Shred Head Winter Ale
Sunriver Brewing Company

Draft at the Funky Taco. Dark amber, finely beaded head, lots of lacing. Robust malty aroma. Tadte brings a bit of oomph, both in hoppiness and alcohol warmth. A winter warmer for sure, and a pretty good one.

ABV 7% / 50 IBU
Pours with a low head with medium clinging to the glass and a dark Porter color. This is truly a different taste having a medium body and a Carmel, vegetable like turnup ,radish and woody flavor. There is low acid and a clean finish. The hops used are chinook and centennial. I think beer drinkers who prefer Porters or Stouts would like this but its not my thing and I would not choose this brew again. Note it has won awards in beer competitions.

Look: Pours dark brown with a light tan head that quickly blooms and slowly settles to a pillow, leaving a ring of lacing behind

Aroma: Freshly baked brown bread, toffee, light fruity esters, caramel, floral and earthy hop notes, and wafts of citrus

Taste: Opens up with a quick punch of pithy citrus and hop flowers that are quickly joined by rich, bready malt and toffee. Caramel, floral hops, and bread take turns in the spotlight in the middle before toffee and citrus close it out with a big bite

Mouthfeel: Full, clean, medium-high carbonation, and moderately dry on the finish

Overall: This is some good stuff. I hadn’t had this beer since it was in 22oz. bottles years ago and rarely see it anymore so it was an easy pick-up and definitely didn’t let down. It’s a tasty winter ale that bucks the ‘winter warmer’ trend with the spice notes and instead brings malt and a nice hop presence to the table in a really drinkable beer and one with a nice bite for being so malty. It reminds me of pFriem’s Winter Ale a lot. Tasty and recommended

Appearance: A bubble show produces a one finger head capping the clear copper colored liquid; streaks and squiggles of lacing

Smell: Caramel and earthy hop tones; quite resinous

Taste: Caramel forward with an earthy, resinous bitterness building; the bitter and sweet flavors merge in complementary fashion, with the bitterness coming out slightly ahead

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation

Overall: It has been so long since I have had a Winter Warmer that I have forgotten about the style; reminds me of the type of cold weather beers I used to enjoy 15 years ago

Thanks, philhyde, for the opportunity

 

its nice to have a more conventional and old worldy winter warmer that isnt spiced to high heaven and insanely alcoholic, beers like this have become a relic, and as we get into christmas beer season, i want more like this one. its malty and sweet, deep amber in color, bready to an extent, and not without some complexity, but its not packed with tons of anise and cinnamon and all of that. the nuance seems to come from the hops, which have a spruce or juniper character to them, very fresh in this, and they provide enough bitterness for this to seem balanced, even as the sweet grain drives it. its got layers of honey and toffee and a baked warmth, an english crystal base predominantly i reckon, a little bit of yeast character as well which is nice, and a deep nutty earthiness thats richer than its color. hints of chestnut and almond, pine bough and good weed, baked cookies, brown sugar, and lightly warming alcohol without this being too much. a pint beer in a style i can rarely handle more than a small pour of, nice work on that. i have been increasingly stoked on sunriver beers of late, they are doing some really good stuff. this is underrated in my opinion.

 

The frothy mouthfeel is the best feature. It’s actually kind of refreshing for a strong malty beer. “Brewed with dark brown sugar” is the brewer’s comment. This tastes at first like an oversexed Amber Ale with that not-quite IPA bitterness. It’s woody and on the sweet side, but not sticky at all. Bark and leaf mold with a candy aftertaste. This is not quite as unpleasant as the new “improved” Brown Shugga, but it’s in the same ballpark.

 

 

 

 

 

22 oz bomber purchased from Grocery Outlet..D Street Salem OR $4.39 Now says Seasonal Ale on the label and 8% alc 50 IBUS. Pours a nice warm amber colour with a beige coloured bubbly head. Leaves wonderful lace. Toffee, caramel warm sugar aromas..little hop maybe herbal. Smooth toffee, treacle taste..almost turns British licorice, burnt brown bread, cane sugar..smooth as hell. Smooth creamy palate..a true by the fire beer. Nice cold weather sipper.