Samuel Smiths Winter Welcome Ale

Brewed by Samuel Smith
Style: English Strong Ale
Tadcaster, England

550 ml bottle. Pours a nice dark gold with a decent white head that fades. Aroma and Taste are of caramel, malt, yeast, fruit and some hops. Is rather sweet and has a nice bitterness to it. Easy to drink, even after it warms and the aftertaste leaves me wanting more. A nice seasonal brew that is enjoyable to drink and is a nice way to kickstart the winter months.

55 cL bottle. Pours clear and golden orange to amber with a huge creamy, tan and slowly diminishing head - leaving a nice lacing on the glass - clearly a 5er. Roasted caramel malty with a light breadish note. Light yeasty too. Flavour is breadish and mild metallic with a lasting yeasty impression. Mild bitterness in an otherwise smooth finish.

55cl bottle from Vinmonopolet. It poured a slightly pale orange colour with a big white foamy head that settled down slowly in the glass. It has a faint aroma that smells of malts, nuts and caramel with hints of syrup. It has a sweet nutty flavour that not suprisingly tastes of nuts, hops, caramel. It has a lingering aftertaste. A very nice ale to welcome the winter.

12 oz bottle. Clear copper with a thin white head. Nose is faint caramel and clove but not much there. Almost medium with a tingle. Taste is raisin, caramel, pine and orange but a bit watery. Dry finish with a touch of cough syrup.

Pours a copper color. Aroma is slightly hoppy, modestly nutty. Flavor has good balance and overall flavor. Decent roasty maltiness. Good hop background. Nice bitterness to balance the malty sweetness. Good stuff.

2008-2009 vintage poured from a 550ml bottle into dimpled mug Aroma - Caramel, toffee, with a slightly grassy aroma Appearance - Clear copper with 2 finger white head. Flavor - Malty with notes of toffee,notes of winter fruit with a bit of grassy hops toward the end. Palate - Light to medium. Easy on the carbonation. Slow on the finish. Overall - Too bad this ESB is a seasonal. Like all the other Samuel Smith’s products, this is an excellent example of the style that it’s patterned after. Very tasty, very drinkable.

(Bottle, Rake, Southwark, London, 21 Nov 2008) Amber colour with frothy, white head. Malty, toasty nose with notes of dark fruit, prunes and earthy hops. Malty, fruity taste with dried fruit, prunes and raisins with bittersweet citrus and earthy hops in the finish. Slightly above medium body, fairly sweet. Nice winter beer with lots of taste.

Clear bright copper color pour with a thick foamy head that lasts and leaves streaks of lace. Sweet malt and toasty grain in the aroma. Flavor is malty with some ripe fruit. A good, but mild hoppiness on the finish. Well carbonated. An all around decent brew.