Samuel Smiths Winter Welcome Ale

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

550ml Bottle: Poured a perfect amber color. Nice thick off white head. Always a fan of winter ales this one stands out above most that I have had in the past.

Winter 2007 edition. Pours a crystal clear, rusty copper amber color. A large, foamy, off-white head settles slowly to a wispy, swirly film. Random flares and spots of sudsy lacing coat the glass, though most slowly find their way back to the body. The aroma is sharply metallic when cold, warning me to back off and let it warm up a bit. The effort pays off, as the metallic notes disappear, leaving only sweet toasted caramel, mild floral hops, and a dose of heavy cream behind. The flavor is sweet up front, but moving quickly to cereal grains and a mildly astringent floral hop finish. The astringency sticks around for a few seconds on the roof of the mouth. Overall, pretty boring tasting. Seems like a watered down Barleywine more than anything else. Smells nice, but the astringency and lack of substance are major issues.

3-inch head. malt and yeast aroma. taste has mild hops and yeast, but is a bit watery. finish is slightly sweet with a bit of hop bitterness.

This 2007-2008 beer pours out of the bottle orange with a twinge of brown. There is a fine foam, off-white head. The aroma is of malt and burnt orange. The beer has a creamy caramel flavor with hints of tartness. It starts a tad sweet then quickly becomes smooth with a slight bittering. Great carbonation gives this beer a tingle on the front of the tongue. Overall a nice beer to toast the winter onward.

This was in a X-mas mix 12-pack I got from a sister of a friend. Pours a minute off-white head over a dark orange and amber-hued body. Very subtle aroma of yeast, biscuits, and grains. Tastes of green apple, subtle toffee, grains, subtler yeast. Medium/full carbonation and thin/medium body. Drinkable, as all of the flavors are attenuated and almost bland.

Got this one in a sampler pack as a Christmas present. Pours copper with a bubbly beige had. The aroma has light bready toffee, some butter, toasted malt and spiced hops. Medium / thick body with some semi-sharp carbonation. The flavor starts with toasted caramel malt, sourish licorice and dry spices. The finish is fairly astringent, spicy and sour. An okay beer.

golden copper color beige head lets a nice layer on the beer smells of dried plums and pears, some yeast, malt and hops,some caramel creamy carbonated tasts of malt, hops,fruit and hidden caramel aftertaste has fruityness and a nice bittersweetness and some hidden dried pears

Pours an amber color with light to medium head that quickly dissipates. Not as much spice as other christmas beers but has almost bourbon undertones. A sugary holiday beer. Sweet and syrupy in body unlike others. Hops are mild. Okay but not what I look for in a holiday/christmas beer. Too sweet/syrupy.