Schell's Snowstorm 2005
August Schell Brewing Company

amber in color with copious amounts of carbonation bubbling up toward the surface throughout. Nice white head on top, maybe an inch and a half before settling down to coat the inside of the glass for a minute. Interesting aroma, mix of grains, light bready malts, and a touch of a grassy, herbal hoppiness

Reviewed from notes.

This one poured out a dark amber or mahogany color with a small, tan, bubbly head. The head short lived and left little to no lace. Aroma was toasty and biscuity with some slightly fruity notes. There was a sweet malty flavor balanced out but a subtle grassy hop bite. A touch of fruit flavor was present. A fairly crisp, sharp brew that was light bodied. Certainly and easy drinking winter seasonal. I liked this one. It was well done and quite tasty.

Schell's 2005 Snowstorm offering has a copper-red body and a light toffee-colored head. Good malty aroma. First sip is surprisingly bitter/sour, but really very good. Leaves a funny aftertaste that kind of sits in your throat. Definitely a different beer than the "usual".

A- good appearance, dark amber in color, 1/2 inch head, that is pretty dense and hangs around for a bit
S- caramelly malt up front, with a hint of citrus and hoppy smell in the back ground
T- Not real impressed with the flavor, some caramel malt upfront and a slightly dry bitter finish- the aftertaste is what gets me kinda skunkish
M- good mouthfeel, decent weight and carbonation
D- not that drinkable due to the skunky aftertaste

Pours caramel to copper with a 1 finger deep offwhite head. Fantastic lacing & head retention

Smell: Slight fruittyness

Taste: Nice hoppy bittterness & caramel up front. Fruityness follows along with some nuttyness. Finishes fruitty & hoppy bitter

MF: Great balance & carbonation, medium body

Drinks so easy, reminded me of some of the yummy alts I had back in Germany. Easily the best in the sampler sixer I purchased in Grand Forks, ND

This beer had a deep brown, reddish color, only a slight head the dissapated quickly. Rich malty smell. The initial taste was a bit coppery and metalic, but the finish was quite complex. Sweet caramel and brown malt flavors, definitely a hop flavor, but mainly dominated by the malt. There was a tangy sweet finish that created a great mouthfeel. I could have a few of these, but not stick to it all night.

Don’t eat yellow snow. Snowstorm pours a very crystal copper color with slight brown and red hues. A good foam that remains throughout but limited lacing overall.

The smell is toasted with a touch of bready and toffee undertones. Some bubblegum sweet hops mixes nicely with a warmer spice such as cinnamon and cloves.

The taste has lighter malt tasting then the nose would kick up. A more roasted and astringent taste but a light taste that isn’t quiet watery, but close. Some caramel and toffee finishes the malt taste but fails to mask the heavier roasted flavors. The hops are not very noticeable. I would have also like to see more of the yeast flavor come out more.

This isn’t as smooth as an altbeer should be. The yeast is not really noticeable and the malt leaves too much aftertaste kick. Very easy to drink but missed the mark for style. It has the advantage of not being yellow so drink away.

Not a bad copper/alt beer. Orange/copper color with an off-white head. Smells of biscuity malts. Taste is of caranel and biscuit malts with an alt hops aftertaste. Nothing big here, but pleasant. Just barely qualifies as an alt in my book, but its not bad.

A brown to red brew with very fine bubbles.
Head was not particularly lasting.

Aroma of dark fruit (plum) and roasted grain.

The taste was sweet and somewhat tangy (as opposed to sticky sweet).

Nicely balanced into the finished.
Likley the best Schell product I can recall having.

Seems close to the alt style.

Poured an orange-copper color with nice clarity. The off-white head settled to 1/8". Low-level visible carbonation. Great lacing.

Smells fresh with a malty sweetness punctuated with apple fruitiness. Concord grapes are detected also.

Flavors are crisp with a slightly fleeting malt foundation that is somewhat sweet and woody. The hops are very understated in flavor but very apparent in the texture & mouthfeel. Not that much flavor to speak of really.

Mouthfeel is a bit astringent and finishes dry with no lingering aftertaste. Light bodied.

Drinkability is good. Maybe could pound a few accompanied by a good game of euchre if snowed-in up north in a cabin.

Good beer, not that much flavor. Bone dry crispy finish. Clean and unassuming.

Nice amber/copper hues with an average crown that fades relatively fast.Very few bubbles rise in the glass. The aroma is combination of malty and fruity notes. The beer is nicely balanced, with some caremel and a bit of toastiness. It is a smooth easy drinking medium bodied beer.

