Winter Ale (2008-2009)
Stoudts Brewing Co.

Winter Ale (2008-2009)Winter Ale (2008-2009)
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Stoudts Brewing Co.
 
Pennsylvania, United States
Style:
American Porter
ABV:
5.5%
Score:
83
Avg:
3.67 | pDev: 10.9%
Reviews:
173
Ratings:
186
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Aug 19, 2015
Added:
Nov 11, 2002
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  1
Stoudts changes this recipe annually. We'll be attempting to split apart entries down the road.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by francisweizen:
Photo of francisweizen
Reviewed by francisweizen from Washington

3.03/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
2003 edition: A dark reddish/brown brew with a small skimming of a white head. Aromas are malty...and...well...that's about it. This is a very uncomplex malty brew with some slight hops in there for balancing purposes only. The taste is malty to an extreme, and boring as well. The mouthfeel is thin for a winter beer and the drinkability is not the best. I almost fell asleep drinking this one!
Apr 01, 2004
More User Ratings:
Photo of papat444
Rated by papat444 from Canada (QC)

3.5/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Flashback #175
Aug 19, 2015
 
Rated: 3.4 by harryhops from Delaware

Nov 23, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by zestar from California

Oct 02, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by jholland from Pennsylvania

Sep 12, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Latarnik from New Jersey

May 25, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by BillRoth from Maryland

Dec 19, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by WOLFGANG from South Carolina

Jul 15, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by Giantspace from Pennsylvania

May 27, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by cliff1066 from Virginia

Dec 24, 2012
 
Rated: 3.25 by mikereaser from Pennsylvania

May 11, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by Goldfishman from Massachusetts

Jan 30, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by ROGUE16 from Delaware

Dec 05, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by djrn2 from New Jersey

Nov 30, 2011
Photo of BeerAdvocate
Reviewed by BeerAdvocate from Finland

4/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Review from BeerAdvocate magazine Vol. II Issue XI:

This year's batch is a Robust Porter at 30 IBUs, brewed with five malts and Cascade hops for bittering and aroma.

Pours dark, opaque and pretty much black with rich, dark brown hues and a creamy head. Roasty and a bit bready in the nose, some chocolate too. Medium bodied, but the carbonation-induced creaminess is silky smooth and gives the palate a bit more to chew on. Slightly acrid up front; burnt edges, dry, bitter, unsweetened chocolate and faint coffee notes. Drop of caramel. Hint of hop bitterness, too--leafy and green. Bready malts, hint of sweetness, but a dry maltiness overall with some husky notes toward the finish, especially as the beer warms. Becomes slightly abrasive on the palate at the bone-dry end.

This is a very solid and different offering from many of the spiced winter seasonal offerings that currently line the shelves and tap handles.
Sep 20, 2010
Photo of bheilman
Reviewed by bheilman from Indiana

4.2/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Dark golden color. I taste banana on the initial impression, which I find unusual for the style until the malts wash on the sweet and slightly spicy taste, it does have a nice leafy sour, natural scent to please the palate and a warmth to wash over the tongue keeping everyone yearning for more. So along with the the blend of malt and hops is malt-heavy but does have a decent hops aftertaste. Excellent winter beer with enough flavor and body to make you want to drink another.
Jan 16, 2010
Photo of Morey
Reviewed by Morey from Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Past versions of this beer may have been in the Porter category, but this 2009 bottle certainly is not.

Pours a reddish copper color with brilliant clarity. Nice light tan head that still hasn't settled after 15 minutes have elapsed.

Smell is rather mellow, yet pleasant with subtle fruity aroma coupled with a malty aroma.

Taste almost as if it's brewed with some winter spices, although I'm not sure that it is. A little more on the Scottish Ale side of things, but there's also some definite hop flavor going on here.

Mouthfeel is thin-medium with moderate carbonation.

I could definitely sip on this for a cold winter evening.

Morey's Bottom Line: A very drinkable winter ale. If you're having guest over that don't like anything too crazy, this might be a good choice if you can get your hands on a sixer.
Dec 25, 2009
Photo of Infamous7100
Reviewed by Infamous7100 from Ohio

3.37/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Was expecting a winter warmer, ended up with a porter.

A: Poured a deep brown/black, like a Guiness without the creamy head. Minimal head on my pour.
S: Very malty with hints of sugar and chocolate. You can smell the roasted barley as well, also reminiscent of Guiness.
T: A nice blend of the malts, sugar and chocolate. The alcohol is almost completely masked. I would have like to taste it a little more. Roasts provided a hint of bitterness that hung around.
M: Had a medium carbonation, which surprised me. A little bit of hang on the tongue, but basically smooth.
D: Extremely drinkable. A decent flavor and an average ABV could lead to one having a few of these.

Nice effort.
Nov 10, 2009
Photo of Kegatron
Reviewed by Kegatron from Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a dark brown, with a 1 1/2 fingers of firm sandy colored tan head. Solid looking creamy retention that coats the sides of the glass with rich lacing. The aroma is quite rich and roasty smelling. Thicker and sweet notes of cocoa powder and caramel sit on top of darker tones of coffee and roast, which crunches up the back of nose.

The taste is even toastier than the aroma was, with an even mix of roast and bitterness the whole way through. Nice balance to this too though, with the sweeter malts playing second fiddle but still nicely evening out the darker aspects of this. Big time roasty lingering finish on this that just sticks in the mouth for quite a long time. The mouthfeel is medium feeling with an overall firmness to it, yet this is still surrounded by a softier and creamier carbonation that makes this go down very easily.

Overall very solid Winter offering from Stoudt's. Full Porter flavors and a super easy drinkibility to this. I'd like to see then develop this into a year-round beer, as they need another darker offering to compliment the Fat Dog.
Jun 25, 2009
Photo of Lexluthor33
Reviewed by Lexluthor33 from New York

3.73/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Deep brown with a generous two inch head and good lacing.

The aroma of chocolate mocha with coffee and cream. Sweet aroma of vanilla and malts.

The taste starts off sweet with a malty flavor followed by chocolate,coffee and vanilla hints so it pretty much followed the nose.
The feel is medium body with a smooth and creamy character. Low carbonation with mild bitterness in the finish.

Notes: A really good beer for a cold winter night. Not too complex,but an above average beer none the less.
Jun 21, 2009
Winter Ale (2008-2009) from Stoudts Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 186 ratings