Great Lakes Brewing Winter Ale

Brewed by Great Lakes Brewing (Ontario)
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Etobicoke, Canada

750 ml bottle-Deep ruby/mahogany letting some light in. Head is frothy and long lived. Not much lace. Spices(cinnamon) and floral notes(rose petal) fill the nose and are alongside caramel malts, toffee, and Christmas fruit cake. Sweet caramel malts show and so do spicy, dark fruits with subtle hopping. Medium body, spicy, bitter-sweet finish. Good.

Mahogany in colour, thin beige coloured head, very light lacing. The aroma is of light spices, some brown sugar sweetness, dark fruits. The flavour is only lightly spiced, some chocolate sweetness, didn’t pick up on any citrus. Lightly bitter mouthfeel, light body, high carbonation. Finishes with small amounts of spice, lingering, fizzy. Not to bad but I do like my winter beers to pack a bit more of a punch.

750ml bottle given to me by <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/ViewUser.asp?U target=blank>The_Jester, thanks Andy.
Opened on November 18, 2007.
Winter 2007.

Brown bottle, 750 ml, gift-pack purchased at the LCBO on December 21 2007, "savoured" on January 6 2008; eye: amber with a redish hue, clear, beige head disappears almost immediately, no lacing; nose: start of an infection?, no other odours are present; mouth: start of an infection?, only acridness, no other savours are present; overall: disappointing FRANÇAIS Bouteille brune, 750 ml, 6,2 ensemble cadeau acheté au LCBO le 21 décembre 2007, « savourée » le 6 janvier 2008; œil : ambrée avec une teinte rougeâtre, claire, mousse beige qui disparaît presque immédiatement, pas de dentelle; nez : début d’infection?, aucune autre odeur; bouche : début d’infection?, âcreté présente tout au long de la gorgée, aucune autre saveur perceptible; en résumé : déçu

Bottle: Poured a deep orangey color ale with a nice foamy head with OK retention but no lacing. Aroma of caramel malt with light spice mix is weaker then anticipated. Taste is a mix between some nice caramel malt with some notes of cloves and ginger. Body is thinner then expected with some medium carbonation. I was expecting a bit more character from this one but enjoyable nonetheless.

750 mL corked bottle. This is a mahogany-brown beer with a small head which quickly fades to a film. The aroma is surprisingly mild, considering the ingredients, with only caramel malt and the ginger coming through clearly. The flavour, on the other hand . . . . "Generous amounts" is not generous enough for the amounts of spices, particularly cinnamon, in this beer. It is doused with cinnamon to the point of bitterness. Although this beer is plenty sweet, more malt complexity would help to balance this out. Maybe. The body of this beer begins quite thin, but fills out a bit in the middle. Kudos for trying, but . . . try again.

Draught - Volo, why not just rename this ’Big pint of cinnamon ale’? Ruby red, small head and a smashing cinnamon and nutmeg aroma and flavour. A long dry finish but excusable because it is such an interesting brew.

750 ml bottle - pours a clear dark amber with a small off-white head. Aroma really sweet and malty, some honey and faint mandarin peel. Flavour very nice - again, very sweet, but more complex than the aroma, with the honey, ginger, cinnamon and some dark fruits really coming through. A dry, slightly astringent finish rounds things off. Thick mouthfeel, almost syrupy. Alcohol extremely well-hidden, although it warms as you work your way through the bottle. A lovely beer to sip with a friend on a cold winter evening. Attractive bottle as well. Another winning seasonal from Great Lakes.

750 ml corked bottle. Clear dark copper colour with a thick but mostly diminishing creamy and fizzy off-white head. Dry spice aroma of ginger, cinnamon, and citrus, along with some dark fruit cake notes. Dark fruit, persimmon, plum, cherry, and raisin flavour with a dry, pithy, earthy, and dusty bitter finish. Medium bodied, tries to be chewy but more on the watery side. Why go through the trouble of the cork and cage if you’re going to filter out the best of the beer?