Winter Warmer
5 Seasons Westside

 

 

On tap at the brewpub.

Pours dark, dark brown with hardly any light getting through underneath a big creamy beige head. There are tons of bubbles streaming up to the rocky bottom of the head.

The aroma is fairly subdued for a winter warmer as there isn't a lot of spice presence in there. The main aroma is big roasted black malts with hints of espresso. Maybe the spices starting to come out as it warms.

The taste is a little spicier, though still not much for the style, with some cinnamon maybe. The dominant taste is still the dark malts, heavily roasted, with some chocolate.

The mouthfeel is close to full-bodied with strong carbonation and super creamy going down.

For me, this is an excellent winter warmer. After a season of drinking heavily spiced brews, maybe I'm just excited to have an extremely drinkable malty winter warmer.

On-tap at the brewpub.

Pours a clear dark brown color with a one-finger tan head. The head recedes into a wispy layer on top leaving decent lacing.

Smells of dark toasted malts with a slightly mineral tinge and hints of spices.

Tastes similar to how it smells although a bit cleaner. Dark malt flavors up front with just a hint of roastiness are joined by very light spices midway through the sip. The flavors from spices fade quickly and the malt flavors carry through to a mildly bitter ending.

Mouthfeel is good. It's got a moderate thickness with grainy carbonation.

Drinkability is good. I didn't have a problem finishing my glass and could have another.

Overall I enjoyed this winter warmer more than most however I attribute that to the fact that it wasn't even close to being overly spiced. Worth a shot if you know what to expect.

Appearance: Served up a clearish, very dark brown body with a thinnish (it was a particularly generous pour), light beige.

Smell: Aroma of earthy, dark malts with a big whiff of oven-toasted walnuts, then, lesser notes of unsweetened cocoa powder and burnt bread crusts. The blend of added spices are well-integrated and provide a pleasing background of spice without being overbearing.

Taste: Winter Warmer presents a rather robust, earthy taste, with flavors of ground walnuts, charred bread crusts, Dutch cocoa, and tobacco leaf. Relatively light sweetness. As with the nose, the spices blend in well - the star anise and ginger add the most appreciable contribution to the taste, though the cinnamon and nutmeg and allspice are also noticeable. Mild hop character and bitterness. The spices linger momentarily into the aftertaste where subtle fruity hints from orange peel and juniper berries emerge.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium-light carbonation.

Drinkability: Give it a moment to warm a skosh to allow the spices to fully awaken. So often these days breweries are foisting onto the public so-called festive, Christmastime brews that are simply weak, wimpy brown ales without so much as a pinch of spice. Thankfully, that wasn't the case here.