Samuel Smiths Winter Welcome Ale

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

Bottled for 2004-2005. Deep orange body, washy head. Fruity malt nose with a rough edge to it. Wonderful taste, lots of lively hops, sniff of a spicyness behind a pleasent fruitness, keeps on tingling on the gums, surprisingly light palate for a stronger ale. Enjoyable.

Light brown pour with a small off-white head. Piney aroma to it. Has a nice balance of floral malt and hops.

Veyr nice one, it was a little bitter, but Samuel Smith’s is alwas a good brand. It has some orange peel aftertaste and some coffee small features. NIce foam and nice roasted barley taste.

Bottle. Heavy malt aromas of nuts and caramel and light smells of herbs and dough with date and brown sugar in the background. Head is a rocky off white with fair lacing and is fully diminishing. Color is a clear orange/brown. Flavor is lightly acidic to start and finishes lightly sweet and acidic. Palate is light to medium, watery with fizzy carbonation. The flavor is a little weak in this beer, but the aromas make up for it somewhat.

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.

A clear amber colored beer, with thick and little beige head. The aroma of caramel malts with lot of fresh fruits. Some bread and yeast. The taste of some hops, a little bitter. It is a little dry and very fruity with flowers. Some nuty in the back. The aftertaste is a little bitter for quit a while.

It’s easy to forget that winter is a season longer than a few weeks when one lives in sunny Florida. I am certainly not complaining; I live here because I love the warm weather and sunshine. But, when it is sunny and warm in the wintery months of January and February, pouring oneself a Samuel Smith’s Winter Welcome Ale is a bit of a conundrum. I first fell in love with this particular ale a few years back when I came across it while in Rogers, AK for work. Being a dry county and seeing as our stay was for three weeks, many runs were made across the border to a wet county and one of the coolest liquor stores I have come across yet. It was there in the thrust of winter that I discovered this English classic, and each year since I look forward to its wintery release. I am happy to say that it hasn’t changed since and is still as good as ever.

She poured crystal clear burnt garnet while glints of burnt amber and mahogany polish her surface. A huge puffy head stands tall and proud before fading into a soft blanket. A faint shimmer of copper and mahogany highlight her already luxurious visage. Swirls leave generous trails of lace and release a bouquet of intoxicating wintery aromas. Crisp apples, pears, and plums ripe for picking delight while sun-soaked white raisins and pineapples transport me to the tropics. Giving her brisk nose depth and warmth is a generous helping of cinnamon, nutmeg, and powdered sugar while a buttery essence with honey part with a sweet kiss. Together, they meld and mix perfectly, reminding me of why I fell in love with her so long ago. The first of many quaffs is clean, crisp and replete with spices. The top of my tongue tingles while fresh crunchy pears, apples, kiwi, pineapples, and raisins delight. Honey coats my lips even as the winter spices start to dry the top of my tongue, creating a pleasant mouth-watering thirst which I am more than happy to oblige. Her buttery creaminess which was just a whisper in her nose is also but a whisper in her palate, melding with the gentle honey which lingers softly in the background. As my Winter Welcome Ale warms, our time together also diminishes. Far quicker than I would have liked, we must part. One last embrace of crunchy summer and tropical fruits with a sprinkling of spices finishes with a final kiss of sweet honey nectar atop toast.

There are quite a few winter beers that I look forward to every year and make it a point to buy. It would be close to impossible to buy all the winter beers that come out each year. Between cost and the reality of having to own a mansion, or climate-controlled warehouse, to put it all in, I find myself enjoying the pick and choose of the great Winter Beer quest each year. Make no doubt though, Samuel Smith’s Winter Welcome Ale will always be close to the top of my list.

Nice aroma of floral hops, grass and some sweet maltyness. Pours golden-amber with a nice two-finger frothy white head that settles down after a minute. Sweet malt comes through much stronger in the flavor with some yeast and a nice flowery-hoppy finish with a dry & bitter aftertaste. Creamy with medium carbonation. Very nice!