Schell's Snowstorm 2002
August Schell Brewing Company

 

Nutty roast malt sweet smell. Cranberry colored with a slight tanish head. Cloudy appearence as well. The taste is shockingly weak. I was prepared for a big rich malty taste but, this brew tastes weak in the grain bill. Lighter on the body side as well. Slight card board (oxidation?) taste on the tongue. There is a very faint sweet malt/smoke taste at the finish. Needs a little umph... I think!

Cheers to budgood for the sample!

Good, but not great. Amber with a nice tan, almost white head. The flavor was malty with a bit of hop bitterness. Very faint hints of nuttiness and smoke. A fairly mild beer, it was quite accessable if not very interesting. Worth a try, but not as good as many of their other beers.

2002 edition, Clear amber color, average foamy white head that doesn't last long, sweet light roasty malty aroma. Smokey malty flavors with a strange sourness, light bodied and has a watery mouthfeel, seems a bit unbalanced, not much going on with this winter brew.

Pours a clear copper/amber color with a nice 2-finger off-white head. The smell is that of an earthy grain with light spices. The taste is similar to the aromas although the spice doesn't come through as well, in fact it is quite faint. Also has a light roasted malt flavor and is very, very lightly hopped and could actually stand more IMO. Not too well balanced. The taste is pleasant from start to middle, but the bitter bite that you expect is not there. Not bad, but again the missing finish falls short. It is pretty drinkable despite this, as you don't get any flavor that jumps out at you. Another brew sent by BA budgood1 -thanks! Cheers!

This brew is amber in color with an off-white head. There is a slight lace-work with this lightly carbonated beer. The aroma is nutty, and slightly smokey. The flavor is semi-sweet malt, and again with the nutty and smokey flavors. Hop bitterness is almost non-existent, as well as minimal hop flavor. The body is medium-full, and some-what chewy. The aromas and flavors of this Scotch ale are complex. All around, this is a tasty brew.

2002 version - Scotch Ale. Pours out to a copper color w/very little head. Very light malt aroma. Taste is somewhat spicy, albeit light. A slight spruce/pine taste was detected. I liked this beer and would drink it again.

pours out a clear deep amber color, with moderate head and lace. a light toasty malt aroma is perceivable along with just a kiss of hops. rich toasted malts dominate the flavor profile with just enough hop balance to create a nice smooth mouthfeel. a bit of warming alcohol can be perceived, making this very easy drinking and extremely balanced in every sense. not a big, bad winter bruiser by any stretch. just a very nice ale which has you reaching for another quite quickly. a perfect brew for the first significant snowfall of the season here in F-M tonite.

So, for 2002, Snow Storm is a Scotch Ale...

Deep clear amber appearance, thin and yellowish head that leaves one lacy ring in the glass. Sweet and nutty aromas. Nice malts, traces of maple sugar, honey, and a spritzy orangey quality in the mid-mouth. Hops strictly balance and may be a little thin. The taste here is very good, smoothest of maltiness. I have some problems with the mouthfeel, which should be quite a bit fuller and richer if its to meet Scotch style. Still, a better Schell brew and tasty to my tongue.

Golden-copper bodied with a pale yellow head that recedes to a minor skimming.
Faint maltiness on the nose. Not much here. Especially for a scotch heavy / winter brew.
Malty all the way through. Not huge, but sufficient. Butterscotch and toffee hues are dominant. Traces of peat. There is a corn-like taste here as well, but not in the adjunct sense. More like fresh sweet corn on the cob. Very pleasant. But overall, the taste could use a boost in order to be anything special.
Slippery across the mouth. Firm bodied. Low, tempered carbonation is appropriate.
Nothing mindblowing, but I wil return to this one as a winter sessional. Easy drinking and worthwhile.

Clear deep copper in color. A medium sized beige head dwindles to a thin film that sticks around. A bit of a rustic maltiness on the nose. Really not a lot to talk about with the aroma though. Really smooth malty taste. Some smoked peat taste slips through here and there. A little smokiness. Redwood. Cedar. Something along those lines. Body is a little better than medium. This beer is good, but could be more thick and complex I believe to make it an elite.

Without knowing the ABV it's a little hard to know which Scottish Ale category to put this, so this is a bit of a guess. This is a fun beer to look forward to because I don't know the style until it can be purchased, but it typically is a "hearty" beer, and this year is no different. Pours with nice full head of tannish color, that leaves nice lacing. Amber to brown in color and clear. A nice looking beer. Aroma is bit of a standard non-aroma that many Schell beers have, but there are hints of malt if one is persistent. A malt dominant beer without becoming sweet. Any smokey qualities are quite light, with more roast evident with slight caramel. Has a bit of a bitter quality, but not astringent, and leaves a dryness on the tongue upon finish. Has the Schell richness, but not excessive. Mouthfeel is medium to light, but I wouldn't consider it flat, with some creaminess. Another fine beer, from a good brewery.