Sleigh'r Winter Ale
Ninkasi Brewing Company

 

A little taste of Dusseldorf, here in the NW. Dark brown with foamy beige head, nutty taste and aroma, roast grains, dry finish. It’s an altbier alright, and a pretty good one too.

Tried on 08 Nov 2013 at 14:41

Rated 5-12-2019. Have had this beer numerous times over the years. This beer pours a dark brown color with an off-white head. It has a solid malt body with just enough hops to give it some bitterness over the sweetness of the malt body. Just released again a couple of weeks ago 12-7-2023.

Beautiful dark caramel color, head dissipates quickly. Smell is bland, a little spicey. Taste is bitter up front and in the aftertaste, there’s definitely some chocolate and coffee notes but they’re very subtle. Strong spice flavors. Ordinary, but good, mouthfeel. Overall it’s okay, it would warm me up if I was drinking it outside in the cold, and the spices add a festive feel. Lacking a fair bit in the aroma and taste department however.

 

 

6 pack, bottles purchased from Plaid Pantry on Wallace in West Salem OR.
$10.99
Pours a very dark brown /cola body with a lovely thick beige head.
Aroma is unusually chocolaty and coffeeish for a Winter warmer. But it's very good, Some other toasted brown bread.
Taste is the same and with some liquorice and aniseed thrown in. Very roasty malts. I am liking this.
Good strong mouth feel. Medium to thick body, medium carbonation and lovely dry finish.
I like this but i think it's a dry stout?

1745
Winter Ale
Ninkasi Brewing
Sleigh'r
ABV: 7.2%
Date: Unknown
To clean the fridge, I come across this beer. I do not remember buying this beer; maybe it was given to me. The proper glass for this style is a goblet, which I will use. At the time of this review, the temperature is 38 degrees. Proper pouring techniques produced a half-finger light tan head. The retention is quick; no lacing was on the glass. The color charts around SRM 25, dark brown with mahogany hues. The appearance of the beer is okay.
Nosing the beer the first time, I wanted a spice-forward beer with loads of malt. What I got was a malty beer with subtle spices. The grain bill is caramel, roasty notes, and cereal grain. Other aromas in the beer are molasses, caramel, and a hint of cinnamon.
The spice is more pronounced as I sip the beer. However, the malt profile is roasty, with subtle char, caramel, and toffee. Other flavors I taste are earthiness, floral, cloves, and cinnamon. The more I sip the beer, I get this acrid smokiness that makes all the other flavors limp.
The mouthfeel is dry and bitter. The hop profiles came through on the finish. The body is medium and has medium-plus carbonation. The finish is tannic and astringent.
I was not expecting this type of beer from Ninkasi. I enjoy most of what they produce; sadly, this beer is one of my least favorites. The hops are showcased in this beer and the malt profile is just meh. I wanted a winter warmer not a malty hop bomb.

 

Clear dark brown with three fingers of tan head. Rings of lace appear as the level drop.
Smell is dark coffee chocolate roasted malt.
Taste is dark chocolate dark roast coffee and toasted malts.
Mouthfeel is medium with good carbonation. The finish is mildly dry and bitter.
Overall a tasty winter warmer. Packaged on 09/10/2021.

Sleigh’r Winter Ale from Ninkasi. Received on 21/2/21, cost $ 8.17 (Including shipping) for a 12 oz bottle ($ 0.636/oz) from Craftshack, San Diego, CA. Stored at home at 42 degrees. Reviewed 11/3/21. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Undated bottle. Served at 47.3 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Final temperature 55.0 degrees.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Medium amber (SRM 12), slight haze.
Body – Black (SRM 40), opaque. When rear-lite, the entire glass appears a deep ruby and slightly hazy.
Head – Average (Maximum three cm, aggressive center pour), almond, high density, average retention, leaving an eight to ten mm ragged crown fed by effervescence, and a thin complete cap. A broken thin row remains on the glass above the crown.
Lacing – Good. Wide, tight band of near-microscopic bubbles.
Aroma – 3 – No malt, no hops, no yeast. If I really concentrate, I think I can detect a hint of cinnamon.
Flavor – 3 – Begins markedly bitter, actually acrid, with cardboard highlights. No hops, no yeast. No alcohol (7.2 % ABV, as marked on container) taste or aroma. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 3 – Thin, slightly creamier than water, soft but lively carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3 (After deducting 0.25 points for undated container) Not good.