North Coast Wintertime Ale

Formerly brewed at North Coast Brewing Company
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Fort Bragg, California USA

2002 bottle. Head is initially average sized, frothy, off-white, mostly lasting. Body is clear dark amber, light density of tiny particles. Aroma is lightly malty (cookie), moderately hoppy (lemon, flowers), lightly yeasty (cobwebs). Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly acidic, moderately bitter. Finish is moderately acidic, moderately bitter, lightly sweet. Medium body, watery texture, lively carbonation. Discovered my previous bottle was from last year...obtained this for re-rate to be fair. Much better. Hops and yeast smell Belgian...although it doesn’t appear to be bottle conditioned this year (if it is, we’re talking TRACE yeast). Good stuff...would be great if it was richer and maltier.

rerate gotta do this again cause i really liked this beer---burnt amber color, thin head, not a very thick mouthfeel but sometimes that isn’t such a bad thing--it’s very easy to drink and not too filling. and the flavor! wow, this was different. i don’t even know how to describe it--very interesting taste. a nice peppery sort of aftertaste on the tongue, but an upfront candy-like flavor initially, sort of rootbeer-ish? i’ll be getting this again next trip to the good beer store.

Normal amber color, but my wife (who was kind enough to pour it for me while I held our baby boy, really loved this particular color--perhaps our next dinig room will be painted this shade. Attractive aroma: soft coriander and a flash of pepper and allspice. Very nice match to the colder weather of winter. Spicy flavors distinct but not quite as engaging. I found the palate to end up too watery for my taste, but it is still very drinkable.

This dark amber colored beer by Norht Coast, has a destinct smell of malt, plums, and rasisan. It has a very sweet malty taste consisting of a powerful fruit taste and malt, and a slight hint of toffee. My least favorite North Coast but not to bad.

Clear amber color. Dusty fresh malt aroma, vanilla, yeast and alcohol. Tastes of sweet fresh malt (crystal??), honey, and caramelized sugar. Relatively light bodied. Maybe too drinkable, I may have swilled it too fast to get the right reading, Oh well. Tasty stuff anyhow.

cloudy chestnut pour. a tan head drifts off toward the edges of the glass in curly wisps like pine shavings on floor of geppetto’s workshop. a bold yeasty smell, like an amber wheat with holiday spices, a warming note of alcohol and dried fruits. the palate warms from light carbonation to smooth and creamy, medium bodied, with rum, apple and cola. the hops tintinabulate melodically and echo dreamily away. i only had one bottle so i can’t swear that it was real damn tasty, but it certainly gave that impression.

RE-RATE: Had this head-to-head against Sam Adams Winter Brew at a tasting. Nice, subtle winter spices. Somewhat winelike, a tad bit acidic but nice! Well balanced malt/hops. Original rating 6/16/02: 7-5-5-3-10: Pretty head which sticks to the side of the glass as it dissipates. Quite malty, overly prominent woodiness in the flavor. A bit weak.

Dark copper with foamy head and airy nose. Bitter coffee overtone. Smooth. Bland finish.