Amber-tinged, dark golden, with a dense off-white head. Powdered sugar, toasted malt, a touch of almond maybe. Not much else though. Not bad, but lacking complexity. Light sweetness with maple syrup and burnt caramel. Toasted grain edge leads to herbal bitterness. But maple sweetness lasts throughout and into the finish. I swear there’s a cardboard flavor throughout too. Dry finish. Medium bodied with a slightly sticky feel. Okay (better than 04's), but where’s an adequate winter seasonal? Come on Schell’s!

Part of the Schell’s Winter Pack. 12oz bottle indicates 05355 and 000998. Poured into a pint glass.

A—deep clear brownish orange with ¾ inch tan head, gone after a few minutes, light web like lacing remains.

S—strong fruity hops and mild caramel malt, floral, sweet and sour at the same time

T---roasted malt and spices, typically of a holiday brew, sweet, finishes with a mild dry bitterness

M—medium/full bodied, light carbonation, very smooth

D—a good winter selection that my wife liked a lot more than me, …probably could only have one more.

Dark, ruddy brown with a two-finger head. The taste is quite malty and sparsely hopped with a faint smoky taste and caramel hints...like a lot of the Schell seasonals, I am finding. I understand this is an Altbier, but I'd like a little more hops in the blend. This beer actually reminded me quite a lot of their Caramel Bock in mouthfeel, and actually somewhat in flavor. I did find this to be an enjoyable drink, but I considered not writing a review. A year out from now, what's going to be the point? Why develop a unique recipe that is then lost to the ages, or is there something I'm not getting (like they recycle the old recipes every few years or something...)

Off-brown in color, patchy tan-like head. Grassy notes and some tender malts into play on the nose; warming will reveal some nice fresh baked bread. Up front, very sweet, caramel candy like sweetness, dry hops and mild carbonation. A slick buttery palate; some wheat bread notes. Metallic and bland finish; very disappointing for both the style and the label—a quick jump to the soapbox – when is A.S. going to come strong with a true winter style ale?

Dark amber, translucent, borders transparent. Altbier style, allegedly. (As this is possibly my first alt, my review reflects my general percpetion rather than appropriateness to style)
There is fruitiness to the smell, and a slightly sweet taste. This also has a metallic taste, though not as extreme as the Pale Ale. Still, seems misplaced among the malt flavors. Perhaps some toffee? Slight thickness to mouthfeel.

A dusseldorf-style alt according to the label. I always enjoy a good alt interpretation. This offering poured with a soft, pillowy, light tan head. The color is fairly dark amber while the nose offers a pale malt essence with hints of licorice(?). The body is straight medium while taste is almost entirely devoted to a full, juicy malt character. The very faint floral hop presence provides some balance, but doesn't keep the brew from being over-run with the quenching malts. Finishes with a toffee flavor and remains thirst-quenching. There aren't a hell of a lot of flavors here, but is generally a standard alt.

The beer pours a dark amber/red color with a thick frothy offwhite head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a rich malt scent that is sweet with some fruity yeast notes. It is mellow with a subtle dryness. The taste is decent. It has a dry, yet malty flavor that goes down easy and finishes with a slightly bitter/metallic off-flavor. The mouthfeel is decent as well. It is a medium/full bodied beer with a little too much carbonation. This is a fine altbier. I like most everything, except the loads of CO2. Lessen that and this would be a real treat.

pours a deep dark amber with a wisp head the falls into a couple of lone patches
the aroma is very malty, hint of hops.
the taste is malty, hop spiciness, minerial
mouthfeel is a little watery
beer is very drinkable.
i would have not picked this out as an alt.

7/06
As I continue to drink this beer and it maintains it's quality I've grown to appreciate it in a way I hadn't before. It has a great creaminess to the feel and overall a solid flavor profile that lends itself to a nice drinking pace. I've adjusted a couple of scores due to this new found experience.

Typical Schell aroma, with a fairly evident malt presence and a slight hop spice.
Attractive enough. Nice full head with a slow settling. Dark amber of brown and garnet. Clear.
Taste begins with a malt shot that's similar to malt character of SS '04. There is a slowly buidling bitterness that presents in middle and gradually increases to a rather long and somewhat dry finish (that maintains it's malty presence).
Medium body, at best. Fairly strong carbonation that's not necessarily filling.
Overall it's an alright beer. Good complexity. Dissappointed in the lack of inspiration or distinctness (or maybe this is best we can expect).