Out of the Bottle: Winter in the Rockies

My Winter Warmer is ready for the Holidays. It came out just in time for the first real splash of winter weather we've had all month. Time to find out if this will be worth sharing with the family.

When all was said and done, the beer finished with a 6.7% ABV, which feels just about right to me. It's not too strong, yet has enough heft to help warm you on a cold night.

The beer pours with a dense dark cream head that falls to a nice patchwork quilt of foam. It has a deep walnut hue and pretty good clarity.

Moving past the appearance, the nose is greeted with a generous helping of orange peel and cinnamon dominated mulling spices. There's also a light floral quality from the hops, plus hints of chocolate and molasses. These aromas flow nicely into the flavor.

On the tongue, there's a good balance between the sweet, bitter and spicy flavors. Baking chocolate and molasses get things going, followed by good dose of cinnamon, orange peel, clove and ginger. Bitterness helps prop up the spices and lends the beer nice balance. The spices linger through the dry and slightly tart finish. Letting the beer warm makes it even better.

The mouthfeel is great. You can really feel the density the molasses adds to the beer. Soft carbonation rounds out the picture.

Overall, I'm very pleased with this beer. Hopefully my family and friends will be pleased as well.

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