Winters Bourbon Cask Ale

Brewed by Anheuser-Busch InBev
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
St. Louis, Missouri USA

Hamm’s or this stuff, tough call. Take a can of Hamm’s, dash some food coloring and vanilla extract into it and save yourself the $4 on the 6-pack.

Vanilla aroma and taste, but somewhat artificial like a vanilla flavoerd soda. Not bad but it was not as good as it sounded from the description.

Found this bottled in St. Charles, Illinois. Clear, dark reddish brown pour with a lacy head, a very mild chocolatey nose with a little bit of malt, the flavor is overwhelmingly vanilla extract, a biting, carbonated mouthfeel, and a strong, alcoholic finish. Pretty decent!

Smells like vanilla. Tastes like vanilla extract, with a nice vanilla finish. Could be good, if you really like vanilla. I thought I was drinking melted ice cream.

One of the better AB products I have ever had, but that doesn’t say too much. Poured an amberish color with no head at all. Aroma of Budweiser, a little cream soda, and maybe some couch syrup? Flavor was cream soda with a Bud finish. Thin and pretty carbonated.

Multiple pints on draught in one of their large tulip glasses made for this beer. Pours amber with a decent white head. Smells of roses, touches of vanilla, hints of citrus and bourbon, some nuts and biscuits. Tastes of caramel, nuts, some roses, touches of fruit. No woody elements to speak of. Mouthfeel is hearty and the finish is sweet with some earthy tones. Tastes like an ESB to me. Very drinkable but don’t go to this one looking of a big bold bourbon barrel beer with hints of sherry as that’s just not present in this one.

On draft at Maloneys in Flag, was a perfect match to the lousy cheating Cowboys as they and the Refs beat the Packers on Thursday Night Football. The pour was brown with amberish hues, weak initial head with no retention. The aroma was vanilla and some herbal notes, an odd combo. The flavor was vanilla extract, even more vanilla extract and artificial nasty vanilla flavoring, like a vanilla snow cone mixed with beer. Caramel sweet malts partly detectable amidst the VANILLA phoniness (I thought I had recalled a few good review and near at-a-boys for AB on this one, but even if it has more flavor than a standard AB product, why in the world would anyone recommend this to anyone? ICK!). Mouthfeel was thin and light, but this was bad sugar water, vanilla snow cone pre-mix. Alas, at least I finished it, despite the waitress offering to get me a different beer after a few sips.

On-tap, served in a standard bar pint glass. Clear reddish copper appearance, rocky, creamy slightly off-white head that slowly settled into a thin sudsy lacing, nothing in the way of sticking. A light smelling nose of sweet toasted malts and apple juice, hints of vanilla and even barer hints of herbal hops. Absolutely no traces of bourbon, oak or wood, quite disappointing. The active carbonation does give the body some firmness, but at the same time I have to say this is as smooth as heavy water, not much of recommendation. Thin sweet malty tastes of toasted caramel and pale malts, sugar water also comes to mind. Light vanilla flavor, more a dash of extract than bean. Once again, no bourbon, oak or wood tastes. I am having a hard time finding the hops, the best I say is that this has the mildest of spiciness. Finishes dry and sweet, vanilla extract, white sugar and lightly toasted malts. I was hoping this would be much better than what it is, especially since I was trying this from the tap. Nothing to recommend it, I’m glad I’ve never purchased the bottle version of this winter warmer.