Smuttynose Brewing Co.’s Winter Ale
13. Jan, 2011 
5 Comments
On the coast of the granite state, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire lies the Smuttynose Brewing Company. Smuttynose gets its name from Smuttynose Island, one of the nine Isles of Shoals. Distributed as far West as Illinois and Wisconsin, Smuttynose provides some quality brew from the Eastern shores of our fair land.
Their Winter Ale, a seasonal release, found its way to our Christmas table. In my opinion, winter ales should stick to a few simple rules:
- Dark malts
- Never, under any circumstances, should the ale be yellow in color
- High alcohol content, it should warm you up after arriving home on a cold, crisp evening
- Thick and rich - You want something that will stick to your bones through the deep winter nights.
This ale lived up to its name, a perfect deep brown winter amber brewed with a “special Trappist yeast.” At 5.1% alcohol by volume (ABV), it packs the perfect punch to gently warm you as if by a roaring fire in a small cottage. The 5.1% (ABV) leaves you with a warm glow on the inside, like you could be drinking with 5 close friends around a roaring fire instead of in your old folks home condo alone… A St. Bernard could almost carry this ale in its rescue neck barrel to relieve trapped skiers and hikers pinned under an avalanche. The head is thick and resembles that of a porter – in color somewhat and in its creaminess. The ale itself is dark with a ruby hue and rich with complex dark fruit undertones. The nose resembled a cream soda with hints of fruit and sweetness, underscoring the complexity of the ale. The hints of dark fruits were dark cheery or dark blackberries that I could recognize though very subtle. A rich nuttiness with deep dark secrets was the sharp result of the dark roasted malts.
This is an ale best served in a warm beer hall made of stone, with a blustery wind whipping around snowflakes outside. Make sure to fill your potted goblets up to the brim and spill a bit over to commemorate your comrades who froze to death on the way to the beer hall. Sing a song or two and drink heartily. Enjoy a savory lamb hock or a piece of cured ham and a stiff piece of bread if you can. Build the fire blazing and tell a tale or two. Stay warm and drink deep, it’s cold out of doors and we are within, so cheers to that.
HTNL rating of 8.29/10
That is exactly how I would have described this ale!
Cheers!
“In its rescue neck barrel,” not “in it’s rescue neck barrel.’ SMUTTYNOSE ROCKS MY WORLD!
Ah, congratulations! You’ve passed the first grammatical test… but can you see the other error?….its going to be a while before you catch the next one.
I liked the name better before I knew it’s source.
Similarly, I suspect Flat Tire also did well because of its name, and labeling.
Yeah, Fat Tire, and all of the beers of New Belgium are very well labeled and marketed in my opinion. It can make a big difference.