Rahr Winter Warmer Review

Brewery: Rahr & Sons Brewing Co. | Beer: Winter Warmer
Style: Winter Warmer | ABV: 9.0% | IBUs: 43
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into pint glass

What better time than the middle of a Texas summer to post a review of a winter seasonal? It's a bit of a grab-bag today on PintLog as we clear out some old notes that have been hanging around, so please excuse the odd timing. Rest assured though, the notes below were taken back when the beer was fresh.

Anyway, today's out-of-season Texas seasonal is Rahr's Winter Warmer. Brewed in the style of an English Dark Ale, the backbone is built with 2-Row, Crystal 40, Cara Munich III, and Chocolate malt varieties. As for hops, Magnums and East Kent Goldings are employed.

Here's how Rahr pitch the finished product:

Wonderfully robust, rich and full-bodied, Rahr's Winter Warmer is crated in the fine British tradition of holiday ales. Perfect for either holiday gatherings or quiet evenings at home.

Well, the weather outside might not be frightful, but let's dig in anyway!

Appearance: A murky mahogany-brown body with plenty of ruby highlights. Up top, a finger's width of off-white head that recedes rather quickly and leaves barely any lacing.

Aroma: Roasty malt with lots of nutty, spicy, and raisiny notes. Maybe a little cocoa as well.

Taste: Rather unique, this is very nutty, herbal, and almost vegetable-like. There's still plenty of dark fruit and roasty malt in the mix as well. The alcohol is hidden very well and the aftertaste is of grainy and roasty malt.

Mouthfeel: Surprisingly for the style, this is a little on the thin side. Dry throughout.

Drinkability: Between average and sipper territory. While it's somewhat light-bodied and the flavor profile isn't overly powerful or boozy, eventually the alcohol content has to slow you down.

Verdict: To be frank, I'm a little confused by this beer. Rahr's website list this as full-bodied, and that's certainly what you'd expect from a Winter Warmer, but the body just fails to measure up. So while it's certainly not a bad beer, it's not a particularly good one either.

Grade: C

Note: While this review is being published in August, the tasting notes contained within were taken when the beer was fresh two winters ago.

Samuel Adams Old Fezziwig Ale Review

Brewery: Boston Brewing Co. | Beer: Samuel Adams Old Fezziwig Ale
Style: Winter Warmer | ABV: 5.9%
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into pint glass

Old Fezziwig is named after the character in Dicken's Scrooge, the main character's jolly employer from the "Christmas Past" flashback. Sam Adams call this beer a Stong Brown Ale, but I think it's more appropriately listed as a Winter Warmer. This was a Winter seasonal from 1995, when it was first brewed, until 2000, when it was discontinued. People were disappointed, and although there apparently wasn't enough demand to justify bringing it back as a solo offering, it's now included in Sam Adam's Winter twelve-pack.

The malt body is composed of what the brewery calls Two-Row Pale, Munich 10, Chocolate Malt, and Caramel 60 varieties. While hops come in the form of Tettnang Tettnanger and Hallertau-Mittlefruh Noble varieties. The brewery also adds orange peel, cinnamon and ginger in the way of spices, to "impart a rich spice complexity that balances against the deep malt character." The brewer describes Old Fezziwig as the "Christmas cookie of beer," and I can see why.

Appearance: Clear dark reddish brown body. One finger of off-white head. Leaves above-average lacing. A handsome beer that really looks the part for a Winter evening.

Aroma: Roasty sour malt with lots of spice and some hints of booze. Not much in the way of hops.

Taste: Lots of sour roasted malt that's chocolaty and nutty. The hops ramp up a little in the finish, but still but never really come all the way to the forefront. Alcohol comes through every now and then, but the malt body conceals it well. Everything is nice and balanced for the style, but unfortunately a little thin. The aftertaste, conversely, is rather full very malty.

Mouthfeel: A little creamy, but much more lighter-bodied than you'd expect. Moderate carbonation.

Drinkability: It goes back easily enough with it's thinnish body and moderate alcohol. Certainly one of the quicker Winter Warmers I have tried yet.

Verdict: As you'd expect from a Sam Adams offering, this is a solid beer, but nothing that special. I'd heard great things about this beer, but it just seems kind of average to me. Certainly not worth buying the mixed Winter twelve-pack just to get two bottles of this beer, but not necessarily the weak spot in the pack either.

