Point St. Benedicts Winter Ale

Brewed by Stevens Point Brewery
Style: English Strong Ale
Stevens Point, Wisconsin USA

Date: May 23, 2009
Mode: Bottle
Source: Ticker Tasting
Appearance: clear dark amber, wispy beige head, streaks of drippy lace
Aroma: sweet dark caramel and toffee aroma
Flavor: sweet caramel candy flavor, light spicyness, touch of burnt caramel, light bitterness
Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3.1/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *4

(12oz bottle, courtesy of Cavie) Pours a clear amber body with a small off-white head. Aroma of toasted grain, roastiness, caramel, toffee, and spices. Flavor of raisins, toasted bread, caramel, grass, and herbs.

Light chestnut color with a moderate somewhat dissipating off-white head. Aromas of dark caramel and lightly roasted malt. Some hints of yeast and herbal/grassy hops as well. Light toasted malt with a mix of brown sugar. Certainly more heft than the typical small macro. Mild influences of hops and yeast. A stronger amber with some mild Belgian tendencies.

The body is light orangeish brown with a dense light beige head. The aroma is light shortbread cookies with some caramel. This smells like a dunkel to me. The taste has some light hints of bubblegum and a little bit of roast. Finishes with some definite banana notes. There is a hint of cinnamon hiding in the body. Not a bad effort, especially considering it came from Point.

Bottle and served in my NB worthy glass: Pours a mahogany hue with a fading frothy head and spotty lace. The aroma has notes of roasted, bready, rye, and caramel malt along with some wheat esters, slight banana and hazelnut, some Belgium candy sugar, and a note of lacto. The taste is roasty malt and wheat at first followed by a mild note of syrupy fruit. The finish displays a note of ashy smoke, nut, and a faint sourness. The mouth feel is soft and astringent, thin to medium-bodied. An okay beer but a bit confusing for is it a Dunkelweizen or something closer to an Dubbel?

Picked up a single 12-oz bottle from Flanagan’s Liquors in Appleton, Wisconsin. Pours a clear dark amber brew with a thin off-white head that quickly dissipates to a fine film and white ring. Aroma of roasted light multi-grain malt, some banana esters, bubble gum and a touch of cloves. Taste is medium bodied, some carbonation with flavors of roasted malt, some banana, coriander and a touch of pepper. Finish has a semi-sweet and light spice aftertaste with some flavors of banana and clove.

Bottled. Poured clear garnety-brown with a short-lived cap of beige head. The aroma was all kinds of sweet.. moreso a banana, clove, and bubblegum dunkelweizen-y sweetness than a dubbel.. a little chocolate in there too... not bad, but too sweet for my liking. The flavor picked up grainy, strained banana and chocolate sweetness with a hit of clove and peppery spiciness.. a little messy, but it came together in the end.. the spicy, chocolatey finish was warm and a touch refreshing. Medium-bodied, sweet, and a little grainy on the palate.. felt good. This was a solid offering!

Again, from Skyview. Brown color with no head. Slightly sugary aroma. Taste is overall pretty low-key, but holds a little yeast-derived spiciness, some malt and bit of a grassy finish. Not great, but really not bad at all coming from Point. Kudos for the effort.