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Left Hand Snow Bound Winter Ale

 (RETIRED)
Percentile
76
overall

bottled
common

on tap
available

Broad Distribution
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RatingsAverageScoreSeasonalABVStyle PctlServe in
3363.32/5.03.31/5.0Winter8.6%83.2Lager glass, Tumbler
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?  
 joergen (8523), Frederiksberg, Denmark
3.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/57/103/513/20
Dec 20, 2007  
Bottle. Clear orange brown coloured with an off white head. Spicy aroma of cinnamon, cloves, caramel and fruits. Sweet flavour of caramel, cinnamon, nutmeg and fruits with notes of alcohol and liquorice. Spicy and warming alcoholic finish.


 Grovlam (3809), Copenhagen, Denmark
3.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/57/103/514/20
Dec 20, 2007  
Left Hand Snow Bound Winter Ale Bottle. [Another great tasting session @ Papsoe] Small creamy beige head that mostly diminished. Clear mahogany color. Fair display of lacework. Sweet Christmas spice and light toasted malt. Hint of fruity notes in the sniff as well. Over the palate ginger, yeast, cinnamon, cardamom. Medium bodied with an average carbonation and light dry texture. Moderated sweet flavor. Moderated spicy / herbal like finish that lingers. 6 / 3 / 7 / 3 / 14


 mribm (419), Hurley, New York, USA
4.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
10/104/510/104/518/20
Dec 19, 2007  
This was a GREAT winter ale that is perfect for the holiday season. This beer is loaded with sweetness, cinnamon, nutmeg and a flavor that makes you want more, more, more! The alcohol is very well hidden, so be careful, because this great beer could come back to bite you the next morning! I loved this beer and will make it one of my yearly searches. Very well done.


 PilsnerPeter (2612), Flushing, New York, USA
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/104/514/20
Dec 18, 2007  
Bottle: Pours a nice color; deep nut brown with plenty of clarity and a tan, creamy, lacing head. Sweet aroma with mild Christmas spice presence. Sweet ginger bread, brown sugar, lots of chai character and a sweet nutty notes as well. Sweet flavor. The mouthfeel is slick and warming. Has a light maple hint which leads to more toasted and spicy characteristics. Has some cardamom, clove, and slight boozy notes. Residual subdued cinnamon and a late roasted nutty malt hint. The flavor is a bit sweet for my taste, but something about it is reminiscent of a nice chai-tea, which I really like, and captures an ideal "warming" character for the winter season. Highly drinkable and enjoyable.


 Tilley4 (218), Huron, Tennessee, USA
3.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/103/513/20
Dec 17, 2007  
Not a bad Christmas beer but not my favorite by any means. Looks exactly like extremely strong tea when poured. Not much of a head to this. Smells like a big pumpkin pie that’s been laced with alcohol. Very sweet taste to this beer, as expected. Almost too sweet tasting. I can definitely taste the honey and spices in this but I’m not sure in a good way. I’m not sure how much of this I could drink. I finished this one but I don’t know if I would drink a second. It’s not a bad beer or anything, but it’s just a bit sweet for my tastes.


 HomeBrewHawk (269), De Soto, Kansas, USA
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/103/515/20
Dec 16, 2007  
22oz. brown bomber served in a Duvel tulip. Poured a pretty clear ruby red. Medium bubbled low white head. Pumpkin pie spices in the aroma. Cinnamon, clove, allspice. Spices predominated the flavor as well. Rich and full bodied, big malt base with a long chocolatey malt finish. I don’t think I could drink a whole lot of this, a bomber was plenty. If you like spiced holiday beers, this would be right up your alley.


 michael-pollack (2652), King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, USA
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/58/104/515/20
Dec 13, 2007  
Draught: Aroma of spices, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Poured amber in color with a medium to large-sized, dense, foamy, off-white head that lasted throughout. Good lacing. Clear. Not sparkling. Flavor of cinnamon, nutmeg, and spices. Medium body. Dry, creamy texture. Average carbonation. Nutmeg finish.


 gws57 (1137), Saint Charles, Illinois, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/105/515/20
Dec 13, 2007  
Found this one bottled (22 oz.) at Binny’s in St. Charles, Illinois. Hazy, dark brown pour with a thick, foamy off white head. A bit of citrus, ginger and nutmeg in the nose, but dominated by bready maltiness. Spiciness continues into the taste. Considerable alcohol and sweetness, bitterness is low but present with a bit of orange rind and lots of ginger. Strong but clean finish. This is very good.



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