North Coast Wintertime Ale

3.2

166 reviews

Fort Bragg, United States

Community reviews

3.1 Bottle to half-pint glass (shared with the Mrs.). Looks good; a mostly transparent dark amberish brown with light beige head that steadily dissipates into lacing. Smells and tastes like a brown ale with notes of malt and a bit of bread, winter spices, and toastiness. Average on the palate. Okay.

2.9 Very carbonated when poured. Taste like a nutbrown. Descent aroma lacking in flavor. Would drink again but probably only in a pinch.

2.8 Bottle from Save On. Dark reddish brown with lasting small head. Caramel apple cinnamon bread aroma. Caramel with dark fruit and apple pie spice with medium assertive herbal bitter finish. Medium body. Okay, Probably should be retired in favor of a big winter scotch ale.

3.3 Undated 12 oz bottle served in a snifter. Pour is medium red-brown, clear, with a tan head that soon settles to a partial coat but continues to leave a nice coat of lacing on the glass with each tilt. Feel: near medium body seems too thin. Medium+ carbonation seems a bit too high. Nice aroma; surprisingly similarity to a Belgian dubbel but not the same. Rather nutty for one thing. O: flavor is a bit too weak, and the body a bit too thin, for a Winter warmer.

3.4 This is not a bad beer at all, but I don’t really feel that it hits the style. It is malty and sweet like an Octoberfest style and the spice characteristics that should be present are very subtle. There is enough of a hop finish to fit into a Red type of category, but it doesn’t really hit the mark there either. Bottom line is that it is an interesting beer, worth trying, but not what you would expect from a Winter.

3.4 Reddish amber in color... Rich malty aroma with notes of spices.... Flavor is caramel malts, cinnamon, bark, and spices... Okay

3.4 As a winter ale, it’s disappointing. It’s not that interesting, or special, but something about Wintertime Ale was very drinkable. To start with, the mouth-feel is very rich and textured but delicately so. An interesting tea taste shines through and works better than I would have imagined. Slight hops aftertaste, with a little floral in there too - enough going on but not too muddled. If they relabeled this as as a farmhouse ale, I think it’d do pretty good.

3.3 Clear amber color out of the bottle with a fluffy ivory colored head. Nice sweet malt nose with some spice. Sweet beer with lots of caramel, toasted white bread, some green tea and a little spice sense to it. Flavorful winter seasonal.

2.2 Malty from the start. Malt in the smell. From a bottle. Yes malty is the word, very little if any hops. Not much co2. Very little alky impact, just malted milk. Smooth, a little cloying. Not medicianl, just a little cloying again on the finish. Can’t taste much spice, just a malty laid back beer. Same on the finish; laid back malty flat with little alky impact. Normally I like low alky beers but I think this is too much malt..

2.9 Bottle. Poured clear ruby color with medium frothy off-white head that was that lasted with good to excellent lacing. Moderate sweet malt and herbal aroma. Medium to full body with smooth texture with flat carbonation. Medium sweet malt and spice flavor with a medium sweet finish. Soft brew.

2.5 Bottle. Light soapy aroma.... not a whole lot to smell. Clear amber with a large ivory head, decent lacing. Watery barley malt, and light grassy hops. Light watery body.

1.8 Bottle. Light caramel malt aroma. Amber with moderate head. Lightly sweet caramel malt and light herbal hops flavor. Boring.

2.7 12 oz bottle, Whole Foods Columbus. Light bronze, unimpressive fizzy white head diminishes into nothing. Aroma sweet, malty, caramel, bread. Flavor is more sour and adds a light-to-medium hop bitterness in the finish. Mouthfeel is relatively thin. Weak throughout. Not an impressive offering whatsoever from North Coast.

2.9 Nearly clear, woody-amber with a tall, thick, yellow-tan head. Scent is spiced bread...caramel. Taste is malty, slightly bitter. The spicing is a little off...like it’s added after the fact...and doesn’t quite fit in. Watery...it could be much better with more body and strength.

3.2 rerate on 3/1/14 - 12oz bottle - much better than I remember it. Just malty all around with some spice in the finish. 12oz bottle - pours amber with tan head and modest lacing. Nose is not overwhelmingly spicy for the style. Flavor adds caramel, bread, herbal hops and a light roast. Sweet. Medium body and soft carbonation. A little sticky. Decent for the style, but I expected more from NCBC. 6/3/6/3/10 or 2.8 on 11/16/12

2.6 I guess this one is out of retirement. Poured a light brown with one finger head, high carbonation. Aromas of bread, caramel, toffee all very weak though. The taste has some caramel and cherry notes with a weak bitter finish, very thin mouthfeel. Overall its an average ale.

2.7 12oz bottle. Clear sort of brown / red color. Little khaki head, some lace. Maltier taste, moderate spice, some cola, hint of chocolate. Little thin for me, I’m not used to winter-spice beers of this ABV. Soft, lighter carbonation, lighter body. Spicy aftertaste. Light bitter and spice taste. For this ABV, not as smooth or as easy to drink as I hoped, a bit thin.

