Great Lakes Brewery Winter Ale

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

Copper colour pour which has a decent head, lacing and retention. Spices stand out in the aroma and flavour. Taste has a solid malt backbone, orange peel and cinnamon. Mouthfeel is a little thin. Decent tasty beer with the spices really coming through as it warms.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Pours a very large creamy, beige looking head. Has a dark amber/brown colour, very rusty look. Good balance of malts and hops aromas. Some yeast is noticeable and a hint of vanilla. Pretty good lacing. Mouthfeel is slightly watery but a bit creamy at first. Flavours are somewhat bitter with some spices. Faint hops, much more malty taste. Some roasted coffee notes, a hint of caramel. Obtained as a stocking stuffer. How great is that?! :)

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

One of my favourite non-Belgian spiced ales. The spices in this beer come through in both the aroma and taste and really fit the season well. The base is that of an English strong ale with spices like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg added. Delish!

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

The bottle comes complete with a cool Christmas Tree on the bottle. Beer pours a nice reddish-gold colour with a tan cap. Spices and hops are the main aromatic feature, although some caramel malt can be detected. Flavour is refreshingly sweet, spicy, with a bitter finish.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

750ml bottle
6.2% ABV
I tried this beer on December 8, 2010 after purchasing from the RBC Plaza LCBO outlet. The beer pours a translucent red with a generous foamy tan head. The aroma is nutmeg, cinnamon, caramel malt, and some floral hops. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, with medium carbonation. The flavour is cinnamon, nutmeg, malt, and a bitter hop finish. The spices were very very evident in the taste. A nice winter warmer. A bit on the expensive side however!

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Beautiful deep copper/red with a big creamy beige head. Good retention and lacing. Looks great. Lots of cinnamon and spice in the aroma. Good flavour, it has a "cinnamon baked goods" quality to it which is great. Mouthfeel is smooth but a bit thin with low carbonation. Overall a good beer that fits in well with the season.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

I've been keeping this one for a while (in the fridge). Now, as this is my last review in the 3 digits (999), I've decided it was time. Pours a nice mildly hazy orange-copper colour with a beige creamy head, good average lace and decent retention. The cinnamon is pretty dominant in the aromas, quite spicy. Easy-drinking brew with a watery mouthfeel. The cinnamon is present in the taste as well, but very well-balanced. Stays longer into the aftertaste with notes of hop. The orange peel is slightly felt in the background. Pretty swell beer for the cold season, worth brewing every year.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Bottle: Poured a deep orangey color ale with a nice foamy head with OK retention but no lacing. Aroma of caramel malt with light spice mix is weaker then anticipated. Taste is a mix between some nice caramel malt with some notes of cloves and ginger. Body is thinner then expected with some medium carbonation. I was expecting a bit more character from this one but enjoyable nonetheless.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

On tap at the Brewery and bottled in 750 ML stenciled corked bottles for cellaring: You get a rich copper colored ale in your glass with a substantial puffy cap which lasts...Aromas of the honey, spices and malts give an impression of an Xmas pudding with oranage sauce. Decent malt spine, smooth palate, spicey-bready character. Up front the cookie dough malts are there to chew on then the balance comes from the spices which seem to blend nicely with the hops chosen for this brew. Mid palate you get the fruitiness and citrus peel tastes developing...finished clean, slightly sweet and warming with a tang from the spice and hops. A very well done winter warmer ale. ***imbibing tip: serve this ale at about 50 deg.F and let it warm as you drink it to get all the spice and citrus falvours.