Dominion Winter Brew 2006
Fordham & Dominion Brewing Company

 

 

This poured a dark amber orange with a little bit of beige head. It smelled of hops and spices. The flavor was decently bitter with hops nicely balanced with malt, but with very noticeable vanilla and a bit of other spices too. The texture was a bit oily, slightly thick, and no carbonation. Overall this was terribly delicious and easy to drink.

Enjoyed as part of a New Year's Eve vertical tasting, which featured 3 years of Winter Brew. Aroma is malty, with notes of honey and vanilla. Body is a little thin. Flavor is sweet, juicy malt with notes of crystal malt and minimal hop presence. Balance is pretty good. Tail is sweet malt but not cloying.

i'm always happy to support the offerings of a brewery so close to my childhood (well...not TOO close). this stuff is making the trek out to the great lakes, which is great to see

the head isn't all that exciting, but the color is striking

toasty, nutty malt aromas produce a robust bouquet that is ornamented by spice and hops. the advertised vanilla is evident. the flavors suggest a higher fermentation temperature: noticeable heat and some assertive fruitiness. perhaps more bitter than i would have expected. the overall timbre of the brew is warmth, without being a booze monster

Bottled on 010307

Picked this up in alexandria, VA while on vacation/family business

Pours amber/caramel with 1/2" of sand colored head. A little lacing & no head retention

S: A little caramel & some earthyness

T: Caramel & breadyness up front. Warming booze & a hint of coccoa follow as this warms. Some oaky dryness & jammy notes also there. Finishes with a hint of maple syrup, dryness & a hint of vanilla

MF: Medium bodied & slick with low carbonation

Drank easy enough, don't really pick up up any yeasty/fruitty character like I'd expect from this style. Still one of the better beers I tried back east on this trip

Bronze-ish amber with a decent tan head, very light carbonation, and some lace. Nice vanilla bean aroma with a touch of spicy malts. Prominent vanilla bean flavors to the extent that not much else is noticeable but it's not really overdone either. Medium-light bodied and smooth with a vanilla finish.

Per Label: "Brewed with Vanilla Beans" & "23 IBU"

Per OD website: French-style Christmas Ale (Biere de Noel).

Bottled: 12/13/06
Tasted: 02/ /07

($5.99 / 6-pack)

Thanks for bringing me a bottl, Emily!
Clear, tawny amber. Light coating of eggshell white head. Malty and robust aroma. Vanilla is tucked under a generous dose of caramel, chocolate and biscuity malt. Vague herbal hops, some nutty quality, with tracings of alcohol. Sweet flavor overall. Generous body, with a softer, rounded feel. Moderate carbonation. Sugary caramel malt holds the attention, with accents of vanilla. Tastes more like vanilla extract. Definitely noticable, but not overpowering the beer. Some malt roastiness, with soft plum and apple fruitiness. Light spicing in the finish. More vanilla, with a suggestion of pepper and modest herbal hoppage. A little bit of alcohol sneaks through the finish.
I didn't get much of a "biere de garde" feel out of this. If anything, it came off as an english strong ale. Vanilla beans seem to be tricky, as they tend to impart a very sweet taste when added to beer. This came off well, and it works. Not something i could drink a lot of, but it's an enjoyable glass. Tasty nonetheless.

12 oz., bottled on 11/15/06 - brewed with vanilla beans. It pours into my newly-acquired Sam Adams Double Bock tulip a chill-hazed light orange/amber with medium carbonation and a half inch tan head that never recedes, yet doesn't leave much lacing. There's toasted malts in the aroma, with light vanilla and hints of citrus (orange peel?) and maybe some coriander. On the palate there are toasted and nutty (Vienna?) malts with a nice hop flavor consisting of spiciness, tea?, grass, and green, almost piney notes. In addition there are notes of yeast, prickly alcohol, and orange peel with a vanilla, almost woody background. The body is smooth and drying, medium yet almost full, with medium carbonation and a light/medium finish. Overall an interesting, complex, yet balanced ale - not quite sure if this is an authentic biere de garde, as it is my first example, but the malts are tasty and layered, as I understand they should be.

Copper-colored orange brew wtih a thin but solid white head. Fizzy for sure. The aroma is a nice bready cookie-ness or like a sweet cake frosting. The vanilla bean really comes out in the flavor, in a very candied way ... almost like those pyramid-shaped candy corns, this is super sweet. It’s a bit weird. (#2691, 2/7/2007)

I picked this up from Wegman's, for 2 reasons: $6-7 sixer, and brewed with vanilla. The Oak Barrel Stout by Dominion showed me just how great vanilla can be in beer.

The pour into my Sam Smith glass raises a modest one finger off-white creamy head that slowly recedes. The lacing is slippery. The body is a clear copper-amber. The nose definitely has a creamy vanilla tone, very reminiscent of their stout. Otherwise, there are some over-toasted malts and caramel aromas. The taste follows the nose, but with the malts overshadowing the vanilla taste. The malt seems to be either poor quality, or simply a type that I don't like, since I've noticed this characteristic in a lot of beers that haven't sat too well with me. Still, the flavor manages to be warm, if lackluster. The mouth is very heavy, but the carbonation has a very sharp yet fine characteristic that doesn't feel very nice. Overall, I don't feel too bad about this sixer since it was cheap, but I won't be coming back to it unless they significantly reformulate each year.

Interesting to note, the bottling date on the label says that this was bottled on 01/03/07. But that wouldn't make it a 2007 Winter Brew, would it? No, I didn't think so....

