CCM HivernALE

Brewed by Companyia Cervesera del Montseny
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Sant Miquel De Balenyà (Seva), Spain

Serve in Lager glass, Tumbler

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In the 0.5 mL green bottle. 2009 vintage. Pours a murky dark brown with a medium, big bubbled effervescent head that produces floating discoids of foam. PDQ cocoa powder aroma. Tart at first, some toasted caramel and then a substantial chocolate finish. Perhaps a small splash of cherry, but I’m not getting any spices or certainly "blood oranges" at all. I can see where this beer would fill the role of a Winter Warmer in a place where it never snows.

330ml bottle. Spicy and sweet aromas. Amber colour, with some head, poor lacing. Medium body and average carbonation. On mouth is spicy, sweet, with a dry finish. Enjoyable.

Takeaway bottle from El Estribo Dark reddish color High body and complexity, special kind of yeast enjoyable

Bottled at El Estribo, Madrid. Hazy mahogany colour, small head. Interesting spicy nose with lingonberry and wormwood. Vinous, yet dry with medium body and clean mouthfeel. Complex and really spicy with a mild warmth. Well balanced, tasty and with real character. Went exceptionally well with the free cheese offered by the bar owner.

33cl bottle from a local supermarket. It pours a hazy deep amber/brown liquid with small bubbly beige head. The aroma is very herbal, with spices, aniseed and a hint of nice roast malts. It tastes more malty than it smells, with low-medium sweetness and a very nice aftertaste of aniseed. Small bitterness and average carbonation, with a very nice creamy feeling in the mouth. As it is pointed out in the label, this beer should be tasted at a warm temperature to enjoy it best. The first seasonal of this catalan artisan brewery, and a very curious and worth tasting warming beer; ideal for Christmas days. Smart presentation.

courtesy of Antonio Ruiz - cloudy amber-orange colour with no head retention; aroma of grapefruit, blood oranges and a touch of cinnamon; sweet and with some bitterness; effervescent malty and fruity finish with notes of blood oranges and cherries

Bottle at El Flabiol, Barcelona. Clear orange to brown color, thin creamy off-white head. Aroma of sugar, American hops, fruits, some spices. Flavor is sweet fruity with fruity hops going to a bitter finish. Creamy texture. Very well balanced and nice brew.

Bottle 33 cl from Esclat in Valls (Spain). Ale copper cloudy, off-white head, kind carbonation. Aroma of malt very (too?) soft, hints of red berries, anise and candy. The bitterness seems out of balance (too spicy?) on the body to the limit of sourness. End drier and metallic.

Year 2008; brewed with star anis
Cloudy amber color; generous head. Herbal aroma. Some sweetish caramel flavor, and again a bit of soapy spices. Unfortunate.

Bottle 330ml.
Hazy medium amber color with a average to large, frothy to creamy, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, caramel, spicy, licorice - anis. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and bitter with a average to long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20091130]