Samuel Smiths Winter Welcome Ale

beautiful color, fruitly, malty palate and hoppy finish. well constructed and a good beer, but nothing to make me go out of my way to have this again.

Bottle, SH Jones, Bicester, 04-11-06. Copper coloured beer, that despite its seasonality had that very distinctive Samuel Smiths taste running through it. Taste and aroma were little bit hoppy, little bit malty little bit sweet in short little bit drab for a seasonal beer could’nt really get any winter spiciness or richness prevalent in many of its competetitors beers at this time of year, in fact for a 6% beer this was something of a disappointment.

2006-2007 bottle. This is my first rating ever, so bear with me. I am generally a big fan of Samuel Smiths products and generally enjoy winter beers, but I am disappointed with Winter Welcome Ale. The aroma is pleasant but weak. It does improve after a few sips. The color is a very nice copper, and the bottle looks great, as one would expect from Samuel Smiths. The flavor, like the aroma, is weaker than I would hope, but still quite good, although a bit more sweetly malty than I would prefer. Each sip is more enjoyable than the one before. I can tell that this beer would stand up well if I drank it frequently over time. The problem is, at $2.49 pre-tax for an individual bottle, I am not likely to buy it often. There is little particularly "wintery" about this brew, as it is not especially spicy or strong. It does leave a superb aftertaste. I am probably being too hard on this beer because I had very high expectations. It is solid but nothing special.

2005/2006 bottle. Poured a beautiful copper, almost ruby red. Short lasting but fluffy off-white head. Aroma was grains, fruit and even a bit skunky, but appealing. Very malty flavor with a delicate spice and yeast component. Mildly carbonated and a bit thin, but a satisfying beer. I could see downing a few of these, in spite of the pasteurization, filtering and artifiical carbonation.

The nose is all over the place, fruit, malt, alchohol. It poured light brown with a fading head. The flavor was lightly carbonated at first and overall nutty and bready. It has a smooth, malt finish that slowly warms. Not much to it though.

Not impressed at all. She’s quite bland. While it’s not bad, it didn’t bowl me over either. The other Sammy Smith brews I’ve tried were much better.

Pours a clear copper color, with a fluffy, light-colored head. The scent is of light hops, of nondememo origin. The flavor is sort of generic. It has a dry character, with a slightly metallic finish. Mouthfeel is a lot like soda. I’m not terribly impressed by this beer, but it’s not offensive. An easy drinker.

there’s not much i can say about this beer that ’wunderbier’ hasn’t already covered. it was very pleasantly surprising, but unfortunately it could not stand up to its reputation this year. i’m glad i tried it, but i wouldn’t seek it out. the laciness of the head really threw me off guard. the rich amber color really helps out with the attractiveness of the overall appearance as well. i’m a hophead at heart, and while the seasonal can hold its own, there are many others ahead of it. My dear Mr. Smith, i like your IPA more.