Poured from the bottle into a standard pint glass. It appears a nice clear copper color. Not much range in color. It does leave a nice creamy one-finger head after the pour though, which settles down into a thin white sheet, resting on the top of the beer. The aroma is interesting. I detect some malted vanilla notes here, along with other faint spices. It's almost a musty closet smell here, but I don't mean that in a bad way. It's just an interesting muted odor that I can't quite place. The taste accentuates the vanilla bean once again, but not too much. Candied dates, along with some banana pudding, are also present. An interesting black cherry sensation finishes it off. A pleasing, sturdy mouthfeel. All in all, this is a tasty brew. Not a great beer, as far as winter ales go, but a uniquely pleasant alternative. I'm not sure where this ranks as far as biere de gardes go, but it's a style I could really get into.

poured a copper-amber color with a head that fell to a persistent layer.

nutty hazelnut smell with malt and faint sweet scent of vanilla.

syrupy initial taste and texture, has a malty backbone to it and some hazelnut too. taste then shifts to some spicy hops and mild alcohol bite that offer an interesting retort to the sweet-ish start - then some really interesting musty (but not unappealing - like fond nostalgia of a proper cellar) notes come thru with very subtle vanilla that does not smack of fake adjuncts. nice fading finish, too.

spicy mouthfeel with crisp, appropriate carbonation. graininess in the finish.

i dig it. interesting selection for a special winter brew. i also like the choice of style.

Thanks to doppel07 for this...
Appears a caramel toned amber with a small white head that quickly fades out into a tiny collar. Sporadic streams of CO2 bubbles quickly rise to the top.
Smell is of vanilla, cloyingly sweet caramel, sugar wafers, and fruity esters highlighted by pears.
Taste is of the mentioned aromas with a sweetness up front, along with some lemongrass, and overly sugary caramel that seems a bit too much.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied and extrememly sweet up front. It drifts into a dead spot in the middle of the tongue before dying out and leaving you with nothing more than a sweet sugary residual on the tip of your tongue.

Pours a medium amber color, with a thin 1/2 finger head. Little retention leaves behind only a small ring around the top of the glass.

Aroma is slightly malty, with a bit of adjunct twang, and a distinct aroma of fake vanilla.

Flavor is better, but not great. Mildly malty up front, with good caramel and toffee notes, then merges into a strong vanilla flavor. This is definitely not a vanilla bean or oak vanilla flavor, this is some kind of extract. Mouthfeel is smooth and relatively light. Drinkability is decent.

Not the best beer from dominion, and not a biere de garde. Nonetheless, this is a decent brew that would be a session brew aside from the alcohol content.

Poured from a bottle with drink by date of 11-09-06. The color is a clear amber, topped by a thin white head that falls to a very thin crown. The lacing is minimal.

The aroma is slightly vanilla from the beans, but, not much else there. Very grainy smell.

The taste is heavily carbonated grain and maybe some small amounts of fruit. The malt is weak and the hop flavor brings in some small amounts of bitterness, but, it tastes artificial. I detect no vanilla flavor, quite the opposite of the label description. This is poor example and a below average beer.

Poured a medium copper hue with a one finger foamy white head. There was decent retention and lacing.

The smell featured a soft husky grain with an aromatic unidentified spiciness.

The taste was upfront sweet vanilla with a hint of lemon zest and earthy hop. Good soft malt flavors as well. Finished a bit medicinal however.

The mouthfeel was creamy with a slight warming alcohol.

Overall a unique beer for sure. Not your typical winter warmer. In the end it was tasty. Thanks to Aprilluvsbeer.

Pours a bright orange color, not much of a head at all, some carbonation is visible... looks like cider instead of beer.

Aromas are odd. Smells like malt liquor to me. A bit sweet.

Taste is way too sweet. This tastes more like a soda than a beer. A lot of vanilla, and not much else.

Mouthfeel is decent, but at this point I don't really care.

I would certainly pass this one up at a store. I am sure some people will really like it, but it just tastes too much like a vanilla soda than a beer with vanilla flavors. It's not quite a pour out though... thought it's close.

Maybe this just isn't a style that I like.

Thanks for the chance Aprilluvsbeer.

Sampled from a 12 oz bottle, poured into a snifter at 50 degrees.

A - Poured a beautiful, clear red with a small head. At first it came out as more of an amber, but after the pour, the carbonation gave way to a very festive medium-to-deep red.

S - Smelled of slight alcohol, earthy tones, and spice.

T - Complex flavors, beginning with a splash of malty vanilla. Eventually leads way to a spiced dry fruit flavor and finishes strong with a carmelized/vanilla/alcohol combination. Very good flavors and an excellent after-dinner selection (if you don't want a heavy stout).

M - Very bubbly with a medium body. Crisp, bitter (from fruit, not hops) finish.

D - I was completely surprised...expected more of a spiced winter ale rather than what I got. Very enjoyable though.

This brew pours a translucent amber color, with a slight haze and a frothy white head. The first notable sensation is a prominent vanilla aroma. It’s not only dominant in the smell, but it seeks you out and lingers long after you’ve put the glass down. Although the vanilla is strong and prominent, it doesn’t exclude other smells: a light fruitiness and some lightly roasted malt backing are also detectable. For the taste, this beer his moderately sweet, with a focus on the malt. The vanilla is present throughout the taste, but not as dominant as it is in the smell. It’s a very smooth beer, despite a slight alcohol bite and warming. The finish has a modest hoppiness, mixed with a little yeast. This is not a beer that I’d want to drink every day. For a winter seasonal (one-off brew) it’s certainly appreciated.