Winter Heater
Selkirk Abbey Brewing Company

super heady blended belgian strong ale in various barrels from what i understand, its insanely interesting and complex, and as the name suggests, it goes well beyond winter warmer, heater is well appropriate at this intense alcohol strength. its oddly well hidden though, like i could drink a whole pour of this no problem, maybe even two or three. its deep amber in color, some of their quad in the blend from what i gather, not much head after a minute, and a real complex nose that has everything from raisin to cherry, from brandy to port wine, from oak to minerals, from tobacco to chocolate, its just massively interesting, and certainly warming but never hot, even as this sits and warms. the flavor shows the belgian yeast through all the depth and complexity, which is cool, it stands up to all of it very well. figs and dates and toffee, brown sugar and maple, dried apple and prune, whiskey and vanilla, almond and cabernet, its just so layered. i even get a little woody funk and oxidation to it, intentional or not, its flattering. this is killer cold weather beer, a heavy one, but still lively in feel and sporting enough belgian identity to really be something quite unique. impressive blend and overall refinement, these guys are one of the best unsung breweries in the northwest for my money! this is not to be missed this winter if you like belgian strong ales at all!