

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

Thanks to slcbrewer for this brew.

22oz. Bomber

Pours a slightly cloudy amber color, nice carbonation, nice little fizzy tannish head, some sticky lacing follows. The nose is sweet, malty, and lots of caramel. The taste follows the nose pretty much. Slightly dry finish. Medium body. Drinkable, a nice little WW, but not that high in alcohol content.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2007 00:00:25 | More by Wasatch

BrewerB

California

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

Thanks to greenvilleguitar for the hookup on this beer!

A - Pours a medium copper color with great clarity and a well-retaining, thin off-white head. Some lacing when swirled.

S - Caramel sweetness combines with hints of orange peel, earthiness and a light presence of alcohol. Indiscernible spiciness.

T - Darkly toasted bread, herbal-spiciness, moderate level of bittering. Faint hints of the orange peel-type fruitiness are hidden beneath the maltier character. Even fainter smoky character. Pleasing medium-dry finish with a lingering toasty sensation.

M - Medium bodied with a moderate level of carbonation. Smooth, easy to drink.

D - Unlike some other winter warmers I've had, this beer has a nice balance between the spiciness and lovely dark toasted malt. I'm glad I cracked this open in the wintertime and it feels appropriate to the season. Were I to order at a pub, I could probably have 2, possibly 3 pints before moving on.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2008 04:05:48 | More by BrewerB

younger35

Minnesota

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

Received this brew over a year ago as an extra from ncvbc. For some reason this is only the second Highland brew I've reviewed but there Oatmeal Porter is one of my favorites. Drank from my Surly nonic pint glass.

Appearance- Pours a super dark reddish-brownish with light hues of yellow and a decent half finger light tan head. The head never really recedes leaving a thin cap and thick collar yet almost no lacing.
Smell- Lightly sweet and spicy with a brown sugariness that is apparent from the start. Cocoa nibs and cinnamon along with maybe a bit of vanilla (or something vanilla like?). Slightly metallic and hints of caramel the nose is nice but perhaps a bit underwhelming.
Taste- Wow, however underwhelming the nose might have been the taste more than makes up for it. Loads of raw bitter cocoa, marshmallows and caramel. Some ginger and orange peel add a bit of spiciness and makes this beer resemble something like gingerbread. Slightly nutty as it warms and the hops that seemed non-existent in the nose are slightly citric and bitter. Bready and warm in the finish as the caramel lingers and lingers.
Mouthfeel- Nice heavy body with fairly crisp carbonation that lends a bit of sting.
Drinkability- Pretty damned tasty brew that is unlike any other Winter Warmer I've had before. Reminds me of something like liquid gingersnap. This turned out to be a nice change of pace that I really enjoyed. Wish I would have tried it fresh as I assume the spices would have popped a bit more. Thanks again Walter!

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2009 20:22:51 | More by younger35

Gish

South Carolina

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

22 oz bomber poured into a pint glass.

A - Dark brown with a lingering head.

S - Molasses, toffee, sweet malt dominate the smell

T - Rich, earthy, and sweet. A little bit of spice comes through in the end though. Could use a bit more balancing in my opinion.

M - Very smooth, medium bodied.

D - A little bit too sweet, but still very drinkable.

An all-around greater winter beer from my favorite local brewery. I hate that it took me so long to get around to reviewing it, but it's still very enjoyable!

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2009 02:09:44 | More by Gish

RyanC84

South Carolina

3.9/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Most recent 2009 vintage.

It's 29 degrees in Charleston, SC. Is there a better time to crack open a winter warmer in the Palmetto state?

A vigorous pour produces a creamy off-white two finger head that fades considerably but never disappears. The beer is a thin and somewhat bizarre hazelnut amber mix. Guess I was expecting something a little darker, but an attractive pour regardless.

The nose on Cold Mountain is something special. Sweet malt, lots of vanilla, spice, and a tiny hint of oak. No hops to be found here and I'm ok with that. This one smells like Christmas.

The taste is good but not great, perhaps a bit one-dimensional. Palate is dominated mostly by vanilla and oak. Some caramel and spice, but the vanilla-oak combo dominates the flavor profile.

I was expecting a heavier beer, but am pleased with the results. A thinner body makes this winter warmer an easy drinker, but you might want to split this one with a buddy. The one-dimensional flavor profile limits how much you'll be consuming in one night.

