Winters Bourbon Cask Ale

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

Twist-off bottle, undated. Pours a clear Mahogany red with a solid tan head. Oaky, malty aromas. Light-to-medium body, creamy mouthfeel. Early toffee character. Caramel flavor dominates. Sweet flavor balance. Subtly vanilla notes. Very late oak dry finish.

Interesting to see that Dogbrick bought the same $7 draught in a plastic cup at NW arena. Poured an interesting apple ciderlike clear brown with not much head at all. Aromas of spice and a touch of vanilla. Flavor is caramel, vanilla, and some nutmeg. Palate is medium bodied but a little too watery. Pretty drinkable though for an AB beer. Reminded me some of the Michelob pumpkin ale but more vanilla in this.

Bottled. Poured a crystal-clear medium orange with a short cap of beige head and some rising carbonation. Nose was certainly sweet with heavy vanilla beans on top of lightly-smoked caramel... some oak splinters and bourbon waft through. Caramel and thick vanilla steal the show in the flavor department, too... very faint bourbon and some woodsy bitterness to accompany the aforementioned sweetness. Medium-bodied on the palate and thicker at the back-end. Fairly smooth, but too heavily skewed toward the sweet side. Tasty, but I couldn’t drink very much of it.

Draught at Carolina Ale House in Durham, NC. Slightly hazy off white color with whitish head. Smells of malty vanilla and caramel. Vanilla and caramel are the dominant flavors. I don’t detect any bourbon. Not a bad beer, though.

Draft. Pretty average. Obvious vanilla flavoring and some slight notes of whiskey. Thin mouthfeel that leaves you wanting more.

Pours clear ruby-orange into a shaker. Head quickly dissipates to nothing. Vanilla aromas. Crisp and dry with vanilla; very little bourbon or oak.

Medium malt aroma with some sort of veggy/herb adjunct. Nice amber color with a decent light tan head. Tastes like warm malt and there’s vanilla. Not so sure about the bourbon - it might be 1 flattened cask per million gallons - or not. Nice though. For the price it does not stand up to the majority of artisanal ales, but it’s good stuff. A tiny bit of similarity to AVB Winter Solstice.

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.