Samuel Smiths Winter Welcome Ale

Brewed by Samuel Smith
Style: English Strong Ale
Tadcaster, England

2006-2007 Vintage - Amber pour into a thin foamy head with lingering lacings. Malty caramel and slight hoppy aroma. Taste of warm cider & roasted chestnuts.

07’/08’ bottle. Pours orange/copper, Aroma / taste are hoppy, sweet with possible candi sugar / honey. Good carbonation, mildly sweet and fruity / yeasty with some good but subtle addition of winter spices.

I liked this one. So far I think this is the best I’ve had from Samuel Smiths. But then again, I’ve only had like 4 beers from them. Has a nice brown/golden color to it. Taste has a little bit of a sweet flavor to it. But it’s not an overpowering sweetness. It’s very nicely balanced. Has a nice smooth aftertaste. Good job Samuel Smith!

I had some ot this at a tasting the other night. The beer guy was touting it as one of his favorite Samuel Smith beers. Hmmmmmm. It isn’t bad. It has a pretty light drinkable almost lager like taste. Decent carbonation and fair amount of hops They had singles available and I was going to grab a couple until I saw they had Third Coast Old Ale in. At $14.00 a sixer I had to make a choice---there ws no choice. Might try it again later but probably not. CD

Pours a copper color with a thick, ivory head. Smells of fruity caramel. Makes me think of eating fruit with a caramel dip. Quite pleasant. There is the slightest of a bite upfront, but immediately vanishes and is replaced by the same caramel/fruity flavor. The finish is quite pleasant, not very bitter or spicy at all...very sweet. Carbonation is strong but it does not take away from the overall mouthfeel. Not too thin, not too thick. This is a highly drinkable brew. I could easily sip this one down and move on to the next...if they came in six packs and were a bit easier on the wallet. Overall a great brew. It wouldn’t hurt if it was a tad bit stronger as in other winter warmers, but it gets the job done. Will definitely have this again. Reviewed on: 02-20-2007

Pours nice dark copper with good sized head. Aroma is caramel malt, and raisin dark fruit with lots of spice. Flavor is a little on the light side- lots of dark sweet malt with decent hop bitterness. Palate is smooth and has decent body. Nice one.

Vintage 2008. Large bottle. Pours thinnish medium lasting head, over a pale brown, clear body....."English" type nose with mild hops and malts....tastes of understated malts, leading to appropriately mild hops. Rather understated overall but good balance.

Just didn’t do it for me, as far as rocking as a winter warmer. A very nice offering if it were any other time of year, as it was full bodied and full flavored. Definitely smelled English, but was more hopped than the usual Sam Smith offerings.