Port Townsend Winter Ale

Brewed by Port Townsend Brewing Company
Style: English Strong Ale
Port Townsend, Washington USA

2008-09-17. Hazy dark amber body with a larger long lasting beige head and lacing. Nice citrusy aroma with awesome fresh smelling oranges and tangerines (8+) have me rather excited to taste it, only to be let down. Odd flavour at first. Tart-bitter hops character, an odd tangy with a kiss of alcohol in the finish. Brief highlights echo the citrus of the aroma but they are disappointingly intermittent. Average palate on the thin side. Odd, has its moments. Numbers came out high because I liked the aroma, but I probably would have put this a touch lower overall. <i>Bottle shared by Blankboy</i>

22oz bottle shared with blankboy, GregClow, jerc and mabel - blankboy’s bottle? Murky deep orange pour with a huge fluffy beige long-lasting head. Aroma of dry spice, citrus zest, and light sweet malt. This bottle might have been a tad old - the taste had some dry lemon juice tartness that seemed somewhat out of place, but the main body was solid floral pungency over blood orange sweet juicy malt and crushed appleseed bitterness emerging in the finish. Thick bodied, lightly acidic (again, not really quite appropro?), soft mouthfeel, and also softly carbonated - nothing wrong other than maybe a bit of papery age to it.

From a 22oz. bottle--Poured a deep amber-chestnut body with a moderate white head. Sweet, bready fruity nose. Unbalanced sticky mildly infected presence. This beer needs some retooling.

A light spiced aroma with hints of malt. Slightly hazed orange pour. An unusual sour flavor that I just could not get past. Light bodied and a bit fizzy. Not one of my favorites. Drinkable but barely.

Appearance: Pours a clear, amber body with a bubbly, frothy, white head. Smell: Sweetish-smelling, bready maltiness with a cup of apricot juice. Taste: Bready malts with a flash of sugary sweetness. Then, the flavor jumps into a suspiciously tart apricot juice taste. A fair kick of hop bitterness holds until the still rather worrisome tart finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Drinkability: Not very pleasant and a bit awkward to finish.

This is one of those beers you arent really sure what they are going for. A copper color on this one. The aroma contains some grapefruit, lemons, but also a bit of maltiness like caramel and biscuit showing. The flavor is sweet and malty with some grapefruit, lemons, toffee, and caramel. Not horrible but not great either.

Date: 05/24/2008
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Cellar Party

Appearance: hazy amber, wispy beige head, lots of drippy lace,
Aroma: dry caramel malt aroma with an earthy presence,
Flavor: dry and earthy flavor, light caramel sweetness balanced with a touch of tartness,

Aroma: 5/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 4/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 7/20
Rating: 2.3/5.0
Drinkability: 5/10
Score: *+/4

Pours a transparent copper orange with a spotty-lacing white head. Aroma of lightly sweet caramel malts and a hint of tart light fruits. Starts with about average fullness and a touch of sweet pale malts along with some unexpected tartness and light fruity esters. Finishes mildly bitter and tart. Not sure if the tartness is expected.