I’ve been a bit lazy and haven’t posted these, so I’ll bunch them all together. I went and bought a bunch of winter beers last week. I drank most of them and here’s my thoughts.
I’ll start with the Belgians, which were quite different from the American beers. First was Scaldis Noel, aka Bush De Noel. The beer poured a dark amber color with a reasonable sized head. Smelled of cloves and other spices and a bit of alcohol, along with some caramel and a slight fruit scent, some type of berry. The flavor was of those spices with some caramel and fruitiness mixed in. It wasn’t tart or sour, but wasn’t sweet either. It was very malty with a slight bitterness and a slight alcohol burn at the swallow (12% ABV, so that wasn’t surprising). It was drinkable, though not too many because of the alcohol. I liked it and I’d have more, but not in the same sitting.
The other Belgian I had was Delirium Noel. This one poured a bit lighter and had a more pronounced scent to it. I didn’t expect cherries, but those were bit and it had a tart scent to it. This was a nice tart and sweet malty beer with a slight caramel flavor and some spices mixed in. At 10% ABV, I would only have one per sitting, but the alcohol was not at all noticeable in the taste. This one was better than the other. I’ll definitely be buying more of this.
Now on to the American beers… First was Brooklyn’s Winter Ale. This is an amber ale with a smaller head. It had a slight spiciness to it, but nothing overwhelming. It wasn’t anything spectacular, but it was still quite drinkable. It had a nice malt/hops balance with some slight tastes of spices. BA calls it a Scottish Ale, but I didn’t get that impression. It tasted like an amber ale with a touch of spices. I’m not sure I’d buy this again.
The last winter beer I had (well Susan had it this time, but I’ve had it before and I had some of hers) was Sam Adams’ Old Fezziwig Ale. This is a true winter warmer. The beer pours a dark ruby brown color, like a porter with scents of caramel, chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg, and other spices. The beer is like a very tasty Christmas cookie. Not the fancy Italian things, but a good old down to earth cookie. It would pair well with a good oatmeal raisin or oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. The taste is of the scents. The mix of spices with the caramel and chocolate malts is fantastic. This is one of Sam Adams’ best beers. Unfortunately, this beer is only available in the Winter 12 Pack, which also has the dreaded Cranberry Lambic (not a real lambic). If you can find it in a place that sells singles, pick some up. It’s well worth it. Heck, the Sam Adams Winter 12 Pack is worth it even if you toss the lambic or give it to someone you don’t like. The Old Fezziwig is one of my favorite winter beers.
0 Responses to “Winter Beers Galore!”