Great Lakes Brewery (Canada) Winter Ale

Winter Ale

 

Great Lakes Brewery (Canada) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada 🇨🇦

  Other Regular
Score
6.65
ABV: 6.2% IBU: - Ticks: 22
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7.6
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 7.5

Aroma: A very spicy aroma; cinnamon, clove, ginger. A touch of crystalized fruits, jujube and cranberry. A slight lack of power. I would have liked a bit more strenght. But still it has indeed a complex nose. Visual: Dark amber, almost brown, clear, with an average thickness head, average density, sticking pretty well to glass. Taste: A lot of spices with clove, cinnamon, orange peel, ginger. A real Christmas beer with a good complexity of flavors. A thin texture and unbalanced mouth feel are the only negative points. All flavors are within spices. Cannot feel a lot of hops. Not exceptional but pretty enjoyable.

Tried from Can on 19 Jan 2014 at 12:10


6.9
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

Smells like cinnamon, ginger and clove. Pours clear dark brown with creamy gead and good lacing. A little astringency on aftertaste. Some sweetness as well. Malt in aroma. Bottle.

Tried from Bottle on 06 Jan 2013 at 18:04


7.2
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8

Sample at the Strange Brew Tasting on 02/18/2012. This beer is a dark ruby-amber color with a medium beige head that recedes slowly to a film. Partial rings of lacing on the glass. Aroma of cinnamon, citrus and malt. Medium body with flavors of sweet ginger and cinnamon along with malt and orange peel. The finish is malty with a sweetly spiced aftertaste. Above average overall.

Tried on 20 Feb 2012 at 17:56


5.9
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5

22oz bottle pours a hazy, copper amber with a frothy, off white head. Big ginger nose, nutmeg, root vegetables, malty, whole grain crackers. Flavor is malty, ginger, orange peel, crackers, coriander. Medium bodied, dry, herbal finish.

Tried from Bottle on 17 Jan 2012 at 18:26


7.4
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

(On cask at Bryden’s in Toronto) This is the ideal format for this beer in my opinion. Big aroma of spices: cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, some citrus. This is strongly recapitulated in the flavour along with some nuts in the malt, warmth from the spices and a bit from the booze. Moderate mouthfeel, could have a bit more body but quite good overall, smooth as one expects from a cask. A lot better than from the bottle, though not something you can drink much of.

Tried from Cask on 12 Jan 2012 at 09:38


4.9
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 3 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 4.5

Speaking of endless Canadian winters... try the arctic!! Pours with stormy carbonation and a bright copper body with huge head. The aroma is spicy coriander and orange, just as the label says. The flavour is a little too antiseptic - lots of orange and cinnamon make this more of a watery liqueur than a beer. I guess it’s okay as a spice brew, but there needs more malt character in there - the extras overpower the basic stuff.

Tried from Can on 09 Dec 2011 at 17:14


7.5
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 9

(bottle) dark amber colour with small tan head; aroma of spices, smooth balanced flavour with lots of cinnamon, excellent

Tried from Bottle on 11 Dec 2010 at 09:54


7.6
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

Originally rated June 2009. 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.

Tried on 06 Oct 2010 at 21:10


7.8
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

courtesy of Andrew. Thanks for bringing this as a gift. Pours copper, beige head. Aroma has a full nose of nice Christmas spices. Ginger is more prominent. Taste is malty, with a good side of the beer on the spicy side. All of them really come together in a nice blend and form a very balanced winter ale. Ginger, cinnamon, cloves. Some light notes of orange peel with a good presence of dark fruits.

Tried on 02 Feb 2009 at 21:23


6.2
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 6

A dark brown ale with reddish hues and a light moka head. Aroma of caramel, roasted nuts and aniseed. In mouth, sweetish coffee, light metallic hops, licorice. Overall, rather light and watery body. Not bad but would gain at being a bit richer in body. Bottle from LCBO, gift pack with glass.

Tried from Bottle on 06 Jun 2008 at 11:17