Very solid winter warmer from Highland.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2010 04:15:41 | More by RyanC84

CooperEllis

New York

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

From brentk56 in the SS'11 BIF box. This was probably my favorite of the offerings from Highland that included the E.S.B. and Christmas Ale.

This review borrows heavily from the style guide for Winter Warmer because this is one of the better I've had of the style and drinks less like an "American" and more like an "English".

"These malty sweet offerings tend to be a favorite winter seasonal. Big malt presence, both in flavor and body." This is absolutely the case here with the deep amber topped with a generous fluffy cap that leaves pleasant lacing.

This has little aroma, which is clearly going to knock the overall score, but the lack of a prominent aroma results in faint sweet malts, brown sugar and cinnamon.

The taste doesn't contain any overt spices more similar to "many English versions" which "contain no spices".

"American varieties...have a larger presences of hops both in bitterness and flavor." That isn't the case here. While there is a smooth, integrated hops presence it is not a larger presence than the malty sweetness.

Mouthfeel is even, medium bodied with a surprisingly crisp finish that owes a good deal to the trace hop bitterness that cuts any cloying sweetness or potential for lingeingr bitter/burnt spice flavors.

(146th)

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2011 23:56:20 | More by CooperEllis

brentk56

North Carolina

3.93/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

2006 vintage

Appearance: Pours a hazy amber color with a modest head that leaves a few splotches of lacing

Smell: Burnt caramel, orange peel, undiscernable winter spices and vanilla

Taste: Starts out rather malty with spice cake, orange peel and vanilla flavors; after the swallow, the lightly hopped bitterness adds balance; vanilla flavors linger after the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body, velvety; moderate carbonation

Drinkability: An enjoyable beer with a somewhat unique flavor profile but not one that you can drink in quantity

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2006 20:04:00 | More by brentk56

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.93/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Wow, was I shocked when I walked into the Oasis liquor store and saw a couple corked and wrapped liter bottles of this sitting on the shelf yesterday. This is the one local winter brew I was just never able to track down a bottle of and never go around to going down to get it on tap. I immediatly grabbed a couple and drove home and put one in the fridge for when I got home later that night. Pulled the bottle from the fridge and unwrapped the top. Pop the gasket and it was indeed still frsh, the sound of the pop let you know that immediatly. I don't know why I had wanted to try this, from the reviews it seemed just a standard winter warmer, but for some reason I was always wanted it, perhaps it was the novelty of the liter corked bottle that I always wanted, but alas I have it and on to the drinking....

A - This poured a deep hazelnut brown, very dark color with a bit of a rustic red tone mixed in. I nice one inch or so off white head formed on the top and quickly nestled into a thin film, that glazed over the top of the glass. Very thick lace was left behind as the glass was emptied. A nice clear appearence wa evident even though it was soo dark, and streams of bubbles could be seen breaking towards the surface from the bottom of the glass. Overall it looked as I had expected, a nice color and consitency for your typical winter beer.

S - First aromas to hit the nose were undeniably Vanilla, and lots of it for sure. once you got past that there was a nice earthy like tone, with hints of an oakish quality with a mix of cinnamon and maybe some nutmeg. Not much of a hop presence here at all, rather the lack of it made this very intresting. Had your classic yule time smell and brought me back a little, If not for the 95 degree heat I would turned on the fireplace to set the mood.

T - Very big flavor here was evident from the very first sip. Big vanilla oak chips almost completely over rule all others until the flavor settles down. I almost could swear this was an oak agen beer, as I picked up that kinda taste almost immediatly. Lots of caramel and cinnamon tones start to come through as it gets a little warmer. A nice full flavor profile. THere is definatly no watering down of the flavors here. The vanilla and oak came on a little strong for me and never really backed off enough for me to fully enjoy this. No ABV listed for this, and I could not find anything online, but there was no hint of it detected. If I had to guess I would put it in the 6-8% range, probably in the lower part as it did not feel that strong. Overall a very full winter flavored brew, perhaps a bit too much vanilla.

M - very very full. A very rich creamy like feel, this really filled me up quick, and I did not realize it would be that way, as I was the only one drinking and had this whole liter to drink now. Was not oily, nor very crisp. The flavors were allowed to really show themselves through ample carbonation.

