Vintage Ale
The Collingwood Brewery
- From:
- The Collingwood Brewery
- Ontario, Canada
- Style:
- American Strong Ale
- ABV:
- 6.9%
- Score:
- 85
- Avg:
- 3.7 | pDev: 9.46%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 4
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Dec 31, 2016
- Added:
- Dec 30, 2014
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
SCORE
85
Very Good
85
Very Good
No description / notes.
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Rated by spinrsx from Canada (ON)
3.5/5 rDev -5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.5/5 rDev -5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Can from the lcbo for around $3.25.
Dec 31, 2016
Reviewed by thehyperduck from Canada (ON)
3.87/5 rDev +4.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
3.87/5 rDev +4.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
473 mL can from the LCBO; dated Sept 22 2016 and served slightly chilled. This can is from the 2016 run, but I'm putting my review here anyway - I see no reason why this beer should require a unique database entry for each individual "vintage". I mean, they didn't even bother putting a "2016" on this year's label, and there aren't any indications that the recipe is being adjusted from year to year.
Pours a clouded orange-amber colour, fitted with one finger of foamy, creamy-looking, off white-tinged head. It's retention is respectable, seeping off steadily over the next 5-6 minutes, depositing a fine curtain of lace as it recedes away to a frothy collar and smooth cap. Light toffee, caramel and honey sweetness on the nose, with bready, biscuity malts and hints of apricot, counterbalanced by notes of earthy, leafy, somewhat floral hops. Enticing aroma; about what I would expect from a strong ale.
A damn tasty brew, but also a fairly straightforward one that comes off as a little simplistic, particularly for this style. The wildflower honey provides constant, baseline level of sweetness that is occasionally increased additively by the presence of toffee, caramelized sugar and those toasty, bready malts. Fruity hints of apricot and perhaps apple come through at the midpoint, followed by marmalade and orange-grapefruit citrus as the hops really start to take control of the flavour profile. Finishes with grassy, leafy hops and and an earthy, floral bitterness that clings to the palate, lasting well into the aftertaste of each sip. Medium in body, with rather soft carbonation which gives this strong ale a smooth, slick, somewhat limp mouthfeel. The alcohol is barely perceptible, which could make this a dangerous beer - it has the drinkability of your typical ESB in my opinion, and is appealing enough to be consumed in multiples.
Final Grade: 3.87, a worthy B+. While I certainly enjoyed this beer, the fact of the matter is that when you compare it to the heavyweights of this style (e.g. the Bastard beers), Collingwood's Vintage Harvest Ale is comparatively quite mellow, subdued and balanced. I'm really just looking for something a bit more aggressive, and this beer - despite being well-constructed - is too polite. On the other hand, if you take this beer to be a hybrid somewhere between an English strong ale and an American one - with the hops decidedly on the latter end of that spectrum - then it actually becomes pretty easy to appreciate. I'll buy another one when I have the opportunity, but it doesn't strike me as something worth cellaring for any length of time.
Nov 28, 2016Pours a clouded orange-amber colour, fitted with one finger of foamy, creamy-looking, off white-tinged head. It's retention is respectable, seeping off steadily over the next 5-6 minutes, depositing a fine curtain of lace as it recedes away to a frothy collar and smooth cap. Light toffee, caramel and honey sweetness on the nose, with bready, biscuity malts and hints of apricot, counterbalanced by notes of earthy, leafy, somewhat floral hops. Enticing aroma; about what I would expect from a strong ale.
A damn tasty brew, but also a fairly straightforward one that comes off as a little simplistic, particularly for this style. The wildflower honey provides constant, baseline level of sweetness that is occasionally increased additively by the presence of toffee, caramelized sugar and those toasty, bready malts. Fruity hints of apricot and perhaps apple come through at the midpoint, followed by marmalade and orange-grapefruit citrus as the hops really start to take control of the flavour profile. Finishes with grassy, leafy hops and and an earthy, floral bitterness that clings to the palate, lasting well into the aftertaste of each sip. Medium in body, with rather soft carbonation which gives this strong ale a smooth, slick, somewhat limp mouthfeel. The alcohol is barely perceptible, which could make this a dangerous beer - it has the drinkability of your typical ESB in my opinion, and is appealing enough to be consumed in multiples.
Final Grade: 3.87, a worthy B+. While I certainly enjoyed this beer, the fact of the matter is that when you compare it to the heavyweights of this style (e.g. the Bastard beers), Collingwood's Vintage Harvest Ale is comparatively quite mellow, subdued and balanced. I'm really just looking for something a bit more aggressive, and this beer - despite being well-constructed - is too polite. On the other hand, if you take this beer to be a hybrid somewhere between an English strong ale and an American one - with the hops decidedly on the latter end of that spectrum - then it actually becomes pretty easy to appreciate. I'll buy another one when I have the opportunity, but it doesn't strike me as something worth cellaring for any length of time.
Reviewed by taxandbeerguy from Canada (ON)
3.85/5 rDev +4.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.85/5 rDev +4.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
750 ml bomber served at cellar temperature into a pint glass. Purchased from the LCBO for somewhere around $8 CDN.
