Dogwood Winter Ale 2003

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

Drank in April of 06.Deep dark brown pour with audible carbonation that was part of a thick sandy looking brown head. I swear I smell bourbon in this along with molasses and vanilla. A definite scotch edge to the flavor that is not harsh but enjoyable. Light level of chocolate and toffee with some spiciness. A sarsaparilla flavor in the woody bitter finish. This is a wonderful sipper that is only getting better with each taste. So much enjoyable flavor. Woody mixed with a light banana comes out at one point then it is a sweeter chocolate covered cherry flavor that I discern. Leaves a great feeling in my mouth. It coats my tongue well and scratches that itch on my palate. A lingering chocolate note with a cigar flavor that is fantastic. Ap-5 ar-8 tas-9 pal-5 ov-18

Rating #100. 1L bottle, #0006/2500, courtesy of growler. Pours a big fluffy head; beautiful lacing once the head settles down, pitch black with chocolate-brown edges. Cinnamon, almost vinuous quality, chocolate and green apple. Tons going on. Huge mouthfeel, cocoa, green apple (other people are getting formaldehyde?), spices, and a long, bitter chocolate/cocoa finish. An odd complexity that really impressed me.

TheDM and Hotstuff vacation brew 14. This draft brew was enjoyed at the brewery in Atlanta Georgia. The owner Crawford Moran treated us to several six packs of their brews as well as a freshly tapped bottle of their Dubbel. This brew poured a large head of light brown colored mostly lasting finely sized bubbles. The body was a dark brown color with small yeast particles floating in it. The sample we had was unfiltered. It had a smooth mouthfeel, a mild dark malt aroma and a yeasty smooth flavor. Its a very nice dubbel and was one of the most enjoyable brews of our trip.

Draft at the brewery in Atlanta. This was poured fresh for thedm and I on our visit to this brewery on our beer vacation. This was a very drinkable and enjoyable beer. It had a small sized tan head with fine sized bubbles that mostly dissipated. There was no carbonation observed. The body was opaque and the hue was dark brown. It had a malty and caramel nose with a caramel taste to it. The mouthfeel was extremely smooth and creamy. This was a light-medium bodied beer with fair lacing. Thanks to Crawford Moran for his fine hospitality and for giving thedm and I some sixers to bring home with us.

You know my lowest rated Abbey Dubbel thus far is a 3.8! This style is just amazing if done correctly. And Dogwood did a nice job here. Aroma of cherries and grapes. Flavor is velvety with a rich chocolate covered cherry and pine flavor. Slightly spicy and sweet aftertaste. I am regaining faith in Suthurn burs!

Name: Winter
Date: October 30, 2003
Mode: Draft
Source: Twains, Decator, GA
Vintage: 2003
Appearance: opaque brown, thin whispy head
Flavor: rich malty flavor, chocolate covered bananas, rich essence of ripe fruit - figs and dates - well blended

Name: Winter
Date: July 09, 2006
Mode: liter bottle
Vintage: 2003
Appearance: nice lace
Aroma: still can’t get much of an aroma
Flavor: flavor is still very rich with lots of chocolate and some sweet ripe fruit that ripens as it warms

Name: Winter
Date: August 18, 2007
Mode: bottle
Source: tasting
Vintage: 2003
Score: 3.7 to 4.0
Aroma: sweet ripe fruit and milk chocolate aroma
Flavor: rich chocolate flavor, lots of fruity character, still a bit of caramel sweetness although it is drying out a bit
Overall: chocolate covered caramel candied fruit treat

Name: Winter
Date: January 10, 2009
Mode: bottle
Source: GMoT tasting
Vintage: 2003
Aroma: sweet fruity aroma, ripe fruits
Flavor: rich chocolate flavor, lots of sweet fruity esters
Overall: holding very well

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 17/20
Rating: 4/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **4

firstly, this is NOT a dubbel, far from it. This is, like jcalabre pointed out, a spiced ale, there´s no doubt about that. Spicy fruity aroma, with some hints of hops. Taste is of sweet candy, spices and fruits, mouthfeel very wet, Also some earthy outhouse hint in this, this was quite a surprise, but had a much more stout or barley wine feeling to it rather then a dubbel

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.