Winter Ale
Fremont Brewing Company

Picked up a 16 oz single from the Blue Door Bottleshop warm shelves 11-13-25 for $6.00. Canned 10-1525; consumed 1-11-26. Cold stored since purchase.

Beer poured brown with a beautiful long lasting tan head.

Nose has notes of toasted and light roasted malts.

Taste is a heavy toasted, lightly roasted malt base that emits a wee bit of chocolate. Hopping is there and definitely balances the large malt base.

Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied and pretty smooth.

Overall, always nice to see a brown ale, this is pretty solid.

 

A 16 ounce draft pour into a shaker pint at a pub.

Appearance- Ruby Brown, opaque, light brown frothy head, slightly above average head retention, average lacing.

Aroma- Nutty, roasted malt, weak strength of scent.

Flavor- Nutty, roasted malt, caramel, chocolate, high strength of flavor.

Mouthfeel- Full body, moderately creamy, moderately bitter, average carbonation, moderately mouth warming, mildly mouth coating.

Overall- Ruby brown and opaque with slightly above average head retention and average lacing. The bouquet was an underpowered mix of nuttiness and roasted malt. The flavor turned out to be a nice surprise. It had much more intensity than the aromatics and more complexity with added notes of caramel and chocolate that were undetectable in the nose. This beer had a full body with moderate creaminess, bitterness and mouth warming properties. It was on the brink of a 4.5 mouthfeel rating, but the mild amount of mouth coating properties kept it at a 4.25. Overall, this beer's aromatics were a letdown, but the rest of the beer made up for that. It was a solid beer that provided a nice drinking experience.

 

Dark ale with light winter spices. Tasty, but nothing extraordinary.

Can poured into a Mountain Rambler Brewery pint glass

A: Pours dark brown with slight mahogany and copper hues and a frothy cocoa brown head that settles to a firm layer and laces nicely.

S: Roasty, earthy char, coffee, molasses, a touch of spice, a little pine, subtle herbal notes, dark fruit, and a bit of toffee and burnt sugar sweetness.

T: Roasty malt, earthy char, fresh coffee, dark chocolate, a touch of spice, pine, minty herbal notes, molasses, subtle dark fruit, fig, cherry, and plum, slight toasty nutty notes, and some toffee and burnt sugar sweetness.

M: A bit on the fuller side of medium body, mild to moderate carbonation, pretty smooth.

O: This can wins the title of 2024-25 hide and seek champion in my fridge. It somehow evaded me all winter long, and most of spring, but after finding it last week and sitting in front of a fan in A/C today, it started to feel wintery enough to crack into it. It's held up rather well and drinks kinda like the love child of a robust porter and a black IPA. Plenty dark and roasty, but with a bit more hop presence, and a touch of spice for good measure. Would probably hit the spot even better on a properly cold winter's day. Definitely gonna keep an eye out for this one next winter.

Rated 8-25-2019 originally. This beer pours a dark brown with a creamy tan small head. Aroma is roasted malt, dried fruit, chocolate and a hint of alcohol. Taste is the same, with a little bit of bitterness. Pretty well-balanced beer for a Winter ale. Had this in my beer cellar for a while, dated 11-8-21. Rated 11-11-2023 Just purchased a 4-pack this winter, good winter ale.

a little bitter but otherwise a true to the style winter warmer. it’s almost like a blend of winter warmer and pale ale. the color is spot on, bravo! the feel is only ok, it’s kinda light and that bitterness makes it thin instead of sticky like it ought to be. the added spices are nice although not real subtle, they don’t compliment the experience but rather sit on top.

 

Packaged on November 7, 2024 - enjoyed on December 28, 2024 - poured from a pint can into a snifter.

Initially impenetrable (later revealing copper highlights), clear Van Dyke brown liquid supports a lasting wheat raft. Fine sticky lacing; excellent retention.

Malty aroma with hints of chocolate, chicory, forest floor, and plum.

Spicy, hop-forward palate entry followed by a wave of complex malt with hints of cracker, cocoa nibs, and scalded sugar. Orange rind, spruce tips, with hints of fruit cake alongside a low but lasting bitterness. Earthy, medium-dry finish with a glimmer of alcohol suggesting a cordial.

Medium bodied, well carbonated, gently warming.

Very well balanced example of the style, relying on a complex malt bill and careful hop selection rather than heavy-handed use of adjuncts to suggest characteristic seasonal flavors (dried fruit, dark sugars, spices). Almost closer to a Black IPA than an Old Ale.

FYI, there are already many ratings and reviews for this same beer as "Winter Ale". It's the same beer.

 

Unexpectedly dark/ almost black liquid topped by dark tan very voluminous head. Good amount of lacing. Subtle holiday spice in smell and taste. Some dark dried fruit and dark bread. A hint of molasses. Moderate body with mild carbonation. Thoroughly enjoyable.

 

De BeerRepublic. En copa Teku. Jugando a South Park Fractured but Whole. Buena winter ale, con un sutil toque especiado y una potente base maltosa.

Look: Pours a rich, dark brown and quickly, a light brown head forms and slowly settles to a lid, leaving rings of lacing behind

Aroma: Holiday spices, freshly baked brown bread, dark fruit notes, toffee, light earthiness, and dark caramel

Taste: Dark caramel smothered bread comes on quick and strong and start to develop as layers of dark fruit creep in with plums and figs leading the charge. Toffee lays the foundation in the middle as notes of clove and nutmeg present themselves and earthy notes swirl around in the backdrop, peeking in from time to time. Closes with more caramel, bread, and spices with no alcohol detectable

Mouthfeel: Full, smooth, medium-high carbonation, and soft and smooth on the finish

Overall: This is some tasty stuff. A new one fore me but knowing these folks’ reputation, I dove right in for a 4pk and glad I did. It’s a nice winter ale with a great balance of malt, dark fruit, toffee, caramel, and spices that come together really well and all help sculpt this delicious Imperial Winter Ale. Check it out

Canned 10/27/23; drank 1/18/24 @ Roadrunner Lodge.

Opaque dark brown appearance.

A rough pour yielded a HUGE tan head; strong, frothy tree-rung lacing remained.

Root beer, mild chocolate & faint cream notes in the nose.

Thick, creamy mouthfeel.

Root beer & mild chocolate flavors up front; mild fresh earth & booze heat notes on the finish.

Robust, sweet & boozy. Good; not great.

 

 

Winter Ale from Fremont Brewing. From @muchloveforhops3 in BSBIF #1, 16 fl oz can. Reviewed 11/01/24 (Review 3216). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Stamped on bottom of can “PKG 10/04/23”. Stored at 34 degrees F at home. Served at 61.1 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 63.5 degrees F.
Appearance 4.
First pour: Deep Amber (SRM 15), clear.
Body: Ruby Brown (SRM 24), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear-lite, ruby and translucent.
Head: Large (Maximum 6.7 cm, aggressive center pour), wheat, high density quickly opening up, short retention, dropping to a jagged 0.5 – 1.1 cm crown and a thin partial cap.
Lacing: Fair. Wide partial band of near microscopic to small bubbles.
Aroma: 4 - Begins with faint spiciness and toasted malt. No hops, no yeast, no alcohol (8% ABV).
Flavor: 4 - Begins mildly sweet with a hint of spice and graham crackers, followed by light chocolate. No hops, no yeast. Weak gastric warming. Ends just a touch bitter.
Palate: 4 Medium; weakly syrupy; soft carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 4 – Not as over-spiced as most winter warmers, this allows the base malt bill to drive the flavor with a helping hand from the hops – probably the best winter warmer I’ve had. Thanks Doug!