Deschutes Brewery – Jubelale (2013)

JUST AS ANCHOR has Christmas Ale and its perennially renewed label, Deschutes has Jubelale. As the brewery’s original winter seasonal first brewed in 1988, Jubelale has a 25-year-old history and nearly as many labels to show for it. 2013’s, drawn by local artist Avlis Leumas, is surely one of the most enticing. Nor is the beer half bad, either.

A winter warmer/English-style strong ale, this year’s Jubelale is 6.7% ABV and 60 IBUs. Darkly brown but not quite black (SRM around 28?), it pours with a dense cap of slightly yellow head with substantial retention and lacing. Its aromas are reassuringly wintry but entirely unspiced: toffee, cherry, some raisins, and the dose of roasted barley can all be picked out with ease. None is especially heavy on the nose, though, implying the lesser role of caramel malts compared to the strong foundation in 2-Row and Pale. The beer’s entry to the palate is correspondingly crisp, allowing the roasted notes to latch easily onto the malt base without too thick a body getting in the way; thus the flavors execute a tasteful turnaround, being less sweet overall than the aroma implied (especially the dark fruitiness of Extra Special). A touch of cherry remains, though fruitiness is overall subordinate to the likes of marshmallow and cocoa. The body is medium-plus, with enough substance and a nice lasting slide of molasses to balance the roast that rides into the finish. Carbonation is steadily moderate throughout, allowing the mouthfeel to stay creamy without becoming dense.

Hops, meanwhile, seem quite subdued at first, such that one might first mistake Jubelale for a doppelbock. But those 60 IBUs do eventually catch up—though Jubelale uses a mélange of mostly European-style hops, its American provenance is revealed through their cumulative effect. Slow-creeping bitterness in the aftertaste builds from the back of the tongue forward, developing piney and earthy flavors from later-kettle additions and eventually burbling up in the aroma as well. Jubelale is not a revelation of winter seasonals, but it’s clean and deep and hearty. Tasteful, somewhat akin to a more robust Black Butte, albeit not quite as poised. Still it’s one of the superior winter seasonals around—and that includes Anchor’s.

Served: 12 oz bottle best by 3/2/14

Rating: 89

Emmett’s Tavern – Winter Warmer

NAMED WINTER WARMER, classed (by the brewery) as a Strong Ale, plus some of the thick smoky malt of a Wee Heavy, Emmett Tavern’s latest seasonal is hard to pin down. AT 8+% ABV, dark copper, and full-bodied, perhaps it’s just best to call it a winter seasonal and leave the nitpicking in the dregs. A steady, finely articulated carbonation endures throughout the entire glass (a snifter), implying some light creaminess in a body that’s otherwise rather dense and dark: smoky as aforementioned with a little charcoal (vaguely similar to their Rauchbier), distinct but not prominent licorice, a twinkle of ginger, and a slight fig sweetness, all anchored with just enough chocolate malt to keep it honest. The alcohol level is clear from the warming finish (faintly hot, even) but not unruly. Furthering the Scotch ale associations is the role of bitterness—some showing from roasted malts, some from hop acids, but overall a subdued impact that’s certainly subordinate to the dense malt core. Winter Warmer is not too well stocked with layers, but is confident in the handful it has and showcases them well.

Served: On Tap (Emmett’s Tavern, Palatine)

Rating: 87

Samuel Smith – Winter Welcome (2013)

MOST WINTER ALES can be counted on for heartiness, body, deep amber colors, and enough alcohol to serve as a warming blanket on a chilled palate. So what happened with Samuel Smith’s Winter Welcome? The beer is advertised as the first winter seasonal to be imported for the U.S. market in 1990 and is indeed substantial at 6% ABV. But after that the story goes awry.

More honey-colored than copper, its body is off-medium instead of staunch (the estimated 3 Plato no larger than the standard Nut Brown Ale), and the finish a somewhat tepid fuzz of effervescence. Not entirely non-descript, it offers some caramel and nutty notes in both aroma and flavor, bolstered by a touch of roast later on. The slight boost of alcohol gives a touch of slickness on the finish, but this denouement is brief compared to many winter warmers and thus offers little space for contemplation. At 32 IBUs it has some slight extra hop presence late (a little floral and herbal in traditional English fashion) though the impression is not a confident one. And that sums up the beer overall—a presence, yes, but not one that lasts. At least not this year.

