It’s funny that on this first day of winter I am writing about the final round of my Winter Ale Taste-Off. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like winter seasonals started showing up unusually early this year. I swear I was drinking Jubelale around the end of August. Anyway, as the title implies, this final round was a little different that the previous two. The beers in round three were drank over several days; I couldn’t bring myself to plow through a grip of $5.00 bombers in a single evening. And since they were not all consumed in one sitting, I don’t think it’s fair to directly compare them. Instead, I will just be sharing my toughts and opinion of each beer. The beers selected for this round were:
- Full Sail – Wreck the Halls
- Hair of the Dog – Doggie Claws
- Lagunitas – Cappuccino Stout
- Ninkasi Sleigh’R
- Samuel Smith – Winter Welcome Ale
First up was Wreck the Halls; a self-described hoppy holiday ale. Honestly, I have to say I was a bit disappointed with this one. It tasted like a hoppier version of Celebration Ale, but didn’t have the balance of Sierra Nevada’s brew. WtH had a big upfront hop presence and a strong, bitter finish, but felt a little thin in the middle. It was a good IPA, but at $4.50+ a bottle it isn’t one I will be revisiting this season. Wassail will have to provide my Hood River fix this Christmas.
Next up was Doggie Claws, a Barley Wine from HotD. I had been looking forward to trying this beer since I sampled Jim ’09 at this year’s Holiday Ale Festival. Jim was one on my favorite ales from the festival and Doggie Claws was a large component of the ’09 blend. The beer poured a murky amber color, with no head and little carbonation. It looked like syrup, swirling in the glass.
The Amarillo and Simcoe hops gave Doggie Claws a wonderful orange and pine aroma. There was also a sweet honey scent I could detect behind the hops. Now, I am not the biggest fan of Barley Wines; the allure of Mirror Mirror is completely lost on me. But, I am confident in saying that Doggie Claws is one of the best tasting things I have ever put in my mouth. It was very hop-forward with big citrus and pine flavors on the initial taste. This was followed by a very sweet middle and a bitter, alcohol washed finish. The beer was almost medicine thick, coating my throat as it went down. The only downside I can find with Doggie Claws is the inevitable agony I will experience in the coming year, as I attempt to keep myself from drinking the bottles I am going to cellar.
For the third beer of the third round, I had Sleigh’R, an Altbier from Ninkasi. It poured a dark brown color with ruby highlights. It had a huge foamy head that hung around until the beer was finished.
Sleigh’R also smelled pretty good, sweet and malty with a noticeable hop bitterness. Despite a 7.2% ABV, the beer tasted restrained, lacking the signature Ninkasi flair. It had a big malty body that gave way to clean bitter finish, but the only thing decernibly Ninkasi was the logo. While the taste profile was correct for the style, I was expecting something more from a beer billed as a Double Alt and a beer brewed by Ninkasi.
I remember having the same opion of Sleigh’R last year. And like last year, I will probably end the season having drank a good deal of Sleigh’R, despite its luke-warm appeal. Living in Eugene, it is THE winter ale on tap at most places in town. At $3.00 a pint I can’t complain too much, but I won’t be shelling out $6.00+ for another bomber.
I sampled the final two beers of the round back-to-back the other night. First was Sam Smith’s Winter Welcome Ale. I didn’t take a lot of notes on this one; like other Sam Smith beers I’ve tried in the past, this one was pretty forgettable. It poured a light amber color with a sticky white head. It smelled of sweet and bready English malts. Unfortunately, it had the same watered down taste as the other Sam Smith beers I’ve tried. I wasn’t picking up any of the fruit and spice flavors the bottle promised, just an abundance of sweet malts. The beer claims to be a Winter Warmer, but I would call it a Pale Ale long before I would recognize it as a warmer. My wife agreed, completely uninteresting.
Finally, I tried Lagunitas’ Cappuccino Stout, brewed with Sebastopol’s Hard Core Coffee. This has been a fall seasonal in the past, but a late release this year pushed it into the winter ale territory. The beer poured a dark brown color, approaching black, with dark red highlights. It had a big foamy tan head that dissipated quickly.
The beer had a big roasted malt smell, but the coffee aroma was more subtle this year. The coffee flavor was also muted compared to last year’s offering; showing up just for a second during the finish. The roasted barley was the biggest contributor to the beer’s flavor; enough that it started tasting burnt as I made my way to the bottom of the glass. I wasn’t getting the sweetness needed to balance the sharp roasted flavor. Although, the overly sweet Winter Welcome Ale that immediately preceded it may have played a larger role in this than the Stout itself. This one I’ll have to try again. Like most Lagunitas brews, Cappuccino Stout completely masked its high (9.28%) ABV.
So, after this third and final round of seasonal tasting, Doggie Claws is the only beer of the group that will be joining Jubelale, Wassail and Ebenezer as my favorite winter ales of ’09. As I proofread this post, I realize that I was much more critical of this group than the previous two. I can only think of two explanations for this. Either I expect more out of a beer with a $5.00+ price tag, or by posting on my site, Dr. Wort has spread some sort of infectious criticism. I hope for the prior; I am far more comfortable as a beer appreciator than a critic.
While I don’t plan on another round of winter ales, I will continue reviewing any that I find interesting. Hell, during the time it took me to write this I had Hale’s Wee Heavy and Boulevard’s Nut Cracker Ale. Despite its name, Nut Cracker didn’t really tickle the undercarriage, but Hale’s brew impressed me and will be getting a review.
Finally, in case I don’t have a write another post before the end of the week, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.
Cheers!
Kevin