It's back! Your annual installments each and every Wednesday of Winter Warmer Wednesday. It's pretty self-explanatory. A Winter Warmer style of beer is reviewed in the middle of the week, just because we've set that precedent before!
Bottom line, this style is very malty, sometimes spicy and just perfect for warming things up this time of year. I've had a few that are overly spiced to my distaste and only a select few that I'd seek out again.
The only problem this year is that I'm unable to locate many of these that I've not yet reviewed. I'm hoping that my case club that just came in has at least one of them tucked inside the cardboard box. Otherwise, I need to either make a shopping trip or call an audible.
Tonight's selection was one that I saved from the Snowpack, a winter mixed 12 pack from Sierra Nevada. In addition to this beer, included in the pack is their flagship Pale Ale, a coffee stout (which is pretty tasty), and Holiday Haze (as you guessed, it's a hazy IPA, which was middle of the road for me). This Winter Warmer Lager is only available in the Snowpack so, after my review you'll either need to pick up an entire 12 pack to enjoy this brew, or steer clear of it altogether.
Hands down, this time of year my favorite selection from them is their annual Celebration Ale, an IPA. Made with fresh hops, that beer is as hop-forward as they come for me. It's definitely a staple for me this time of year.
In any event, each year, these reviews seem very similar due to the limit in the style. This one isn't any different and that's OK.
The pour was a pretty nearly transparent mahogany red color with a creamy, beige head at the top. As expected, the aroma of this beer was a roasty, sweet caramel malt. The taste also was pretty predictable, with sweet malty caramel taking the forefront. A nuttiness and some toffee backed things up. The spice profile wasn't overpowering in here either, but the entire thing tasted rather thin in body. For a 6.7% Winter Warmer, it wasn't too robust like I wanted. A sticky bitterness finished things up here.
Long story short, I had 3 of these in total, and that was more than enough for me. I'll find a different 12 pack from Sierra Nevada next go around. Or maybe I'll just grab 12 Celebration Ales instead!
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