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Left Hand Snow Bound Winter Ale

 (RETIRED)
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RATINGS: 353   WEIGHTED AVG: 3.32   SEASONAL: Winter   EST. CALORIES: 258   ABV: 8.6%
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.

3.1
   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 12/20
Enjoyit (2721) - Vadum, DENMARK - JAN 20, 2012
Dark brown of color with a beige head. An aroma of nuts, cinnamon, spice and sweets. A flavor of sweets, nuts, spice and weak cloves.

3.7
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 2/5   OVERALL 17/20
icehawk (103) - Mount Pleasant, USA - JAN 7, 2012
Fruity with hints of spice. Finished with slight alcohol and citrus/spice.

3.4
   AROMA 5/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 14/20
oobawa (549) - South Carolina, USA - MAY 7, 2011
Brown with red tinges, and a modest but promising head. Smells like a damned shaker of nutmeg, though, which worries me greatly. Snow Bound tastes like a beer you’d want to drink exactly twice during the winter; any more and your blood might turn into egg nog. Sneaky potency, though, as the only sign of the beers elevated ABV is the growing fuzziness of my brain. Most assuredly an after-dinner beer, perfect for drifting off on the couch as the Lions lose again. (12/7/08)

2.4
   AROMA 5/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 4/10   PALATE 2/5   OVERALL 10/20
Thorpe429 (3542) - Alexandria, Virginia, USA - APR 14, 2011
Reviewed from notes. Poured into a snifter. Pours a very dark reddish-brown color with a very short head. The nose brings loads and loads of spicing with some cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, light ginger, and a bit of pepper. Just too much and this carries over into the taste, where it really just is quite a bit too much. The feel is spicy and I’m not a fan. Not easy to go through much of this. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 11-14-2010

3.7
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 15/20
Styles (2014) - Lincoln Park, Michigan, USA - JAN 7, 2011
Courtesy of Flaco Alto. The xxxmas version. Medium brown, mahogany highlights, decent white head, fades to ring. Big caramel aroma, toffee, spice through the background. Ginger, cinnamon, allspice, maybe. flavor shows a little oxidation, otherwise just like aroma suggests. Ginger gets stronger as it warms. Medium smooth mothfeel.

3.7
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 15/20
Wolfenkopf (137) - Villa Park, Illinois, USA - JAN 6, 2011
The aroma is intriguing. Its full of spices, most notably cinnamon. Behind that, the brew is reminiscent of herbal tea. The white head never forms, while the traces on the glass don’t stick around, either. The brew is deep and dark with a reddish hue when held up to light. The taste is quite dynamic, consisting of sugar and cinnamon for the most part. Mildly nutty with traces of honey in the background. I’m not a huge fan of cinnamon, but this is done well. It is silky smooth on the palate with very mild carbonation. The aftertaste is primarily cinnamon and nutmeg. I’m sure someone that loves cinnamon will rate this one much higher, but I found it well worth drinking and very enjoyable despite my disposition.

3.8
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 16/20
drpimento (1695) - La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA - OCT 9, 2010
Let this bottle sit a while outside the fridge before opening. With aggressive pouring I got a small to medium sized light tan head and no lace. Color is a clear dark amber with orange accents. Aroma is very nice - malt, dark ripe fruits, spices, a hint of honey and orange as described, also a bit of vanilla. Flavor is not quite as deep, but pretty much all still there and a little brandy too. Body is ok and so is carbonation. Finish is like flavor and of short to medium length with definite alcohol at the end. Not really a session beer.

3.6
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 15/20
Frothmeister (235) - Ontario, CANADA - SEP 17, 2010
650ml bottle. Dark brown, with a light beige head. Aroma is faint malt with Christmas spices, everything you would expect to smell in a mulled cider. Taste starts off with boozy sweetness, followed by dried fruits, coffee, cocoa, caramel, and hints of cinnamon with some ginger burn in the finish. The best spiced ale I’ve tried. A huge surprise. It’s not a style I’m a big fan of, but this has a LOT going on. Recommended.


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Rating Notecard:
Beer: Left Hand Snow Bound Winter Ale Rating Avg: 3.32 No. of Ratings: 353
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