Stoudts Winter Ale (-2008)
This medium to full bodied ale is a deep brown color with notes of chocolate and nut flavors. It has a subtle hop bitterness and chocolaty aroma. This is the perfect holiday beer for the season.
3.3
265 reviews
Adamstown, United States
Community reviews
[Draft @ Capones] Poured a clear, brownish red color with a small, off white head that left light lacing on the glass. Aroma of roasted malts, vanilla beans, chocolate, and light smoke. Taste of dark chocolate, nuts, roast, vanilla beans, and a dry lightly smoked finish.
Draft at Capone’s that I growlered and am now sampling fresh along with my notes from the sample I had there. Pours deep blackish with a bit of dark brown at the bottom tip of the tulip glass and 1-finger of off-khaki head. Nose is rich roasty malt, dark choc, molasses, earthy, nutty. Tastes malty, a bit sweet, with dark choc, some figgy fruit, mild earthy, peaty, and nutty hints. Smooth finish. Very nice.
Earlier Rating: 11/9/2004 Total Score: 4
I’ve had both the bottled and draft versions. This one pours deep amber with ruby menisci and a creamy, white head. Aroma of malt, toffee, some hops and cabernet. Tastes rich, malty, with toffee/caramel, almonds, and cognac. Firm, slightly dry palate with a well balanced finish. One of the better "winter ales" I’ve had.
On tap at Capone’s near Philly, where it was called a mild porter. Fully smoked flavor, with some sweetness followed by dry, tingly hops. Very enjoyable.
Bottle. Aroma of roast malts chocolate and coffee. Pours a dark brown almost black tan head. Flavor is roast and toasted malts. Coffee and chocolate notes. Palate is medium full and has bitter finish. Overall, it’s a solid brew that for some reason always ends up in the bargain area of my local, I always look forward to stocking up.
Pours dark brown with tan head. Lots of chocolate aroma with some toasted malts. Flavors of chocolate, roasted malts and a bitter finish. Medium body with moderate carbonation.
12 ounce bottle purchased at Total Wine Pembroke Pines, FL for $1.99 Very good.
From a bottle poured brown with a good amount of head. Nice dark malty flavor with a lasting finish.
bottle - Pours near black with a one finger light tan head. it smells of roast malt and milk chocolate. The flavor is of sweet roast malt and some light chocolate with mild hops and toasted malt lingering in the finish. Is it a stout or a porter or in some ways it put me in mind of a schwarzbier? Whatever, it won’t blow you away, but it’s a tasty brew nonetheless.
Very dark. Spicy, earthy, coffee nose with some liquorice. The body is a little light with light coffee character. Faint earthy and nuttiness late.
Pours thick brown-black with small tan head. Lovely roasted malt aromas. Complexity from blackberry beneath a bed of dark chocolate and pleasant asphalt. Nice toastiness. Medium bodied, earthy, drinkable but full of roasted malt flavors and a hint of spice almost like cinnamon or cassia.
From Total Wine. Black pour, white head. Aroma has lots of chocolate, dark fruits, some spices and roasted malt. Flavor is pretty ncie with chocolate ntoes, spices and some caramel. Pretty good!
12oz. Pours black (but not thick) with small white head. Minimal lacing. Smokey, spicy, chocolate flavors. Is this a stout or a porter? Beer with an identity crisis... but a decent one at that.
Taste 2/9 Bottle. Looks: Black/brown bottom with a tan top and mild foam clingage. Aroma: Sweetness and chocolate from the malt. Some dark fruit as well and some alcohol. Taste: Spicy and carbonated. Medium to heavy body. Chocolate, coffee, dark fruits, a hint of smoke, brown sugar. More stout than porter.....but . A lot of tastes and textures but not entirely cohesive. Decent brew.
Deep chestnut brown with minimal head, it rises up with a more vigorous pour. Charred choco dustiness with lingering soured fruit bitterness. Caramel syrupy sweetness is there, with coffee mocha flavors too. Building acidity. Not bad... good individual parts but the flavors are sort of jumbled together.. a heartier brew but rough around the edges.
