Left Hand Snow Bound Winter Ale
Fight cabin fever! Made with Rocky Mountain water, malted barley, hops, yeast, honey, orange zest, and other spices.
Editor’s Note: beginning in 2006, Snow Bound became the name for Left Hand’s strong winter seasonal beer made with honey and spices. It was previously known as XXXmas Ale. Below is the original XXXmas Ale description for reference.
XXXmas Ale is a spiced strong ale, using all natural ingredients to give it its festive nature. We brew this beer from a relatively high initial gravity to give it strength and body. This is (in our opinion) appropriate to a winter beer, and it helps to balance the numerous spices added. Honey is also added to increase fermentable sugars and give additional sweetness. Northern Brewer and Saaz hops are used sparingly, to allow the spices to evidence themselves. We add ground nutmeg, whole cloves, crushed cinnamon, orange zest and chopped ginger to spice the beer. Carbonation is kept low to accentuate the flavor of the beer and spices. It’s like a liquid cake. Brew water is relatively soft.
Editor’s Note: beginning in 2006, Snow Bound became the name for Left Hand’s strong winter seasonal beer made with honey and spices. It was previously known as XXXmas Ale. Below is the original XXXmas Ale description for reference.
XXXmas Ale is a spiced strong ale, using all natural ingredients to give it its festive nature. We brew this beer from a relatively high initial gravity to give it strength and body. This is (in our opinion) appropriate to a winter beer, and it helps to balance the numerous spices added. Honey is also added to increase fermentable sugars and give additional sweetness. Northern Brewer and Saaz hops are used sparingly, to allow the spices to evidence themselves. We add ground nutmeg, whole cloves, crushed cinnamon, orange zest and chopped ginger to spice the beer. Carbonation is kept low to accentuate the flavor of the beer and spices. It’s like a liquid cake. Brew water is relatively soft.
3.3
354 reviews
Longmont, United States
Community reviews
Loved it, bring it back! One of my favorite winter seasonals ever... very rich, complex taste. Delicious
Left Hand Brewing Company--Snow Bound Winter Ale--Ale Brewed with Honey and Spices--2007 Release--22 oz. Bottle--8.60% ABV--16 IBU’s. (4.25 / 5.0) Winter Ale . $6.25 Each. Lacy white head. Clear bright copper red color hazes dark amber red with mild sediment. Zesty mild hop nutmeg orange clove ginger cinnamon front. Tangy spice cocktail toasted caramel toffee fruit hint sediment mellowed body. Hot spice mild hop end. Sampled 8/29/2008.
Bottle courtesy of Beerbill. Pours semi-cloudy reddish brown, not much head. Aroma all spices and slight sweet fruit. Huge spice flavor--reminiscent of holiday spice cake, also sweet honey, maybe a touch of bananas. Very slight bitterness on the finish. Not bad around the holidays, if you enjoy spicy beers, but one of these probably goes a long way.
Clear dark copper with a thin tan quickly fading head. Aroma of ginger, cinnamon, honey and malt. Taste of honey, caramel, brown sugar, ginger, spices, cardamom and a touch of alcohol. The spice mix seems all wrong. Strong honey and spices on the finish and aftertaste.
22 oz. bottle, $4 at Sam’s before it became a Binny’s. Pours a deep mahogany brown, roils up a nice tan foamy head. Yes, a very spicy smell, starts with cinnamon-apple tart, nutmeg, and for a brief instance a bit of nose-cleansing wintergreen. Or I just imagined it. Yes, cardamon, to. Not an over done Belgian spice combo, but mainly a Christmas spice beer. Why change the name? Maybe because a Christmas beer might get marked down on Dec. 26. Taste is full of dark nutty malt and now I’m thinking about pumpkin pie spice, or maybe even mincemeat. Despite being a bit over spicy, it’s still a very drinkable beer, perhaps because the malt are quite smooth, hovering between a brown ale and a porter, and the alcohol is barely noticed. It turns out a bomber bottle was just enough, and usually I don’t need more than 12 ounces of a really spicy beer like this.
From the Bottle at TAG Restaurant, Denver 22/09/2009
Spicy nutmeg and cloves aroma. Mid brown coloured smooth and a little rich on the palate. Strong in alcohol with a little bitterness and dryness in a crisp ginger flavoured finish.
Cloudy dark amber to brown in color with a short lived head. The aroma is powerful and mindful of candy cane combined with a just out of the oven gingerbread cookie. Surprisingly, the mouthfeel is weaker than what I expected. It’s medium bodied at best. The alcohol is noticeable in the taste. It is what it is, a winter warmer.
Pour from the 650ml. bottle: Bomber. Why the low ratings, people? Orange zest, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, yeast, ginger spices in the finish... I find that Lefthand is very forthcoming with their ingredients, especially with this ale. Drinkability: Dangerously drinkable. Perfect in the cooler months. Rebuy: Right away. #144 on 17102009, DG.
pours straight brown, with little head that disappears within seconds. smells of those little debbie gingerbread man cookies, with some nuts and a strong malty presence. tastes very much like cinnamon (too much for me) and i really cant distinguish too many other things. maybe some ginger and some hops? cant drink this one too fast, this beer isnt too bad but just not my style.
From the Gingerman Fort Worth. Beer brewed with cinnamon, nutmeg, red hots, and ginger.
