Cold Mountain Winter Ale
Highland Brewing Company in Asheville, North Carolina, United States 🇺🇸
Spiced / Herbed / Vegetable / Honey - Spiced Regular|
Score
6.85
|
|
Our ever-changing spiced winter seasonal. A tasty brew that complements all your holiday festivities. It is typically malty in body, lightly hopped, and rounded out with spices that we vary from year to year.
Sign up to add a tick or review
6.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Clear mahogany pour with a khaki head and good retention. Smooth, dark, lightly roasted caramel malt flavor. Good lacing. Minimal spice taste and a little dark fruit. Tastes like a doppelbock light. I could do without the dark fruit.
Tried
on 19 Mar 2017
at 16:34
8.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
22 ounce bottle into pint glass; no bottle dating, but is a recent seasonal release. Pours crystal clear deep ruby red/brownish color with a 1-2 finger dense light khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, toffee, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, hazelnut, ginger, and toasted biscuit; with lighter notes of chocolate, cocoa, raisin, plum, berries, herbal, floral, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/bready/light roast malt, spices, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste big caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, toffee, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, hazelnut, ginger, and toasted biscuit; with lighter notes of chocolate, cocoa, raisin, plum, berries, herbal, floral, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Light herbal hop and spice bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, toffee, vanilla, cinnamon, hazelnut, toasted biscuit, light chocolate/fruitiness, and herbal/yeast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready/light roast malt, spices, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; with a great malt/bitter/spice balance, and zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Light dryness from hop/spice bitterness as well. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/grainy, and slightly sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is nice. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 5.9%. Overall this is an excellent winter warmer. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready/light roast malt, spices, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; very smooth and easy to drink. Follows the English style for the most part. Great malt complexity and underlying fruity yeast notes; nice spice balance without being overwhelming. A very enjoyable offering.
Tried
from Bottle
on 02 Jan 2017
at 20:43
6.5/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6
Draft. Deep amber body with a frothy, beige head. Spicy aroma of cinnamon, all-spice, bread, toasted grain, caramel. The flavor is moderately sweet and lightly bitter. It finishes lightly to moderately sweet and lightly to moderately bitter. Medium body, watery texture, lively carbonation. Aftertaste of spice and a bit of paper.
Tried
from Draft
on 18 Dec 2015
at 11:20
6.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 6
Keg at Mamacitas, Asheville - wating for WW to open, 17/02/15 2014 beer. Clear chestnut brown with a decent off white covering. Nose is malt, dark fruit rinds, toasted brown sugar, light spice, biscuit. Taste comprises light cocoa rub, spice, cinammon, caramel. Medium bodied, fine carbonation, semi drying close. Ok inoffensive offering.
Tried
on 15 Mar 2015
at 16:55
7.2/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
In draft at Trio in Kill Devil Hills NC. Pours a clear amber with an ecru head. Malty nose with a touch of fruity hop notes. Flavors of cocoa and cloves. Medium bodied. Moderate carbonation. Smooth mouthfeel.
Tried
from Draft
on 30 Dec 2013
at 09:40
7/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 8
Sample at Nona Tap Room. The beer is a clear mahogany color with a medium foamy off-white head that recedes gradually. Small patches of lacing. Malt, caramel and vanilla in the nose. Light to medium body with flavors of roasted malt, caramel and spiced fruit. The finish is sweet with a malty aftertaste. Decent overall.
Tried
from Draft
on 13 Dec 2013
at 13:47
6.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle thanks to Guyute_Pig: Poured a copper brown with a orange red hue, head is frothy lacing off white. Aroma is strong spice and caramel malt. Taste is caramel malt, leafy/tree bark, and some spice.
Tried
from Bottle
on 31 Aug 2013
at 20:29