Winters Bourbon Cask Ale

Overwhelming artificial flavor gives it a medicine tast. Definitely would not buy another glass of this.

Poured from bottle (1/2008). Vanilla dominates aroma. Looks like cream soda - head disappears fast. Oh jeez - tastes like cream soda too at first, with a weirdly sour aftertaste. Has feel of - you guessed it - cream soda - thin and sugary and bubbly. Finished badly - enough to cause tooth decay. Oh well, screwed by AB again.

Bottled. Pour a rather light bronze colour for a winter ale with a thin white film on top. Slight vanilla and bananas in the aroma. WOW, artificial tasting vanilla flavouring covers any other flavour. Thin watery mouthfeel and palate plus a burnt finish. Better than most ABC junk but that’s not saying much

Imagine a vanilla Michelob. Disgusting, right? There you have it. Don’t get me wrong, AB beers are watery, but generally palatable, this one is just nasty.

12oz bottle. Aroma of Frosted Flakes, vanilla, vanilla, alcohol and nuts. Pours Dark orange with a thin white head. The beer tastes like Lucky Charms. Not the marshmallows but the frosted "cereal" parts after they have been soaking in milk for a bit too long. Hardly any vanilla, certainly no bourbon influence. Thin, metallic finishing with some abrasive copper notes.

Had this on tap at the Neenah, WI Holiday Inn. The bartender thought it was brewed by Stevens Point Brewery but alas, he was mistaken. At any rate, this wasn’t too bad. It poured a crystalline deep amber with a sizable off-white head. Faint whiff of vanilla in the aroma with some nuttiness. First taste is moderate malt with overtones of vanilla wafers & yes, a smidgen of bourbon. The tastes get more pronounced as the beer warms. Very smooth & creamy mouthfeel. Maybe a little too subtle to be a "winter warmer" but nonetheless, a decent brew.

Rerate 2008 because this beer has changed alot. MUch more caramel in the beer now, and a nice lingering vanilla caramel aftertaste. No more metallica finish. Very clean solid beer with a nice body, slightly watery on the back end. This gets dumped on cause of its association with AB but I actually like this alot as a session beer during the holidays.

It wasn’t too bad of a beer, I definately could not taste or smell much of the vanilla that was mentioned on the label (and was also the reason I wanted to try it to begin with). Nice color, nice aftertaste. I’d definately drink it again, thought I wouldn’t call it a favorite.