Winter Ale
Cambridge Brewing Company

Presentation: 4-oz. sampler glass. This is the 2005-06 winter ale; not sure if they keep varietals.

Appearance: deep copper color, off-white head resolving to a lid with a bit of rockiness.

Aroma: Earthy British hops, with a spicy malt nose.

Taste: The spicy malts are coming out more here, but alas so are some American hop overtones. Maybe I'm just tired of Cascades, but the hop flavor is a bit overwhelming on the attack. The sip resolves to a very subtle bready, spicy malt flavor that I just love, though. Does this beer have rye in it? The aftertaste is wonderful.

Mouthfeel: substantial without being too thick, definitely supports the hop profile and lets you chew on the malt a little bit. Carbonation is possibly a bit high.

Drinkability: Unfortunately I think the bold American hop taste would probably keep me to just 1 pint of this. It would be a good pint, though.

Picked up a growler of this one last week...enjoying the initial pint while Indy tries to complete the comeback to save their season.
Pours a dark amber color with a full finger of white head...some thin web-like lacing is produced as I work my way thru the pint.
A nice blend of subtle spice, roasted malt and floral hops.
The taste if very enjoyable...quite a number of different hops used in this one and at different stages of brewing and they are so well balanced with the malt sweetness. Add in the mild spice and bready yeast to complete this one in fantastic shape.
Mouthfeel is a bit then, but the carbonation is perfect even after a week of sitting in my fridge...highly drinkable.
Another solid offering from CBC and one I will enjoy for the next couple hours.

Nice murky unfiltered amber with a good head and very nice lacing. Smell is a nice blend of yeastiness and hops. Taste is initially malty that quickly turns into a hophead bitterness that lingers and lasts on the rear palate. Right up there with offerings from Victory. Mouthfeel is full bodied with a tad of chewiness that ends on the back palate and leaves its bitter imprint...mmm. Easy to drink for the style. ABV given at brewery is given at 6.7. It does warm...but it also has some great IPA qualities.

Murky brown color with some amber tint at the very bottom portion of the glass. It leaves beautiful lace. Smell is maltiness with caramel or toffee with a tiny hint of cinammon. Taste is nice clean well balanced maltiness with some hop presence too. There is a pleasant chalkiness to the mouthfeel. For this style, one of the more quaffable Winter warmers out there. What can I say--CBC is a great brewpub and their beers are usually quite good. This one is no exception.

AKA (Affectionately Known As) Big Man Ale... So I suppose there are two listings for this beer on BA.

Poured a dirty brown with a burnt red tinge to it. Smallish head rested on top with resilient lace ringing around the glass. Aroma was predominantly sweet with just a hint of spice. I also picked up a bit of heat from the alcohol.

Taste was heavy on the molasses and brown sugar. Also got a surprising alcohol bite. Made me think of a molasses cookie with the sugar coating. Got an even larger sting from the alcohol. the spices were fairly muted in the taste, but I got a bit of nutmeg. Medium body with a bit of a tangy feel to it.

Unfiltered, cloudy russet copper with a nice lacing of light brown head. Honey-fruit-toffee malt with pitch pine hops. Could use a bit more oomph. Taste starts with grainy, sweet brown sugar malt. Some fruitiness (dark), light toasted/nutty notes too. Hops glide in effortlessly. Piney, but not sappy, they linger into the balanced finish. Medium-big body with a soft, soapy feel. I could drink this all winter.

Deep brown and very clear with just a hint of a ruby highlight. It had a good cream colored head that settled quickly, but did leave a good sheet of lace on the glass. The aroma has a wonderful floral hop character. More hop in the nose than I expected. It does have a malty/candy finish on the aroma. Great balanced beer. Bright citrus hop flavor immediately followed quickly by the malt sweetness. Caramel apple flavors show on the finish. Very complex. It's nice to see a winter beer that isn't all spiced up. Smooth mouth feel, and very drinkable.

Poured a dark tan almost clear caramel body with an off-white head.

The nose was a lovely mix of malt, soft piney hops and some very subtle spice.

The taste was medium bodied with a big but very smooth malt taste. Caramel and some other soft but very fresh malt Characteristics. Surprisingly bitter with a big American hop taste. Very faint and subtle hints of spice and maybe even a little cinnamon, but for the most part a great mix of malt and a slightly bigger than normal hop.

Not your classic Winter Ale, just a really nice big Malty IPA with a touch of spice. Perfect for the cold winter season. A classic CBC beer that reminds why I go there so much.

Recited the twelve days of Christmas with this one on 12/17/2004. 16-oz. angular pint pour at Sunset.

Creamy blanket of some puffy initial head that ends up sticking nicely all the way down. Medium copper hue that is quite still. Cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom are the things immediately noted on the nose with a wash of background malt. Combo of nose items at taste all mix together and coalesce with a slight smoke and pine tang that ends cleanly. The fact that the spices in the pour do not overpower the other items involved is a testament to its balance. If ever there is a session winter, this is one.

Served in a half pint, this amber ale boasted, but lost, a fine white head. It's aroma was of citrusy hops. The flavor of this well carbonated beer was also dominated by intense hopping. There was a subtle caramel malt flavor to a beer that draws seems equally influenced by Pacific northwest and British ales. The mouth feel is great, crisp and dry. It's a warming beer for a cold winter day, with flavors that speak of the eventual coming of summer.

Sampled on tap at the brewpub.

This Winter Ale poured a hazy, red-brown color with creamy, tan foam that settled but coated the glass a bit. The smell was hoppy (fruity hops) with some malt sweetness and a touch of caramel. The taste was first fruity hops followed by some hoppy bitterness, and finished with a bit of sweetness. The mouthfeel was smooth and dry and hoppy with medium body and medium carbonation. The lingering feeling was of hoppy dryness. This was a very nice winter ale, nicely hopped.

A beautiful pint of amber brew, with a dark heart at its center like light glowing through a jar of wildflower honey is brought to me, topped by an inch of buttercream. The scent is sweet and piercing, so lovely I am almost afraid to taste it less I be disappointed.

I am not.

Not just the head, but all the brew is filled with creamy bubbles. With every sip the clingy resin of the dry-hopped Amarillo returns like an old friend. The malt is subtle, not needing to intrude more than a lingering sweetness amid the slow tingle of hops.

Do the hops seem at times a bit sour? Does the body seem a hair heavy? No matter. I take another sip and I'm at peace again with a lovely, lovely ale.

On tap at Anam Cara, Brookline, MA...

Bright and clear dark amber appearance, off-white suds. Laces in drips. Medium mouthfeel. Pleasant maltiness dominates, caramel, some sense of pear fruitiness and a distinct sense of candy cane peppermint mark the biggest impression. The flavor profile works well for me, not overdone with spices but a zippy mint and hop impression lurk subtly in the background. A good holiday Ale in my book, alcohol similarities similar to Summit Winter but a shade more interesting in the flavor department.

Found this on tap at Anam Cara.
It pours a deep dark tannish amber with a full beige head. A mixed fruit and sweet malty aroma rises up and lasts a good long time. A whiff and hops and mild hint of alcohol rise up initially then fades to the background. Sweet caramel and dark toast meld nicely with a sharp-edged bitterness. Flavors of grapefruit, mild limes and a bit of chocolate add a little variety. As it warms, it becomes more nectar-like sweet, warming and balanced.