Blue Point Winter Ale

Tap @ Goodbar. Copper, slight off-white head. Nose is caramel, slight spicing, decent malt. Flavor is rich caramel, xmas cake, decent bitterness. A bit of bread in the finish. Very English.

Bottle from shadey. Standard transparent amber, decnt beige head. Aroma is all spice up front, faint residuel sugar/caramel background. Flavor much the same, spice up front, caramel, and some musty hops in the finish. Probably a decent session beer.

Pours out a clear dark amber color with a small wispy white head. Aroma is nor very powerful, but there are some notes of spice. Notes of caramel, nutmeg, chocolate and some fruit. Some slight bitterness on the finish. Interesting beer.

Pours a clear amber with a tan film for head. The aroma is surpsingly fresh, with an orangey hop zest. Nice overall hop flavors as well. The body is a drop thin, but the flavor is full, an orangey citrus, spicy peppery aspect, hint of nutmeg, nice caramel malt undertone and a solid dry finish. Not bad.

Bottle. Clear garnet color, quickly diminishing head. Sweet malty and fruity aroma. Cookie malt flavor with some berries and spiciness. Slightly reminiscent of the old Pete’s Wicked Winter Brew, but with a blueberry or grape instead of raspberry infusion. A trace of hoppiness noticeable on the finish. Turns out to be a nice "winter session"--A drinkable take on a malty winter seasonal with a modest ABV.

27.11.06 12oz undated bottle. Maple brown color with small but lacy white head. Aroma is sweet, cookie dough, fruity (strawberries?). The flavor is nice if just plain and ’beery.’ More fruitiness and sweet buscuity malts across the flavor. Towards the end, it actually increases in sweetness and has sort of an orange PEZ flavor that lingers along with solid biting bitterness. Not the full bodied winter beer I was expecting, and, in fact, an odd choice for thier winter seasonal, but it’s a decent quaff nonetheless.

Light brown with a small thin tan head, this beer had a nice resiny hop aroma. The body had a solid malt undertone, but it was mostly domincated with piny hops. A sharp bitter hop rise at the end says, "I’m here, take another sip". A pleasing amber that does not try to be a big over-the-top beer.

Early ’05 bottle: Pours a clear copper orange with a thin-lacing wispy off-white head. Lightly toasted semi-sweet caramel malty aroma. Body starts with some light earthy sweetness turning slightly more bitter and drier toward a thinner finish. Not bad, but pretty bland.