Middle Ages Wizards Winter Ale

Brewed by Middle Ages Brewing
Style: English Strong Ale
Syracuse, New York USA

Not really my thing. It seems overly bitter and not-too-complex, somewhat like the beers Saranac churns out. Despite my love for Middle Ages, this one definitely falls short.

pours very red yellow. . tastes like a scotch ale with its strong malty character... some citrus in there as well, i wish it was a bit more spicy, other than that it tis an alright brew.

Amber color , very flat , lack of any noticiable aroma or head, very milld spiciness bit of orange at the finish

Pours deep amber into an English pint. Tan head with excellent retention. Malt aromas. Upfront malt with a lasting, bitter finish.

On tap at the Blue Tusk in Syracuse. Pours an amber-orange with nonexistent head. Slight haze although not entirely opaque. Toffee and other sweet malts in the nose, slight citrus, slightly bread dough - the aroma doesn’t jump out at me but it is nice for what it is. On the tongue I find lingering toffee tinged with a slight splash of alcohol and a nutty, very slightly bitter finish. Smooth, buttery on the tongue (diacetyl?), well-balanced and prototypically English: doesn’t bat you over the head with hops, the ingredients are held in a nice balance with one another. Straightforward and pleasing, although indistinct and muddled in some ways.

Bottle. This was a tough one for me, I really tried to like it. Aroma was odd, seemed grassy then sweet almost a honey nut thing going on. Poured a nice copper-bronze. Flavor was just odd almost like it couldn’t decide it’s character,sweet or bitter. Palate was okay but it had butter quality to it I didn’t like. Try it at your own risk.

Bottle. Pours a hazy dark copper-brown body with a creamy yellow head. Sharp aroma consisting of sour bread, vegetables, and grass cuttings. Surprisingly quite hoppy and bitter. Bread sweetness is also apparent as well as a certain thick stickiness. Finishing with alcohol and soapy bitterness.

(12 oz bottle: Obtained 28-May-05 in trade with shadey, thanks Shane!) Yeah okay, so I pushed this one a bit, giving it 18 months of aging, but I’m reasonably pleased with the results. This is a fruity (very!), malty, sweet and caramely beer that is one of the more buttery examples I’ve run across. Wow, no mistaking the British intentions here, but I’d have to say the butter notes are overdone, especially as the beer warms up. Beyond this, the hops are fairly mild, with the bitterness taking a back seat. The beer smells overwhelmingly buttery with notes of caramel and light hops. Body and carbonation are medium. Dark amber in color with a minimum of haze. Half an inch of beige head gradually settles to a ring and leaves no lacing. Overall, I liked this beer quite a bit when I took my first few sips, but it didn’t hold up with increased temperature and now the butteriness is just heavy-handed. Still enjoyable enough to finish the bottle though.