Winter Ale
Sea Dog Brewing Company

At Sea Dog (South Portland):

Into a pint glass:

A: golden brown colored body with no noticeable head, but that could have dissipated before I recieved the beer, lacing was spotty and followed the sides of the glass with no visiable rings.

S: mostly caramel, and some malts with some light raisin and some maple lightly noted

T: caramel and raisin come back, no maple is noticed

M: medium; creamy; sessionable; malty aftertaste; dry, smooth finish

O: Overall, I'm mostly impressed and would have this again, way to go Sea Dog

Not sure if this is the exact same thing that has been reviewed earlier from the other location but I found this last week, on tap at the South Portland Brew Pub. This seasonal brew is a nice chestnut amber color with a modest off-white head and just a few traces of lacing. A quick whiff says caramel raisin with a subtle allspice note. The first mouthful presents a bright and effervescent malt with some nutmeg and a touch of bourbon alcohol. Medium-light bodied, tingly refreshing and pretty drinkable. Perhaps a bit watery but not all that unusual for the style. There's a grassy hop in there that brings a bit of a dry finish. Overall it's satisfying as a winter/seasonal ale but I prefer a little more malt sweetness and body to make this anything memorable for me. The bourbon idea is never my favorite either.

Not to be confused with their Winter Stock Ale. Off the tap in Topsham, 01/17/09, this beer was an amber/orange color with a good amount of rising carbonation. The head was tan, one-finger and retained as a thin skim. The lacing was spotty, but present. The aroma was light, typical for the brewery, pale malt with a semi-sour note. The flavors were straight weird for a winter offering. It started with citrus rind but never recovered from there, very tart with sour mash and grapefruit notes. At the very end I got some toasted malt but it remained misbalanced and odd. The mouthfeel was average and rather oily, the body medium and the carbonation good. For the tough winters in Maine I just couldn't see myself wanting another offering as acidic and askew as I found this beer to be.