Anderson Valley Winter Solstice

Brewed by Anderson Valley Brewing Company
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Boonville, California USA

2006 bottle. Deep amber with a nice sized yellowish beighe head that collapses quickly with little lace. Huge spicy aroma, alsow with notes of citrus and caramel. There’s not much subtle about this. Smooth, thick mouthfeel with a bit of stickiness. Quite sweet with just a touch of some bitterness at the end. Spiced beers are not my favorites, but this is pretty drinkable and enjoyable in the right setting.

Bottle sampled with Beerded_one. Pours a deep amber with a nice light tan head. Aroma of spices, fruit, and caramel. The flavor is caramel, fruit, spices, and some toasted malts. Good body, very enjoyable brew.

Pour is a dark red with a average white head, Aroma is malts and a spice i can’t detect. Flavor is very nice. Very creamy and some vanilla with notes of nutmeg and some hops show up. Finish is a it oily but that is not bad with this brew. A very tasty brew that is not easy to find.

Pours very dark bronze with a good sized tan head. The aroma has thick malt that is smooth and caramelly. Ther is a good amount of spice as well - not sure what it is, seems like it may be allspice. Medium / thick body that is smooth, lush and velvety with gentle carbonation. The taste has creamy malt that is lightly toasted and rich. The spice is pleasant and underlying. The finish brings out more of the spice. Fairly complex - nice winter ale.

Bottle. Clear copper color with medium head. Aroma of cocoa, vanilla and caramel malt. Tastes of cocoa, vanilla, maybe a bit of ginger and cinnamon. Toasty/caramel malts. Medium to heavy bodied with a sweet finish. The texture is extremely syrupy. But it’s got a different kind of taste that most of the other Christmas/spice brews, and I like it.

Pours deep copper into a tumbler. Head quickly subsides to skim surface. Pear and cranberry aromas. Creamy, sweet caramel and full. Herbal vanilla and dry. Turns bitter long after the finish. Unique.

Anderson claims to have the world’s finest breweries. Year 2006, 12 oz brown bottle and the label is entertaining, lots of detail. Pours darker than expected, like a transparent dark american lager. Sweet aroma of fruit & yeast. Some hop or malt on the initial taste, then it fades to some cherry and possibly a hint of vanilla. Next taste revealed some citrus or orangey flavors. Another smell yeilds a leathery background aroma. Its interesting that the flavor and aroma are in a state of constant flux, very dynamic. Next taste is roasty and malty. Next sniff is vegatables! This beer is very complex, I must admit. Next sniff is like whiskey. However, the finish is above average bitter and it lingers with medicine or alcohol. Quite an experience. You must try this at least once, and once is enough. This beer is much better than Sammy Adams old Fezziwig.

There is a lot going on in this beer. Its a nice compliment to their summer solstice. Had it from draft, and had a very prominent aroma of spices, cinammon, caramel, etc.