Winters Bourbon Cask Ale

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

Draught. I had no idea this was an AB beer, and although I am glad they are finally dabbling in styles other than bland, fizzy, yellow lagers, I am quite surprised at how amateurish this beer tastes. At first whiff, dry aroma with some hints of roasted malt. But, when I breath more deeply, has some sweetness somewhat reminiscent of bourbon. However, the bourbon aspect is very faint, and not detectable at all on the palate, nor are any cask-like qualities. Reddish amber, clear body with no visible carbonation. Small, off-white head and no lace. Has some off flavors. Tastes like some kind of cookie or biscuit; a McGriddles breakfast sandwich comes to mind. Blueberry muffin? Very strange.

Sweet vanilla yuck. I was expecting a dark beer, but this is Pale Ale color. Cream Soda.

Bottle: super clear deep amber, non existant head, no lacing. Sweet spice aroma little else Weak palate, thin mouthfeel, sweet, some bitter some spice, fast finish...stale tasting.

On tap today at Beef O’Bradys. Well.....this didn’t suck. Like previous raters have said, this ain’t nothing special, but let’s consider from where it was spawned. It’s better than just about any AB product I’ve ever tried. Served way too cold to start with so it had to sit for a while. Looks just like Amber Bock, but maybe a bit lighter in color but not much. Very small whitish head. Nose is sweet malt, a strong vanilla scent. Thin malts, some vanilla in the flavor too with the slightest hint of a bourbony flavor. Hey, this isn’t offensive, it’s just that what is there isn’t enough. Too thinned out for my liking...but like I said it’s better than any of the other crap on tap at the moment.

Pours a light brown/rusty color with a big foamy head that settles down into a fairly thick collar. I don’t see a whole lot of carbonation going on, VERY few bubbles rising in the glass. Aroma is quite sweet, with the vanilla being very dominant. Taste is subdued (a politically correct term for "weak"), malty, but with little hint of the vanilla or of the Bourbon Barrel Oak (and I let it warm up quite a bit to capture the "full" flavor). Mouthfeel is weak and watery as well. This is a disappointment. What could have been a unique and interesting winter ale turns out to be just another pitiful attempt by Anheuser-Busch to make a "craft beer". It mighr fool your average Bud drinker, but it’s not gonna impress a real beer geek much!!! Maybe A-B should just stick to mass-produced macrobrew and leave it at that.

Pours with a bright bronze body under a soda-pop-fizzy, off-white head. The fact that it is similar in color to whisky is probably the only allusion to a "bourbon barrel" that I’d found. I’m inclined to wonder if "aged on bourbon barrel oak" simply means that it’s aged on the same oak they make the barrels from... not aged in barrels that actually contained any bourbon. (These are the same guys famous for their "beechwood aging", right?) Anyway, the entire aroma gets overpowered by vanilla. A mild nutty, sourness in the flavor also gets a smack-down from sweet, cream soda/vanilla bean with dry touches of cinnamon at the finish. Sharp mouthfeel, gassy afterwards. This beer is too cloying by itself and too odd to be paired with food. As a whole, think: "overfiltered brewpub-seasonal Vanilla Cream Ale with an excess of force-carbonation."

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.jewelosco.com/>Jewel/Osco

Bottle: Dark amber with an off whtie head. Aroma, woody, sugary, oak. Flavor, thin oaky vanilla. Just bland and icky. Tasted like alcho-pop. Ugh. Never again.

Had on tap at Helga’s in Augusta GA. Very sweet aroma that you would think would be impossible to have in a beer, but sure enough, very sweet. Had a sample of this that at first thought not bad, then the sugary sweetness took over and realized that a pint glass of this would be too much to handle and would get old way too quick. Carmel in color, lighter then one would think for a cast ale. Long lasting head. Just can’t get past the sweet vanilla taste. Like a friend of mine said, it would be like drinking warm vanilla ice cream. Not high on my list of beers to get.