Great Lakes Brewing Winter Ale

Brewed by Great Lakes Brewing (Ontario)
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Etobicoke, Canada

Clear brown body, with some carbonation and a foamy light-brown head. Pretty weak head retention. Some strong spiciness in the nose (cinnamon, nutmeg, a bit of clove) as well as some brown sugar and caramel. The taste is also very spicy and not sweet. Some bitterness in the finish and some lingering spiciness. Okay drinkability. Crisp carbonation. A decent winter warmer.

Bottle - 750ml. Dark copper body with low carbonation and a thin off-white foamy/creamy head. Enjoyable malty/hoppy aroma with brown sugar, cinnamon, and piney hints. Taste is dominated by hoppy flavors. It also carries woody and cinnamon notes. Ends with a sharp bittersweet finish. Decent winter warmer.

Pours a satisfying deep amber. Aroma is hints of cinnamon and honey, with some sweet fruit thrown in the mix. A cool and spicy palate, with a smooth mouthfeel that gives way to an unusual eucalyptus-and-clove finish. Strong notes of citrus and herbs throughout. Very unique taste. Rather enjoyable one-off holiday brew.

750ml bottle poured into a pint glass. Poured a clear copper-brown colour with a 1" head. The head was gone in a few minutes and not much lacing. Some sweetness and some spiciness in the aroma but it’s a bit mild overall. Flavour has mostly caramel & honey sweetness upfront. I can pick up the spices in the background. A bit of a bitter fruit in the finish but it’s a bit overshadowed by the alcohol bite. Good carbonation with some stickiness. It’s OK. This one was a slow sipper. I found the aftertaste was just a bit off putting. Overall this isn’t a bad beer but it didn’t stand out for me either.

Bouteille de 750 ml partagée lors d’une dégustation Ratebeer Montréal chez MartinT. Arôme: Odeur d’épices avec une pointe de caramel et d’agrumes. Apparence: La couleur est ambrée. Présence d’un mince col mousseux et d’une fine dentelle sur le verre. Saveur: Goût de canelle et de gingembre avec une pointe d’agrumes et de caramel. Durée moyenne de l’arrière goût. Palette: Le corps est moyen avec une texture légèrement aqueuse. Faible effervescence en bouche. Légère présence d’épices en arrière goût. (Rating #2427)

My Bottom Line:
Omnipresent cinnamon and orange peel control this very spicy Christmas brew, somewhat alleviated though by soft frothiness and hoppy bitterness.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A veil of foam tops the lightly hazy red.
-This is still quite drinkable even though the spices are a tad overused.
-The body is pretty lean; a few more dextrins might have helped ground these spices.<br< -This might be a nice novelty item for neophytes, but I don’t see it reaching too many craft beer lovers’ hearts anytime soon. But that’s just me.

Bottle.

750ml bottle. Poured deep copper with creamy tan head. Aroma of gingerbread and cloves. Lot’s of spice, caramel notes. Full flavoured, creamy mouthfeel, a meal in itself. Light alcohol in the finish but it doesn’t linger. Delicious, recommend it on those cold Canadian winter days.

750 ml bottle from LCBO, served at cellar temperature in a tulip glass. DE31/08.

App.: Medium copper, clear with a decent light tan foam. Aroma: Brown sugar and molasses with lots of spice – ginger, clove and cinnamon stick out, there’s almost a cardamom-like perfume. Palate: Medium+ body with fairly soft carbonation/effervescence. Flav.: Just like a spice cookie – molasses, ginger, clove, cinnamon; a bit of the citrus comes through and a hint of alcohol; dry with some bitterness and lingering spice.

Like drinking a booze-soaked Christmas cookie. I think I’d rather have that, honestly.