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Winter Ale
Blue Point Brewing Company
- From:
- Blue Point Brewing Company
- New York, United States
- Style:
- American Amber / Red Ale
- ABV:
- 7.7%
- Score:
- 79
- Avg:
- 3.49 | pDev: 14.04%
- Reviews:
- 159
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Mar 07, 2022
- Added:
- Feb 19, 2002
- Wants:
- 6
- Gots:
- 77
Our Winter Ale is a hearty, robust amber ale. We use pale, Vienna, crystal and chocolate malts to create a balanced character of malt and hops with just the right amount of spice to warm you up during the colder months.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by kshankar:
Reviewed by kshankar from Oregon
3.53/5 rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.53/5 rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours amber/copper with a thick and fluffy head with good retention. Lacing is there throughout.
Aroma is of light hops, a breadyness, malts, caramel
Taste is the same...its got a little bitterness, but most of it is a bready malt backbone with a tad bit of bitterness from the minimal hops...not much else
Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied, and is fairly easy to drink. I could have a couple, but its not a special beer..just another winter offering. Good..but somewhat unmemorable
Dec 18, 2009Aroma is of light hops, a breadyness, malts, caramel
Taste is the same...its got a little bitterness, but most of it is a bready malt backbone with a tad bit of bitterness from the minimal hops...not much else
Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied, and is fairly easy to drink. I could have a couple, but its not a special beer..just another winter offering. Good..but somewhat unmemorable
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by JohnniEMc from Pennsylvania
4.44/5 rDev +27.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.44/5 rDev +27.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
The first full week of Spring. No better time to check out Winter Ale. A couple of 12 oz. cans are emptied into a clear glass liter mug. It is a beautiful brown and when exposed to strong light, shows just a tint of red. It began with a nice off-white head, but quickly after, little remains. Like some of its cousins, stouts and porters, it smells mostly of malt. Unlike them, this malt aroma brings nothing close to the roasted character they both have. This is a luscious ale. Reminiscent of a good wee heavy, but not quite as sweet, it is a malty delight. It is sweet, just not as sweet as most wee heavies. Think of one velvetly smooth stout with the bitterness of the roasting process missing. Probably best of all, there's no heavy handed inclusion of additional spicing. Whatever they add to the complexity of the taste, they do subtly. They become slightly more pronounced cumulatively, but never become distracting. At close to an 8% ABV, the alcohol component is hidden. That there is almost no glass lacing doesn't matter at all. This is superb.
Mar 29, 2021Reviewed by mikeg67 from New Jersey
4.1/5 rDev +17.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.1/5 rDev +17.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12 oz bottle. Pours amber with tall, long lasting, fluffy off-white head. Aroma is of caramel malt, ripe fruit and grassy hops. Body is full and crisp. Taste is of herbal, grassy hops, caramel malt, red fruit and some spices. Finish is long and dry. Delicious brew.
Mar 09, 2021Reviewed by milkshakebeersucks from Maryland
3.53/5 rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.53/5 rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Deep amber appearance with a well laced, average size, off white head. Muted, sweet malt aroma. Innocuous taste, fairly well balanced, with an earthy, lightly roasted malt quality. Medium-bodied, decently carbonated mouthfeel. Lingering, bitter finish with a hint of spicyness.
Feb 26, 2021Reviewed by Beertsipper from New York
3.17/5 rDev -9.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
3.17/5 rDev -9.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
An average, unoffensive beer. Spice note are apparent Decent drinkability. High ABV. But lacking in too many respects. An average Winter Warmer, at best. It drank like a red ale, or like a dark pale ale reminiscent of Dale's Pale Ale. But Dales' is much better. Without the spices.
Dec 13, 2020Reviewed by xxxcjbcxxx from Indiana
5/5 rDev +43.3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
5/5 rDev +43.3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
A perfect winter beer, without the stereotypical "Christmas seasonings/extra ingredients/flavor enhancers." I like the herbal, Christmas-candle-like beers as well, but this one is amazing without that. Noticably sweet, but not too sweet. Burnt, but not too burnt. Slightly bitter, but not too bitter. Absolutely perfect beer. And with the high alcohol content you only need to sip one beer to feel noticeably different. Lots of carbonation, but not too much, given it's alcohol content and flavor, it counters any hint of being syrup-like, which high alcohol sweet beers can somewhat have. That's usually only an issue for double digit ABV beers though. Smells and tastes beautifully complex. This is basically what sierra nevada, and some other Christmas beers aspire to be. (I had the sierra nevada beer celebration ale years ago, and it stuck with me how puke-like/pungently distasteful it was. You can smell that rubbery, old-milk smell only faintly in this beer, so it adds to its palate complexity.) The fact that it was $9.99 for such a delicious, somewhat-high-ABV six pack was impressive as well.
Nov 22, 2020Reviewed by russpowell from Arkansas
3.79/5 rDev +8.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.79/5 rDev +8.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours an effervescent amber with a pinky of sand colored head. below average head retention & lacing
S: Toastyness, a little leafy hop
T: Much toastyness, a little caramel & dryness, plus a little leafy hop up front. Very dry & toasty as this warms, more leafy hops & toffee. finish plenty dry with toffee & leafy hops
MF: Medium body, subtle carbonation, good balance
A good take on the style, pretty drinkable
Feb 25, 2020S: Toastyness, a little leafy hop
T: Much toastyness, a little caramel & dryness, plus a little leafy hop up front. Very dry & toasty as this warms, more leafy hops & toffee. finish plenty dry with toffee & leafy hops
MF: Medium body, subtle carbonation, good balance
A good take on the style, pretty drinkable
Reviewed by EMV from Pennsylvania
3.37/5 rDev -3.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
3.37/5 rDev -3.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a Dogfish Head tulip
L: Clear golden copper pour with 2 fingers of foamy off-white head. Nice ring of lacing.
S: Caramel and malts. Toasty and sweet.
T.F: Follows the nose. Sweet grains, brown sugar, and toasted malts. Caramel and mild spice. Earthy hops. Medium to light bodied. Could use a bit more bitterness. More sweets/caramel at the finish.
O: An easy enough drinking malty winter brew. A little sweet for my taste but not offensive. Average stuff from an average brewery.
Dec 21, 2019L: Clear golden copper pour with 2 fingers of foamy off-white head. Nice ring of lacing.
S: Caramel and malts. Toasty and sweet.
T.F: Follows the nose. Sweet grains, brown sugar, and toasted malts. Caramel and mild spice. Earthy hops. Medium to light bodied. Could use a bit more bitterness. More sweets/caramel at the finish.
O: An easy enough drinking malty winter brew. A little sweet for my taste but not offensive. Average stuff from an average brewery.
Reviewed by Mugman8 from New York
3.39/5 rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
3.39/5 rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Very little head that disappears quickly and no lacing....nice hoppy aroma but taste is just OK....light on carbonation....disappointing beer from a brewer that I like a lot.
Apr 11, 2019Rated by izraelc from New York
3.03/5 rDev -13.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
3.03/5 rDev -13.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
A confusing mess. Tastes like all the leftover beers got poured in one bottle.
Dec 16, 2018
Winter Ale from Blue Point Brewing Company
Beer rating:
79 out of
100 with
434 ratings
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