Ascot Winter Reserve

Brewed by Ascot
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Camberley, England

Serve in English pint

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(Gravicask at Old Fountain, Old Street, London, 25 Nov 2010) Dark brown colour with brief head. Malty, spicy nose with ginger, cardamom and caramel. Malty, spicy taste with notes of dried fruit, toasty malt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and coriander. Medium body, slightly sweetish. Mild bitterness, a bit overshadowed by the spices. Very nice and spicy winter warmer.

UPDATED: DEC 30, 2008 Cask @ The Rake. I’m also guessing it’s not the Santa’s Res. as I drank almost a whole mini cask of that to myself last Christmas and this was not quite the same. Mahogany with a thin beige head. Roast malt, dark fruits, some oats, chocolate and spice in the nose. Flavor is almost burnt malts, bittersweet chocolate, slight smoke or ash and a hint of apple, making it kind of tangy around the edges. Unlike the Santa’s Res. the spices are very subtle and there’s more of a dark roast to the malts. Ends dry and bitter, quite nice actually.
Earlier Rating: 12/19/2007 Total Score: 3.3
Cask @ the Quaffs stand Covent Garden. Amber with a lasting beige head. Apple, malt and orangey hops with a taste much the same. Slight spice, caramel and an orangey hop finish. I was standing out in the cold so will elaborate on my notes from the mini cask...
Re-rate from mini cask
Vaguely different from the mini cask, slightly hazy in colour with more noticable ginger and coriander. Otherwise much the same.

A Mes rate: gravicask at Battersea Beer Festival
Very cloudy dark brown with a good beige head and decent condition. Good earthy malt with hints of chocolate, loads of spice and maybe some lavender. Full on spicy and herbal with a good bitter kick in the dry chalky finish. Decent stuff again from Ascot.
Earlier Rating: 12/24/2007 Total Score: 3.2
A Mes rate: 5l mini cask thanks to Reakt.
Murky and cloudy dark brown with a thin film. Dark dusty malt and bread with lots of yeast and spice. Heavy cinnamon and coriander showing for the finish. A little too herbacious for me but still a very well crafted brew.

Cask at the White Horse, London. Pours clear, shiny ruby with a very slight head. Big berry and spice aroma. Light to medium sweet flavor, winter berries, cinnamon and other spices. Medium in body with fine carbonation. Faintly dry finish, some leaves, cinnamon, sweet malts, fruit cake. Not bad.

Cask at the White Horse. It pours deep mahogany brown, with a thin off-white lace. The nose is cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and some caramel sweetness. The taste is dark fruit, wood, chocolate, port-like, leather, nut, touch of caramel and lots of Christmas spice, with a dry, woody finish. Medium body and soft carbonation. Good stuff.

Cask stillage, White Horse, Parsons Green. Rich and malty, very full flavour. a true to type winter warmer. A bit Belgian in the finish. I dont think is the same as the Santas Reserve, as it does not have the spices.

Cask in the market porter with knut. Alround rating: Spicy, ginger, balanced, sweet but really drinkable. Excellent!

500ml Bottle - Dark brown with some red tinges. Very spicy aroma with ginger and dried fruits. Spicy and fruity taste with ginger, raisins and some hoppy hints with some roasted notes.

Draught (from mini cask). Fresh aromas of cinnamon are the first thing i noticed, howvere they aren’t too pronounced. Palate is smooth and round, lightly nutty and earthy and then with some subtle hints of coriander and cinnamon. There is some ight citrus in the finish. Very smooth and drinkable.

bottle at fins ... red brown ... big spiced cinamon and nutmeg nose .... toffee malt ... big cinamon ...tasty but over spiced but not rougj and bit 1d