Oliver's William's Winter Warmer
Pratt Street Ale House

 

 

 

 

 

 

On cask at Churchkey, from notes.

A - A very dark ruby color that appears black with a light tan head that slowly dissipates to a thin ring with great lacing.

S - Strong malts with some fruit and spice notes.

T - Notes of cherry with some other fruit flavor (black currants perhaps?) and a little bit of roasted malts. Boozy as well (the 2011 edition is actually around 10%, not the 7% listed above). Almost a little cough syrupy in taste, which isn't the greatest flavor in the world for a beer.

M - Surprisingly thin bodied, the alcohol is very noticeable in the aftertaste. A bit harsh.

O - I was disappointed in the Winter Warmer, I'm usually a big fan of Oliver brews, but this one didn't do it for me...I found it lacking in the taste/mouthfeel department. I don't think I'd have this one again.

 

 

On tap at Max's tonight.

The beer pours a slightly hazy copper amber with good head retention and lacing. The nose isn't bad, showcasing some light sweet malt and light brown sugar. The flavor profile is impressive. While it generally replicates the nose, there is a boatload of spice in this beer, consisting of holly, pepper and maybe even lavendar. Also, while I thought the beer would be fairly sweet based on the nose, it really isn't. There's some initial sweetness, but it's quickly pushed aside by the spice and light hoppy bitterness. This leads to a fairly dry, spice filled finish. Mouthfeel is a bit light and lean, but the beer finishes very cleanly. Drinkability is good, with the alcohol barely an afterthought on the spice filled frame.

Interesting beer and not the sort of style I normally associate with Oliver beers.

Note/edit from 11/11. The beer is currently on tap at Max's, where the beer menu lists this beer this year at 10% abv. So be careful... :-)

Cask, served at 52˚
Appearance was dark reddish brown with a small white head, medium longevity, with good lacing.
Smell was caramel and licorice/anise.
Taste was sweet malt, scotch and vanilla with a constant background of licorice. Very much on the sweet side with not quite enough balance.
Overall, interesting and unique, worth trying if you like the style.

This beer will supposedly be available at the bars sometime around 11/6. It is so named after William Jones. It was available on cask during the recent real ale festival. Since I am a life-long lover of all things Oliver, I had to try this new and interesting English Strong Ale.

Served at the proper temperature off the firkin. Pours a light copper with a small head, as expected from an Oliver’s brew. The view is slightly hazy with just a bit of carbonation evident.

Has a flora hop aroma with a light bit of esters and yeast in the background.

Smooth, creamy, with nutty malts and just a smidgen of mild hops leaving a light bitterness. Very well balanced. Not spicy or pushy in any of the flavor categories.

Finishes relatively clean with no alcohol to speak of. This was surprising, given its "warmer" status. At 7%, it is hefty by the Wharf Rat standards, but doesn't have any alcohol in the flavor and no warm washing of the mouth.

Although listed as a “sipping beer,” I would definitely rate this a session brew. I’ll be having several more once it is more readily available.