Wild Goose Snow Goose Winter Ale

Draught at 42nd Street Oyster Bar in Raleigh, NC. Clear amber color with off white head. Metallic nose with a hint of dried leaves. Cherry and caramel flavors with a hint of brown sugar. Slightly bitter with a hint of sweetness.

Bottle. A very slightly hazy ruby pour with tons of little floaties and a thick sandy head that leaves some lacing. Aroma is slightly of pine along with some caramel, brown sugar and nutty malts. Fairly thin-bodied. This tastes like it has about twice as much alcohol as it claims to have. Very grainy and medicinal. Hints of cough syrup. Lemons too. A brown sugar and caramel malty base. Lightly bitter and dry finish. I just don’t care for this one.

Bottle. Pours dark amber with a limited head. Creamy, smooth and malty with a light hoppy addition. Caramel with a light coffee essence. A very nice winter ale.

Pours a nice deep amber red brown with a good amount of foamy manilla head. Aroma is malty, sugar and chocolate, and a bit of white grape juice scent. Very interesting smell overall. Flavor is sweet alcohol, medium hoppiness with slight citrus and caramel undertones. Overall, i found this quite enjoyable and im finding that this style in general is one of my new favorites for the winter season.

The venerable Snow Goose has somehow gone unrated by me for far too long. There was a time not so long ago that I would be anticipating this beers annual release much more than any other. The nose is malty, brown sugar, molasses, and chocolate come to the forefront. Unfortunately, the head and lace are on the lackluster side. The beer is medium in body and fairly bitter. There is a nice roastiness that becomes more apparent as the beer warms. Overall, this is very good “throw back beer” that is complex and well crafted. The beer does a great job in balancing all of its components

Deep amber, quickly vanishing off white head. Caramel and spicy hop aroma. Sweet roasted malt as it hits the tongue, but spicy, piney hop flavors come on quickly. Finish dries out a bit, but there is still a little lingering sweetness. Just a little on the thin side, but nonethelesss quite drinkable.

Quite the decent winter seasonal! I was expecting something extremely hoppy, with the piercing bitterness associated with other micro winter varietals. The hops in this one had a more subtle effect, not so biting in front, but noticeable hops afterwards. Overall a great beer for after raking the yard and before a big meal. Very enjoyable.

Clear amber body with a small white head that mostly diminishes. Dry roasted malt aroma. Dry roasted malt flavor, with some floral hops.