Winters Bourbon Cask Ale

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

(Bottle 35,5 cl) Pours a pretty, warm, dark amber golden with a small, yellowish head. Odd, sweetish vanilla aroma. Medium body - perhaps even a bit watery - with a very soft mouthfeel. Odd, artificial, perfumy notes with a hint of vanilla. Bourbon?, not really - and no bitterness either. A strange brew. 260307

Date: 02/09/2006
Mode: Draft
Source: Wild Wing Cafe, Marietta

dark amber, whispy beige head, sweet carmel malt aroma, big sweet vanilla flavor, lots of sweet carmel, light bitterness, good for a $2 pint

Aroma: 4/10; Appearance: 5/10; Flavor: 5/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 7/20
Rating: 2.2/5.0
Drinkability: 5/10
Score: 4

Golden-amber colour. Vanilla nose. Flavor is mostly vanilla as well. Sweet and light with hints of caramel. Actually, it’s got enough balance to be fairly drinkable, much better than other vanilla-oriented macro fare like GI Lion’s Winter Ale.

(draft) Crystal clear amber body with beige head. Aroma is moderately sweet, caramel, nectarine/cherry, light vanilla/bourbon. Taste is moderately sweet, cherry, caramel, faint bourbon. Light body with low carbonation. Tried without knowing it was AB -- have to admit, it was better than I might have expected. They had enough sense not to bludgeon the beer with the bourbon.

12oz bottle. Bottle had a white label with ’Sample Ale, Not for Sale’ on it. Poured a deeper copper, almost brown color (clear) with an averaged sized off white head. My initial thought when I smelled this was vanilla ice cream (actually getting hungry for some!). Other aromas of caramel and very light oak. I didn’t find the aromas as offensive as most people (granted the vanilla aspect is overboard, but just the thought of vanilla ice cream, yummy). Tastes of wood, vanilla (a lot lighter than the aroma), light roast, and light caramel. Thin body. Maybe my ’sample batch’ was different than the commercial batch, but for a Busch beer, this was quite drinkable.

Draft... Clear, amber ale with a mid-sized, creamy, white head. Good retention. The aroma is almost completely nondescript, but comes through with very mild notes of whiskey, caramel and dark, dried fruit (fig, raisin, prune?). Perfectly balanced flavor is lightly sweet, lightly bitter and hints at a mild, woodsy, tartness. Medium-bodied with a mildly creamy mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Finishes thin and medium dry. Better than expected.

(12oz bottle, courtesy mar) Pours a clear amber body with a small off-white head. Aroma of wood, mustiness, caramel, vanilla, and light smoke. Flavor of vanilla extract, hops (floral), nuts, and some oak.

Pours a bright transparent copper ruby with a thin, short-lived off-white head. Aroma of slightly sweet malt and some sugary vanilla. Body starts with a touch of malt, butterscotch and some mild oak (without much bourbon) and a drier, earthier finish with vanilla and toasty, nutty flavors. I know it’s made by Anheuser-Busch, but it’s not really that bad.