D- At first this was really very drinkable, however the large amount of vanilla and oak put into it really started to build up after a while and make it hard to finish. This bottle would have been great to split between about 3 people, but by yourself, one of these is enough. Not too say its bad at all, it is a very good brew, but the flavor will wear you down after a while.

Overall this was a little bit bigger then I had expected. I would not say it dissapointed me, not at all. On a cold night I would love to throw one of these back. In fact, I really look forward to the first autumn chill, and will have to invite over the family to crack the other bottle I purchased. But as an all winter long session beer, a bit too strong for that. All and all, a good brew, with some nice inginuity from the boys over at highland. The quality of the brewing going on in Western Noth Carolina continues to impress me. I always appreciate thinking outside the box, and also, in cases like this where you just put you own twist on a classic warmer, well done, and definatly worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2007 00:07:20 | More by mikesgroove

lightindarkness

Indiana

3.93/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big thanks to ahatcher78 for thinking to throw this bottle in the Black Booty BIF.

22 oz capped bottle, consumed at around 58 degrees from a very large, fat-bowled Tripel Karmeliet tulip glass on a heavily snowed wintry day.

A - Pours a very attractive deep dark mahogany color with gleaming sharp ruby highlights. A nice fluffy bubbly khaki head ascends to the surface and melts like snow, leaving a spotting of finely bubbled lace.

N - Smells primarily of malt, with a faint aged tobacco roastiness and sweet caramel. Light candy sugar hangs over brown fruity bread aromas. Maybe a hint of alcohol and some thinly notable stale hay. Fairly nice balance, not too sweet, rather appealing, but slightly underwhelming and modest.

T - A very nicely crafted winter ale, hitting some of the highlights for the style. Heavily malted on the caramelly dark roasted side, with an excellent balance of sweetness to drier roasted nut and more bitter dark bread. Some deep fruit notes of date and fig are present but not nearly as dominant as some similarly styled beers. Flavor thins out momentarily before the finish, becoming somewhat more watery, then rounding mildly back in with a bitter tail end and fading grainy warmth mixed with mild fruity sweetness. Spice is mild and blends into the grainy bread flavors without distinguishable identity, adding a layer of complexity subtly hidden in the overall taste. Deceiving, it has a rather simple overall flavor profile, but with some nicely understated dimension.

F/D - Just enough on the fuller medium bodied side to satisfy amidst the snowy winter chill, yet light enough to remain drinkable around the fire, with dinner, or just a long winter day trapped indoors. Light, soft carbonation adds some dimension to the feel, filling it out some, but lost early in each sip to the fading drier bitter finish. Drinks easily, sip after sip, with a nice malty mouth coating that isn't too heavy but leaves a lingering want for more. After a while though, the flavor becomes somewhat nondescript, the aftertaste resonating with pickled beets and other less desirable flavors, leaving it wanting for more impressive stand out character. A seemingly sessionable winter brew, though the unknown abv leaves me wondering how long of a 'session' I would endure.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2009 16:53:31 | More by lightindarkness

bucklemyshoe

Georgia

3.93/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Notes from 01/02/2011:

22 oz. bottle at 45 degrees in a snifter.

A: This pours a completely transluscent dark brown color with red hues - much like sweet tea -and a finger and a half of slightly off-white head that does not last, nor does it lace very well.

S: Strong milk chocolate, lots of nuttiness, caramel, and bread malt. It smells like a tasty dessert.

T: Roasted nuttiness, vanilla, caramel, and an oddly perfumey aftertaste that is not entirely unpleasant.

M: It has a medium-thick body with some creaminess and long, lingering flavors.

