Wild Goose Snow Goose Winter Ale

Brewed by Wild Goose LLC (Flying Dog)
Style: English Strong Ale
Frederick, Maryland USA

(Bottle) pours deep dark red. Light roasted aroma with some chocolate, earth, caramel and hints of stone. Some grassy hops with a subtle citric touch. Some dark fruits and dry raisins. Hints of yeast and vanilla. Roasted and light burned flavour with caramel, cocoa and a light subtle whiskey smokiness. Light sourish. Hints of earth and stone the finish is bitter and light sour. Some spiciness both in the aroma and flavour. Medium body.

Great all around ale. Nutty notes and maltiness on the nose. Nicely used malting leads to a crisp hop finish. As it warms the toasted malt arises giving a very pleasing mouthfeel.

Reddish copper, nice off-white (eggshell? ecru?) rocky head. A handsome, handsome beer. (In a side note, this might be the first time I’ve called a beer handsome), Woodsy, earthy aroma, plus a few floral and medicinal notes, as well. Flavor is earthy and woodsy, then some hop bitterness. Rough, sticky finish.

I was initially interested in this beer because I really like the picture of the label for it posted here on RateBeer. I can get many of the Wild Goose offerings in nearby Northern Kentucky, but for some reason I have never seen the SnowGoose Winter Ale. Luckily my buddy Sean was able to grab a bottle for me in Tennesse. Unfortunately the current label isn’t nearly as cool as the one shown here on RateBeer, but the beer is still quite good none the less...

Wild Goose® SnowGoose™ is a deep amber/nearly brown color and is quite clean and clear. It has a fluffy tan head that has good retention and leaves average lacing on the glass. roasted malt, chocolate, and some nuttiness are apparent in the earthy aroma. The flavor is fairly robust overall. It is roasty with dry, slightly bitter cocoa undertones. There is a nutty quality in the flavor toward the back side. The initial flavors are balanced by a moderate, distrinctively British bitterness. The body is medium/average (maybe slightly more) body and has a good carbonation level. Overall, SnowGoose is a gratifying Winter brew and worth the wait...

12 oz bottle (12007FX) from illinismitty. Thanks again Sean!

12oz bottle ’97 on label-Cloudy amber color with a small white head. Aroma of malt and a little alcohol. Taste of sourness with some malt followed by some alcohol. Don’t think it held up as well as the ’99 in the previous review but held up fairly well.

Bottled at Akkurat, Stockholm. Clear dark ruby, minimal head. Hoppy nose with grapefruit and red grapes. Dry with clean mouthfeel and medium body. Light roasty coffeeish notes, but hops dominates. Lingering bitter finish. Like a dark APA.

Bottled in 1999: Best served by May 1, 2000. Beer is about 8 years old and sampled tonight, courtesy of BigSilky. Unbelievable flavor for 8 years down the road. Aged very well. Poured typical, smelled like a great strong ale should and went down smooth. Since we split this beer, I only consumed 5-6 oz. and was ecstatic about (not surprised) how balanced this brew was. Fantastic stuff. Malty, smooth and lightly carbonated. The label fooled me, Brando! Thought this was an old school Goose Island seasonal brew from 2000 (When I was a mere 17 years old). What an honor this beer was to drink, even among the other brews we broke in to tonight. If you can manage to grab a few of these and hold on to them, you’re in for a nice little treat.

Nose of chestnuts, peanuts and toast, with a undertone of oak or cedar wood. Palate is dry and roasted, tastes of nuts and wood mostly, with some brown sugar and maple thrown in for good measure. I think it’s missing some plum or cherry flavors, that would definitely make this good, but otherwise it’s a solid beer.