Wild Goose Snow Goose Winter Ale

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

Too many gooses in the name for my liking. Fortunately, it's a good beer so it makes up for that. A nice mahogany pour. Aroma is dark malt, citrusy hops, and some floral notes. Flavour is mildly sweet, with a bitter finish.

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

Wild Goose’s labels are impressive. Definitely draws you to their section on the shelf. The Snow Goose is a dark burgundy colored beer. The white head is small and frothy. It is disappointing in the lack of hang time. Not much lacing afterward. The aroma is sweet, malty and spicy (cinnamon, ginger) The body is full and has a degree of smoothness. The taste is bread, toasted caramel and a hint of bittering hops. Overall not a bad beer to go with the meatball hoagies we served up today.

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

Poured a dark brown color with okay head and some lacing. Aroma was very very malty not much to balance it out. Flavor was lots of caramel malts some nuttyness to it hops as it warmed not as well balanced as i wanted.

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

Brown color with hues of orange when held to the light. Caramel malt, light peat and hint of hops in the aroma. Heavy and robust are a good start after the first swig. These apply to both the flavor and the palate. Very roasty and touch fruity in flavor. Lacks much of a linger aside from a mild hops bitterness.

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

It pours wtih a deep red-brown body topped by a thin to medium thick head with a good amount of lacing. It’s slightly sweet and malty with slightly sour oakey notes and finishing with a bitter hoppy notes with the slightest hint of pine. Full bodied, smooth and a touch warming.

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

Dark brown pour, little head or lacing. Roasty aroma. Flavor was like a dark lager or brown ale...some roasty/burnt flavors, some caramel, some hop bitterness and some spices. Eh.

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

KCC Rnd 3. Towering tan head. Clear chestnut body. Malty aroma with a hint of cinnamon. Caramel flavors are evident in the profile. Smooth as silk mouthfeel. Warming aftertaste.

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

Well, I had to try this one since its brewed in my home town. This is the first Wild Goose beer I've tried. The first couple of taste I really didnt care for it, but it got better as it went on. The aroma was slightly bitter. It poured a deep brown-red color with a thick head. Nice taste, but the aftertaste was kind of bitter

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

My first experience with Snow Goose was a joy, it was a rich, strong, buttery ale, with great malt character, and a warming, soothing burn. That beer had changed when Frederick acquired Wild Goose, and it was not a good change in my opinion, this beer had lost some character. I once visited the Frederick Brewing Company in Frederick, MD taking the tour, and tasting all of Frederick's products. I asked the brew master, who gave the tour, if they had changed any of the Wild Goose recipes. He assured me that they had not, but I don't think he was being totally honest with me. I asked if Wild Goose beers were still being brewed with ringwood yeast, and he said, that yes, they were. NOT. I guess he thought he was dealing with a beer novice, or I had no understanding of yeast, or the brewing process, but I caught him in his white lie. Anyone who knows anything about ringwood yeast, and has visited a ringwood brewery, knows that ringwood is a very vibrant strain, and open fermenters must be used. Frederick which also brews Blue Ridge and Brimstone beers, are not brewed with the ringwood strain, and the fermenters were conical. So that would make it virtually impossible to brew with ringwood, the clean up would be a night mare, and they would run the risk of cross contaminating with their other yeast strain. So I suspect that Wild Goose beers were brewed with the same ale yeast strain used in brewing Blue Ridge, and Brimstone beers. Snow Goose suffered from this in my opinion. It was still a tasty beer, but paled in comparison to what it once was. I'm happy to say, that has all changed. Frederick did a smart thing, they hired the former brew master from the Great Lakes Brewing Company, of Cleveland, OH. He decided to tweak the recipe for Snow Goose this year, and this is the best it has been in my opinion,since I first had it those many years ago. Snow Goose will never be a ringwood beer again, but this beer now has a great hop character, as well as malt character. It is hopped with Cascades, Willamettes, and Fuggles. Snow Goose pours to a deep brow color with a nice, creamy tan head, and a soft carbonation. The nose on this beer is the first welcome change. This beer has some really nice, fragrant hop aromas. Piney, citric hop aromas marry with aromas of sweet malt, toast, and caramel. The palate is a very firm malt backbone. Rich flavors of sweet malt, caramel, toast, and toffee coat the tongue. Really a muscular malt body, not too hefty, but satisfying. Snow Goose finishes malty up front then dries with a long, citric bitter hop bite that lingers, and a slightly warming burn. Really a very well done winter ale. Really good balance of malt and hop flavors and aromas. I don't think it will ever return to the ringwood glory days, but this Snow Goose is the best I have had in the past two or three years. The big hop character is welcome in my opinion. I would match this beer with hearty fare. This would work well with roasted turkey or pork. I would even pair this with a nice grilled steak and baked potato.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 6

Pours dark brown with a decent head. Aromas of spice and fruit. Something odd about this one because I love the winter seasonals, but it just didn't taste very good.