Bison Winter Warmer

Brewed by Bison Brewing Company
Style: Abbey Dubbel
Berkeley, California USA

Chestnut color with a hint of umber when held to the light. Small lid of light tan bubbles. Lots of malt in the nose. Aromas of toasted grainy bread, with raisins, prunes and bananas. Some higher alcohols also seem to be in the scent. Syrupy malty flavors, somewhat akin to buckwheat pancakes with a light fruity syrup. Hints of the yeast shift in and out. Alcohol and lightly roasted malt come in the finish and linger. Reminds me of a cross between a dubbel and a doppelsticke. Thanks Pitonka.

Date: 04/01/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Roadtrip

clear dark red, fine beige head, rich dark caramel aroma, sweet fruity character, hint of toffee, spicy dark caramel flavor, drier than the aroma would indicate, touch of chocolate, nice spicy character, good fruit character but needs the sweetness to make it fully ripen,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3.2/5.0
Drinkability: 6/10
Score: *4

Bottled ’06. Beer is very dark brown. Head is initially small, white, frothy. Rapidly and totally diminishes.<P>First impression on the nose is warm, sweet alcohol and winter spices. The aroma is malty with moderate notes of roasted grain, light notes of chocolate, trace of mineral-laced molasses; Hoppy with a light note of herb; Yeasty with light notes of basement, banana and clove, trace of doughy sweat; Moderate miscellaneous notes of pepper, wood, traces of dried currents.<P>The flavor is moderately/heavily sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter with a long, warm, lightly sweet, lightly bitter finish. Peppery, raisin-laced retros.<P>The body is full, the texture is velvety and the carbonation is average.

Bottle (2006 version). Head is initially small, frothy/fizzy, light brown, mostly diminishing. Body is medium to dark brown. Aroma is moderately malty (caramel, toasted grain), with notes of overripe banana, brown sugar, clove. Flavor is moderately to heavily sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly to moderately sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, moderately bitter. Medium to full body, watery/syrupy texture, lively carbonation, moderately alcoholic. Kinda one-dimensional sugary/malty aroma, and pretty syrupy-sweet and rather boozy in the mouth.

Bomber from Bottle Barn; 2006; Nose is very fruity, like raisiny, sweet with clovey spices, and vanilla hints; Hazy rusty red with a small beige head; flavor has raisin pie, yeast, and some light hop bitterness, along with some light peppery spices. Pretty good double, quite drinkable!

Thanks Dave. The beer pours to a gushing transparent deep red mahogany body with a thin foamy light tan head. The aroma is white wine with white grapes and sweet barley. Earthen dusty yeasts. The flavor is dusty brown malts, green raisins, and earthy yeasts. Nice barley flavors. The palate is medium bodied, chewy, creamy, and lightly dry.

2006 bottle. The bottle is a gusher but doesn’t smell bad. Clear brown body under a short-lived foamy light tan head. Dry raisin, rum and chocolate wafer aroma. The flavor has a strong sweet raisin element over dry chocolate cherry cake. Lasting bitter raisin finish. Decent stuff but I’m not a huge fan of raisin beers.

Pretty lively winter brew, though I’m not really feeling it as a dubbel - not enough Belgian yeast character or heft in the body. But it’s enjoyable on its own merits. Deep ruby body with minimal head and lacing, you immediately get a whiff of the spices - not just the prominent raisins, but nutmeg and a trace of anise. Very nice, and a bit mellower than you might expect (even though the alcohol is noticeable). Not a bad brew from Bison.