Served: 550 ml bottle

Rating: 73

Anderson Valley Brewing Company – Winter Solstice

IT SEEMS MILDLY absurd that a California brewery would even attempt a winter warmer. This rib-sticking style—brimming with caramel malts, seasonal spices, and warming alcohol levels—is best appreciated by a fireside with snow piling up past the windowsill outside. But out at Anderson Valley Brewing in Boonville, California, tomorrow’s high should be around 16 degrees—Celsius, that is. 60 Fahrenheit. And this not a week from the winter solstice that gives this beer its name.

This notwithstanding, Winter Solstice is readily recognizable as a winter seasonal, dark amber in color with a slightly yellowed head of medium bubbles and an aroma fully aimed towards caramel. Subtler notes of allspice and toffee (more than molasses) also come through in the background along with a little nickel from the brewery’s soft well water. A faint hop response emerges in the aroma’s second wave—indistinctly earthy and floral—but it is invisible in the flavor profile. Deliberately so, it would seem, as the beer contains a higher ABV (6.9%) than it does IBUs (6).

On the palate the body is medium-plus, with thick flavors filtering up slowly through dampened carbonation. Once again caramel leads the way, more literally sweet than malty; the grain bill includes two different kinds of caramel malts but is not particularly layered for all its density. The spices are subtler here than in a pumpkin or Christmas ale, making Winter Solstice a reasonable pairing for roasted nuts, rum balls, or other festive fare instead of being a dessert unto itself. Some small brushes of the slightly elevated alcohol are apparent in the finish, mostly as a bit of slickness and a faint bit of retronasal solvency. The finish stems straight from the caramel midsection and arrives a little flat, as if it intended to give the minerals in the water a chance to complement the spiciness but couldn’t complete the handoff.

Overall it’s hard to deem Winter Solstice a true winter warmer, but could well satisfy a hankering for something sweet yet not overpowering. Indeed, it’s nearly sessionable by the style’s standards. Perhaps a freak blizzard would inspire Anderson Valley to brew something truly deserving of sub-zero temperatures, but until then this beer is more apropos of chilly rain and flannel sweaters than ice storms and bear pelts.

Served: On tap (Clementi’s, Arlington Heights)

Rating: 86

Stevens Point – St. Benedict’s Winter Ale

ST. BENEDICT’S may sound like St. Bernardus, but once this cola-colored winter warmer hits the glass there’s no mistaking it for that Belgian masterpiece. In fairness, Point didn’t intend their Winter Ale to be abbey-styled in the least; they probably didn’t intend for it to be this commonplace, either. Medium roasted malts, coffee, and cocoa powder are heavy in the off-full body, overshadowing modest carbonation levels and underpowered additions of Cluster hops. The 6.2% ABV is appropriate to the style and the beer’s final impression is certainly generous, sweet, and a touch creamy, but overall its flavors are unmemorable for a style that should be plenteous.

Served: 12 oz bottle

Rating: 78

Anchor Brewing – Christmas Ale (20-Year Partial Vertical)

IN A TRADITION nearly as old as craft beer itself, Anchor Brewing has released a Christmas Ale every year since 1975. That’s almost long enough to see two full generations of craft drinkers born and raised to legal age. Throughout the decades the brewery has enlisted the same artist, Jim Stitt, to sketch a new tree for its label, distinguishing each vintage from the next and enhancing its collector’s appeal. While Anchor’s beer may not have inspired the same kitschy fanaticism that surrounds Great Lakes’ own Christmas Ale, its perennial appearance, robust recipe(s), and air of ritual have inspired craft drinkers to keep, cellar, and sample it each year. The inevitable if unintentional result: one of the world’s most epic vertical beer tastings possible.

