Winter Woods
Cisco Brewers Inc.

Winter WoodsWinter Woods
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From:
Cisco Brewers Inc.
 
Massachusetts, United States
Style:
Wild Ale
ABV:
9%
Score:
85
Avg:
3.78 | pDev: 16.14%
Reviews:
39
Ratings:
81
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Nov 10, 2023
Added:
Jan 12, 2011
Wants:
  12
Gots:
  27
Flemish Braggot Smoke Spice Oak: Lambic critters, French oak barrels. Pinot Noir grapes. Mulling spices. 1000 lbs raw local honey. Cherrywood smoked malt.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Thorpe429:
Photo of Thorpe429
Reviewed by Thorpe429 from Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Reviewed from notes. Pours a dark brown color with a bit of a reddish tint. Off white head with some moderate lacing. The nose brings forward quite a bit of sourness along with some nice cherry character as well as a bit of spice. The flavor doesn't meld completely as the spice and the fruit never fit together all that well. A slight barrel character is there as well. Medium body and slightly sour with a dry finish. Bit of mild earth lingers throughout. Pretty good, though not as good as others I've had from them.
Mar 15, 2011
More User Ratings:
Photo of jlindros
Reviewed by jlindros from Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Big thanks to Bikram for this. Found collecting dust in the corner, must be quite old but no date on the bottle. Seems like there was a lot of angel share too as the beer level is well below the neck.

Pours with no head, clear molasses to dark auburn color

Nose is a lot like an oude bruin, sour funk with bacteria souring acidity, a bit of a darker sweet malt, dark fruits like sour date fig thing, a bit of candied sour cherry, a touch of wine and buttery oak, some plum notes as well

Taste is quite sour but not overly, again oude bruin like, souring bacteria acidity with fair tartness, into some sweet candy like malt characters, a little toasted brownish malt, more of the dark reddish fruits, a bit of candied plum, sour cherry, fig date, a bit of the buttery oak again as well as some wine an almost pinot like soft red wine, getting some honey mead like character as well coming through more as it warms and my palate gets used to the tartness, touch of spice in the background, a bit of tart cranberry, flemmy very tart finish

Mouth is med bod, big souring flemmy acidity, no carb

Overall interesting, I'm sure fairly different than it was when it was much fresher, but an interesting sipper, not sure I'll be able to drink the entire 750ml, having some carbonation would have made it a bit more drinkable
Nov 10, 2023
Photo of Sheppard
Reviewed by Sheppard from Massachusetts

3.82/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Pours a hue of magenta somewhere between a red wine and an amber ale. The aroma is like many lambics I've had, that cheesy funk. There's also some vinous aromatics. There's a lot of cheesy funk in flavor. Not as much barrel as I was hoping to get. I'm not getting much from the pinot grapes either. It's not bad by any means, but it's lacking depth and complexity that I was hoping for.
Oct 20, 2016
 
Rated: 3.23 by trxxpaxxs from New York

May 27, 2015
 
Rated: 4.1 by PatGreer from Massachusetts

Apr 27, 2015
 
Rated: 3 by kscaldef from Oregon

Jan 21, 2015
 
Rated: 3.8 by Wowcoolman from California

Nov 01, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by drewone from California

Nov 01, 2014
 
Rated: 1 by OriolesFan1008 from Maryland

Mar 17, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by SatlyMalty from Washington

Sep 15, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by GonzoHomebrewer from Massachusetts

Aug 04, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by liamt07 from Canada (ON)

Jul 22, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by Sammy from Canada (ON)

Jul 22, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by sliverX from S. Georgia & S. Sandwich Isls.

Jul 21, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by WillieThreebiers from Connecticut

May 15, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by THECPJ from Delaware

Apr 01, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by Yabev15 from Massachusetts

Mar 01, 2013
Photo of dwarvenstout
Reviewed by dwarvenstout from Idaho

4.06/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Picked up a bottle at Bauer Wine & Spirits in Boston last time I was out there. Beer guy was great- pulled this beer from a personal box.

A: Cloudy red-brown. Hissed when opening the bottle, but very little head.

S: Oak, tart cherry, slight acetic sour notes along with tart fruit. Fair amount of brett funk after a year or more of aging. Some peppery smoke in the background.

T: Big sour up front takes a couple sips to get past. Smoky malt comes through without overwhelming. Tart stone fruit midpalate- cherries and plums. Some strawlike Brettish character. Slight brown sugar sweetness before a lingering oaky finish.

M: Puckering sourness fades into oaky tannins. Very light carbonation gives the beer just enough life to be palatable- would prefer a little more.

O: Not the best in the Woods series (I preferred Pechish, but haven't had the newest ones), but I liked this beer quite a bit. Expected more funk for a beer this long in the bottle, but what I got was more appropriate to the beer than my expectations. Sour and smoke is a hard combo to pull off, but this beer did a good job of it.
Feb 20, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by cfrobrew from Texas

Feb 14, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by AlexFields from Tennessee

Jan 11, 2013
Winter Woods from Cisco Brewers Inc.
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 81 ratings