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Dominion Winter Brew (Biere de Noel)

 (RETIRED)
Score
4744
OVERALLStyle
Serve in Snifter, Tulip

bottled
available

on tap
unknown

Local Distribution

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RATINGS: 43   WEIGHTED AVG: 3.01   SEASONAL: Winter   EST. CALORIES: 219   ABV: 7.3%
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COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
Known Vintages: Winter 2006

The Winter Brew varies year-to-year. The back label should state what style it is, so make sure you rate the correct style!

Dominion Winter Brew is a French-style Christmas Ale. the defining character is a rich, complex, malt taste. The beer has a soft vanilla aroma that blends with spicy and nutty malt notes.

Note from jeffc666 - I chose Bier de Garde for the style (seems most correct). I am open to the idea that it is something else.


3.4
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 14/20
Cletus (6063) - USA - DEC 27, 2011
Pours mahogany with a thin tan head. Smells of caramel, vanilla, some light fruity hints, some floral notes. Tastes dry with some fruity hints, some raisins creeping in and a touch of vanilla on the finish.

3.4
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 13/20
jgb9348 (3495) - Arlington (Pentagon City), Virginia, USA - SEP 11, 2011
Crystal clear ruby tinted copper body with almost no head at all and a nice glow. Aroma of alcohol, raisins, pit fruits, oak, vanilla pods and a bit of scotch. Medium-bodied; Completely still (five years old) with a pungent alcohol, oak and vanilla flavour with a good amount of malt and a lot of sweetness still remaining. Aftertaste shows a lot of sugars, some pungent alcohol and a potent oaky and bittering flavour. Overall, a strong and potent beer that still holds up okay, not great after a few years. I sampled this twelve ounce bottle (bottled 09-November-2006), about five years ago [with proper cellaring] sampled today (to drink a beer from Washington) on September 11th, 2011, the ten year anniversary, after visiting the Pentagon, at home, two blocks south of the Pentagon.

2.1
   AROMA 5/10   APPEARANCE 2/5   TASTE 4/10   PALATE 2/5   OVERALL 8/20
Goodgrief (1656) - Middletown, Delaware, USA - FEB 16, 2008
Jan. 2007 - Ick. Not good. Beer poured a watery color version of a typical caramel...virtually no head even with a vigorous pour. Aroma was of wet sweat socks. The flavor was malty sweet, some honey and a thick mediciny vanilla like from some dollar store creamsicle. Really not good.

3.5
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 15/20
beerking99 (199) - USA - JAN 1, 2008
Enjoyed as part of a New Year’s Eve vertical tasting, which featured 3 years of Winter Brew. Aroma is malty, with notes of honey and vanilla. Body is a little thin. Flavor is sweet, juicy malt with notes of crystal malt and minimal hop presence. Balance is pretty good. Tail is sweet malt but not cloying.

2.8
   AROMA 5/10   APPEARANCE 2/5   TASTE 6/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 12/20
TURDFERGUSON (2759) - Carrboro, North Carolina, USA - NOV 3, 2007
Bottle. Pours a hazy orange copper with no head, no lace. Nose is very sweet and malty, light vanilla (but that may only be cause they told me it was in there), dirty hops, and nutty. Flavor is very malty as well, with a suprising balance of spicey hops and a little diacetyl in the finish. Alcohol pretty well hidden. Pretty easy drinking and not as offensive as the aroma suggests.

3.3
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 13/20
goldtwins (4320) - Nesconset, New York, USA - NOV 2, 2007
Poured a clear copper color with a thin off-white head. Malty with some caramel notes. The flavor was malty with light notes of fruit. Spicy finish. Light to medium body.

3.6
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 15/20
kp (10404) - Woodstock, Georgia, USA - SEP 1, 2007
Name: Winter
Date: 05/21/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting
Vintage: 2006

clear dark amber, wispy beige head, sweet fruity spicy aroma, big sticky body, lots of sweet malt flavor, lots of fruity character, bitterness comes in to balance and lasts through a long bitter finish mixed with the spicy character,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.6/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

3.3
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 12/20
hershiser2 (1006) - Charlottesville, Virginia, USA - JUL 17, 2007
Bottled. Copper, large, off-white head. Coffee and caramel in the nose... sweet cherryish in the nose as well. Sweet, slightly malty mouth... kinda plain.

3.1
   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 12/20
sliffy (2036) - Columbus, Ohio, USA - JUN 3, 2007
Bottle: Orange color pour with a white head. Aroma, caramel, spice, floral notes. Flavor, caramel, vanilla, some spices, sticky full palate. Nothing special.

3.4
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 14/20
kenb (1102) - Oregon, USA - MAY 24, 2007
12 oz bottle from dickinsonbeer (thanks!). This one is a hazy orange color with a medium sized beige head. Nose is vanilla, malt, and some mild floral hoppiness. Taste is the same with subtle pine in the finish, a little butter, some mellow spiceiness (perhaps ginger) and the vanilla is just a tad overdone. Carbonation is a bit high, body is thin to medium.


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