Winter Ale (Cabin Fever)
Sea Dog Brewing Company

Pint on draft at the brewpub in Brunswick.

Appearance: A clear ruby with a very thin head.

Aroma: Malt forward with some brown bread, dark fruits, a little sugar and cinnamon toast.

Flavor: Raisins, some sweetness, a little booze, slight syrup. That probably sounds like a bad combo, but it’s malty, sweet and enjoyable.

Mouthfeel: Very easy on the palate. A good beer to sip slowly on a cold night.

Overall: One of the better beers I’ve had from the Dog. Nice drinkable winter beer. Has flavor and is a pleasure to drink.

In a pint glass the beer was a dark brown color with an insignificant head.
Spice, fruit aroma.
Cinnamon, raisin taste.
A little on the sweet side, but still a good beer to drink.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tap at brew pub in Northborough, MA.

Light fizzy head barely visible since its filled to the brim, crystal clear copper brown color.

Nose syrupy, like cola syrup, nutty hazelnut like, toasty caramel malts, molasses, hints of spices, hints of the typical sea dog herbal hops.

Taste starts biscuity, toasty malts with plenty of caramel, syrupy, molasses, almost maple like, light nutty, brown malts, hints of apple like fruit, earthy hops with a decent bitterness, and light spicy herbal hops, light booze warmth. Finish is drier but a bit syrupy still, more earthy hops but the bitterness fades a bit, bit more caramel malts, fruits, and nutty.

Mouth is med bodied, light booze, decent carb.

Overall not bad, bit syrupy but typical for winter for the booze it feels slightly thin, the fruit is a boy weird too.

I believe this is the same beer. Found a bottle in a Connecticut singles shops saying Sea Dog Winter Ale

Appearance: 1/4 inch head, cloudy, orange-brown in color

Smell: alcohol, rum, toasted malt

Taste: cinnamon, chocolate, earth, and alcohol

Mouthfeel: medium bodied, medium carbonation, slightly sweet

Drinkability: For a winter warmer, the spices are a bit muted. In addition the alcohol is a lot more present here than other Sea Dog brews. I would reach for several other winter warmers first.

Notes: pint glass, served 45 deg

Aroma: spices, light hops and alchohol notes
Appearance: Clear, Amber, light quarter-inch head, dissipates to a surface foam
Mouthfeel: Light body and carbonation on the tongue
Taste: cinnamon spicy notes, light alcohol warmth
Overall impression: Great winter beer, good mix of spices and alcohol warmth. Very drinkable.

This beer pours a nice copper/amber color with a tall and medium bodied tan colored head that laces the glass very well all the way down. It smells of a roasted malts and some winter spices of nutmeg. The taste is nice as it follows the aroma. It tastes of sweet roasted malts and winter spices that make for a nice winter wamer - nutmeg and cinnamon mostly. There is a slight hop bitterness that rounds out the flavor really nicely. It has a smooth and warming mouthfeel with the right amount of carbonation, not too much and not too little. The drinkability is high on this beer as well due to its nice balance of flavors. Definately a good beer for the winter months.

Pours a nice caramel color, clear, obviously filtered. Light tan head, about and inch that reduced to an eighth inch leaving nice lacing behind. Really nice lacing now that I've gotten closer to the bottom, its almost a solid sheet.

Simple, and kind of light aroma. Fairly clean malt presense, some dark caramel sweetness, touch of esters, and when I initially smelled this from the bottle thoughts of banana phenols came to mind, but once in the glass I don't get that. Very light notes of rough-edged alcohol.

Flavor is much the same, light malting, but there is some there. Light fruity esters and some hints at alcohol. A pick up fleeting bits of diacetyl in the finished along with a light bit of grassy hops and some biscuity malt.

Pretty good mouthfeel, medium bodied, with some residual sweetness that allows the flavor to stick around.

Easy to drink beer, but for a winter warmer I'd like to see this with a bit higher alcohol and a bit less carbonation to smooth this out. As it is, though, it is pretty refreshing and I could drink this at other times of the year.

Bottle goes just by Winter Ale now and is actually a bit weaker now, only 6.3% instead of 8%, but still a pretty good beer to have during winter regardless.

Pours an amber color with a very ample head.

Smells strong of malt with some other spices that accompany a winter beer.

Taste is quite satisfying with much going on. The first to hit is the malt followed by the added spices and a bitter hop finish.

Dark amber-red translucent body that was just a hint of murkyness and about a half an inch of off-white head with good lacing and head retention. Smells like caramel malt and diacetyl. Roasted malt, diacetyl, and alcohol characterize the flavor, as well as some caramel and a hint of fruitiness (banana?). Medium-bodied. Body and flavor have a slight aqueous quality to them. The alcohol is less well-hidden than I'd like or expect, which hurts the drinkability somewhat. The alcohol isn't overwealming though, and despite is small flaws, this is far and away the best Sea Dog beer I've ever had, and I'd definitely get this one again.

This seems to be the 2003 version, as it's now labeled simply, "Sea Dog Winter Ale", and has a label pronouncement that it is "Hand Brewed and Bottled by Pugsley Brewing LLC, Portland, Me". This bottle was from the "Motley Crew" sampler box I picked up somewhere on the Maine coast, in the Portland area. This pours a dark copper body, slightly hazed, with a two finger, beige head that retains well, and leaves considerable sheet and patch lace.

Aroma is quite strong, very malty with a few Christmas spices like mace, nutmeg, and clove, and a good dose of herbal hops. I also sense that strange, earthy yeast, that is apparently wormwood, as well as a note of alcohol.

Mouthfeel is thick and rich, and this seems to be a full bodied ale.

Taste is very complex, with a lot of things going on. A little too much going on here, in my opinon. Big malty presence of molasses and toffee, are in a constant struggle with the bitter, herbal hops and spices. The finish is dry and bitter, as the malt loses steam toward the end. I think the yeast is a factor in the finishing bitterness, as well. The alcohol is hidden very well amidst the complexities.

I've not seen any other reviews of the 2003, version, so I'm not certain if this is the same recipe as in previous years. It's now called simply, "Winter Ale", as opposed to "Winter Stock Ale", but I'm guessing it's the same, or very similar, formulation as the older versions reviewed here.

2002 version and cheers to my friend jcalbi for the sample.

Strong sweet fresh clove and cinnamon smell. Quite a rich classic smell. Dark iced tea color and cloudy in the glass. Sticky lasting 1/8 inch very light brown head stays with the brew. The head is lasting and small with nice lacing. Rich thick malty sweet taste with great spice (corriander, clove) flavor. Very regal and rich. Coating thick mouth. A great one to settle back with on a winter evening.