Appearance - this vintage ale pours a slightly cloudy pale orange coloured beer. Nice rocky two fingers of super frothy white head are poured with excellent head retention. Lots of lively carbonation rises to the top of the beer too. Plenty of sticky lacing left behind as well.
Smell - lots of grainy aromas, some light herbal scents and a touch of honey as well. There's a slight sharpness that almost metallic in nature that comes through as well.
Taste - plenty of bitterness although not excessively so. Some dank flavours that help me think of fall. Some graininess lingers in the background and a steady caramel malt bill is subtle. Some spicy aspects thrown in for good measure. The bitterness is pervasive, but doesn't stand out. Could use a touch of sweetness to provide a great contrast.
Mouthfeel - smooth, well carbonated and a reasonably light body, certainly easy to drink and enjoying the entire bomber won't be a hassle.
Overall - a reasonably tasty and well crafted seasonal ale, that could use just a little more punch, maybe more bitterness maybe something else in the aroma. Still enjoyable and not a chore to drink, I might have to pick up another bottle before this leaves shelves for another year.
Update September 21, 2017. Appears to now be branded as Whitney's Vintage (Wet Hopped Ale). In cans and sold for $3.50. Metallic scents dialed back and otherwise still a well rounded beer. Slight score increase.
Nov 28, 2015Appearance - this vintage ale pours a slightly cloudy pale orange coloured beer. Nice rocky two fingers of super frothy white head are poured with excellent head retention. Lots of lively carbonation rises to the top of the beer too. Plenty of sticky lacing left behind as well.
Smell - lots of grainy aromas, some light herbal scents and a touch of honey as well. There's a slight sharpness that almost metallic in nature that comes through as well.
Taste - plenty of bitterness although not excessively so. Some dank flavours that help me think of fall. Some graininess lingers in the background and a steady caramel malt bill is subtle. Some spicy aspects thrown in for good measure. The bitterness is pervasive, but doesn't stand out. Could use a touch of sweetness to provide a great contrast.
Mouthfeel - smooth, well carbonated and a reasonably light body, certainly easy to drink and enjoying the entire bomber won't be a hassle.
Overall - a reasonably tasty and well crafted seasonal ale, that could use just a little more punch, maybe more bitterness maybe something else in the aroma. Still enjoyable and not a chore to drink, I might have to pick up another bottle before this leaves shelves for another year.
Update September 21, 2017. Appears to now be branded as Whitney's Vintage (Wet Hopped Ale). In cans and sold for $3.50. Metallic scents dialed back and otherwise still a well rounded beer. Slight score increase.
Reviewed by kevinlater from Canada (ON)
3.26/5 rDev -11.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
3.26/5 rDev -11.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
750ml bottle into snifter. a "harvest ale" brewed with organic fresh hops from bighead hops in meaford, ontario
a: slightly hazy vibrant orange with bone-hued head. very nice
s: quite grassy and floral with peach aromas. cracker & bread aromas. a bit of alcohol. subdued overall but still smells good and fruity
t: floral peach up front which doesn't last long at all, leading into a crackery, alcoholic malt profile. resiny, bitter finish
m: good medium body but the carbonation is prickly. medium, almost medium-plus bitterness at the end
o: maybe my expectations are unreasonable, but i would have liked a lot more hop presence given that this is brewed with fresh hops. the hop flavour profile is certainly unconventional but there was nothing bad about it -- i was just hoping it would stick around for more than 3 seconds. also, i find the bitterness to be a bit high considering the malt in here isn't very sweet, even though the label says that wildflower honey is added. not a horrible beer but i don't want to have the rest of this bottle
Nov 13, 2015a: slightly hazy vibrant orange with bone-hued head. very nice
s: quite grassy and floral with peach aromas. cracker & bread aromas. a bit of alcohol. subdued overall but still smells good and fruity
t: floral peach up front which doesn't last long at all, leading into a crackery, alcoholic malt profile. resiny, bitter finish
m: good medium body but the carbonation is prickly. medium, almost medium-plus bitterness at the end
o: maybe my expectations are unreasonable, but i would have liked a lot more hop presence given that this is brewed with fresh hops. the hop flavour profile is certainly unconventional but there was nothing bad about it -- i was just hoping it would stick around for more than 3 seconds. also, i find the bitterness to be a bit high considering the malt in here isn't very sweet, even though the label says that wildflower honey is added. not a horrible beer but i don't want to have the rest of this bottle
Reviewed by KATCanada from Canada (ON)
3.76/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.76/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
poured into snifter from Bomber. First of all this is a Great looking golden copper color with a nice white head. Beautiful lacing hugs the sides of the glass like a foamy curtain. Beautiful.
At fridge temp not a lot of nose but after 10 min at room temp the honey and malts come out. Nice sweetness. On sides of tounge and smooth bitter finish that fades into the local malts nicely. Bighead hops sourced locally add nicely without overpowering.
Overall nice effort and worth a revisit after a few months.
Dec 30, 2014At fridge temp not a lot of nose but after 10 min at room temp the honey and malts come out. Nice sweetness. On sides of tounge and smooth bitter finish that fades into the local malts nicely. Bighead hops sourced locally add nicely without overpowering.
Overall nice effort and worth a revisit after a few months.
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