Winter
Wachusett Brewing Company

Full flavor beer you could geek out on if you want but its ultimately easy drinking and comforting. The spices are perfect, they make themselves known but are not center stage and arent too forward.

Poured from a can into a pint glass
Appearance – The beer pours a very deep amber-brown color with a small head of tan foam. The head has a light level of retention, fading rather fast and leaving just whisps of lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma is big of a lightly toasted malt aroma mixed with lots of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and vanilla. Along with these aromas comes a big showing of molasses and brown sugar as well as some aromas of plum and raisin. Overall, roasty, dark, sweet, and inviting.
Taste – The taste starts out with a bready and toasted malt flavor that is paired with sweet brown sugar and molasses. The spices that were in the nose are also in the tongue. At the start the cinnamon is light, but gets more and more intense as the taste progresses further. The other spices of vanilla, nutmeg, and allspice remain rather constant. Some of the sugar sweetness fades a touch as the taste advances, but is replaced by a bit of nut and cola, with the resulting taste leaving one with a malty and rather strongly, but balanced spiced taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel -The body of the brew is touch on the more thick and syrupy side with a carbonation level that is low. For the roasty, malty, and sweet the feel is great and makes for a nice slow sipper.
Overall - A rather nice winter ale with a stronger spice profile and a nice warming taste.

 

Definitely the best of the Wachusett offerings I had this night. I know now that I'm a fan of the winter warmer style, and glad to say that this is a good solid example.

Spices not overpowering. The beer itself tasted like a darker red ale, and remarkably light on the tongue for a 6.5%er.