Winter Ale (2009-2010)
Stoudts Brewing Co.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A - Poured kind of flat, didn't see a whole lot of action going on, has the hue of a cranberry-apple juice color.

S - A bit of a cinnamon? malt. Some sort of spice. Otherwise very malty.

T - Typical winter ale. Malty / hoppy. Neither is too overwhelming.

M - Has a surprising carbonation. Otherwise not a whole lot else going on. Doesn't have much of a lingering taste on the tongue, more on the back of the pallate.

O - Not a fan. I think this is my first Stoudt and unfortunately not too impressed. I still have hope for the Tripel, Double and Kolsch.

**NOTE** I'm drinking this late April... and I'm not entirely sure when these came into my work as they were there before me... wondering if age has ruined this beer for me.

I've had better but it was ok. It's drinkable and thats fine for most people I suppose. I've only had one really great beer from this brewery and it was a red ale but not this one. This one had some spice to it but not enough in my opinion. The color was the best part of this beer.

A - Mostly clear, brilliant amber with a one inch thick white head that has great retention and good lacing down the glass.

S - Candied caramel malts, a little fresh bread, a bit of pine hops. Nice, but a bit faint overall.

T - A little underwhelming. A touch of dark fruit, then caramel malts, and a touch of pine hop bitterness in the finish.

M - Medium body, ample carbonation, smooth and creamy across the palate, finishes mostly clean.

D - Not quite as boldly flavored as I had hoped. Nicely balanced, but nothing really makes this stand out from the crowd.

From winter brew tasting notes (2010): Pours red orange, slow carbonation. Good head, nice crown. Nose picks up earthy, musty amber malts. The flavor is sweet, English-style malts, very sugary. A tinge of cherry. Turns earthy and musty at the end. Not a ton of character. The palate is light-bodied; creamy finish. Definitely a step down from the old Stoudts Winter Ale.

A: Poured a very translucent burgundy color, with a substantial amount of carbonation, and a 2-3 finger dirty white head that just didn't want to go away. Retention, retention, retention!

S: Really nice floral notes, with tons of yeast and maybe some white pepper notes. There was almost a mothball-style oldness going on here that wasn't entirely unpleasant.

T: Very full, flowery taste, with a good bit of hop bitterness on the back end. There was also a bit of dark graininess imbedded in the sweetness that added to the complexity. Caramel maltiness galore!

M: Fairly creamy for an amber, and the fact that the head retention was off the charts and the carbonation followed suit certainly helped in this regard. This has a pretty high ABV for an amber, but I couldn't detect it.

D: I honestly don't understand why this one doesn't get better reviews. I would put this in the top 5 ambers I've tasted in the last year.

12 oz. bottle with freshness date stamped on bottle. This was a very attractive pour: clear, deep red with a sustained, fluffy off-white head.
The aroma is solidly malty and pungently fruity like a wine.
The emphasis here is malt: the flavor begins with a solid malty flavor with hints of toffee, dark chocolate and butterscotch. While this combination would seem to bring a cloying mess to the palate, the taste remains surprisingly sharp and refreshing. There is only the slightest evidence of hop flavor.
The carbonation is restrained with a medium body and a rather thick mouthfeel.
This is another good seasonable offering from Stoudts. The ABV is not very high for a winter ale and this is drinkable despite a strong malty backbone.

Not nearly as complex or hoppy a winter seasonal as I'd expected from a brewery with such an awesome Pale Ale.

The colour is pleasant and taste is balanced, but lacking the spices or strength often associated with this genre. A decently drinkable beer, but nothing I'd travel great distances to find. Will try again next year!

Not bad but you can definitely find a better beer than this one especially when you're talking about a winter ale. I would definitely consider spending a few more bucks on a better winter beer. Possibly getting an Ommegang for like 50/case than spending the 40/case than I did for this one.

Pours a thick looking amber with a thin tan head. Good retention and very nice laceing. Aroma is bready, with hints of caramel malts. Body is thick and carbonated. Taste is sweet and bready up front. Spicey hoppy finish. If you like this style, you will be glad you trued this one.

Nice deep amber appearance with a thick creamy and persistent head... This looks great... Very warm appearance..

Not much on the aromas.. Some caramel maltiness with a kiss of hops... Toasted bread...

Sweet bready malts with a huge punch of hops on the finish.. Surprised the hell out of me! I mean a wave of piney hops crashed over me on the finish and lingered until the next sip. Starts sweet and malty and finishes strong and bitter and hoppy...

Super super drinkable.. Only had one but could easily easily session this... I thought it was terrific... Not the typical Winter Warmer seasonal but a damn good one. I will pick more of this one up for sure...

Reviewed from notes.

Pours a moderate brownish color with a white head with some pretty good staying power. The nose brings some light hopping as well as a bit of spice. Some caramel malt. The taste is caramel malt and bread overlaid with some light hop and spice notes. Feel is medium with good carbonation. Quite drinkable and a nice seasonal.

Still had not tried this one after getting a sixer back about a few months ago. Sitting in the fridge all this time I felt it was safe to bust it out. Served cold and poured into a pint glass, this one was consumed on 06/27/2010.



The pour was a nice dark brown, with a good bit of ruby reddish, and garnet tints on the sides of the glass. Nice head of off white sits on top for what seems like a few moments and then finally settles down leaving a decent amount of lacing down the insides of the glass.

Aroma of caramel and light bready malts dominates the aroma here. Sweet from the very start. Warming brings out touches of candied sugar, nice light grassy notes, and hints of light hops that are muted off into the background. Smooth, mellow flavor here, again nothing really too dramatic in any way. Smooth caramel, sweet candied sugar notes, hints of light herbal notes and a really earthy, sweet flavor. Even the finish is smooth, long lasting and definitely very sweet.

Classic winter ale here, roasted notes, spices, heavy on the sweet caramel tones. Very nicely done I have to admit.

Poured from 12oz brown bottle into a Duvel tulip. No freshness date. Purchased as 6-pack at Market Street Wineshop for $7.99.

A: Amber-orange hue with healthy 1-2 finger wheat colored head with good retention and a thin snake or two of lace at the top of the pour.

S: Very bitter pine and citrus hops smacks the nose first with some soft, sweet caramel malt coming in next. The hops and malt are both pretty plain-jane and one-dimensional. It leaves a sickly sweet, chemical aroma with warming.

T: Sweet malt makes a huge comeback which leaves a light breadiness with honey and butter flavors as well. Hops stride in with a ton of bitterness with fruitiness coming through with warming to yield pineapple and orange flavors. THe flavor is lightly roasted in the finish and is really well-rounded and comes together much more nicely than the aroma.

M: Somewhat sticky feel with medium carbonation. Body is solid medium and one of this beer's strengths.

D: A better-than-average hoppy amber ale -- a little strange for a winter ale, but I'm not complaining. Gives any of the hoppy red/amber brews a good run.