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Left Hand Snow Bound Winter Ale

 (RETIRED)
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8390
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RATINGS: 355   WEIGHTED AVG: 3.32   SEASONAL: Winter   EST. CALORIES: 258   ABV: 8.6%
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COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
Fight cabin fever! Made with Rocky Mountain water, malted barley, hops, yeast, honey, orange zest, and other spices.

Editor’s Note: beginning in 2006, Snow Bound became the name for Left Hand’s strong winter seasonal beer made with honey and spices. It was previously known as XXXmas Ale. Below is the original XXXmas Ale description for reference.

XXXmas Ale is a spiced strong ale, using all natural ingredients to give it its festive nature. We brew this beer from a relatively high initial gravity to give it strength and body. This is (in our opinion) appropriate to a winter beer, and it helps to balance the numerous spices added. Honey is also added to increase fermentable sugars and give additional sweetness. Northern Brewer and Saaz hops are used sparingly, to allow the spices to evidence themselves. We add ground nutmeg, whole cloves, crushed cinnamon, orange zest and chopped ginger to spice the beer. Carbonation is kept low to accentuate the flavor of the beer and spices. It’s like a liquid cake. Brew water is relatively soft.


3.4
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 14/20
Sregnar35 (843) - Rotterdam, New York, USA - AUG 10, 2009
Spiced dark beer with a good aroma that is very january dessert. Poured very dark with a sweet aroma.

2.9
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 5/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 11/20
presario (4137) - Stampede City, Alberta, CANADA - AUG 8, 2009
Bottle. Moderate head. Dark red amber. Aroma of cinamon and candy cane. Taste is malty cinamon. Too sweet. Too much spice does not work for me.

3.3
   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 6/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 15/20
Headbanger (2134) - Aurora, Illinois, USA - AUG 6, 2009
22oz bottle-Poured a dark amber iwth a small head that dissiptes rather quickly. Aroma of malt, fruit, spices, and honey. Taste of the same with the spices coming out more prominent. Full bodied brew that is easy to drink and hides the ABV fairly well.

3.6
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 14/20
Cavie (3248) - Fort Worth, Texas, USA - JUL 27, 2009
Dark red color. Head disappeared very quickly. Sweet smell, of fruit and spices. Different taste. Lots of dark fruit and cinnamon. Spice flavor really comes through on the finish.

3.7
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 15/20
bubbleflubber (1231) - Asheville, North Carolina, USA - JUL 13, 2009
Nice spiced offering! Pours flat cola into the glass, with stalactite lacing that cascades from the top of the glass rim. Lots of pumpkin and dry pie spices to the nose... nutmeg dominates, with cinnamon and ginger. Very much a spiced pie (pumpkin) on the tongue. There are so many variables here.... pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, dark fruits, orange zest/peel, roasted malt, licorice.... all well-woven together for a complex palate. The finish contains a hint of pumpkin seed, backed by just a kiss of alcohol (well-integrated, by the way). The mouthfeel is medium, with soft carbonation. All-in-all, a very nice spice brew. Went down really, really well for me.

3.3
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 12/20
thejon375 (410) - Tampa, Florida, USA - JUN 14, 2009
Pours dark amber with light tan head. Aromas of raisins and spices. Tastes of roasted fruit and honey. Good for a cold winter night.

3.7
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 16/20
djd07 (1732) - Houston, Texas, USA - JUN 13, 2009
Bomber. Pours a very dark amber with a medium creamy light tan head that diminshes quickly leaving behind good sticky lacing along the glass. The aroma is a dark fruit malt with raisin and spice. Medium mouthfeel with a spicy roasted malt taste with cinnamon and molasses. Hides the alcohol well making it easy to drink, a good spice brew from Left Hand.

3.6
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 6/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 14/20
vtafro (1630) - Wayne, New Jersey, USA - JUN 9, 2009
Bottle. Beer is quite decent and has a good warming sensation but the alcohol does not effect the flavor in a bad way.

2.3
   AROMA 5/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 4/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 8/20
brewski519 (644) - Morrisville, North Carolina, USA - MAY 15, 2009
UPDATED: MAY 16, 2009 From a 22oz bottle this ale pours a dark ruby/browish color with a thin head. Strong spice aroma - lots of ginger, honey and pumpkin. The taste was very gingery and lots of pumpkin. Couldn’t really get past those 2 tastes to get to anything else. Check back with me next winter - maybe I will like it more during the right season.. who knows.

3.8
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 16/20
chandler0201 (602) - Durham, North Carolina, USA - MAY 14, 2009
Dark pour with limited white head. Aroma of spices and some citrus. Flavor is really strong but delicious, orange, honey, and cinnamon with other spices, with a great aftertaste. Best spiced winter ale I have ever had.


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