Normally when I go shopping for beer I’m, well, shopping for beer. That is to say, I am on a dedicated beer buying trip to one or more liquor stores in search of beer. I may have a specific beer or two in mind, but the days when I went from store to store to store in search of a certain beer are pretty much over. I see what’s new and what old favorites I want, and that’s how it works these days.

Sometimes, though, the beer goes shopping for me, as it did not long ago when I was with the wife at Target. Now, Target is not a place I usually buy beer from, but as we headed to the checkout I couldn’t help but notice a large display of the Guinness Amazing Ales Variety Pack.

This is an 8-pack of 14.9 ounce cans, 2 cans each of:

·         Guinness Draft

·         Guinness Generous Ale

·         Smithwick’s Winter Spirit

·         Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale

The Kilkenny and Guinness Draft cans have a nitro pour widget in the can, the other two beers do not. As you can tell, I bought one of the 8-packs and I’m drinking the Smithwick’s Winter Spirit tonight. Guinness says of it on the sampler carton:

Longer nights call for richer, deeper flavors robustly present in this nutty, balanced ale. Over 300 years of brewing tradition brings you a beer brimming with aromas of dark fruit, chestnut and light, herbaceous hops. The perfect accompaniment to a crisp winter’s eve.

Smithwick’s Winter Spirit has an alcohol content of 4.5% by volume with 27 IBUs. Target was selling the 8-Packs at a normal price of $8.99, which is a good enough deal, but they were on sale for $7.99 and with my Red Card I picked one up for just $7.59. That’s less than $1 a can!

Smithwick’s Winter Spirit pours to a dark chestnut color with a thick very creamy fan head formation and a nutty chocolaty malt nose. Taking a sip, the palate is delightfully chocolaty in a cookie like way and very toasty nutty, too. A gentle, grassy balancing hop finish makes this a very pleasing beer indeed.

The beer could use a tad more body I think, and the dark fruits mentioned in the puffing were nowhere to be found. Still and all, Smithwick’s Winter Spirit has a delightful nutty toasty malt character and you can’t argue with the price, which earns this one a bonus half star.



Home