MacTarnahans Mac Frost Winter Ale

Formerly brewed at Portland Brewing Company (Pyramid)
Style: English Strong Ale
Portland, Oregon USA

12oz bottle - Pours dark brown with a creamy offwhite head. Aroma is of caramel malts, a bit of chocolate and some sharp hops. Flavor is very similar. Very malty and delicious for a winter brew. Palate is medium bodied and quite smooth and drinkable. A nice seasonal.

(12 oz bottle: Holiday Wine Cellar in Escondido, CA) Phew. This is way more flavorful than I was expecting from a Portland beer. In fact, it’s extremely flavorful with a deep, dark, earthy malts, much roast, seemingly a bucketload of "winter" spices like nutmeg, moderate bitterness, and hints of cherries and wood from time to time. I’m still flabbergasted by how bold this beer is, but mind you, I’m definitely not complaining. Pungent earthiness in the nose suggests, at least to me, that this beer might be showing a bit of oxidation at this point. Behind this are spicy, roasty and malty aromas, but these aromas are nearly lost to the earthiness. Medium-full bodied, but a bit sharp on the palate from the spiciness, so this isn’t the easiest beer to drink. The dark brown colored body is capped by a tan head that pours to half an inch in height, but settles to a thin, broken layer. Some intricate doily patterns of patchy lace are left on the glass. Probably a different beer when fresh, but aging has apparently really intensified the flavors. That’s not a bad thing in my book.

Bottle. Again, I’m not sure who sent me this one. Pours brown, a little cloudy and with small scum-like head. Great nose of sweet caramel and cherries... I really like the smell of this brew. Flavor is fruity with hints of berry and a strong finish of toffee and malt sweetness. Taste is OK, but not as impressive as the nose. Body and palate not great, just medium with decent carbonation.

A good winter warmer (although most tend to have a bit more alcohol in the finish - all the better to "warm" you). I guess I shouldn’t be drinking this in the middle of the summer, but what the hell - I was thirsty!

Bottle and served in my Fullers pint glass:

It has a murky reddish amber hue with a mostly lasting creamy beige head and okay lace. The aroma has notes of caramelized and bready malts, grassy and even some piney hops, soem cherry and apple, cinnamom, and earthy yeast esters. The taste starts with a nutty malt presence before some mild bitter and acidic notes take a step forward. Seem some oxidition has crept in as well and may be getting old. Rather boring really and isn’t doing much for me. What I do not get is any notice of a wheat character in this brew and that is quite disappointing. The feel is just there, lots of carbonation and little else. Arggh, I will pass next time unless a very fresh bottle.

I enjoyed this brew, a bit of a spicy warm fruit flavor, nutmeg, fruitcake. I’d drink this one again.

nice and hoppy . citris and apple. decent winter ale, but nothing special.

Very dark ruby coloring with a light tan and yellowish head that dissapated quickly. The aroam is sweet cherries and caramel. There is also a little hint of chocolate. The taste is caramel with some oaky smoke. There is also a slightly boozy finish. A decent winter warmer.