Wee Heavy, Hales Ales, Seattle Washington

Our next beer hails from new my old neighborhood in Seattle, Washington. Hales offers up their winter brew in the form of the Wee Heavy - sounds good - let's give it a try....

It pours opaque with a thin head.

The aroma is sweet and roasty.

It is malty, but balanced with a medium body. It gets better as it warms toward room temperature. It finishes with a burnt roastiness at the end. It sounds odd, but there seems to be a little dried banana amidst the body. Interesting - not terrible, but interesting.

The aftertaste is mildly sweet with burnt roastiness.

The character isn't overly prominent and I would suggest some other ales if your winter tasting season is on budget or short. It isn't terrible, but at that bar of where ales should start.

Cheers!

Glacier Pilot Winter Warmer, Lang Creek Brewery, Marion Montana

Our next beer arrives from Marion, Montana - I had it last year, but don't remember it too well, so let's refresh....

It pours nearly opaque with a tight head.

The aroma has big notes of vanilla malt, there is sweetness and mild caramel.

In the taste, the vanilla is very aggressive at first, but is fades to sweet malt. Mild roastiness takes over in the body. The sweetness seems to build throughout the beer. There is mild bitterness, but not enough to balance the sweetness.

The aftertaste is roasty malt sweetness with tones of caramel.

This is an interesting winter warmer, but it tends toward the sweet side. If you are a fan of the vanilla/caramel malt beers, this is a decent one to try. I think it makes for a nice desert or stand alone late evening beer. I'm unable to access their website right now for details, but will try again to see if it's online tomorrow -

I found mine at Belmont Station here in Portland. I've seen it at a few stores, so I think their distribution is decent for the Northwest.

Cheers!

Brrr, Widmer Brothers Brewing, Portland Oregon

So again we're hitting the big boys. Not that Widmer is a huge brewery, but I'm sure most of us out there have heard of their famous Hefeweizen. I blogged on their Snowplow earlier, this is their other seasonal - Brrr. It is the opposite of the milk stout, this one promises a hoppy distinction - let's see how it goes...

It pours a cloudy amber with a thin head.

The smell is festive, hoppy and spicy.

The taste is hoppy and tangy at first. There is an initial slight sweetness, but that gives away to hop bitter rather quickly. It has a slight sourness to it as well, which balances the beer back from the sweetness, as well. It sound strange, but I like that aspect. The sweetness plays out through the beer in the background - a little brown sugar or gingerbready at times. It never gets too sweet and the bitterness is held back as well.

It finishes clean with some hop on the back of the tongue, a little bitterness and then back for another sip!

I very much enjoyed the beer - for fans of Winterfish or Celebration, I think you'll enjoy Brrr. It cuts nicely through the cold night to make a great addition to a holiday meal or beer that holds it's own at any winter beer party.

It is 7.2% with 50 IBU's. The malts used are: Pale, Caramel, Munich, Carapils and Dark Chocolate. Hops: Bittering: Alchemy; Aroma: Simcoe and Cascade.

Cheers!

Full Moon, Blue Moon Brewing Company, Golden Colorado

Our next winter ale comes from the well known Blue Moon Brewing Company. I'm sure we are all well familiar if not with the beer, with the name. They are owned by the Coors company - but let's not let that fog our judgment...yet, anyway.

It pours a dark amber, nearly opaque.

The smell is malt with plenty of sugar.

The taste is sweet, right away it is noticeable. However, the sweetness is quickly balanced by the malt. It has a slight pine taste, which adds to its' holiday-ness. It is an easy drinker. It finishes a bit toward the sweet side.

The aftertaste is slight. It is a little sugary and some slight slight bitterness.

All-in-all a decent winter ale. In a season when there is sudden availability of beers from smaller breweries, it is hard to recommend the larger company's beers, but all in all, this makes a good beer - especially as a six-pack to bring to a holiday party.

Cheers!

Vinter Varmer, Laurelwood Public House and Brewery, Portland Oregon

Let's bring it home! The Laurelwood Public House & Brewery has a spot just a hop (sorry, I'm a sucker for bad puns) up the street from us here in Northwest Portland. They have some brilliant brews and from limited experience some very good food. Their beers are available in stores around Portland and from their Public House locations. Those outside of Oregon may find it hard to find.... So let's see how their seasonal holds up....

It pours nearly opaque with a big head.

The smell is all malt with some slight vanilla.

The taste is initially malty. I was worried it might be sweet from the notes of vanilla I detected in the aroma, but it is not overly sweet at all. It retains big notes of vanilla, but the sweetness is capped by the malt, which holds a roastiness throughout the brew. There is slight caramel at the end, but it again isn't enough to overwhelm. The beer holds balanced throughout and has a nice medium/full body that fits into a winter evening quite well.

The aftertaste is a nice roastiness and it finishes with a nice warmth.

This is a great solid non-spicy winter warmer. I highly encourage you to grab one while they are available. In a season overwhelmed by holiday ales, this is a nice classic warmer to enjoy with a hearty meal or by itself...

Cheers!

Gingerbread Ale, Bison Brewing Company, San Francisco California

Our next beer comes from Bison Brewing Company and I raved about their Pumpkin ale this year - let's see how their Christmas seasonal holds up....The name Gingerbread Ale deterred me at first, as any idea of flavoring beer is a challenging proposition for me, which rarely proves successful, but my last experience with Bison was so good, let's do it!

It pours opaque with a big head.

The aroma is mild gingerbread, lots of malt. There is mild sweetness. Vague cinnamon is there as well.

The taste is big roasty malt. It is very mild in it's spice. The gingerbread is very very mild - I actually think the pumpkin ale was more gingerbready than this ale. It has a full body, and the malt is very biscuit. The spice is mostly cinnamon, but it's very late on the palate.

The aftertaste is mildly sweet and slightly cookie-ish.

All in all, it is a solid ale. I'm not sure it's as gingerbread-y as I imagined it would be, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's a big roasty beer that is a great sipper around the fire.

21 IBU's with 2-Row, Caramel, Chocolate, Roast Barley, and Black malts. I found mine at Belmont Station. I've seen it at a few grocery stores such as Whole Foods.

Cheers!

Snowplow Milk Stout, Widmer Brothers, Portland Oregon

Snowplow - one of the Widmer Brothers winter brews....

It pours opaque with a big head.

The smell is all sweet malt.

The taste is creamy, there are coffee tones right away along with big roasty malt. It has a full body, but not much bitterness. It is well-balanced, not really sweet at all. The delicious creamy flavor holds throughout the beer.

The aftertaste is all roasty and coffee.

This is a delicious beer that is sure to help you plow your way through the holidays. It is available in 22oz bottles for a limited time.

It has 28 IBU's and is 5.5%.
Malts: Pale, Caramel, 60L, Wheat, Oats Carapils, Black Roasted Barley with Alchemy Bittering hops and Willamette Aroma hops.

Drink up before it's gone - it is well distributed!

Cheers!