Grade: B-

Anchor Christmas Ale 2008 Review

Brewery: Anchor Brewing Co. | Beer: Christmas Ale 2008
Style: Winter Warmer | ABV: ~6.0%
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into pint glass

Anchor releases a slightly different Winter seasonal each year, known as Christmas Ale. They've been doing this since 1975, back in the Dark Ages of American beer. The beers age gracefully, and I intend to save a couple bottles for an update next Winter. This year's offering, the 34th, is in the classic stout little Anchor bottle adorned with an achingly beautiful label featuring a Jeffery Pine tree. Each year's Christmas Ale features a different tree, a nod to the tradition of trees representing the Winter Solstice, when the world is born anew.

Anchor are quite secretive with the details each year, not releasing (as far as I've found anyway, feel free to correct me in the comments) the specific style, the alcohol content, or the ingredients. Even the name doesn't seem to be nailed down 100%, as it appears with names as varied as Our Special Ale and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Anchor simply calls it Christmas Ale on their site, so that's what I'm going with. For simplicity's sake, I've listed the beer as a Winter Warmer and the ABV as ~6.0% (I've seen it listed, without documentation, anywhere from 5.5% to 8%). Let's try to unravel this year's mystery.

Appearance: A thick, dark brown body allows hardly any light to penetrate. What light does manage to make its way through manifests as brilliant ruby. Pours a healthy caramel-colored, two-finger high head that leaves dramatic lacing. Simply put, this is a gorgeous beer.

Aroma: Dominant are cloves and spices, especially nutmeg that is reminiscent of eggnog (quite appropriate for the season), with some pine on the edges. There is a solid roasted malt background, but not much in the way of hops. A very unique start.

Taste: Not quite as brilliant in the mouth as in the nose, but still damn good. Sour dark malt with a lot less of the spices coming through. There's lots of chocolate and dark fruit with some pine coming from (I'm guessing) the hops. I'm not sure what the ABV is exactly, but I would estimate its somewhere between 5.5 and 6.5% ABV.

Mouthfeel: A chewy medium body with moderate carbonation. Even though I don't know the exact style, this seems a little thinner than it should be. The finish is somewhat dry.

Drinkability: Definitely something you savor over a period of time, Christmas Ale is something I would enjoy at a rate of one glass per evening.

Verdict: A great holiday sipper, with a complex malt body and lots of spicy fireworks. I'm very much looking forward to trying this vintage again this time next year, to see what has changed.

Grade: B

Saint Arnold Christmas Ale Review

Brewery: Saint Arnold Brewing Co. | Beer: Christmas Ale
Style: Winter Warmer | ABV: 7.0%
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into pint glass

It's that time of year again, time to review a Saint Arnold Winter seasonal. Last Winter, I reviewed Winter Stout, this time it's Christmas Ale. Saint Arnold introduced Christmas Ale back in 1995 as their first ever seasonal brew. The style, according to the brewer, is Old Ale. However, other sources list it as a Winter Warmer. As Christmas Ale, to me at least, more closely resembles the profile of a Winter Warmer than an Old Ale (it isn't aged for one), that's what I'm listing it as. If you think I might be mistaken, please weigh in with a comment.

Saint Arnold describes the beer as a "rich, hearty ale perfect for the holiday season with a malty sweetness and spicy hop character." They use five different types of malted barley in Christmas Ale, making it a very sweet and alcohol-filled proposition. It must be working, because the beer has won two gold medals at the Real Ale Festival, a bronze at the World Beer Cup and silver at the World Beer Championship.

Appearance: Perfectly clear rust-red body you could read a newspaper through. With a regular pour, the head can be disappointing, but with just a little more aggression you can easily get a solid finger's width worth. The head rapidly recedes into a simple ring around the edge of the glass, and leaves minimal lacing.

Aroma: Spice and sweet dark fruit over a rich, boozey malt backbone. Reminds me of a Scottish Ale in some ways (though with much more banana).

Taste: It's much the same in the mouth: a solid, sweet malt character with lots of spices to match. Anything besides spiciness from the hops is subdued here, in keeping with the style. The alcohol is certainly noticeable, but complements the other flavors, rather than clashing with them. It's snowing tonight in Texas as I write this, and the booze is certainly welcome.

Mouthfeel: Chewey and medium-bodied with alcohol warmth throughout. As you'd from a Winter Warmer (especially with the somewhat lackluster head here), carbonation is on the moderate side.

Drinkability: With the 7% ABV, the buzz will catch you well before you get sick of the taste. On a cold Texas night like tonight, Christmas Ale makes a welcome friend throughout the evening.

Verdict: Whenever I check the beer aisle, I always check to see if it's time for the next Saint Arnold seasonal to come out. Christmas Ale is just another great reason to be on the lookout. Nicely balanced malt and spice, with a good splash of booze, it's a proper winter warmer. Well worth picking up, especially at the bargain prices you see here in the Houston area.

Grade: B+