Avalanche - Snoqualmie Falls Brewing Company & Taproom

sam_bliss

Washington

4.21/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25

On-tap into pint glass

A- Dark amber hue with persistent head that leaves stellar lacing.

S- Sticky-sweet caramel candy and buttery biscuit malt with an inkling of coniferous hops. Absolutely aromatic.

T- Sweet caramel kisses the tip of the tongue and then roasted malt flavors of dark chocolate mocha fill the palate. Tingling, resinous hops tickle the tongue and a bit of apple taste is present as it goes down.

M- The light carbonation, sharp hops, and robust body feel pleasant in the mouth but this ale leaves a coating of thick honey from the roof of the mouth down the throat.

O- A very complete winter warmer. Easy to drink and, more importantly, enjoyable to drink. I have not smelled individually wrapped chewy caramels in any beer to this extent, typically it's just a caramelized sweet malt aroma. Normally I value taste way over smell, but the succulent scent makes this brew.

Serving type: on-tap

01-21-2013 02:40:49 | More by sam_bliss

Murrhey

Montana

3.14/5  rDev -17.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Poured from a standard pressure-cap bomber into a conic pint glass in high elevation Libby, Mont. Reviewed live. No best-by date.

A- Three and a half finger head. Long retention. Lasts five minutes or more and leaves fluffy lacing up and down the glass. Cedar-colored body with high clarity. Carbonation appears limited.

S- Fruity. Some bitter notes, dark fruits. Quite hoppy character. Like a light quad...if that's an apt comparison.

T- Much more bitter here than in the aroma. Caramel malts, dark fruits, creaminess. Nice flavor.

M- Creamy feel with a dry finish.

O- Decent beer, looks very nice, smell is complex but both it and the taste are somewhat lacking. Nice feel.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 23:23:45 | More by Murrhey

leedorham

Washington

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%

02-28-2013 17:54:38 | More by leedorham

Telestic

Washington

4/5  rDev +5%

02-19-2013 02:17:53 | More by Telestic

powdersoldier

Washington

4/5  rDev +5%

02-02-2013 16:44:53 | More by powdersoldier

CanisMajor

Indiana

4/5  rDev +5%

02-02-2013 02:38:03 | More by CanisMajor

Hopmodium

Washington

4/5  rDev +5%

01-14-2013 00:44:32 | More by Hopmodium

mdaschaf

Washington

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

01-13-2013 21:43:18 | More by mdaschaf

Birdlegs

Washington

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

01-08-2013 05:54:48 | More by Birdlegs

NickThePyro

Washington

4/5  rDev +5%

12-24-2012 06:40:59 | More by NickThePyro

Braz

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +11.5%

11-23-2012 15:40:10 | More by Braz

irishgreensoda

Washington

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%

11-20-2012 23:16:18 | More by irishgreensoda

wsucoug96

Washington

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%

12-25-2011 07:06:46 | More by wsucoug96

twelveinches

Washington

4/5  rDev +5%

11-23-2011 06:57:52 | More by twelveinches

Mora2000

Texas

3.58/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to 5000 for sending me this bottle.

The beer pours an orange color with a tan head. The aroma has a lot of toffee and citrus notes with some light spicing. Not as complex as I typically expect from a winter ale.

The flavor is more of the same. I get a lot of orange citrus with some toffee, grass and biscuit notes. There is also a little bit of spice in the flavor but it is fairly subtle. The alcohol is well hidden.

Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2011 05:00:25 | More by Mora2000

Bookseeb

Washington

3.48/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance is a dark ruby red/brown with a thick fluffy head leaving fair lace. Smell of rich buttery malts, dark fruits and aromatic hops. Taste has the rich malts and grapefruit bitter of the hops with a little saline in the background. Mouthfeel is medium with good carbonation. Not the top of my list for a winter ale, but not bad either.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2011 04:42:54 | More by Bookseeb

eggplantwiz

New Hampshire

3.33/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Boured from a 750mL bottle into a snifter.

A: A Deep amber with significant lacing. thick head.

S: Carmel and grapefruit, hint of pine. A mellow aroma overall, without much further.

T: More malty than I would have anticipated based on the aroma, but with a pleasant hop bite. Overall a balanced beer, but does not taste much like what I would expect a winter warmer to be.

M: Smooth and velvety, slightly viscous.

D: Quite drinkable, but I'm not sure I'd want to drink a whole bomber myself. While this was an enjoyable beer, it didn't have enough complexity that I'd want to get through a whole 750mL bottle myself.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2011 02:55:42 | More by eggplantwiz

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.88/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured a deep reddish garnet color with a nice tan head.

S: Nose is floral and hoppy and dark grain breads.

M: Super smooth mouthfeel and lightly carbonated. Light to medium body.

T: Taste is a malty toffee, caramel sweet flavor with a mildly bitter alcohol tang to finish and some allspice

D: Good, above average.

Serving type: on-tap

12-05-2010 23:48:15 | More by barleywinefiend

philbertk

Washington

3.93/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

SNOQUALMIE Avalanche Winter Ale--A Northwest-style winter ale. Big, rich, smooth and satisfying. 22 oz. Bottle. $4.49. 42 IBU's. Remarks Rich lacy light tan head.Clear dark ruby color.Sediment hint.Toasted floral malt hop front.Toasted toffee malty mild creamy sweet black cherry vanilla roasted bisquit fruit winter spice body.Mild hot hop spice cloying malt rich mild EtOH end.Hoppy malty. 2009 Release.

