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Left Hand Snow Bound Winter Ale

Left Hand Snow Bound Winter Ale - Spice/Herb/Vegetable

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 Percentile 
74
overall
A Spice/Herb/Vegetable brewed by
Left Hand Brewing Co.

Longmont, Colorado USA

bottled
common

on tap
available

Broad Distribution
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 Ratings  Average  Score  Seasonal  ABV  Style Pctl  Serve in  Advanced 
3203.32/5.03.31/5.0Winter8.6%81.6Lager glass, Tumbler P  Stats

Commercial Description:
Fight cabin fever! Made with Rocky Mountain water, malted barley, hops, yeast, honey, orange zest, and other spices.

Editor's Note: beginning in 2006, Snow Bound became the name for Left Hand's strong winter seasonal beer made with honey and spices. It was previously known as XXXmas Ale. Below is the original XXXmas Ale description for reference.

XXXmas Ale is a spiced strong ale, using all natural ingredients to give it its festive nature. We brew this beer from a relatively high initial gravity to give it strength and body. This is (in our opinion) appropriate to a winter beer, and it helps to balance the numerous spices added. Honey is also added to increase fermentable sugars and give additional sweetness. Northern Brewer and Saaz hops are used sparingly, to allow the spices to evidence themselves. We add ground nutmeg, whole cloves, crushed cinnamon, orange zest and chopped ginger to spice the beer. Carbonation is kept low to accentuate the flavor of the beer and spices. It's like a liquid cake. Brew water is relatively soft.

 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 thejon375 (363), Tampa, Florida, USA
3.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/57/104/512/20
Jun 14, 2009  
Pours dark amber with light tan head. Aromas of raisins and spices. Tastes of roasted fruit and honey. Good for a cold winter night.


 djd07 (606), Houston, Texas, USA
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/57/104/516/20
Jun 13, 2009  
Bomber. Pours a very dark amber with a medium creamy light tan head that diminshes quickly leaving behind good sticky lacing along the glass. The aroma is a dark fruit malt with raisin and spice. Medium mouthfeel with a spicy roasted malt taste with cinnamon and molasses. Hides the alcohol well making it easy to drink, a good spice brew from Left Hand.


 vtafro (212), , New Jersey, USA
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/56/104/514/20
Jun 9, 2009  
Bottle. Beer is quite decent and has a good warming sensation but the alcohol does not effect the flavor in a bad way.


 brewski519 (256), Morrisville, North Carolina, USA
2.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
5/103/54/103/58/20
May 15, 2009    Updated: May 16, 2009
From a 22oz bottle this ale pours a dark ruby/browish color with a thin head. Strong spice aroma - lots of ginger, honey and pumpkin. The taste was very gingery and lots of pumpkin. Couldn’t really get past those 2 tastes to get to anything else. Check back with me next winter - maybe I will like it more during the right season.. who knows.


 chandler0201 (303), Durham, North Carolina, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/58/104/516/20
May 14, 2009  
Dark pour with limited white head. Aroma of spices and some citrus. Flavor is really strong but delicious, orange, honey, and cinnamon with other spices, with a great aftertaste. Best spiced winter ale I have ever had.


 brokephibroke (120), Mead, Colorado, USA
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/57/103/515/20
May 1, 2009  
Intense spiced aroma: cardamon, ginger and orange. Spice dominate the taste as well: cinnamon and cloves. If you want a spiced, strong ale, this is the one!


 timsilvia32 (422), from Michigan now in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
3.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/57/103/514/20
Apr 26, 2009  
22 oz. Rather dark brown/amber pour. Limited white head. Strong spice aroma, cinnamon, nutmeg and some maltiness. Some nice lacing. The spiciness is a bit edgy, with the sweetness the drinkability just slightly, but still ok. Taste has some maltiness that improves as it warms a bit. More cinnamon and nutmeg than malt though. Nearly no hop presence. Pretty lively mouthfeel, which is increased with the spice on the tongue. Winter warmers are a real niche that bend into other styles usually, this one is tough to put a finger on. If you like a west coast style, this will not have enough spice/hops. If you like a Euro style warmer, this will be closer but probably too much spice. Worth trying though.


 blipp (1407), Grand Island, New York, USA
3.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/103/514/20
Apr 25, 2009  
Bottle. Pours deep red brown with a beige head. Sweet malty aroma, with ginger bread and clove. The flavor is sweet malty and spicy, with cinnamon and ginger. Moderate bitterness in the finish.



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