In descending order, my favorite winter ales:
1. Smuttynose Winter Ale - Oddly enough, I first tasted it in Brooklyn. I fervently wish we had it on tap at the bar, but alas. We already have two winter ales, which leads me to...
2. Long Trail Hibernator - Great one. No weird spices or flavorings. We've had it on for a while, and it's consistently popular.
3. Woodstock Inn Brewery Wassail - Not too bad. Again, no flavorings commonly associated with fancypants winter ales. It tastes strong, though the abv isn't on the barrel, so I can't confirm how strong it actually is. I definitely prefer other Woodstock offerings over it, like the Red Rack Ale and Old Man Oatmeal Stout.
And now, the yucky winter ales:
Harpoon Winter Warmer - Ick. Too sweet. I am, for the most part, unimpressed with Harpoon. I really dislike the IPA (I had an awkward moment last week when I ranted againest the Harpoon IPA to a ground of friends and they all looked at me like I'm nuts, because they all inexplicably love the stuff.). It kind of reminds me of Rolling Rock, in that it tastes like beer-flavored soda.
Magic Hat Roxy Rolles - Automatic disdain for being from Magic Hat (though I do like Fat Angel). A customer described it as "tastes like hops and that's about it." This proves my theory that Magic Hat beers are by and large one-note.
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I like cardamom, apostrophes, my Wüsthof, blank verse, and the Brooklyn Bridge, though not always in that order. Come on in. I'll cook something.
4 comments:
i have also been very happy with the brooklyn winter ale. surprisingly so, actually.
Yeah, me too. I would vote Brooklyn Winter Ale first, then Smuttynose, though strangely which one I like best sometimes varies. I need to try them side by side I think.
I had the Harpoon last week with Erin. I thought it wasn't bad, like a sweeter pumpkin ale, but couldn't imagine having more than one, as it was definitely overly sweet. Basically I like nutmeg, even if as a general rule I don't like Harpoon. So nutmeg made me fonder of the beer than I might have otherwise been.
I need to try those other two winter ales which you mentioned. They sound good.
we've got some kind of gastro circulating around down under too. i wonder if this it's the same strain?
I have yet to taste the Brooklyn Winter... maybe someone coming north from that area sometime soon wouldn't mind bringing some along... ???
Will - the Double Dragon ranges far and wide and attacks us all. Hope you've stayed clear of the horror. The horror!
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