Snoqualmie Falls Brewing Company--SNOQUALMIE-Perfectly Balanced Hand Crafted Ales--Avalanche Winter Ale--A Northwest-style winter ale. Big, rich, smooth and satisfying. 2010 22 oz. Bottle. 6.80% ABV. 48 IBU's. (4.05 / 5.0) No sediment. Big dense rocky lacy lasting light tan head. Haze hint rich dark bright amber red color. Floral malt mild hop front. Mild sweet toasted toffee hint malty mild fruit subtle hop spicy Amber Ale body. Mildly hot clean balanced hoppy Winter end. Sampled 11/30/2010. Purchased for $4.25 each @ Fred Meyer--Ballard, Seattle on 11/19/2010.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2010 01:27:57 | More by philbertk

ccrida

Oregon

4.03/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On draught at the Hilltop Alehouse, Avalanche is a mahogany with creamy off-white head that leaves heavy lace.

Smell is soft, slightly sweet, clean malt, a touch of orange. Perhaps a hint of gingersnap (but this is not a spiced beer as far as I can tell).

Taste is pretty good, classic winter warmer malt profile, essentially a strong amber with some spicy hops. Would come off a bit generic if it wasn't for the fact that it is very well made, full yet balanced, with a smooth ABV.

Mouthfeel is medium light, on the dry side.

Drinkability is pretty good, a tasty winter warmer, if a bit forgettable (in fact, I reviewed a bottle about 2 years ago, but forgot). Well made though for sure, a classic example of the local style of winter warmers.

Serving type: on-tap

11-30-2010 01:46:48 | More by ccrida

beertunes

Washington

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into 10oz glass. Poured a deep reddish-copper color with a thick, khaki colored head that had very good retention and decent lacing.

A pleasantly balanced aroma featured both malt solidness and hop sharpness. There was also a slight spice scent at the end. The flavor featured the spice and hops more than the malt, but the malt is the strong, silent type supporting the others aspects.

A good, firm, well-rounded body was very good. Drinkability was also very good, I could drink several of these strong beers and be very happy.

Overall, a very good example of the style, worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2010 21:33:07 | More by beertunes

flagmantho

Washington

3.53/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 22oz bomber into a pint glass.

Appearance: rich tawny brown with a two-finger light tan head. Pretty nice.

Smell: caramel malt, big, earthy hops and a certain element of tartness. A motley crew of aromas if ever there was one. Not bad, though not what I typically expect of a winter brew.

Taste: rich caramel malt flavors and nowhere near the hop presence which exists in the aroma. Hops are still there, in greater abundance than most winter warmers, and are earthy in character. There's definitely a warmth as well. Again, pretty good, but not your typical winter warmer formula.

Mouthfeel: medium body, a little carbonation. Perfectly in character with the style.

Drinkability: it's not a challenging beer to drink, so downing a few of these could put you in a festive mood right quick.

Winter warmers are extremely popular in this area (Pacific Northwest), so I've had more than my fair share of these types of beverage; and frankly, Snoqualmie's effort doesn't quite do it for me. It's certainly not bad, but with so many other choices out there, I don't think I'll be going back to this well again soon.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2009 15:08:52 | More by flagmantho

bum732

Maryland

3.95/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a nice orange red, decent head leaving behind nice lacing. Smells of strong piney and grapefruit hops. Tastes of strong bitterness with a nice subtle caramel maltiness. Finishes with a nice hoppy twang. A good amount of carbonation throughout.

A nice beer, doesn't really fit the bill of a winter warmer, but good nonetheless. Reminds me of a more hoppy celebration ale. Not too shabby.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2009 05:03:58 | More by bum732

erikm25

Washington

3.88/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a sludgy and deep hued amber. Hints of crimson highlights throughout. The head was two plus fingers of off white fluffy richness. Amazing retention and webs of lacing coated around the glass.

S: Very heavy caramel malt aroma. Some candied sweet and peppered licorice smells drape down the back of the nose. Little bit of grapefruit but overall the hop hints are limited.

T: Much like the nose this is heavy on the malts. Their website says they use two-row pale, munich, and aromatic malts plus those ever famous northwest hops. A sweetened fruity taste makes ("vbnmjknbhj" - the cat typed that) an appearance. Nuttiness and with some slight burnt toffee taste. Has a nice crisp sweet tinge and the hops come in towards the finish.

M: Medium body with a great amount of carbonation.

D: In my quest to continue trying all the local beers this was a nice treat. I'm hoping to get this straight from the brewery if that is an option. Great beer and one that would be great for a growler's worth.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2009 00:32:12 | More by erikm25

czechsaaz

Washington

3.65/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Malty and fruity with a light hop presence in the aroma. Lots of caramel too. Smells like an ESB.

Deep amber colored and very clear. Has a solid layer of fine foam that leaves huge amounts of lacing.

Malt is in the forefront. There's tons of caramel malt and even a deeper malt that may be some Munich? The malt complexity makes me think there's a bunch of specialty malts in there. Kind of a high level of buttery diacetyl though. Hop bitterness is pretty restrained but definitely there. Aftertaste is fruity yeast and more malt.

Medium bodied with nice creamy carbonation level.

Pretty nice beer. Not highly hopped but not sweet either.

Serving type: growler

01-15-2009 03:23:08 | More by czechsaaz