2.8 Nice dark pour in glass. Nose and taste is a little weak. Some hints at cookie, caramel and breads. Rated 3/4/03

4.1 North Coast Brewing Company--Wintertime Ale. 12 oz. Bottle. 6.9% ABV. 1997-8 Release. (4.5 / 5.0) Winter Ale--Declared as Belgian Style, but cloudy dark bronze color betrays the style. Touch of belgian yeast flavor is overwhelmed by rich malt body and hop finish. Flavorful not sweet like many Belgians. Sampled 12/4/1998. 2001 Release. (3.25 / 5.0) Winter Ale--Clear thin copper bronze color. Rich laced head. Smoky piney nutmeg hop front. Thin roasted dry spicy body. Hops battle holiday spice. Crisp and smooth but thin. Odd hop nutmeg pine end. Sampled 10/27/2001. 2002 Release. (4.25 / 5.0) Clear rich thin bright amber red color. Mild lacy head. Belgian mild toast spruce rich floral spice front. Crisp dry sweet mild Belgian rich earthy spicy toasted caramel body. Belgian hot hop end. Complex. Sampled 1/14/2003.

3.3 Undated bottle purchased recently. Probably a year old, maybe two. Hazy copper pour with a slight off-white head. Aroma is malty — cookie and caramel with notes of fruit and allspice. The flavor is moderately sweet and lightly bitter, perhaps because of the age of the bottle. The body is medium with a watery texture, though there is also a slight chalky texture in the finish. Very little carbonation, again perhaps because of its age. Slilghtly tart finish.

3.7 Found this in Indy recently, no idea how old it is. I am assuming at least a year, if not more. Pours a dull, coppery brown with a filmy, tan head. The nose is malty goodness anchored by a healthy dose of burnt caramel. Notes of cinammon, butterscotch and plum as well. The body is chewy for a 5% beer. The malt has developed a great caramelly flavor, toffee like. Cherry and plum notes linger. Finishes a bit thin, but overall this is pretty wonderful.

3.7 Had this beer on 10/15/1998. Color is a deep hazy amber with good carbonation and a light head. Aroma is a rich sweet malt scent. Taste is lighter than it looks. Starts with a heavy body that goes down very easy. Finish is a light malt flavor backed by a nice hop flavor and a mild bitterness. Good brew, may be a bit light for Winter but I like it.

3.3 cloudy amber with a thin head. caramel aroma with a little floral hop, cookies, and yeast. medium viscous body. bitter caramel taste with a light citric spiciness. finishes fairly dry and bitter. nothing outstanding but well balanced and drinkable

2.8 Date: 01/25/1997 Mode: Bottle Source: total beverage, DC cloudy dark amber, whispy head, rich malt and floral hop aroma, rich malt flavor with well balanced spicy floral hops, long bitter finish Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 5/10; Flavor: 5/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 10/20 Rating: 2.8/5.0 Score: **/4 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The score was calculated based upon the notes and an old scoring system.

3.3 Deep copper body, slight haze. Well-retained off-white head. The aroma is pretty hoppy, held in check by light and sweet cookie malts, light yeast, allspice, cinnamon, dark fruits. The flavor is unexciting, hopped well but too spiced to really enjoy the hops. Malt is sweet, actually the whole beer is very sweet. Mild acidity bites in a light-medium bodied palate. Finishes lightly bitter, sweet then drying signifigantly, caramel lingering.

3.0 Bottle. Powdery brown sugar aroma with nutmeg and toffee. Sweet. Nutty with light fruit. Body is red with a tiny beige head. Nutty, woody, slightly smoky (!) taste with lagerish fruitiness pushed back a level. Nutmeg is a little too strong in the mix. Touch of citrus/floral. Body is medium, aftertaste reminds of a brown ale. This needed more; more body, more fullness, more oomph - flavor was nice, but as it is, forgettable.

3.4 Nice pour and presentation. In the nose, there’s some dough, citrus and spice (coriander or nutmeg). Some very mild pine with some citric flavors in an acidic foaming medium to light medium body, fairly bitter

1.8 Slightly lactic and phenolic nose. Malty and vegetative palate. Cannot get all the way thru this.

3.1 Amazingly, found this on draft at Pete’s Brass Rail and Car Wash in Danville, CA. Deep dark color with a thin head. Spices and hops spring from the aroma. Heavy taste. Nice mix of malt and hops. However, not the best winter ale I have had.

3.2 had at Hops House Brewpub after the SHiner Brewery... happy to see this is a brown ale and not a spiced, cuz this ain’t no winter warmer folks. Dark ruby tan ..low head..not bad lacing either...somewhat muddled taste,but non offending.....good but not great...low smell..a made for the masses winter beer if anything.