Bell's Winter White Ale

Bell’s Winter White Ale is a belgian styles white ale. It is advertised as “a lighter yet abundantly flavorful alternative to the traditional heavy winter warmers.”

Winter White Ale pours a cloudy pale orange color with one finger’s worth of white head. It has a nice orange spice aroma. This ale has flavors notes of wheat, citrus, and coriander, with a hint of sweet spices. Medium body and nicely carbonation - this ale has a crisp refreshing quality. The finish is pleasantly tart and fizzy. Ends with a silkiness on the pallet that retains some lingering flavor notes.

Pairings/ Recommendations

While this ale is crafted as a winter brew, it has elements that remind me of summer beers. While it is not as light as most summer offerings, it’s heavy enough to comfort a winter thirst. That being said, the recommendation for this one is easy. Winter blues got you down? Tired of another sunless cold gloomy day? Then pour yourself a glass of Bell's Winter White Ale. It'll sooth your winter tired mind and remind you that the lazy crazy hazy days of summer are not that far away.

Cheers!

Breckenridge Vanilla Porter

Tonight's sampleorama comes from the mountain town of Breckenridge, Colorado. The Breckenridge Brewery opened it's doors to craft beer lovers in 1990. Their quality brews quickly became a favorite of the locals and visitors of the popular ski town. By 1992 they opened a second brewery in Denver and moved the head of their operations to the Mile High City. Today Breckenridge Brewery operates 5 brewpubs and ale houses in Colorado.

Breckenridge's Vanilla Porter "Ale Brewed With Real Vanilla Beans."

This porter is a shade of rusty brown and has a sand colored head. As advertised, the all-star of this brew is the vanilla flavor. There are also hints of chocolate malt, raw sugar, and toffee. The body of VP is mellow and clean with mild carbonation. The finish is malty with a flashes of vanilla and chocolate notes, and ends sweet and slightly dry. My only criticism would be I would like a little more bitterness to contrast the sweet tones. Other than that, this is a fine refreshing ale.

Pairings/ Recommendations

This ale would make an excellent transitional brew, meaning you could go from after dinner coffee to Vanilla Porter (or vice versa) without tripping up your taste buds.

Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout

Tonight we are venturing over the pond to Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, England - Home to the Samuel Smith Brewery. Established way back in 1756, this brewery still draws water from the 85 foot well that was sunk when this brew house was established. They also have been using the same strain of yeast for their fermentation process since the year 1900. Keeping with their rich tradition, they still use Shire Horses to deliver their beer around the town of Tadcaster!

Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout pours a dark chocolate brown with a thick creamy sand colored head that leaves globs of lacing on the glass. Aroma - hints of raw bittersweet chocolate, yeast, and sweet malts.

Flavor is rich and malty with notes of dark chocolate, coffee, and dried fruit - think raisins or figs. The body is medium/ thick and creamy. Nice carbonation and a behind the scenes lingering sweetness that seems to be a signature with all the Samuel Smith brews I’ve tried, must be that well water! This stout has a clean toasty finish with pleasant notes of raw cocoa, and a subtle hint of smoke.

Pairs/ Recommendations

I feel Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout really gets the elements right with this brewing style. I wouldn’t mind a bit more thickness to this brew, but overall an excellent stout. My recommendation would be to enjoy this fine English brew while enjoying English pub games. My favorite being darts. Anyone up for a game of Cricket?

Pip Pip Cheerio!!!

Leinenkugel Big Eddy Russian Imperial Stout

The first review of 2012 takes us to the horse shoe shaped hillside of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin - home to the Jacob Lienenkugel Brewing Company. Lienenkugel has been brewing beer in America’s dairyland since 1867. Things really started taking off for Lienenkugel in 2006 when they began crafting new varieties of beer. Today they offer 7 year round brews as well as 4 seasonal offerings. In October of last year Lienenkugel announced they were going to reintroduce one of their inactive brews. Big Eddy Russian Imperial Stout. This brew is only being released to a selected market and is available for a limited time.

Big Eddy pours motor oil black with about one inch of coffee colored head. This brew is so dark, light fails to penetrate this stout, even when held next to a lamp. The aroma is sweet, with notes of fruit, molasses, and maple. Flavor - notes of dark grapes, chocolate and malt, with a reappearing subtle hint of maple. Big Eddy’s has a medium body accented with creamy texture and light carbonation. A thin head caps this stout during the entire enjoyment and has an appearance similar to fresh brewed espresso creama. The alcohol content is nicely hidden for it's percentage - a whopping 9.8%. Smooth and balanced for such a strong brew.

The initial finish on the first swallow is smokey hazelnut. A fruity finish takes over for the remainder of enjoyment. The smokey hazelnut doesn't completely disappear, but It only briefly makes itself known during the remainder of consumption.

Pairings/ Recommendations

This stuff is delicious, but potent. If you're a fan of dark heavy brews, this stout is a treat. I most certainly would pair this stout with a nice rich dessert, cheese cake, chocolate cake, ect. Or you can take my father's advise and just skip the food and drink Leinenkugel's Big Eddy Imperial Russian Stout for dessert. Take your time with this one, it's a brew worth appreciating.

Cheers!!!