D: I wish it would either have bolder flavors and become a sipper or have a thinner body and become quaffable. The thick body and weaker flavors combination is odd.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2011 14:26:45 | More by bucklemyshoe

cosmicevan

New York

3.93/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

had this one for a while, think this is last year's version?

a - opened the bottle and filled my unibroue tulip. the beer poured a deep golden brown with a finger full of frothy off white head. when held to the light had a reddish tint. lacing was chunky and hung out. looks great.

s - candied raisins and plums. all malt. very nice. a bit thin.

t - a malt bomb for sure. grapes. nuts. subdued plums. tail of watery bitterness at the end but not much. biscuity.

m - a bit on the thin and watery side.

o - overall kind of wee heavy like but the feel is much thinner.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2011 22:42:50 | More by cosmicevan

tdm168

North Carolina

3.93/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a deep amber with a soft layer of white head that has little retention. The nose offers some mild spice and some intense vanilla extract notes. The flavor is much the same; the vanilla dominates with some subtle spices and a little fruitiness throughout. The fruitiness is cherry-like, both tart and sweet. The finish is a little medicinal to me. I think it's the combination of vanilla and fruit. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and lightly carbonated, but it's viscous and syrupy at times.

I'm glad that this isn't just another winter warmer with ginger and cinnamon. I like the fruitiness here, but I find the medicinal off notes in the finish a little unpleasant. I probably wouldn't have this again, but I do like what they were going for with this one.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2012 09:39:02 | More by tdm168

guinnessdoc

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured a deep red, rust color with a 1/2 inch tan head that fell away quickly to a thin layer.

The aroma was an interesting mixture of fruit, spice, and a vague hint of liquor. I want to say there's something else there but I can't say what it is.

I guess I should have been ready for lots of flavor but this one really surprised me. A complex blend of orange, spices, and malt that combined, come across as very sweet with a bitter finish.

Definitely a lighter mouthfeel than I expected from the big aroma and flavor but smooth and slightly creamy.

As for the drinkability, UncleFlip put it best when he said, "I had to keep taking sips to keep finding more flavours in it." How true. For me, the bomber I had tonight was just the right amount.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2006 03:17:33 | More by guinnessdoc

Bitterbill

Wyoming

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

Obtained in a trade with Brentk56. Thanks a bunch!!

To start off, I have the 1L taped swing top bottle ...it's very cool looking.

It pours into my New Belgium chalice a very nice amber with a smallish head of foam. It doesn't stick around very long and I'm left with just a ring around the edge of the glass and there's just a tiny bit of lacing.

The smell...I'm getting a huge whiff of vanilla, malt, and some other spices.

The taste is also very big on the vanilla with a nice burnt caramel malt backing it up. Swishing the Ale in mouth, I get a bit of citrus tartness and some chocolate notes and that has me smacking my mouth. This is a very unusual tasting sample of the style and I'm liking it.

The finish is on the bitterish side with flavours of hot cocoa and it leaves a pleasing long lasting aftertaste. I'm not getting too much warming so either the abv is fairly low or it's really well hidden. A *very* nice drop indeed. I'm glad I got this one in the trade. :^)

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2007 16:29:30 | More by Bitterbill

hwwty4

Missouri

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

Thanks to Jtrockchalk's aversion to winter warmers for this one, and to his Secret Santa.

Poured a double deuce into my Tripel Karmeliet tulip. This beer pours a light tan-ish brown with a 2 inch head that leaves a pretty decent lacing down the sides of my tulip. The aroma is really not like many winter warmers that I have had the opportunity to try. It's more on the camel, toffee, vanilla side then on any of the spicy, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove spices. The flavor follows suit with big vanilla and toffee notes, with just a hint of watered down coffee. The mouthfeel is just about perfect for where I think a winter warmer should be. Nice and full, and leaves a nice oily texture on the palate. This is a good beer but not one that I would really consider a winter warmer.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2008 05:29:15 | More by hwwty4

sholland119

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Got this '07 vintage in a growler from Loki in GatM. Thanks, Kipp.

A-Pours a clear ruby amber with a thin tan head and no lacing.

S-Sweet caramel malt, a bit of toffee and a little alcohol warmth.

T-Sweet caramel, brown sugar and some raisin with a little bit of nutmeg. Very nice.

M-Medium bodied, almost a bit thin for the style.

D-Tasty, very nicely aged. I will enjoy the rest of this growler.

