Winter Ale
Brooklyn Brewery
- From:
- Brooklyn Brewery
- New York, United States
- Style:
- Scottish Ale
Ranked #95 - ABV:
- 6.1%
- Score:
- 81
Ranked #35,713 - Avg:
- 3.58 | pDev: 13.41%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 485
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Oct 02, 2025
- Added:
- Nov 03, 2006
- Wants:
- 29
- Gots:
- 144
SCORE
81
Good
81
Good
Brooklyn completely changed the recipe in 2006. Its now a Scottish-style ale. Brewmaster Garrett Oliver explained to us that: There are no spices at all. Good British floor malts and hops along with our yeast strain account for all the flavors. It has a Scottish-style cooler fermentation, which pushes malt to the forefront rather than fruitiness. It was brewed with Scottish Floor-malted Maris Otter, English crystal malts, Belgian Aromatic malt, American roasted malts, American oats and hopped with Willamette.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by DarrellK:
Rated by DarrellK from Florida
3.49/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Aug 05, 2017
3.49/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Aug 05, 2017
More User Ratings:
Rated by ttoadee from Texas
3.71/5 rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.71/5 rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
RB transfer
Sep 20, 2025
Reviewed by Sinfull from New York
3.5/5 rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.5/5 rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Red/brown color , medium off-white head. The aroma of malt, dark fruits, toffee and caramel. Same notes in the taste.Gentle-roasted bitterness and warming aftertaste.
Jan 21, 2025
Reviewed by cratez from Canada (ON)
3.45/5 rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
3.45/5 rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
Rating from hand-written notes. Poured out of a 12-ounce bottle. My overall impression of the beer: "A decent Scottish Ale that works well for the winter time."
Jan 25, 2020
Reviewed by TH28 from Florida
3.56/5 rDev -0.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.56/5 rDev -0.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
12oz bottle. 9/11/18 bottle date. Appearance: Deep dark brown, opaque, with ruby red highlights and a thick frothy head. Great lacing.
Aroma: Rich roasted malt, with some caramel and chocolate.
Taste: Light Roasted maltiness with a slight touch of caramel and toast, and a fairly strong bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Lightbto Medium bodied with a moderate carbonation.
Finish: Dry, Light roastiness lingers long after the swallow with a touch of bitterness.
Overall: A clean, crisp winter ale that leans closer to a schwarzbier than a stout. Beautiful appearance and lacing, with an all malt aroma and flavor that is roast dominant, but still very drinkable and not as intense as a stout. Really nice for a cold winter night
Dec 09, 2018Aroma: Rich roasted malt, with some caramel and chocolate.
Taste: Light Roasted maltiness with a slight touch of caramel and toast, and a fairly strong bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Lightbto Medium bodied with a moderate carbonation.
Finish: Dry, Light roastiness lingers long after the swallow with a touch of bitterness.
Overall: A clean, crisp winter ale that leans closer to a schwarzbier than a stout. Beautiful appearance and lacing, with an all malt aroma and flavor that is roast dominant, but still very drinkable and not as intense as a stout. Really nice for a cold winter night
Reviewed by Efoss from Minnesota
3.83/5 rDev +7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.83/5 rDev +7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Look: Dark brown, nearly opaque, tan head that only got to 1/3 inch and quickly dissipated. Nice lacing.
Smell: Like winter and coffee (I’m a little congested so I didn’t get the full effect)
Taste: Malty, pleasantly bitter. Bright and crisp.
Overall: Solid.
Nov 04, 2017Smell: Like winter and coffee (I’m a little congested so I didn’t get the full effect)
Taste: Malty, pleasantly bitter. Bright and crisp.
Overall: Solid.
Reviewed by Lone_Freighter from Vermont
3.75/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.75/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
It poured a brown color with some light reddishness around the edges of the beer. The head is small and has a sort of creamish color to it. The lacing is spotty and ringy. It leaves a thicker foamy look where it is sipped. The smell is the malts. There is just a bit of caramel in the background. The finish has a bit of alcohol and toffee in it. The palate is medium bodied with a moderate carbonation and fairly drinkable and smooth. Overall, this is good for its style and good for me.
Jul 04, 2017
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