Winter Solstice
Anderson Valley Brewing Company in Boonville, California, United States 🇺🇸
Spiced / Herbed / Vegetable / Honey - Spiced Winter|
Score
6.85
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Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
Can from Beerfly, Bedford, drunk at home. Light reddish-brown and clear with a ring of white head. Warmimg scents of oak, tea, cinnamon, toffee and hints of smoke and bubblegum. Predictably sweet taste at first which follows with a hoppy bitterness flourishing until the finish. Sweet spices and caramel in the aftertaste. Slight body with medoum carbonation. Nice.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 6
Pours a rich brown from a tap, off white head with some lacing. Aroma is a general sweet caramel malt with a light nondescript spice. On the mouth there are notes of milk chocolate up front and on the finish. In the middle, cinnamon? Maybe nutmeg? Different, definitely sweet, overly so for my taste. Okay beer.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
From Mar 2007
Pours from 12oz bottle a clear amber with a smallish head of foam
that shrinks quickly and leaves completely for I finish my session.
The smell is a nice mix of sweet malt and some spices.
The taste has a strong caramel malt, roasted malt and bread flavour to it and it's quite thick in body. Dang, this is a great tasting Winter Warmer. After the first sip, I thought the sweetness was starting to be a bit much but then there's an underlying presence of hop bitterness that tames the sweetness nicely. A few more sips in and I'm getting some spice, maybe cinnamon and nutmeg? Very good stuff! Oh, and there's a tad bit of warming as it goes down...
Bottom line: A very good example of the style indeed. I see it as a must try.
Thanks to Wasatch for this sample!
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Treated as an English strong ale, as I believe that’s what the brewer intended, this was poured into a snifter.
The appearance was an amber/brown color with a one finger white foamy head that faded quickly. Sly lace.
The aroma had some caramel/toffee malt up front. Slight tobacco, and then some sweet pomme-like fruits to glisten the underneath. Finishes with some raisins.
The flavor leads with the sweetness through the blend of the prior mentioned aromas. Malty and fruity aftertaste with a finish that seems to add a touch of vanilla.
On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a fair sessionability about it. Moderate carbonation. ABV felt good for the style and what the brewer intended.
Overall, I don’t see this as a spice/herb/vegetable beer. Just like the brewer says, this is closer to an English strong ale and worthy of having again.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Cette Winter Valley de la brasserie Anderson Valley est une véritable bière d’hiver, une bière toute chaleur et très suave. Le titrage alcoolique de 6.9 % Abv est malheureusement insuffisant pour tirer le meilleur des arômes présents et laisse s’enfoncer la bière sur un final par trop sucré. Il en reste une bière agréable présentant des notes herbacées intéressantes. L’étiquette est d’ailleurs bien trouvée, car c’est l’impression de nature hivernale qui prédomine lors de la dégustation. En verre, le Winre Valley est très convenable avec une robe ambrée surmontée d’une mousse blanc crème de 1 cm retombant très vite pour napper tout juste la bière. Les bulles sont relativement fines avec une effervescence moyennement marquée. Le nez se porte sur la caramel, la figue (gâteaux figolu!) et le pruneau. L’ensemble est agréable. L’attaque est peu marquée, très douce sur le caramel et les fruits jaunes. L’amertume qui s’en suit n’est pas très intense (IBU de 6), mais bien présente sur des arômes très herbacées, voire mentholées (utilisation d’houblon de type Northern Brewer notamment). L’ensemble est bien équilibré avec une arrière bouche suave sur le caramel et les fruits jaunes, mais le faible titrage alcoolique ne permet absolument pas une envolée des saveurs et un final d’une longueur moyenne permettant de retrouver des arômes de pruneaux et de chocolat.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Poured from bottle reddish brown with a nice off white head. Aromas of caramel malt toffee vanilla and some spices. Taste is caramel malt bread toffee.
CLW (16859) reviewed Winter Solstice from Anderson Valley Brewing Company 9 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
12 oz. bottle, T.J. with the share. The brown color, lasting full head. Aroma is caramel, toffee, yeast, cinnamon.
Flavor shows a light malty sweetness, caramel, molasses, brown sugar, cinnamon, and roasted grain. Almost a chocolate note. Body is medium with a malty finish. It is better than I was guessing. Easy to drink, no issues.