Though the recipes differ in the details from year to year (Anchor classifies the hops and malts as “TOP SECRET”), enough characteristics are consistent to recognize each beer as a branch from the same family…tree. The basis is a hearty winter warmer, its color invariably a rich brown (half molasses, half tree sap), foam slightly yellowed like a cheesecake crust, and ABV probably between 5 and 6.25%. Molasses figures heavily into the recipe along with allspice and cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger perhaps less so, with the base malts contributing considerable fruitiness and a solid body. Hops start out piney but modest and decline smoothly over time, while carbonation sits usually around medium and fluctuates depending on the vintage and how well it was stored. The fundamental recipe is pleasant but frankly no great amazement—at first. As with many holiday habits, the initial fun with Anchor’s Christmas Ale is in the sharing and tradition. Our appreciation for both grows in time, and Anchor’s ale rewards us.

Arranged below are notes from a single tasting with samples dating back intermittently to 1993. All bottles are 12 oz and pulled from the same cellar, though not all were necessarily housed there since initial release. Fairly consistent themes of appearance and flavors run throughout the entire collection, so only differentiating factors are noted for each vintage.

2013

Aroma thick with brown sugar, some earthier molasses, and allspice. A little carbonated diffusion making the body seem off-medium, with a tangy finish and moderate hops. All the elements are here but have not yet steeped long enough to blend smoothly.

Rating: 85
—

2012

“A vanilla bomb,” someone noted, and indeed an almost spirituous extract is strong in the aroma, but less so in the flavor. Altogether smoother, showing initial notes of sherry, a bit of leather, and a smaller carbonation burst. On its way.

Rating: 87
—

2009

Surprising aroma of pine at first—perhaps a more well-hopped vintage than many others—but then returning much more to sweetness once the temperature rises and aromatics branch out. Raisin is most prominent as well as the ongoing thread of molasses, still quite strong here though nearly more smoky than sharp. Somewhat buttery on the palate. Still some carbonation in the body but by now largely diminished in finish.

Rating: 86
—

2008

Molasses and thicker malts return to the fore along with leather, vanilla, and caramel. This is the closest yet to a Scotch ale, smoother in body, slick and a little sticky at the finish but without any of the butteriness of 2009. Slightly flattening on the palate from fairly soft water.

Rating: 88
—

2006

A concerning small burst of popcorn in the aroma but thankfully very little in the flavor. More straightforward malts, less fruit overall, a little alcohol and phenol later on. Hops completely gone by now and spices fully sublimated into the body. Some oxidation apparent in finish and a little diacetyl.

Rating: 86
—

2005

Generous with the dark fruits: raisins, cherry, perhaps plum, with extra dark molasses in the finish instead of the front. Malts more like brown bread than grain. Metallic quality developing in these earlier vintages and becoming more pronounced as the carbonation disappears. Becoming flat, but still quite flavorful.

Rating: 87
—

1995

Pure molasses in aroma and flavor. Mildly carbonated with a surprising (albeit small) dose of crispness towards the finish implying some latent carbonation with a souciant of alkalinity. Highly satisfying as a sipper despite its simplistic profile.

Rating: 91
—

1993

Almost less of a beer by now and turned more towards the grapey tang of sherry, with lingering molasses contributing some warming and leathery qualities of port. Acetic thinning has left the finish slightly sour, though, and with vinegar encroaching it seems Christmas Ale is on its final descent.

Rating: 87
—

1993 & 1995 Blend

Combining the two oldest and most distinctive vintages makes for a slightly contentious yet intriguing blend. It’s also the first to actually express dynamism on the palate. The 95’s molasses wins the aroma and initial flavor before the slower but sharper flavors of 93 attenuate the finish, leaves it hinting nearly at Flemish red. Otherwise “Like a low-gravity Utopias,” as one taster put it.

Rating: 90

5 Rabbit – Huitzi Midwinter Ale

OF ALL THE heady concoctions made by 5 Rabbit Cerveceria, Huitzi may be the most complicated. Brewed with hibiscus, ginger, honey sourced locally from Chicago, thai palm sugar, and chamomile, this Midwinter Ale is surely a dizzying challenge for any palate to unsnare. Yet equally confounding is its presentation–indeed, it may even be irreconcilable–so let us approach it step by step.