Bottle. Moderate malt aromas of cereal, toasted, dark chocolate and mild coffee, light to moderate note of resin for the hops, light dough and earth for the yeast and hints of toffee and cola in the background. Head is average size, creamy, light brown with fair lacing and is mostly lasting. Color is clear dark brown with a red tint. Flavor starts moderately sweet and lightly acidic, then finishes lightly sweet, acidic and bitter. Palate is medium to full, both oily and creamy, has a carbonation between soft and lively, and finishes dry. It doesn’t fit the Porter designation completely, however, the complexity of the malts in this beer really makes it an above average beer.
Bottle. Dark pour with good carbonation. A bit of chocolate in the taste with a slight nut flavor. I didn’t notice any spice but I see this is labeled a porter so that makes a lot of sense. Bottom line for me here is that this isn’t a typical winter brew. However this is a great porter. I think Stoudts should change the name and brew this on a regular basis. I’d drink a ton of this beer.
Bottle poured into a snifter produced a finger worth of white head that turn to lace. The body was a pitch black color on this brew.
Aromas’ of roasted malts, espresso, and a little bit of chocolate fill my nose from this brew. Some sweetness come thru in the aromas as well
Flavors of bitter chocolate and coffee, some malt sweetness, hey it mimics the nose. My expectations were high for this brew but the brew really did need some spices in it. I was wishing for some seeing that it was a winter brew but alas there is none (hint, hint) a little light in the mouthfeel for a porter.
Drinkability was good I easily could drink a few of these. Still a little disappointed in the taste department, especially from such a great brewer’s Winter Ale .I’d rate it as a average porter
Bottle, #438. Black pour with not much head. Aroma of sweetness and cocoa. Flavor of cocoa and malt. Very thin, watery mouthfeel. Pretty good though.
Porter in the New Year for 09 tasting. Liked this, thought it was better than Siberian Night. Dark pour with a slight roasted quality. Good malt and grain balance with a smooth sort of light chocolate n nuts texture. Great drinker and a good one for Stoudts.
Pours a dark black that allows some light. Head is fizzy and light tan. The nose is roasty, grainy, malty, mild coffee and chocolate bitterness. The flavor is grainy, roasty, prominent hop feel, malty, coffee, some bitterness from roasted grain. The palate is bitter and dry with a nice hop balance.
Fresh bottle from Consumer Warehouse, Cleveland. Syrupy chocolately porter with no head to speak of on an opaque dark brown body. Above average carbonation. Drinkable, on the sweet side.Medium mouthfeel. Some roasted malt as well in the secondary.Chocolate aroma.
I could not remember what style this was when I first started to drink it. I thought it was a porter, but it seemed a little thin. Color is spot on dark brown with a small tan head. Easy drinking porter.
On tap at Brickside Grill. Do not let the name fool you... this is definitely a porter. Pours almost pitch black with little head. Coffee and chocolate in the nose and remains across the palate. Finishes a little bitter but not too much. Pretty great.
Poured a warm amber brown color with a small head and smoky aroma. Flavor had notes of oak and some spice and warmed on the finish. A nice solid beer, thanks for this excellent trade bonus Cletus.
Bottle. Pours dark ruby brown with a tan head. Roasted malt aroma with chocolate and some sweeter caramel notes. The flavor has roasted chestnuts, a touch of smoke and a light hoppy finish. Pretty nice.
Black body with a cream head. Milk. Smoke, hop aroma. Flavour: mild smoke. Peat. Cream.
Dark brown pour with khaki colored head and nice lace. Roast aroma. Medium bodied. Coffee, chocolate, roast, and a little hop character. I was pleasantly surprised by this brew.
Very dark, chestnutty brown color. Smelled a little astringent but had a decent spice snap. I would have hoped for a nice balanced hop profile to accompany the sweetness. oh well
Bottle. Please note the ABV listed above is likely wrong as Stoudts changes the recipe every other year. This year its a robust porter rather than a simple porter. An excellent Winter Warmer. Nearly black, strong and quite roasty.
12 oz, bb 5-5-09. Opaque black with a one-finger head that endures. Roasty cocoa, coffee and nut aromas. Flavor is a nice blend of the same, with an occasional hint of mesquite char, tart cherry and milk on the finish. Medium-heavy body is lightly tingly and pleasantly roasty-dry. Nice change-up from what I was expecting in a Winter Ale.