 SHANER4 (370), Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA
Jan 27, 2008 22 oz. bottle - Poured dark brown with small head. Aroma is sweet malt with hint of nutmeg. Flavor is manly toasted malt with a ripe banana finish.I also tasted cinnamon and other various spices. Overall a really great winter beer, warms belly with high ABV.
BrewDad (2363), Olympia, Washington, USA
Jan 27, 2008 22oz Bomber - 99 Bottles - Federal Way, WA
Aroma – Nice winter ale aroma with lingering spices.
Appearance – Dark brown in color, nice thin head and clear.
Flavor – Lots of dark malt flavor. I liked the spices and dark sugars in this beer. It drank great and warmed up well.
Palate – Nice Mouthfeel, good winter ale texture with a nice dry finish.
Overall – Great winter ale this had deep alcohol flavor and finished dry this was a sweet beer with lots of flavor dripping from it. A great Winter ale Lefties.
jmikolich (405), Athens, Ohio, USA
Jan 27, 2008 22oz, 2007 version, pours a nice deep dark reddish brown, with the smell being that of spices traditionally found in Christmas ales, this one is no different but doesnt stand out, much the same as all Xmas ales, none strikes me all that fondly.. no hint of the 8.6% ABV
BustedFlat (552), Edina, Minnesota, USA
Jan 26, 2008 2007 version. Poured reddish brown with a thin tan head. Aroma -- Sweet, spicey and maybe some licorace. The taste was heavy on the ginger. Very sweet and thick. Also soem clove and nutmeg. The spices seem to dominate here. A bit unbalanced.
ClarkVV (3578), Allston, Massachusetts, USA
Jan 18, 2008 Draught tulip at Sunset Grill on 11/17/07
Deep chartreuse-tinted mahogany with some light tan notes on the edges. Clear, with a fleeting chestnut head that leaves little/no lacing.
Ginger and dry nutmeg are strong in the nose, with wisps of chocolate malt nuances on the edges and powdery cocoa mixing with ginger again on the finish. Excessively clean smelling, with little in the way of wholesome or rich malts. Just some passing sugariness and mostly an array of spicing. Not particularly hoppy, and no real yeast suggestions break through (no fruitiness). Definite alcohol sharpness emerges with breathing, on the finish. No flaws, medium strength of aroma.
After two relatively successful Left Hand beers before this one (the smoked goose and the warrior), I was really hoping this would prove to have the same softness of palate (relatively speaking) as those. It certainly did not. Extremely hard, crystal malt-like structure shows hard candy-like sugariness, with too much reliance on spicing to add flavor. Way too much ginger, creating too much astringency and meatiness. Powdery cocoa notes followed by soda water-like flavors on the bland finish from the loose carbonation. Alcohol warmth further dries things out. Like a really, really poorly done Anchor OSA clone with too much alcohol. Difficult to finish.
jcwattsrugger (5223), Florida and, New Jersey, USA
Jan 15, 2008 22oz bottle-pours a dissipating foamy tan head that laces and deep red/mahogany color. Aroma is dark malt, nutmeg/honey/cocoa powder, ginger/earthy, dark fruit-cherry. Taste is spices, dark malt, nutmeg/honey/cocoa powder, ginger/earthy, dark fruit-cherry, dry/granular/slight alcohol finish. Medium body. OK effervescence.
swanmann (304), Norman, Oklahoma, USA
Jan 12, 2008 Bottle poured rich caramel color with a moderate amount of dissipating of tan foam. There’s a strong aroma of caramel, alcohol and floral bouquet. The flavor is pretty sweet, syrupy with hints of bitter roastyness. Rather soft carb. A great warmer.
beerbill (1918), Laurel, New York, USA
Jan 12, 2008 22 oz. bottle. Pours a clear coppery red with a moderate linen white head that left a layer of lace after each sip and faded to a film around mid-glass. Very nice aroma of cinnamon, allspice, cloves and brown sugar. The flavor is mostly about the spices with weak caramel malt up front follwed by cinnamon, allspice and cloves. The spices in this beer are more reminiscent of Fall than Winter. A bit one dimensional, but otheriwise a decent brew.
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