Wee Heavy Winter Ale
Hale's Ales Brewery & Pub


- From:
- Hale's Ales Brewery & Pub
- Washington, United States
- Style:
- Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy
- ABV:
- 6%
- Score:
- 84
- Avg:
- 3.69 | pDev: 11.11%
- Reviews:
- 74
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Dec 10, 2023
- Added:
- Apr 22, 2002
- Wants:
- 2
- Gots:
- 7
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho
3.75/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.75/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
I love the way this all comes together, some savory winter spices blending perfectly with the peaty character of the Scotch ale. Nice fluffy head on a cloudy dark copper body. Earthy, malty aroma. Taste brings more winter spice, which lingers afterward. All around a great winter warmer.
Dec 10, 2023Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada
3.13/5 rDev -15.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
3.13/5 rDev -15.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
Looks like we're knocking out some Hale's malty beers on the review agenda today.
Pours a chestnut like kinda dark brown. Produces a beige 1/5" head that is barely more than a film. Aroma of that earthy, peat like malt and yeast feels. Bring on the hearthy, thick dark bread notes.
Taste was surprisingly bitter up front. After that you get settled into the dark bread, wood, earth, dark fruit and toffee notes. Difficult to say if it was hops that gave the bitterness or the other factors. Lower carbonation appropriate for style. I think this style of beer tends to be best where I am writing a review that talks about rich smoothness. Instead, I get a RIS like dark fruit bitterness that persists the entire time. There isn't a smooth warming effect, its more like a black ipa and russian imperial stout cuvee or some shit. I respect that Hale's has been around forever, but their stuff hasn't seemed to evolve beyond those original times or even held up to other classical breweries.
Jan 24, 2020Pours a chestnut like kinda dark brown. Produces a beige 1/5" head that is barely more than a film. Aroma of that earthy, peat like malt and yeast feels. Bring on the hearthy, thick dark bread notes.
Taste was surprisingly bitter up front. After that you get settled into the dark bread, wood, earth, dark fruit and toffee notes. Difficult to say if it was hops that gave the bitterness or the other factors. Lower carbonation appropriate for style. I think this style of beer tends to be best where I am writing a review that talks about rich smoothness. Instead, I get a RIS like dark fruit bitterness that persists the entire time. There isn't a smooth warming effect, its more like a black ipa and russian imperial stout cuvee or some shit. I respect that Hale's has been around forever, but their stuff hasn't seemed to evolve beyond those original times or even held up to other classical breweries.
Reviewed by mynie from Maryland
4.5/5 rDev +22%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.5/5 rDev +22%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
On tap at the Seattle's Blue Moon pub. I was very especially in the mood for an older school beer. The very dated-looking (and wonderful) tap handle said "Since 1983" and so, yeah, I'm going down that road.
And my oh my I wish more brewers were going down this particular road, still. I know, I know... market forces and all that, I sound like a crotchety old man complaining about how kids today listen to the damn hip hop. But, christ, styles like this persisted for decades and sometimes even centuries. There has to be *something* to them work preserving, right?
The pour is a filtered amber with a wispy white head. The aroma is tangy hops, bock-y malt, bready and lightly sharp. Great balance.
Flavor matches the aroma. It's excellently balanced, interesting at all stages, and it finishes clean and dry, making you want to take another sip. 10 years ago, one maybe could have said this was unadventurous and given it an accordingly middling review. Today, it's a bold departure from the norm.
Jan 11, 2020And my oh my I wish more brewers were going down this particular road, still. I know, I know... market forces and all that, I sound like a crotchety old man complaining about how kids today listen to the damn hip hop. But, christ, styles like this persisted for decades and sometimes even centuries. There has to be *something* to them work preserving, right?
The pour is a filtered amber with a wispy white head. The aroma is tangy hops, bock-y malt, bready and lightly sharp. Great balance.
Flavor matches the aroma. It's excellently balanced, interesting at all stages, and it finishes clean and dry, making you want to take another sip. 10 years ago, one maybe could have said this was unadventurous and given it an accordingly middling review. Today, it's a bold departure from the norm.
Reviewed by artoolemomo from Oregon
3.85/5 rDev +4.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
3.85/5 rDev +4.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Appearance- Pours up an okay amount of head which looks to have good retention. The head is a light beige/khaki while the body is a very dark amber which is a medium to dark amber when held up to the light. Considerable lacing is left behind.
Nose- I may have kept this one too long as the aroma seems rather muted for a Scotch ale. Light notes of caramel, brown sugar, and molasses from the bottle. There was some burnt caramel, even a popcorn note. Slight notes of raisins, maybe prunes. Swirling shows more raisins in conjunction with brown bread. Maybe a slight touch of bubblegum.
Taste- Starts off with some citrus on the front (oranges mostly) that moves into a middle occupied by caramel, raisins, and brown bread. Has many of the standard flavors of a Scotch ale but seems a little bit lighter. Some pine and resin bitterness on the finish which matches up well with the dominant sweetness which manages to be lively without being cloying. Might not have the complexity or presence that a lot of Scotch ales have but I'm still enjoying it so far. A light Scotch ale that has great balance and integration. More of an everyday Scotch ale if you will, maybe even a little sessionable. Solid, good beer in my opinion. Nothing more, nothing less.
Mouthfeel- Medium to heavy bodied with minimal carbonation. Approaches smooth and velvety. Bolsters the flavor profile and hints at the possibility of a really good beer.
Drinkability- Very accessible for a Scotch ale- certainly not in the same class as the Traquair beers but as drinkable. Almost sessionable if the thickness of the beer doesn't get to you. I think this was a little more than standard craft beer six pack price but I think it's worth it. I would probably buy this again.
Overall- Solid, good beer with flashes of being a really, good beer- this is mostly because of the mouthfeel. Definitely worth a try, even if you don't like Scotch ales. You might like this one.
Mar 09, 2014Nose- I may have kept this one too long as the aroma seems rather muted for a Scotch ale. Light notes of caramel, brown sugar, and molasses from the bottle. There was some burnt caramel, even a popcorn note. Slight notes of raisins, maybe prunes. Swirling shows more raisins in conjunction with brown bread. Maybe a slight touch of bubblegum.
Taste- Starts off with some citrus on the front (oranges mostly) that moves into a middle occupied by caramel, raisins, and brown bread. Has many of the standard flavors of a Scotch ale but seems a little bit lighter. Some pine and resin bitterness on the finish which matches up well with the dominant sweetness which manages to be lively without being cloying. Might not have the complexity or presence that a lot of Scotch ales have but I'm still enjoying it so far. A light Scotch ale that has great balance and integration. More of an everyday Scotch ale if you will, maybe even a little sessionable. Solid, good beer in my opinion. Nothing more, nothing less.
Mouthfeel- Medium to heavy bodied with minimal carbonation. Approaches smooth and velvety. Bolsters the flavor profile and hints at the possibility of a really good beer.
Drinkability- Very accessible for a Scotch ale- certainly not in the same class as the Traquair beers but as drinkable. Almost sessionable if the thickness of the beer doesn't get to you. I think this was a little more than standard craft beer six pack price but I think it's worth it. I would probably buy this again.
Overall- Solid, good beer with flashes of being a really, good beer- this is mostly because of the mouthfeel. Definitely worth a try, even if you don't like Scotch ales. You might like this one.
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