Old Man Winter
Southern Tier Brewing Company

 

 

 

Not one of my favorite holiday beers. There is just a bit too much going on--it never seems to come together as a cohesive whole, and I found some of the hop characteristics a bit out of place.

A favorite for winter ales. Underated.

 

 

I got a quick taste of floral hops at first but it was quickly taken over by malt. Very easy to drink, I enjoyed it!

 

 

A pleasant winter warmer without the artificial potpourri of holiday spicing. Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a pint glass, This beer is a beautiful clear copper color with a medium size frothy off white head. Head a retention is good and there are broken rings of light lacing no the glass. A good looking beer. Aroma and taste are toasted malt, somewhat sweet and a little dank, earthy hops. The level of bitterness is very mild. Mouthfeel is a bit light, but not watery. It isa bit too sweet to call crisp but overall very pleasant and goes down easily. No hint of alcohol. this is nothing exceptional but not bad either!!!!

Look: Pours a fairly translucent brass color with a one finger, white head of foam. Leaves average lacing, good head retention.

Aroma: Toasted pecans, roasted almonds and chestnuts. Brown sugar. Somewhat earthy, with notes of fresh spruce clippings and hops.

Taste: Very crisp for the style. Little to no influence of spice (which I appreciate). Upfront it's malty with roasted flavors
dried cocoa, brown sugar, candied apple, toasted pecans and cashew nuts. It goes slightly bitter and earthy only briefly on the finish, before being rounded out by a semisweet notes of banana and clove.

Feel: Very light for the style. Easy drinking. No overbearing adjunct spice weighing the beer down. Alcohol profile is moderate.

Overall: This is how a winter warmer is done right, without tasting like someone dumped out all the spices from your grandma's spice cupboard into your beer.

From a 12oz bottle dated best by 3/23/22 into my Christmas pint glass.

Pours a translucent copper color with about half a finger of off-white head that dissipates quickly leaving little to no lacing.

Doesn't smell like much right after opening. Lots of earthy notes-smells a little like dirt. Some cooking spices show up on warming. Maybe cinnamon, nutmeg, caramel.

Taste is light cinnamon and earth. Just a little bit of pine bitterness. Honestly, it kind of tastes like weak cola.

Light bitter aftertaste. Thin to medium bodied mouthfeel. Medium carbonation.

From a brewery I generally like, this was kind of disappointing. It wasn't terrible, just kind of a yawner.

Best by 3/22/22

And with round 4 of the Winter Warmer/Wee Heavy tasting thread, we’re closing it out with this classic from Southern Tier. This one takes a no-frills approach by not adding any spices as many Winter Warmers do. I’m interested in trying just a pure expression of the style, so I’ll stop talking now and pop it open

Pours a mostly clear amber orange with a finger of off white head that fades to a thin cap and leaves minimal lacing

It's interesting to see all the spice artificially associated with the style just coming from malt, hops, and yeast. I'm picking up on aromas of brown bread, white pepper, earthy hops, doughy malt, burnt brown sugar, and caramel

I wasn't expecting it to be so clean in taste, but it's crisp and quite hoppy. On the front end of the sip I'm tasting white pepper, herbal hops, biscuity malt, toffee, and orange zest. The swallow brings notes of resinous hops, caramel malt, herbal hops, pine sap, light nuttiness, and orange marmalade

A light medium body pairs with gentle tingling carbonation, resulting in a zesty beer. Finishes mostly dry and leaning towards bitter

This is definitely interesting, but not something I'd reach for often. It was way more hoppy than I was anticipating, and while I don't love it for that I do respect it

Clear copper appearance with a large off white head and a fair amount of lacing. Roasted malt aroma but finding it hard to coax out anything more substantial. Taste is more rounded as the malts get a boost from floral, spicy hops. Sweetness is understated though a bit more noticeable in the aftertaste. Medium-to-full bodied mouthfeel with a lingering finish. Best by date of 04/06/22.

 

 

 

Bottled 11/1/21; drank 11/19/21 @ the Yarchives.

See-through dull orange appearance.

A rough pour yielded a huge off-white head; strong lace.

Coriander, clove, black pepper & faint mint notes in the nose.

Medium mouthfeel.

Black pepper, clove, mild coriander & faint mint flavors.

An odd amalgam; it's not terrible, but it's terribly odd. Not one I'll seek out again.

12 ounce bottle poured into a tulip glass. Best by 3/23/22, so really fresh.

L---Crystal clear, rich amber color. Smallish white head faded quickly to a ring and left good lacing.

S---Malty & fairly sweet. Caramel.

T---Caramel. Minimal hops. some toffee.

F---Medium/full body with light carbonation.

O---OK if you're buying, but nothing special.

Burnt orange brown with a cream colored cap and lacing. Toast, burnt caramel and toffee, floral hops make up the nose, very light. Taste has lovely caramel, toast, and toffee malt flavors to start but then a copper like flavor with earth before the floral hops round out in a weak way. Body is watery after initial malt surge, no definition besides this, just a watery weak warmer

 

-deep amber-colored bottle pour with some haze and a thin foam film that dissipates very quickly.
The aroma presents some malt sweetness
The flavors include mild malt notes, woody, earthy aspects and some caramel.
The body is moderately light.
This is just fine.

