Wintervrund
Gulpener Bierbrouwerij B.V.

 

 

 

 

very surprised to see people havent liked this much. i thought it was really solid, and very unique. it has elements of a strong german bock, i think the grain looks and tastes and feels a bit like that, sweet and hearty, european, and rich in that way. caramelized sugars and thickness are there under the tall beige head, dense for sure. it smells and tastes really good to me, some added sugar maybe like a belgian strong, but with a sort of molasses sweetness and mild spice, like a holiday fruitcake or something, booze and sludgy but also spirited and festive and quite enjoyable. there is a little tang to it, tannic for a moment, but its washed away quickly by the residual grain sugar. not sure this is spiced, but it has a little bit of that mulled thing going on nevertheless. dried apple and dates come to mind on the fruity side, and there is a bready english type yeast going on, fresh baked aromatic and a sticky sort of feel all come together. tough beer to place in terms of style, and i havent had much like it. this represents the really cool inventive side of classic european dark strong ales. really dug this, and so did the folks i shared it with. thanks to drlovemd87 for the bottle!

 

33cl bottle. Dark ruby pour, clear with a tan head. Smells like caramel and boiled corn. Bitter-sweet with a rough alcohol and a green beer feeling. Not too good.

Dark ruby colour with a frothy steady beige head. Full smell of juniper berries, malt and cloves. These flavours return in the taste, together with dark fruits, tangerine and some alcohol. A very tasteful winter-themed beer. One negative sidenote: the mouth feel was a bit watery and the alcohol wasn't very warming. But all in all, nice beer.

Normaal winterbiertje, zoet maar goed door te drinken

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This winter warmer is an exemplary model of execution that flirts with design failure. A nice blend of Belgian style strong amber with a (light) nod to an English winter warmer. The problem is the exceptional smoothness and balance results in an ephemeral taste so delicate as to be almost vapid. There's complexity to be found, unquestionably, but it requires a sporting effort. Fruity yeast dominates, very soft cured tangerines. Light fruitcake spice. Milk chocolate crumb cake. Light body, a touch sticky. Really intriguing, and ultimately most enjoyable. A bit like the Golden Age Dutch Art, instinctively satisfying at the most mindless, hedonistic level, but subtle depth awaits the contemplative.

appearance: Copper brown with beige head, not much retention.

smell: Brown sugar and dark fruits. Roasted malts. Some rye & clove.

taste: Sweet syrupy brown sugar / caramel followed by the red ripe fruits and a very light hoppy, rye with clove like, bitter. Surprisingly light considering the ABV.

mouthfeel: A bit bland. Lacks just that little bit of creaminess to give it more body. Medium carbonation.

overall: This one surprised me. Usually these themed (winter) beers aren't really my thing, but this one is just lovely. It's a very easy drink though, so kinda dangerous :)

Bottle, 300 ml, at home, poured into a tulip. ABV is 8,5%.

I had a long day at work and while I was biking back it started raining, I was completely wet when I reached home. So I grabbed this to warm me up. Colour is a very nice dark ruby one, with an off white head on top, almost two fingers in height after a hard pour. Very good head retention and medium lace left behind.
Aroma of roasted malts and alcohol. Very pleasant.
Taste begins sweet and on the finish it turns to a medium sour one, which in combination with the light alcohol on the taste, makes this beer taste a bit like a good red wine. Not bad at all.
Medium to thick on the body and average carbonation.
I really enjoyed this one, especially once it warmed up a bit. Then it warmed me up too. As I said, the alcohol taste is very light, making it very drinkable, I must contain myself.