Winters Bourbon Cask Ale

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

From Bottle: Has a dark brown color and aroma of caramel. Flavors of caramel with a strong vanilla overtone. Overall, not a bad attempt from AB as far as I’m concerned, but the vanilla does taste a little strong to the point of having some extract dropped into every bottle.

Aroma has a light vanilla scent with a slight oak tone in the back. Color is a deep golden brown with light carbonation and a thin head. Taste is mild, sweet and caramely. Stating with a a light body it goes down easy with a smooth feel. Finish comes in sweet with a caramel taste that is backed by a nice vanilla flavor. In the after taste there is a faint oak flavor. As you drink it the vanilla flavor becomes more noticeable and it seems to become more caramel like. In the end I like, I think a Winter brew should be a little bold then this but considering that this is from Anheuser-Busch very impressive.

interesting concept - poured in pint glass - had the color of a bock or decent IPA - no foam or lacing. Sweet tasting - an after taste of cream soda which, while not necessarily unpleasant, tasted a little forced and/or artificial - as if maybe a half a packet of Sweet & Low was added at bottling. Still, points to A&B for shrewd marketing and trying to bring a craft experience to the everyman.

Sigh. Got this one out of curiosity. I’m ashamed that my place of employ carries it, but I can buy a single cheaply (and this is going to personify cheapness and disappointment, I fear). Before I open the damn bottle, I predict this is going to have a hint of something mediocre, only to be boldly punctuated by something much, much less than that. Pours bronze with a good, foamy head. So far, so good. Aroma? Artificial vanilla. Not much else. I’m about to sip. Will I be blasted across the face with artificial vanilla-ness to be followed with a mere shadow of pisswater? We shall see... The vanilla kinda comes in the middle, not as artificial as I expected, a kinda full bodied experience at the forefront, and then... crap. Guess I called it. Guess I’ll pour this one out, head to Sam Smith and a hot shower for some consolation and wait for the next AB seasonal and go through this entire exercise of self-flagellation once again... sigh...

Sneaky AB product. Are they too ashamed to put AB larger on the label? Bottle. Pours a crystal clear copper, with a thick, dense head. Some heavy malt tones, with vanilla as well. Smooth, with a sweet vanilla flavor. A bit too sweet and too much vanilla for me.

Draft in Oklahoma City. I asked the bartender what this was and who made it. She didn’t know and said it was Winter’s. After a quick search for Winter’s, the snow man tap handle confirmed it was an AB product. Poured amber with a fizzy off white head. Had a decent cotton candy aroma with more candy in the taste with some vanilla. I didn’t taste any bourbon and no oak either. Mostly just a watered down beer.

Not very good. Pretty watery, no hops of course. Some maltiness to it. It tasted like a slightly strange octoberfest to me. Sweet finish. Light carbonation and fairly drinkable.

12 oz bottle, born on Halloween 2007- poured transparent light brown with moderate carbonation. Aroma of malt, notes of vanilla and bourbon. Hits the mouth with a medium body, notes of fruit, vanilla, and bourbon- finish very lacking. Possibly AB’s best offering- and that’s not saying much.