Does it get cold in Texas? I’m sure it does. I thought about this while popping open a bottle of Widmer Brrr Seasonal Ale, which isn’t from Texas at all but rather from Portland, Oregon. So why Texas, you ask? Well, I’ve heard people from Texas ask for a beer, and it kind of sounds like they’re asking for….brrr. Which could get kind of confusing, especially if they’re asking for a Brrr from Widmer.

Anyway, now that that is out of the way we can get right down to brass tacks with a bottle of Widmer Brrr. From the neck label:

Warm Up with a Cold One. Or Two. Our winter red ale is the perfect treat, naughty or nice. Citrusy hop aromas fill your nose. Then caramel & chocolate malts reward you with a perfectly balanced, candy-sweet flavor and velvety finish.

Widmer Brrr is stylistically an imperial red ale, I think. It’s strong enough at 7.2% alcohol by volume, which is about a few percentage points higher than your average red ale/amber ale. It’s also much hoppier and boasts an impressive 50 IBUs. Here in Georgia, it will run you $8.99 a six-pack for 2013. Ingredients from the website:

Malts

Caramel 10L & 80L, Carapils, Dark Chocolate

Hops

Alchemy, Simcoe, Cascade

Widmer Brrr pours to a reddish amber color with a thick rocky head formation and a soft seductive nose of sweet stewed malts and lightly piney hops. Taking a sip, the beer is malt-forward, with candyish caramel-crystal malt notes as the nose promises, a very subtle hint of chocolate, some decided burnt toast notes, and finally some slightly piney, citrusy, rather bitter hops in the finish. I think the most alluring component of this beer is the rock-candy quality that underlines the whole experience, and really is the signature of the beer. Lots of hop aroma with moderate bitterness, like Sierra Nevada Celebration Light if you will, though even then still a different beer altogether.

Widmer Brrr is a tasty addition to your Christmas-winter beer lineup, and one I definitely enjoy.

Update January 15th 2015: Enjoyed this on tap at Taco Mac tonight. Once again a malty, hoppy, delicious glass of beer just like last year. The piney-citrusy hops really work well with the dark malts, and this one seems even darker malty than last year; it's darker in color too it seems. A very good deal at $5.75 for the full mug pour.



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