5 Rabbits classifies Huitzi as a Belgian Strong Golden, and it does share numerous characteristics with that illustrious archetype: a Belgian yeast strain, ABV around 9%, strong fruity bouquet, sugar adjuncts, low bitterness, and a suitably impressive 750 ml bottle packaging. But these similarities on paper don’t reflect to the beer in the glass. Its color is radioactive watermelon instead of golden; effervescence is medium-low and a little sticky instead of highly carbonated and dry; flavors are musty and slightly dank, not piquant or spiked with phenols. Furthermore, 5 Rabbits positions Huitzi as a Midwinter release and tweaks tradition by calling it a “winter cooler” instead of ‘winter warmer’. True enough, there’s hardly a hint of alcohol in its finish and thus no warming glow so customary to big winter seasonals. As for the body, it seems heavier than its estimated 2.5 Plato, and is set a little adrift between a Strong Golden Ale’s high attenuation and a winter warmer’s voluptuous depth.

So what are we really left with? An intriguing experiment with limited appeal. Between Belgium’s lax attitude towards style guidelines and America’s impudence in breaking them, there’s no reason but for marketing buzzwords that 5 Rabbit should strain to categorize this beer. It’s especially counterproductive when those chosen styles conjure up such strong associations that Huitzi simply does not equal. Though unique and deeply complex, it is too sweet and stolid on the palate, lacking the spice, stronger attenuation, or bitterness to give it a truly refreshing balance. Its lower carbonation, too, leaves it almost more akin to a sparkling melomel mead. Altogether it’s a little confusing. While experimentation can be a wonderful and illuminating thing, executing the fundamentals must come first; if 5 Rabbits put aside their mythic cookbooks and focused on excellent base brews, their exotic embellishments would be much easier to swallow.

Served: 750 ml bottle

Rating: 80

Capital Brewery – Winter Skål

A SOLID AND ACTUALLY INTERESTING amber ale, going halfway as a winter warmer. Sturdy, moderately roasted barley presence, very faintly reminiscent of barleywine, with just enough hops (Liberty again, an apropos favorite for a brewery so named) in the finish to balance out a nuttiness dominant until then. Foamy head, full-bodied, could have used a bit more effervescence.

Served: 12 oz bottle

Rating: 84

Flying Dog – K-9 Cruiser Winter Ale

POSITIVE POINTS ARE its amber color and appropriately generous and toasty head. Negatives, its overwhelmingly bitter/sour core flavor, like hops gone awry, which the nose does not hint at in the slightest. A textbook case of an overly astringent brew. This flavor subsides rapidly, though, and the finish is quite nondescript, mediocre malts and a bit of alcohol fume (nearly 8%). Weirdly disappointing.

Served: 12 oz bottle

Rating: 70

Summit Brewing – Winter Ale

AFTER A SLIGHTLY touch-and-go autumn seasonal in the Oktoberfest, Summit regains sturdier footing with their Winter Ale, though its bland name does nothing to dispel the sense of obligation that characterizes all of Summit’s part-time brews. A little strangely, Summit’s winter warmer is actually weaker than their autumn Märzen (6.1% vs. 6.6%), but is still formidably stocked with a tangy interplay of darkened caramel, some spiced nuts, and cocoa (Carafa II being the malt bill outlier, joining the usual suspects 2-Row Pale and Caramel). Beneath that fireside blend is a brief bloom of citric hops in the aroma, which correspondingly show up towards the latter half of the flavor before a fair bite of alcohol in a layered aftertaste. A rich dark brown in color with respectable lacing and head, moderately dry and medium bodied, Summit’s Winter Ale is a comforting companion for the last throes of fall. But after the first blizzard knocks out the power one might prefer to reach for something sturdier.

Served: 12 oz bottle best by 04/03/12*

Rating: 85

* – Worth noting that this beer had passed its best-by date, but if any beer should stand up to some extra cellaring it should be that which can formally be called an ‘Old Ale’.