Blue Point Winter Ale

Brewed by Blue Point Brewing
Style: Amber Ale
Patchogue, New York USA

On tap at Shagwong’s - Montauk, NY. Nose comes as soft salted caramel, weather cedar, and iced tea. Pours plain deep copper, with a rim of off-white. Flavor constructs heavy caramelization through oat bin. Reused oolong and salted cod feel out the depths of this beer. Too much crystal, it dominates the profile. There are some nice coffees, toffees and chocolate, but they’re rather diminished. Hops non-existant. Alcohol feels high for 4.5% and carries a signature of yeast and minerals. Pretty decent for the style.

A very average amber ale. Aroma was so so. Caramel malt with just a hint of hoppiness. Pour was a nice deep amver with a thin off white ring for a head that left quickly. Taste was a little weak. Mostly caramel malt with just a bit of hops to balance it out.The malt leaves a toasty feeling in the back of the throat. Not a terrible beer but with a name like "winter ale" I was expecting more heartiness. This would be better in the summer.

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. Appearance: Coppery red. Thick, long lasting beige head. Aroma: Caramelized malt. Palate: Medium. Flavor: Roasted malt, light caramel, come light hops is noticeable, bready sweetness. Overall: Good malt presence, with just enough hops to balance. Easy beer to drink.

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.

Finally rating this thing, have had it a few times and never enjoyed it enough, however this time it was different. Sampled at brewery where it poured with a foamy head and a dark brown body. It’s too dark to see through. The beer is caramel and spritz-y with sweet, chewy malts. The taste however is interrupted halfway through with seltzer and mineral flavors. Not a negative actual, stops the beer from getting cloying. Still I have often had this tasting much worse (and probably will later re-rate to a lower rating) but this was nice. A few possible reasons for this: drank at the brewery (and not a contract brewed version); it’s really fresh; or I was in a really good mood (or possibly a combination of these factors.

12oz bottle 10/3/09 ($.99 Sam’s Wine & Spirits)-Pours a slightly hazy medium to dark amber with a small tan head. Aroma of roasted malt, caramel, toffee, and slight chocolate. Taste of the same with some more chocolate and more sweetness coming through on the back end. This light to medium bodied brew is not bad.

Bottle. Pours a clear brown with a very small ring of tan head. Aroma of general spices (peppery?) and sweet malt. Flavor of an amber ale with spiced caramel malt. Definite spicy/peppery notes. Spicy burn in the finish. This is an ok beer, but nothing I would seek out again. More like a S/H/V than an amber ale. Decent.