Winter Ale
Oppigårds Bryggeri AB

 

Pours an almost clear, deep, dark ruby red, bordering on mahogany coloration with a small, fizzy head. Smells of bready, caramel malt and quite herbal hops, with notes of red/dark fruit and brown sugar. Taste follows the nose, with a good balance of bready, caramel malt and herbal, piney hops, as well as notes of red/dark fruit, with red currant and figs standing out, as well as lighter brown sugar and perhaps just a hint of citrus and licorice. Finishes with a medium bitterness and some red/dark fruits and herbal hops lingering in the aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel with a medium body and carbonation.

I quite enjoyed this, but then again, I'm a big fan of bitter, herbal flavor profiles and I can see this not being for everyone. Still, theres a rather nice balance of sweet, fruity malts and bitter, resinous, herbal and slightly spicy hops to this that works quite well, with the bitterness being clearly ahead of the sweetness here and the fruity accents providing a little more depth. I would expect that this changes its flavor profile considerably with age, but I quite like it with the herbal, bitter hops standing out like this, although I don't think it's even all that fresh judging by the best-by date, hard to tell. This certainly feels more like an American Red Ale than a Winter Warmer to me though.

 

A-The beer poured a nice amber color with a good amount of head and lacing.
S-Fruity winy aroma.
T-Malt and rich.
F-Rich and full bodied.
O-A good tasting solid beer.

 

From Guevara & lynch. In shaker glass. Lunch with Pedro, paired with Viriato burger. Flat, boring, ugly dirty color, no foam and a small touch of rancidness. Not very displeasing but doesnt enthusiam either

 

One inch of tan head on a copper colored body. The smell is sweet and candy like, with wet grain. Moderate bittersweet and malty taste. The sweetness comes through stronger in the beginning with a slight bitter ending. Weak carbonation and medium body with a slight sticky feeling. I've definitely had better beer!

A: Pours dark amber to chestnut with a slight chill haze under a 1” fluffy cream to tan foam collar that hugs the glass.
S: Has a stiff fruit and wine aroma
T: Malty and rich with dark dried fruit and rich dense cake flavors and a sweet sour interaction especially in the finish. This is not heavily hopped.
F: Rich, full body, very fine soft carbonation.
O: An easy to drink winter warmer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A: Pours a murky deep copper in color with a light to moderate amount of active visible carbonation slowly rising from the bottom of the glass and some amber highlights. The beer has a three finger tall foamy sudsy light tan head that slowly reduces to a medium thick half finger thick cap surrounded by a large patch of very thin film covering the majority of the remainder of the surface of the beer and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Significant amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate aromas of toasted malts with moderate amounts of caramel and toffee sweetness. That is followed by some lighter notes of brown sugar, spices/herbs, and earthy hops.

T: Upfront there is a light to moderate flavor of toasted malts with a light amount of caramel and toffee sweetness. Very light touches of cocoa powder flavors and light flavors of brown sugar + herbs. Light amounts of earthy hops that contribute a light amount of bitterness which fades slowly.

M: Medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Slightly creamy.

O: I found this beer to be enjoyable though I can see the flavor profile not appealing to the larger American audience... there is something that reminds me of food from the Nordics in this brew (kind of like pickled or creamed herring does not appeal to Americans).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poured into a Seattle Beer Week pint glass. Pours a medium coppery amber with a fine three finger ivory head that continues building due to very active carbonation. Aroma of caramel malt, grassy hops, spicy and slightly earthy. Flavor is biscuit and caramel malt, lightly toasty, earthy spices, mild dark dried fruit, very light cinnamon and clove. Slightly oxidized. Medium bodied with nice peppery carbonation. An interesting winter ale that leans in profile to a brown ale, but a mild one, with spicing that leans to a muddled earthiness rather than baked goods. Odd and interesting; appropriate for the season.

 

 

 

 

500ml bottle. Pours a dark cloudy brown with a huge long lasting creamy tan head. Very good head retention and lacing through out. Aroma of dark roasted caramel malt, dark fruit, espresso and cacao esters fill the senses. Taste is roasted dark caramel malt, espresso beans and cacao, a bit of dark fruit with some mild bitterness. Palate is a full body, creamy texture with mild carbonation. Finish is of roasted dark caramel malt, yeast, espresso beans and cacao, some dark fruity notes ending has some mils bitterness with some lingering roasted espresso flavor. Overall a very good, flavorful and enjoyable brew, nice.

 

 

A- Pours a deep amber with some particles in suspension. It has two fingers of rocky off white head. clumps of lace are left on the sides of the glass. Head retention is excellent

S- Caramel, citrus, light biscuity notes. Some aromas of earthy european hops as well.

T- light notes of whole grain bread with citrus. minimal Caramel sweetness throughout. The finish is long and shows some hop bitterness on the back of the palate.

M- light, with a moderate amount of carbonation. a bit sticky.

O- Not a winter warmer in my opinion. No warming sensation, light body, overall lack of rich aroma and flavor.

 

Poured from a 16.9 oz bottle into a Unibroue snifter.

A: This great looking beer is a deep red-orange-brown color, with a large off-white head that is exceptionally durable and leaves the glass well coated.

Aroma: medium malts and a nice splash of hops, with hints of vanilla and light spices.

T: The taste starts out malty and lightly sweet, with some caramel and brown sugar. The hops presence then kicks in creating a fairly well balanced mix. The after-taste is slightly bitter, bready, spicy and hoppy.

M: Quite smooth; medium body; medium carbonation sufficient to render the beer a bit lively.

O: A fine hoppy brown ale that will function as a Christmas Ale.

Appearance - Pours a hazy burnt orange color with an off-white, rust tinged head that sits just under 2 fingers thick. Fair retention. Leaves a thin layer of microbubbles on the surface. Solid lacing around the glass with good stick.

Smell - Mild sourness at first. Fades as the beer warms, giving way to moderate cocoa notes and a healthy amount of ester fruitiness.

Taste - Moderate cocoa and hints of caramel character from start to finish, complimented by both sweet and mildly sour fruity esters; red apple and slight grain mid-taste while touches of Eureka lemon can be found near and into the finish.

Mouthfeel - Medium in body with a fair amount of soft carbonation. Near creamy. Goes down well.

Overall - A solid winter ale. That said, I dont feel I'd be missing much if I never had it again. If it were even just a bit more roasty, maybe I'd be thinking otherwise.

Pours a murky dark orange-brown with a foamy khaki head that settles to a partial film on top of the beer. Foamy patches of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of toasted malt, caramel, toffee, and some earthy and herbal hop aromas. Taste is much the same with citrus zest and malty flavors on the finish. There is a very mild amount of hop and roasty bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer with some nice barleywine-like aromas but the flavor is a bit unrefined in my opinion.