Try?
Another
in the continuing parade of impressive beers I've received from Beer Across
America's Big 22 club. Winterbraun is a sort of souped up version of Lost
Coast's Downtown Brown according to the accompanying literature, it
certainly is a big beer by any standard, dark brown in color, weighing in at
an impressive 7.3% alcohol by volume and packed with rich chocolatey flavor
and a deep, satisfying roastiness. There is some lingering hop bitterness in
the finish but the roasted chocolate malt seems to provide most of it to my
taste, even with the impressive hop bill: Liberty, Columbus, Saaz,
Centennial, Cascade. A slightly phenolic, citric hoppiness is evident in the
nose and finish.
Still, it's the malt that grabs your attention, and makes this beer more in the porter vein than the brown ale one (Winterbraun is described as an "All natural rich and robust brown ale" on the label), though the roastiness here is closer to what one might expect in a stout. This is a beer that straddles several styles, and the end result is well worth seeking out. Most impressive.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
