mugabe (215), Sweden Feb 20, 2008 Bottle. Pitch black. Sweet dark fruits in the aroma. Heavy, foamy head, Sweet quadruple-like taste. Lacking in finesse, but still sturdy. ukoolaid (572), Amherst, Massachusetts, USA Feb 19, 2008 Bottle (called "Winter Ale"). Pours a dark mahogany with giant foamy fluffy long lasting tan head. Reminds me of a rootbeer float. Aroma is sweet dark malts with spices and molasses/caramel. Taste is earthy and sweet with coffee, caramel, and licorice. Finishes with a little bitterness/alcohol. That’s a hell of a tasty beer. BossHossBikes (147), Tennessee, USA Feb 18, 2008 Bottle. As soon as I popped the cap, it started gushing and didn’t stop for a good minute. I was upset, thinking it’d be my second infected beer in a row. I frustratingly pour a glass but notice the pour is normal. No overabundance of head. It pours much like a porter, semi-opaque ebony with a velvety beige head that creates some decent lacing. As I lean over to take a whiff I notice it also doesn’t smell infected. Ah, so far so good. The aroma has some molasses, a good amount of earthiness, a medium amount of cocoa, and subtle hints of coffee. Now for the taste test. Oh yes, quite tasteful. No hints of infection. This makes me happy. I guess this bottle just seemed to be a gusher. The beer is creamy to the tongue and has some nice carbonation. The flavour is strong in cocoa qualities. Caramel notes become quickly apparent giving a good amount of sweetness. Coffee and molasses are other defining characters that mix nicely with this brew. As the brew passes, hops qualities begin to show themselves, but doesn’t overpower the cocoa flavour. The finish is lightly bitter and lightly sweet, much like pure cocoa. There is also a noticeable alcohol presence that creates a nice warming sensation as it passes through. This is a delicious desert beer. I’d much rather take this over a slice of chocolate cake after a hearty, steak meal. Mmm. BelgianBeerGal (1275), Sabbatical in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA Feb 18, 2008 American bottle labeled as "Winter Ale". Dark borwn almost black colour with a small brown head. Big aroma of coffee, sweet candied fruits, molasses and hops in the background. Very creamy mouthfeel. Flavour has more coffee, some dark chocolate and nice finish with a touch of bitterness. Very well done. larstangaa (104), Denmark Feb 17, 2008 Dark - chocolate, carameltoffee, dark fruits - flavoru coffee, toffee, smoke?, - and som hop-finish. nuplastikk (1159), Madison, Wisconsin, USA Feb 16, 2008 Updated: Feb 17, 200816.9oz bottle, labeled as Winter Ale. Thick black-brown color, with ever the slightest stained-glass red when you hold it to light. Nice thick head. This beer is rich, sweet, and deep bodied. Lots of caramel tastes and a faint spice characteristic reminiscent of classics like Anchor Christmas. Exceptionally smooth, this one is right on. turbo (1254), Arizona, USA Feb 16, 2008 Black with a thick, creamy brown head.
Aroma is sweet chocolate malts and caramel.
Flavor is rich chocolate, roast nuts, caramel.
Smooth and creamy. Chewy. easy drinking. Good beer! michael-pollack (2603), King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, USA Feb 14, 2008 500ml Bottle: Lightly sweet aroma. Smells of malts, chocolate, raisins, and hints of fruit and alcohol. Poured dark brown in color with a large, dense, foamy, brown head that lasted throughout. Opaque. Very good lacing. Flavor of chocolate, dark malts, candi sugar, roasting, piney hops, and a hint of vanilla. Medium body. Creamy, chalky texture. Soft carbonation. Sweet, chocolate finish is a bit chalky. 8.5%ABV is well hidden.
|