Dogwood Winter Ale 2003

Formerly brewed at Dogwood Brewing Company
Style: Abbey Dubbel
Atlanta, Georgia USA

A gigantic thanks to Larry (goldtwins) for this one. First of all, I’m thankful I got the opportunity to try this one. But for the grace of Larry, I’d never even known that it existed. Pours dark brown with medium light tan head. Aroma of malt, big chocoff, dark fruit. Tastes malty, with chocoff, dark fruit, and vinous notes. Not super complex, but very smooth and quaffable. Fairwell, Dogwood Brewing, I’ll see you in heaven.

Poured deep brown with thick dense tan head that faded away rather quickly, but left great lacing...the smell reminded me of something I haven’t smelled since 8th or 9th grade, Red Man...not in the bad way I guess, but just quite strong...as it warmed cocoa became the dominating aroma, a little caramel also...overall, the appearance was very consistent with a Dubbel...that’s about where the similarity stopped...the beer had a thin mouthfeel...cocoa, smokiness, and sweetness...finish light and sweet...good easy to drink brew though...

Bottle 427. Rating 1,300 in memory of Dogwood. Big 1 quart 1.8 oz bottle brought home from Atlanta. Opened the swingtop bottle top a LOUD pop. Foamed like crazy when poured into a tulip glass but the head went asay into nothing with 1.5 minutes. The aroma smelled of soaked wood chips and dried fruits. Something I think is amiss in this stuff for a few reasons. First, the head issue cannot be right. Second, the aroma has a funky sour peat thing going on. The taste could be interpreted as an abbey dubbel, but iinho, not a very good one. A sort of mustiness of a rotten plum and a sweetness that has too much brown sugar too it. No way I drink this whole bottle. This is strong.

Bottle: Poured a dark colored beer with a huge off-white head with perfect retention. Aroma is a mix between roasted malts, sweet plums and strong malt. Taste is absolutely wonderful with some roastiness, sweet plums marinated in warm alcohol and a spicy finish. Overall, this is a greatly enjoyable brew while not exactly being rigorous to the dubbel style.

Bottle #396. Murky dark brown color with a big tan colored head. Aroma is sweet malt, alcohol, and winter spices, predominantly allspice. Flavor is sweet, malty with nice spiciness. Very enjoyable beer. Thanks CaptainCouger.

Smokey salmon nose. Roasted, wood chip flavors. Creay, smoke malt. Good mouthfeel. Fairly interesting.

Cola brown with tall fluffy head. Chocolate in the nose and first sip, quickly turns to a smokey dryness. Long creamy taste is full of cocoa and sweetness.

Small light brown head, good retention and some light stringy lace. Almost black in color with brown highlights. Medium sweet malt nose, lightly roasty with hints of dark fruit. Medium body, creamy texture. Roasty, fruity flavors, plums and a hint of overipe peaches with faint vinous notes also. Medium sweet finish. Thanks go to beercellar2 for this one.