Winter Palace Wee Heavy
Review Date 12/2/2002 By John Staradumsky
I’m often asked if I have a favorite beer or brewery.
That’s a very difficult question to answer, but if I were to take a stab at
a list of my favorite beers (it would be a long one, to be sure), I think Paper City Winter Palace Wee
Heavy would appear near the top. It’s a beer I look forward to every
holiday season, and I always find a way to get some, even down here while
spending Christmas in Dixie.
The Paper City brewery of Holyoke, Massachusetts does very well with rich
malty beers like their wee heavy. A delicious malty bock beer is also
offered, one I’m extremely partial too. There beers are much sought after in
New England, even in their home state of Massachusetts. For quite some time
they weren’t even available statewide, though that has changed of late.
I visited the brewery a few years ago. It’s located in an old mill complex
on an upper floor, and my beloved Barbara and I traveled up to the facility
in a freight elevator along with assorted empty kegs and bags of grain.
Immediately upon debarkation, one enters an area dedicated to local beer
drinkers, who often visit to share a brew. It’s generously festooned with
plenty of coasters, glasses, signs, and plenty of other breweriana.
The brewery gets its name from the fact that the city of Holyoke once had a
large paper processing industry. The style (wee heavy) gets its name from
the fact that this is rich beer with a potent alcohol content. "Wee",
obviously, means small, and indicates this is not a beer to be drunk in
large quantities. Heavy refers to the high gravity of the brew. It’s a
Scottish style, and I like to salute the Scots by drinking Winter Palace in
an authentic thistle-shaped Scotch ale glass.
Paper City Winter Palace Wee Heavy pours to a very dark brown color
with almost no head and a very sweet malty nose. The palate is wonderfully
nutty-malty, sticky and thick, hinting at molasses and chocolate, with a
sweet finish that yields just a touch of hops and a respectable alcohol
warmth. There's no smoke as you'll find in some American-brewed Scotch ales,
just an extremely authentic wee heavy. This is my favorite domestically
brewed Scotch ale.
This is not a beer to match with food. Rather it is a fine sipping brew for
before or after a meal, or to serve as a restorative after a long day. It is
the winter seasonal for this brewery, and is absolutely delightful sipped by
the fireplace on a cold winter's night. An American classic.
Glad I tried it? T
Would I rebuy it??
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled, Canned
(D)=Draft