HV

Serving type: growler

09-15-2009 01:02:43 | More by sholland119

Beertracker

Oklahoma

3.95/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Highland Cold Mountain Winter Ale pours up nicely with a moderate carbonation that creates a compact tannish creamy head that nicely tops the slightly hazy chestnut brown body. The sweet, layered caramel malt aroma is filled with a nice intermingling of fruitiness (candied yams, caramel apples, sugared plums) and spiciness (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, mace, vanilla bean) followed by a hint of alcoholic warmth and some underlying winyness (oxidized) character. The flavor starts off with some brown sugar, caramel & nougat maltinesss which is underscored by a light, earthy bitterness that brings about a moderately spicy, warming finish. Hints of sweet vanilla wafers & ginger snaps linger afterwards. The mouthfeel is quite creamy, but lighter than expected with some distracting astringency that's possibly from the spice additions. Highland Cold Mountain Winter Ale adds a bit of color to your cheeks and does a fine job at keeping Old Man Winter at bay. Here's to a nice, long... cold Winter!

CHEERS! Beertracker

Trader's Note: Many thanks to super-trader CrellMoset for this fine elixir!

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2011 02:09:17 | More by Beertracker

drabmuh

Maryland

3.95/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle shared by Paul after my incessant whining. Currently the #1 Winter Warmer, although the more winter warmers I drink, I'm slowly realizing that this style has no style and you can call anything a winter warmer, I've had spicy ones, dark ones, light ones, hoppy ones, malty ones, the only commonality is that they were all released in winter and called warmers. Oh well. Poured into a Russian River wine glass.

Beer is light brown / orange with a thin off white head of small bubbles, low but steady carbonation, and the head leaves some lacing on the glass.

Aroma is vanilla and some malt...this was quite a shock to me.

Beer is sweet and undercarbonated on the palate. Huhzubendah said in his review that it tasted like cream soda...and it totally does. The vanilla wins on all front here. It opens with some sugary sweetness that is accented by the vanilla on the late front and midpalate. There is no real bitterness to this beer...just vanilla. It probably sounds like I'm putting it down and I'm not, I really am not. It does what it does well. Beer as cream soda. I like that.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2011 01:04:43 | More by drabmuh

bort11

Missouri

3.98/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Received from BRoss242 as part of the BA Secret Santa '07.

Poured into a Corsendonk Christmas Ale glass (also from BRoss242). Tight tan colored head that stands a 1/4 inch. Recedes gradually and leaves an interesting web of lacing on the glass. Color is a dark chestnut brown color.

Smell has a strong malt presence with a smooth blend of spices. I smell nutmeg, allspice, and ginger. Taste also has a smooth spice with a mild hop bitterness in the back.

Mouthfeel is a little light for a winter warmer, but it does go down very smoothly. Even and mild carbonation and slightly sticky on the lips. The ABV also seems a little mild for a warmer, but it seems to enhance drinkability. It would be nice to session this.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2008 04:11:39 | More by bort11

cjgator3

Florida

3.98/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

22oz bottle

A- Pours a dark brown color with a light tan colored head that leaves sporadic lacing around the glass.

S- The aroma is nice and malty with a good dose of cocoa and spices. I'm surprised at the amount of cocoa in the aroma, it really adds a nice dimension. The aroma is fantastic and immediately reminds me of the holidays.

T- The taste is a little on the sweet side with a lot of malt and cocoa flavors but there are just enough spices in the taste to help balance the sweetness out.

M- The mouthfeel is a little lighter than I would expect from a winter warmer.

D- This one's pretty drinkable, I'd be interested to find out what the ABV of this beer is. It doesn't seem to be all that high so it is a pretty solid drinker.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2009 04:30:42 | More by cjgator3

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this at Deuane's 40th Birthday bash - poured chilled from the bottle into my 1/2 pint.

A - A chesnut brown shade with good clarity, and ordinary cream cap

S - A sweet nutty scent w/ mild cherry hints and light vanilla-like floral aroma

M- A mild sweet taste w/ malty presence which seems to become semi-dry with mellow carbonation and the sweet entry mellows toward the end w/ nutty light spiced finish

T - The taste is pleasant with mellow sweet tinges of caramel and gentle stone fruit tinges. The vanilla taste comes forward w/ malt presence that is borderline sweet and nutty w/ creamy mellow toasted flavor.The beer seems well balanced with a hint of spice flavor in the finish

D - A sweet brown winter ale, which has a nice creamy smoothness and yet moderately complex with both spice and malt presenting a balanced drinkable brew.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2010 23:59:07 | More by Slatetank