A Winter's Ale
Mill Street Brew Pub

355 ml bottle served cold into a pint glass. Part of the Mill Street winter tasters pack.

Appearance - bright ruby coloured, clear with a half finger of white foam on top. Poor retention and not a lot in the way of bubbles.

Smell - Christmas baking, plenty of spices, some cinnamon and allspice to name a couple. A malty sweet aroma lingers behind.

Taste - moderately spiced, this has a little less of the spices that others in the style have. However there's some cinnamon heat on the back end. Me likey. Alcohol is brilliantly concealed.

Mouthfeel - thin, which is nice since it's not too syrupy, lightly carbonated. Good feel with the flavor profiles as this is not overbearing.

Overall - well crafted and tasty winter warmer. While I'm not. A huge fan of the style, I find with most, one is more than enough. With A Winter's Ale, I feel like I could down more than one of these before moving onto something else, as it's something tasty and very appropriate this time of year.

 

355 mL bottle from the LCBO, included in their Winter 2014 sampler pack. Bottled on Sept 12 2014, and served slightly chilled.

Pours a bright, clear orange-amber hue, packed with a flurry of bubbles lazily winding their way toward the surface, which is where one finger of dense, creamy off-white head is seated. It disappears over a period of minutes, leaving behind a smooth, filmy cap and a modest collar. The aroma includes a melange of spices, although cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg are probably the most prominent. Beyond that I am picking up notes of brown sugar, treacle, honey and clove spice. A pleasant mix, but I'd like more of a contribution from the non-spice elements.

Nope; not a big fan of this one. The malts come off rather like gingerbread, with caramel, vanilla and honey adding a constant, somewhat overbearing sweetness to the profile. The spices aren't exactly overdone, providing notes of nutmeg, allspice and cinnamon that fade into a light, clove spiciness at the finish. The aftertaste has plenty of residual sweetness, with the ethanol providing some slight warmth as you progress through the glass. Medium-bodied, leaning toward the heftier end of that category - the carbonation is light, barely prickling the tongue, and giving this warmer a seriously smooth, satisfying feel in the mouth. There are a few things about this beer that I do not like, but the mouthfeel is spot-on.

Final Grade: 3.4, a passable B-. A Winter's Ale is a passable winter warmer, but it is not really what I want out of this style. It's much too sweet, and there is not enough substance to this beer's malt or hop profile to help counter the relatively generous spice bill. Basically, it tastes like a dessert, which may or may not be your thing - and it's not mine. Pumpkin ale and American-style winter warmer fans will probably enjoy this one, but I'd be surprised if I found myself drinking this again any time soon.