Look: Light, clear amber with gold highlights. One finger of off-white head with good retention.

Smell: Sweet, slightly yeasty malt, orange peel, slightly resinous hops.

Taste: Toffee sweet malt, slightly toasted. Mild, somewhat metallic hop bitterness that lingers long on the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Thick and creamy, with high carbonation.

Overall: A nice winter beer, but make sure to let it warm up from refrigerator temperature to get the full flavor range.

 

I'm drinking this at my favorite tap room in Greenville NC, Tapped Drafts and Crafts.
Poured from a tap into a pint glass.
Looks, slightly hazy amber orange, with a nice foamy head that dropped to a thin cap with a bit of lacing.
Smells very lightly bready, lemony, spicy kind of like a Hot Toddy.
Taste follows the nose, with hints of cocoa, and nuttiness much like an English Brown Ale.
Mouth feel is medium plus for the style.
Overall a nice example of a Winter Ale that I would definitely order again.

BB date : 04/01/21

Clear amber with one finger of off-white head, that leaves a thin ring and a few spots of lacing.

Smell is caramel,toffee, and a hint of molasses that fades with the head. A bit of slightly sweet dried fruit aroma when first poured, that is more apparent from the open bottle - fruit-cake-like , though more subdued.

Taste is close to the aroma, but less sweet, with some toastiness to it. Toffee is the most prominent part of that. Mild , drying bitterness.Light spicy tingled. Not sure if that is from actual spices, noble hops, or both . I like that it is subtle enough that it has me guessing. Slight wood+bread crust aftertaste, that lingers awhile.

Feel is medium, lightly slick & coating, with moderate, soft, very, very fine carbonation. Some tannic, mucilaginous coating lingers at the back of the palate.

Overall , while nothing exciting, it is enjoyable, and easy-drinking. Reminds me of some of the drier,more subdued Oktoberfest/harvest beers that I've had this year. In fact, it has similarities to ST's "Harvest", but less hoppy. If the usual spiced-up winter warmer ISN'T your thing, maybe give this one a try? I haven't had this in a long time. A single, gifted to me reminds me to have it more often. :)

 

 

12oz bottle BEST BY 04/01/21 poured into a tulip pint glass at fridge temp 7.5% ABV. The beer pours mostly bright light honey amber in color with light khaki head. The head recedes to a thin cap and leaves a complete web of lacing. The aroma is faint with orange and caramel. The taste is semisweet caramel & otherwise unnoticeable malt with orange peel, pie spices and minimal pine. Moderate bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with average carbonation and a dry finish, mostly due to the spice. Overall, nice winter warmer. Not too dominant with any one element.

 

LAST TIME I HAD THIS BEER WAS 2012 - SCORED AN "4" BUT THIS TEAR DIDN'T GVE ME A LOT F FLAVOR FROM A GREAT BREWERY

 

 

 

color is something like ice tea, not much head or lacing.

I get a little bread and raisin on the aroma, but overall the aroma is not very pronounced.

Taste is like an old English ale, with noticeable bitterness, but not overpowering. Some burnt notes from the roasted barley as well, which has that unsweetened coco nib character. Would like a bit more of that. Could be a bit more rounded out.

A bit of slickness on the mouthfeel. A bit on the thin side with medium carbonation.

Overall, it's okay thanks to the hop presence, but not would I would call a traditional winter warmer. I am however glad it is without spices. I liked it more on the first few sips but it sort of weakened towards the end of the bottle.
Not a drain pour but will not be getting this again.

Basically what I've come to expect from a "winter warmer" - has some soft bready/fruity sweet-points, a light bitterness that mostly comes off as seasonal spices and hops - and a warming, rounded body that is slightly filling but not over-done... Almost has an old ale quality to it... I liked it - try some...

 

From the right side of the label: "BESTBY 04/01/21 LKW 20274 194607"

Appearance: The body is a light tea color of brown and golden-brown with very good clarity. The head is short and white with a creamy texture. Even as short as it stands it has good lacing. Good head retention.

Aroma: Spicy hop notes with lemon. There is a bit of alcohol that comes through and a bit of mint. It has a nice refreshing aroma.

Taste: Up front there is a lot of lemon with a bit of pine character. There is a bit of mint towards the middle. The overall hop character is strong. The finish is very resinous with notes of lemon and pine.

Mouthfeel: It has a rather thick body. It is noticeably full and present on the palate with a smooth slickness.

Overall: It is a very interesting take on the Winter Warmer. This beer takes a very hop-forward approach on the style but it also has a much larger and fuller body than what would normally be found on a Barleywine or an Imperial IPA. It's an interesting beer and it's definitely worth drinking if you know what you're getting into. The lemon and slight pine-like flavors can be a little strong and overtake the malt character quite a bit but the beer as a whole is very well made and enjoyable. I could drink it again from time to time, especially if I was putting together a mix-a-six for winter/Christmas themed beers.