White Winter Premium Oak Brackett

White Winter Winery
Brewed at South Shore Brewery/Wilmarths Deepwater Grille
Style: Mead
Iron River, Wisconsin USA

Sampled this many times at previous brewfests and decided to sit down with this one at Gitchee Gumee. Glimmering clear jello rust. No head, but that is expected of the no carbonation braggot style. Nose is light but largely malty with a high end sweetening of honey and candied melon. Tangy wine-likeness to its presence. Light notes of spicy dry hardwood forest leaves floats past. Intense thick malt of honey and caramel sweetness and super ripe fruits of melon, grapes, apples, and apricot slip inbetween a big oak wood center thats quite tangy and renders a malt vineger without the salt. Dashes of spice and dried leaves spring to life after the winey vinegar flavors start to fade. But what really makes all this sound and taste better is its amazing heft and unimaginable cloying thickness. Its like a syrupy wine. Super heavy, super sticky, and largely cloying. The sweetness is never overly harsh, but it definatley pushes the envelope. Another envelope pusher, yet unmentioned, is the 10%. Oh its there, it sits heavy like everything else but waits til the end to poke its fiery head up out of the thickly sweet vinous murk. Drinkability? Is there such a thing with braggots? So sweet, so thick, soooo cloying and sticky. Sip isn’t the proper word for it. I’ll say slow goin’. Its as drinkable as malt vinegar. You can only handle so much before your taste buds begin screaming for you to stop.

Gitchee Gumee Brewfest 2005. This beer was a cozy mahogany color. Aromas were strong of chicory and sugar. Flavors of chocolate and rum, with alcohol very present (seems I like it this way). Good smooth sweet finish.

Darn good stuff. Hazy amber/brown body and a fleeting soda-pop head. Aroma was Fruity, appley, honey, sherry. Smooth and syrupy on the tongue. Pleasant apple-honey flavor. Very nice.

2004 ABR. I did not know that these guys were affiliated with South Shore Brewery. Are they trying to take over the world? Ok, maybe not. Bourbon barrel aroma. Chocolate milk, caramel. Dark amber, orangish/red in color. No head. Chocolate notes and caramel notes. Wonderfully flavored. I’m not a Mead expert, and this was admittedly almost more a beer than a Mead, but I really liked this stuff.

2004 Autumn Brew Review: Brown Coloring. Malty. Fruit - Apple, Raisins..Sweet. Not Bad Overall.

Autumn Brew Review 2004. Brown coloring. Very mild malt aroma with a little apple mixed in. Good apple and honey taste rounded off with wood and sugar. I found this to be quite tasty.

Head is initially small, fizzy, light brown, mostly diminishing. Body is hazy dark brown, bottle conditioned. Aroma is moderately malty (burnt caramel, molasses), with notes of sherry, alcohol, raisin, apple/pear. Flavor is heavily sweet, moderately acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is moderately sweet, moderately acidic, moderately bitter. Medium to full body, watery/syrupy texture, lively carbonation, moderately alcoholic. Interesting and enjoyable, actually...if you like the oxidized/sherry aroma (I don’t particularly, but the other components are nice so overall it’s pleasant). Think old ale mixed with Polish mead, throw in a dash of cider, and you’ll be in the right ball park. Neat.

Aroma of apples, similar to a hard cider. The taste of of sugar and apples; so sweet as to be undrinkable, and I do enjoy a sweet beer. Disappointing as is, cut down on the sugar and it would be good.