Hale's Wee Heavy Winter Ale - Hale's Ales Brewery & Pub

Birdlegs

Washington

3.75/5  rDev +1.4%

11-25-2012 07:29:27 | More by Birdlegs

twistedweather

Washington

3.75/5  rDev +1.4%

02-05-2013 21:56:24 | More by twistedweather

bifrost17

Washington

3.48/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle poured into a Reuben's Brews snifter/tulip

A: Pretty nice looking dark orange verging on brown. Caramel toffy looking. Some spotty lacing on the glass. Thin head.

S: Not too much going on in the nose, malty, winter spices, a little booze, and breadiness.

T: Tastes pretty solid, kind of exactly how it smells, malty, cinnamon, kind of boozy, slight hop bitterness. There's also a really nice chocolate note in the finish, which leaves me wondering if they used a little bit of chocolate malt in the mash.

M: Mouthfeel is very good for the style, full, creamy, light carbonation.

O: Overall I'm not over, or underwhelmed with this beer. Definitely an interesting take on the winter ale style. Hales pretty much hit the mark with a big warming malt bomb for the winter season. I'd say it's worth trying if you happen to see it, but definitely not worth going out of your way to find.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2013 20:53:06 | More by bifrost17

Lazaro

Washington

3.5/5  rDev -5.4%

01-30-2013 04:13:13 | More by Lazaro

powdersoldier

Washington

3.75/5  rDev +1.4%

01-27-2013 19:55:31 | More by powdersoldier

constantine_272

Oregon

4.34/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Cloudy brown. Sticky foam with low retention that left flecks of foam in random configurations, not in rings. Appearance was the worst part of this beer. It's also the least important in my opinion.

S: Sweet smelling. Light roast smell. A little woody smelling.

T: Very unique flavor. The combination of sweetness with the roast flavors give it a bit of a fruity raspberry flavor up front. It finishes with a light chocolate flavor and a hint of vanilla. A home run, almost a grand slam if it weren't for the long aftertaste.

M: Again I wasn't a fan of the aftertaste. It had a tongue coating effect that tastes great, but just didn't finish when it was supposed to. Thicker and chewyier than others, which I like in a darker beer , so it was still good.

O: 'Wow' was the first thing I said after the first taste. The fruity, sweet, toasty flavor was amazing. It's clear this beer was purposefully and expertly crafted. A slightly cleaner finish would have been nice.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2013 04:28:41 | More by constantine_272

LiquidAmber

Washington

4/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a MacAndrew's thistle glass. Pours a hazy, medium ruddy orange amber. Two finger fine light tan head with great retention and lacing. Aroma of caramel malt, cinnamon, faint hops. Flavor of biscuit malt, light peppery hops, light cinnamon, finishing with the same peppery hops. Somewhat on the dry side and hoppy for a scotch ale, but nicely balanced. Medium body with a pleasant creaminess. I enjoyed this interesting take on a wee heavy with a nod towards a winter warmer. I'll look for this next year.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2012 03:35:35 | More by LiquidAmber

brentk56

North Carolina

3.68/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a hazy burnt auburn color with hardly any foam, despite a hard pour; the ringlet leaves a surprising smattering of dots all around

Smell: RIch caramel aromatics; some toast and a vague sense of the hop

Taste: Caramel, up front, but the hops intrude surprisingly, adding an earthy and piney character that balances out the hops, in the middle; the caramel adds a spice cake dimension, as well but, after the swallow, the profile is rather balanced

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body, but somewhat flat

Overall: A very unusual beer and certainly not your typical Wee Heavy; still, reasonably enjoyable; just call it a Winter Warmer and it would be much more understandable

Thanks, bobertkuekn, for the opportunity

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2012 00:07:16 | More by brentk56

sflefthander

4.25/5  rDev +14.9%

05-15-2012 18:19:10 | More by sflefthander

Tiriansdoor

3.25/5  rDev -12.2%

05-12-2012 04:16:54 | More by Tiriansdoor

shelby415

Oregon

3.5/5  rDev -5.4%

02-25-2012 07:38:49 | More by shelby415

vfgccp

New York

4/5  rDev +8.1%

01-27-2012 00:16:10 | More by vfgccp

evilkorova

Washington

3.5/5  rDev -5.4%

01-23-2012 18:40:36 | More by evilkorova

hannaho

Washington

4/5  rDev +8.1%

01-05-2012 19:40:29 | More by hannaho

americanbelgian

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +14.9%

12-28-2011 18:15:00 | More by americanbelgian

Duff27

Illinois

4/5  rDev +8.1%

12-24-2011 16:46:40 | More by Duff27

richkrull

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev -5.4%

12-24-2011 02:27:51 | More by richkrull

Kevin79

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +8.1%

12-11-2011 22:20:30 | More by Kevin79

twelveinches

Washington

4/5  rDev +8.1%

12-06-2011 06:54:11 | More by twelveinches

sharpski

Oregon

3.5/5  rDev -5.4%

12-02-2011 17:57:47 | More by sharpski

harrymel

Washington

3.68/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottled: unk, vintage 2011

A: dark ruddy copper with little head formation and only a target formation of foam. No lace.
S: bread pudding smell with caramelized sugars and some bread and cinnamon. Has a slightly aged smell to it.
T: Sweet with the slightest bitter and sharp edge to it. I've come to find a nice, subtle alcoholic blade in a Wee Heavy goes a long way to help harden the beer. This is no slouch. Some honey notes and rye bread flavors.
M: Medium on heavy with low carb and a semi dry finish. Nothing special, but suited for the style.
O: Decent beer. I would drink again in a heartbeat. Great for the season (or maybe a little colder).

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2011 07:26:59 | More by harrymel

gkangas

Washington

4/5  rDev +8.1%

11-30-2011 00:36:27 | More by gkangas

Bookseeb

Washington

3.68/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance is a dark amber with an off white creamy head and clingy lace. Smell is very light with roasted malt. Taste has the lightly roasted malt with a light hoppy citric twang in the end. Mouthfeel is medium, creamy with good carbonation. Nothing complex, but very enjoyable in these colder months.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2011 23:42:36 | More by Bookseeb

engisch

New Jersey

4.03/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours brown and cloudy. With an effervescent and lasting tan head. After every sip, tiny bubble replenish the thin head. Makes for nice looking beer aside from the hazy complexion when light hits it. Smells sweet and floral (bit strange/unique for a "Wee Heavy").

Tastes sweet with a nice balancing bitterness. Not typical of most wee heavys, which tend to be more sweet (sometimes sickenly). This is a very unique for the wee heavy category. Very Americanized in terms of hoppyness.

I would definitely drink / recommend this, but don't expect the typical wee heavy.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2011 02:13:10 | More by engisch

mtwentz

Washington

3.38/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

this is for a bottle of 09 wee heavy enjoyed christmas 010:

pours decent enough. a deep brown, almost black. after letting it come up a bit in temperature, it leaves a continent of creamy white head in the center with an uneven ring of the same around the walls of the duvel tulip.
smells raisiny, like iced fig nuten (spl?) filling.
the taste and mouthfeel is smooth. semi-rich sweetness blooms into a booziness. the aftertaste comes back with the iced fig thing (running out of adjectives). a buried bitterness.
Warming, but i wish it had aged a little smoother.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2010 03:38:57 | More by mtwentz