Holgate Brewhouse Winter Ale
Holgate Brewhouse / Keatings Hotel

Beer Geek Stats
From:
Holgate Brewhouse / Keatings Hotel
 
Australia
Style:
Winter Warmer
ABV:
6%
Score:
Needs more ratings
Avg:
3.72 | pDev: 13.98%
Reviews:
8
Ratings:
8
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jul 30, 2011
Added:
Mar 04, 2003
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Ratings by bros:

  None found.

Photo of Stew41
Reviewed by Stew41 from Thailand

3.58/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3 | smell: 5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Dark chocolate brown - very inviting. Head is quite fat and holds ok. Nose is sweet and fruity, with some faint tinny notes. Has character. Very good mouthfeel and flavour travels full length of the palate. Some roasted notes speak a little of a dark stout but malt sweetness and a little heat point more in the direction of a strong ale. Pretty good stuff.
Jul 30, 2011
More User Ratings:
Photo of LittleCreature
Reviewed by LittleCreature from Australia

3.94/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance - 3.0
Pours a finger of tight beige head that quickly disappeared over an dark brown body with ruby highlights, barely penetrated by light. Left no lace.

Smell - 4.0
Sweetish, very malty aroma of caramel, burnt malts, a little chocolate and coffee and a suggestion of stewed dark fruits.

Taste - 4.0
Roasted and crystal malts dominate to provide a palate of burnt sugar, toffee, caramel and a little coffee. A little leafy hop character rounds out the dry finish of a beer otherwise balanced to sweetness. Tasty, but not quite as rich as the best English winter warmers.

Mouthfeel - 4.0
Medium bodied, a little oily and moderately carbonated with fine bead.

Drinkability - 4.0
Well suited to its purpose, a nice winter beer that would go well with a movie on a cold night.

OVERALL - 3.75
A quality, flavoursome beer - Holgate continues to impress. Reminds me somewhat of James Squire Porter, both are very good cold weather beers.
Apr 12, 2010
Photo of ADZA
Reviewed by ADZA from Australia

4.12/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This is defiantely a standout beer from this brewery and so glad i revisted it,it pours a dark cocoa colour with average carbonation that leaves a fast vanishing one finger head,the aroma is overpowering of chocolatey,toffee,caramel notes very sweet and inviting,it has an above average mouthfeel with big hints of cocoa,mocha and a subtle chocolate liqueor finish which invites another sip from this brew,in my books this has to be one of Australia's best examples of a Winter Warmer,Cheers Holgate very well done.
Aug 27, 2009
Photo of brendan13
Reviewed by brendan13 from Australia

3.73/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Hand Pumped Cask @ The Royston

A - Black with mahogony tints when held up to light. A couple of centimetres of beige head that held up. Fair amount of lacing.
S - Big sweet, toffee aroma dominates the nose. Bit of roasty malt.
T - Nice balance of toffee sweetness, roasted malts, dark fruits and a very faint spice note.
M - Pretty much no carbonation which is to be expected with a medium bodied, smooth mouthfeel.
D - A couple of these in a session wouldnt be a bad thing but after a couple the sweetness would get cloying.

I wish there were more places that have hand pumped cask ale in Australia.
Jul 26, 2007
Photo of sulldaddy
Reviewed by sulldaddy from Connecticut

4.03/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I am sampling a room temp bottle in a tumbler prior to flying out of Brisbane. The beer pours a rich clear mahogany color with 2 cm of beige spongy head foaming up easily. The head leaves large craters as it receds gradually to a sturdy surface layer. The aroma is dark chocolate and sweet fruit, raisins and red grapes. Some bready yeast mixes in as well.
The first sip reveals a slightly thicker body than expected and average carbonation. The flavor starts sweet with caramel and chocolate rolling to dark fruit and even a bit of tart raspberry on the finish. The beer is smooth and easy to drink. I am surprised it is only 6%. Very tasty and would be good on a cold nite.
Dec 10, 2005
Photo of koolk
Reviewed by koolk from Australia

3.55/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
After searching for a decent bottle shop that stocks all 4 holgate products I finally sat down with their Winter Ale.

Deep red in colour, bordering on an off brown. Nice head that sat around for a little bit. Very low carbonation, but I believe this is the style.

Smells immediately of burtn/roasty/toasty malt that almost reminds me of burnt coffee beans and toffee. Also hidden in here is some slight fruitiness, best described as dried dark berries (prunes, rasins etc).

Good round smooth mouthfeel that again has the same theme of roast/toast coffee and toffee. Some slight leafy/hoppy bitterness that is quite pleasent and long lasting.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and according to the label it can be cellared, so I may sit on a few and see what happens.
Oct 29, 2003
Photo of diablo14
Reviewed by diablo14 from Illinois

4.32/5  rDev +16.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
an absolute cracker of a beer from holgates. you will find it hard to get a beer like this anywhere. i rate this as close to the best you can get down under. a beer of glorious color, body and complexity, it would make many european brewers green with envy.

the color is quite amazing! a burgundy, almost purple hue with a rose colored head that is foamy and generous, it looks a beauty from the moment you see it in the glass. the smell and flavour varies depending on how old the bottle is. when its young it smells nice and roasted with a hint of berries and the flavor is fresh, slightly spicy and sweet, almost porter in style, with a great dry finish. its when you leave it 6-8 months that it blows your mind. its like christmas pudding in a glass. the smell and taste are quite incredible. theres plums, forest fruits, cinnamon, cloves, and a slightly nutty hint there. theres still roasted notes, but they round out and become much smoother with age. its still got a sensational hop balance that melds wonderfully well with the sweetness of the beer. it does get a little more dense in texture with time, and the great thing is, its not hard to drink a few in a session.

it also goes without saying that this is a marvellous dessert beer, be it with cake or even a block of chocolate (as stoutbot has suggested). this beer is the sort of thing i expect from the bigger brewers doing seasonal beers, but at least weve got someone out here thats willing to show them how it should be done. without doubt holgates winter ale deserves wider recognition in the world of beer.
Oct 25, 2003
Photo of rastaman
Reviewed by rastaman from England

2.52/5  rDev -32.3%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3
Kind of buttery and caramelly, bit of a raisiny fruitness, i shouldn't really say it was bland, but it just wasn't very interesting to me, i had it when they first released it in bottles, perhaps it will get better with time, because i think this brewer has huge potential, just not quite their yet.
Mar 04, 2003
Holgate Brewhouse Winter Ale from Holgate Brewhouse / Keatings Hotel
Beer rating: 3.72 out of 5 with 8 ratings