Winters Bourbon Cask Ale

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

A different beer. Pours a clear copper color with no head. Definite bourbon and vanilla notes in the nose. A light creamy taste. Hint of vanilla, but you can sense the bourbon as well. Probably not the best bourbon, but it’s there. Not bad for AB, but man, i was hoping for better.

On tap at Busch Gardens Tampa. Aroma is incredibly sweet and rich, with hints of vanilla. Pours a reddish brown similar to a Killian’s. Flavor is surprisingly complex for an AB brew. Vanilla and hops present, still an above average amount of fizz though. Re-rate: Tastes to much like syrupy extracts and metal. I was just starting to get into craft beer when I first rated this one.

Didn’t see the Anheuser-Bush on the label till I got it home. The talk of carmel malts, bourbon barrel aging (it should have tipped me of when it was phrased "Aged ON bourbon barrel oak") and vanilla beans sounded like it was worth trying. A.B. does have a considerable brewing history in this country (wish they would go back to pre-prohabition days) so I figured what the hell. - Poured hard from high into my tall glass the head rose way up then laced slowly down with a nice mahagany color to the brew I actually got my hopes up a little. First few sips I was happy, vanilla was a little strong but with the malty smoothness was kind of nice, pleasureable mouthfeel and somewhat interesting complex of flavours, but the finish just kills it. The vanilla stays too long, too strong. There’s no balance and it’s more like a death than a finish. Not a bad beer, but certainly not a great beer. Glad to see A.B. making a foreay into craftbrewing again but they can certainly do better, a lot better. Maybe this would have been a better brew with a higher ABV to burn off some of the vanilla and warm the finish a bit and age it IN the oak bourbon barrels not in a giant vat with a few shredded barrels worth of oak thrown in. Anyway, it’s drinkable... if your in a low rate saloon that has nothing else give it a try.

Bourbon aroma. Notes of oak and vanilla. Murky brown with almost no head. Flavor wasn’t bad -- again notes of oak and vanilla with some caramel maltiness. Not much in the way of hops. Disappointingly medium bodied. Not bad. Not terribly memorable.

This is wierd Nice amber color off white head Sweet aroma of vanilla extract and some bourbon Very overpowering The flavor is strong vanilla - not like ice cream more like extract used for baking Fairly sweet Medium mouthfeel Very lighly bitter on the finish Enjoyable I wouldnt seek this out again but if I had a 6 pack I wouldnt let it go to waste

Not my favorite seasonal, but not the worst either. Bottle. Nose of vanilla, caramel, chcolate and toffee.

12 oz. bottle Aroma: Sweet light malt and some vanilla. Appearance: Amber in color with a nice off white head that sustained well. Flavor: I did not read the description before I tasted it and even though the scent hinted at it I was quite surprised at the flavor. At first I thought it was coriander I was tasting but after going back and getting the bottle I realized it was probably the vanilla and bourbon oak melding into this taste. Even though it does not feel right as I feel there must some other spice added that is just difficult to identify. Perhaps it is coriander or ginger. I am simply unsure. It was sweet but not unpleasantly so. I also did not know when I first tasted it that it was an A-B product. Palate: Very smooth and sweet. Not as full bodied as I had expected in a bourbon cask ale. Overall: Beer snobs that we are we must begin to look past the brewer and the label. This beer should be rated higher than it is. I enjoyed it. Even if it was sweet and medium bodied. It was different but not unpleasant. I grew up near Milwaukee but even though I cannot say I am a fan of Miller I have a fair amount of disdain for Anhueser-Busch. Growing up where I did however gave me my appreciation for beer in general. All that being said I would drink this beer again as it provides a nice change of pace your ’normal’ rotation.

pours a clear amber with a white head vanilla aroma with some sweet malt taste is moderately sweet caramel and faint bourbon finishes thin and medium dry