BPW #58
On tap at HopCat. This brew has aromas and flavors that start with a good cinnamon tone on top of roasted malts with notes of candy sugar as well.
Dan’s Bachelor Party Extended Weekend Rating #54 of 90. On tap at HopCat in Grand Rapids. Pours dark brown. Nose contains spices, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Taste melds spices and ripe red fruits with slight coffee/toffee/caramel. Really good!
Merry September to me. Great entertaining beer around the holidays but not an everyday or week for that matter brew for the following reasons. Smells like a milk chocolate covered mint candy cane and a christmas version of a spiced morning glory muffin. Flavor is heavy milky sweetness and holiday spice all around. It’s buttery and filling and a little overwhelming on the sugar scale. Feels great in the mouth, filling and coating all the way and the carbonation is just enough to excentuate the spice. Very cool beer which I will gladly purchase during the holiday months. Thanks Left Hand. 08 or 09. 22 oz.
Bottle, pours clear mahogany with a lacy beige head. The aroma is the beer equivalent of mulled wine - they’ve definitely got the holiday spices going on. Medium body, low carbonation. The taste is about the same as the aroma. There’s a touch of caramel, but it’s really about the spices. The finish is dry and hot, but not unpleasantly so. I’d probably appreciate this more on a cold night in front of a crackling fire.
Bottle thanx to my buddy Tristan. amberish red color, nice kinda beige head. nose is spicy, vanilla maybe some clove odd. flavor is similar with some decent hops to go with itintresting
dark red and sharp with ginger and something like a cinnamon accompanyament. bit of sweetness muted by the ginger and clove as this beer is first just spicy. good gravity and off beat and therefore of some interest.
Spiced dark beer with a good aroma that is very january dessert. Poured very dark with a sweet aroma.
Bottle. Moderate head. Dark red amber. Aroma of cinamon and candy cane. Taste is malty cinamon. Too sweet. Too much spice does not work for me.
22oz bottle-Poured a dark amber iwth a small head that dissiptes rather quickly. Aroma of malt, fruit, spices, and honey. Taste of the same with the spices coming out more prominent. Full bodied brew that is easy to drink and hides the ABV fairly well.
Dark red color. Head disappeared very quickly. Sweet smell, of fruit and spices. Different taste. Lots of dark fruit and cinnamon. Spice flavor really comes through on the finish.
Nice spiced offering! Pours flat cola into the glass, with stalactite lacing that cascades from the top of the glass rim. Lots of pumpkin and dry pie spices to the nose... nutmeg dominates, with cinnamon and ginger. Very much a spiced pie (pumpkin) on the tongue. There are so many variables here.... pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, dark fruits, orange zest/peel, roasted malt, licorice.... all well-woven together for a complex palate. The finish contains a hint of pumpkin seed, backed by just a kiss of alcohol (well-integrated, by the way). The mouthfeel is medium, with soft carbonation. All-in-all, a very nice spice brew. Went down really, really well for me.
Pours dark amber with light tan head. Aromas of raisins and spices. Tastes of roasted fruit and honey. Good for a cold winter night.
Bomber. Pours a very dark amber with a medium creamy light tan head that diminshes quickly leaving behind good sticky lacing along the glass. The aroma is a dark fruit malt with raisin and spice. Medium mouthfeel with a spicy roasted malt taste with cinnamon and molasses. Hides the alcohol well making it easy to drink, a good spice brew from Left Hand.
Bottle. Beer is quite decent and has a good warming sensation but the alcohol does not effect the flavor in a bad way.
From a 22oz bottle this ale pours a dark ruby/browish color with a thin head. Strong spice aroma - lots of ginger, honey and pumpkin. The taste was very gingery and lots of pumpkin. Couldn’t really get past those 2 tastes to get to anything else. Check back with me next winter - maybe I will like it more during the right season.. who knows.
Dark pour with limited white head. Aroma of spices and some citrus. Flavor is really strong but delicious, orange, honey, and cinnamon with other spices, with a great aftertaste. Best spiced winter ale I have ever had.
Intense spiced aroma: cardamon, ginger and orange. Spice dominate the taste as well: cinnamon and cloves.
If you want a spiced, strong ale, this is the one!
22 oz. Rather dark brown/amber pour. Limited white head. Strong spice aroma, cinnamon, nutmeg and some maltiness. Some nice lacing. The spiciness is a bit edgy, with the sweetness the drinkability just slightly, but still ok. Taste has some maltiness that improves as it warms a bit. More cinnamon and nutmeg than malt though. Nearly no hop presence. Pretty lively mouthfeel, which is increased with the spice on the tongue. Winter warmers are a real niche that bend into other styles usually, this one is tough to put a finger on. If you like a west coast style, this will not have enough spice/hops. If you like a Euro style warmer, this will be closer but probably too much spice. Worth trying though.
Bottle. Pours deep red brown with a beige head. Sweet malty aroma, with ginger bread and clove. The flavor is sweet malty and spicy, with cinnamon and ginger. Moderate bitterness in the finish.
aroma of vegetable spices, pumpkin, nutmeg very present along with ginger. pours a ruby brown color with a thin covering of head. palate is warm and silky then carbonated. taste is somewhat bitter and brings out more ginger. Too much so for my tastes, but that’s personal preference.