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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?  
 Braudog (3752), Dayton, Ohio, USA
3.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/103/513/20
Feb 20, 2007  
Poured from a 22 oz bottle: Dark color of chestnut brown with a thin bubbuly airy head of just off-white. Very different aroma here ... spicey to be sure, and another aspect that’s harder for me to pin down ... anise maybe? Same for the flavor ... over the undertow of sweet malt, there’s a distinct flavoring of honey, ginger! (that’s what that was in the aroma!), and other less obtrusive spices. This is just as advertised and is a good choice for those who enjoy such creations. (#2724, 2/20/2007)


 stegosaurus (1882), Levittown, Pennsylvania, USA
3.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/56/103/514/20
Feb 15, 2007  
Bottle sampled at Issac Newton’s. Pours amber/brown with a decent size off-white head. Aroma of fruit, spices, and slightly toasted chocolate malts. The flavor is spicey, semi-sweet, toasted caramel and chocolate malts, and small traces of bitter hops. Decent brew.


 hopscotch (5472), Vero Beach, Florida, USA
3.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/56/103/512/20
Feb 14, 2007  
Bottle... Clear burnt-orange ale with a small, creamy, off-white head. Decent retention. Holiday aroma with lots of nutmeg, clove, gingerbread and toasted malts. Malty-sweet flavor with perfumey spices. Delicately bittered. Full-bodied with a creamy mouthfeel and moderate carbonation. Spicy, lightly bitter, mostly sweet finish.


 sliffy (1966), Columbus, Ohio, USA
3.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/56/103/513/20
Feb 1, 2007  
On tap @ Brew Kettle: Brown in color with a white head. Aroma, ginger some spice, and some sweet malts. Flavor, a harsh spice to it, some brown sugar, caramel, and some light fruits to it. Not that great.


 Gachupines (290), USA
3.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/56/103/514/20
Jan 29, 2007  
Dark brown with a thick, creamy off white head. Aroma is of spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Taste is malty with strong spice flavor. Strong yet smooth and light on the tongue. Spices are not heavy, but almost playful on the tongue. Nice beer, complex but not over the top.


 scraff (1942), Baltimore, Maryland, USA
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/57/104/514/20
Jan 26, 2007  
Coppery brown, creamy light tan head. Spiced nose of ginger, clove, and nutmeg, with a soft underlying wave of spruce, toast, and even touches of chocolate mint. Flavor is all the above with loads of spiced sweet malt that rounds out with a light citric hop bitterness. Medium to full bodied, medium carbonation, spicy, malty finish. Good X-Mas beer that never seemed too over the the top...


 andyhite (292), Murfreesboro, Tennessee, USA
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/59/104/513/20
Jan 26, 2007    Updated: May 16, 2007
RE-RATE: it looks appetizing. shimmering dark brown fade on the pour with a seemingly rapidly-fading insufficient head for my tastes, but nonetheless, it has a nice hue. aromas of spice; i wish i had a spice rack in front of me to isolate all of them. there’s a small amount of hops in the nose, but it’s more of that yeast and malt aroma. also - a big whiff reveals the orange peel stuffed deep inside. gingerbread cake. that’s the flavor.it’s got a zing to it. it’s a yummy beer, filling, but drinkable. this beer has complexity and is very approachable - it definitely beats a spiked cider for the cabin getaway...i dig it.


 jpm30 (1588), East Central, Georgia, USA
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/57/104/515/20
Jan 22, 2007  
From a 22 oz. bomber bottle with a list of ingredients along the right side of label, winter 2006/2007 vintage. Poured a reddish brown with a small foamy off-white head that settled into a fine lacing, minimal amount of sticking. Aromas of Christmas spices, cinnamon, clove, cardamon, nutmeg, ginger, an orangey honey, a light caramel and a subtle herbalness. Moderate carbonation and a softly crisp, dryish, velvety smooth medium bodied mouthfeel. Definitely Christmas spicy taste, gingerbready with all the spices, orange zesty, honey to go with the soft caramel, toffee malts, an earthy, herbal hoppiness with a brisk bitterness, the alcohol is lightly warming in the palate and a brief alcohol flavor emerges at the end, and a dry ginger spicy, malty finish. A nice winter seasonal from Left Hand, easy drinkability, because of the spices used, I should have tried this over the recent Christmas holiday.



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