River Horse Belgian Frostbite Winter Ale

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

Bottle: Poured a deep brown color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and minimal lacing. Aroma of candi sugar with some dominating Belgian style malt. Taste is also a nice enough mix between some candi sugar and nice Belgian malt with some fruity ester and a lightly spicy yeast. Body is not as full as I would have liked it with some good carbonation and no presence of alcohol. Not bad but makes me want to learn more from this brewery.

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

This had a strong malty aroma upon opening. It poured a beautiful deep brown color with just a hint of a head. The taste was strong but not bitter at all. There was a hint of fruitiness in the malty taste. This made a great compliment to a pasta dinner on an evening when I was totally snowed in.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 6

I'm not impressed by this one. Got six boggles in a sampler case from Riverhorse. Pours a nice dark ruby color, but the head didn't last, nor was there any lacing to speak of. Malty aroma, undistinguished flavor. Not on my list for a repeat purchase.

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

Beer poured a dark brown color with no head or lacing. Aroma was burnt sweat socks. It tasted a little better...lots of brown sugar and some fruits. A noticeable alcohol burn was also present. It wasn't repulsive, which is more than I can say for a lot of the other winter seasonals I've had.

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 3 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 4

Poured a mahogany to dark ruby with light carbonation and no head. The only aroma I could detect was of burnt sugar. There was a slight warming sensation. It was interesting the legs that were left on the glass. It was much like you would see in wine. The flavor was of dried fruit with a bit of nuttiness. The mouth feel was very weak. This beer has potential but needs work in a number of areas.

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 1 | Mouthfeel: 1 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 2

02.12.05 12oz bottle. Dark brown pour, crystal clear; frothy, fading, tan head leaves light lace. Very unusual aromas are tough to pin down and not even close to pleasant as a stench fills the air. In fact, the more I’m around the stuff, the more irritated I am getting with it. I smell rotten grain, old barn, mulch, clove, plastic, it’s not good and I’m reluctant to taste. Flavor puts the mulchy, rotten grain to the forefront, along with notes of burnt white bread and the charred skin of a roasted red peper. Finishes dry and flavorless with an upwelling of lettuce-like bitterness lingering as an aftertaste. I don’t think this beer resembles any Belgian I’ve ever had in any way, rather, it’s a poorly conceived, misguided, hapless mess of unbalanced and unpleasant tastes and aromas. If ever there was a drain pour, this one’s it.

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

Pours cloudy mahogany with a slight head, providing mild lacing. Malty aroma, but mouthfeel is a bit watery. Slight spice and fruit are apparent, but overall I find this rather lackluster.

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

Dark amber color. Medium head. Aroma is malt, candy sugar and dark fruit. A medium bodied Belgian Ale. Malts are dark fruity, malty and sweet. Touch of hop spiciness. Well balanced. Not a lot of the complexity you would expect in a Belgian Ale, but it does have a lot of those nice winter beer flavors. Small and fine carbonation that is more on the back end of the taste. Kind of grows on you. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 6

Deep amber in color. Belgian like. Malty. Pretty good. I enjoyed it. Some spicy notes. Fruity nose. Nice warming beer.

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

Poured a maroon color with a very small head. Light fruit and some toffee in the aroma. Dark fruit, yeast, and malt taste.