Saranac Belgian Ale

I picked up the “12 Beers of Winter” sampler pack from Saranac. The first beer I grabbed out of the case was the Belgian Ale. The beer has a golden amber color with red hints and a light frothy head. It smells sweet, malty and peppery. The taste is dry and sweet with a pepper undertone. There is an accent of citrus and raisin as well. The alcohol content is 5.9% ABV. I thought that it was not a bad Belgian style and it leaves a spicy film on the back of the mouth. and I thought that this is an easy drinking beer.

Michelob Jack's Pumpkin Spice Ale

At a bar in Philadelphia I noticed they had Michelob Jack's Pumpkin Spice in bottles, so I ordered one. It turned out to be the last bottle since Halloween was already over. The beer has an orange amber color with minimal head. There was a slight pumpkin aroma. It has a cinnamon and nutmeg taste with a light pumpkin accent. The alcohol content is 5.5% ABV. I thought that Jack's Pumpkin Spice Ale had a decent taste and all of the flavors were balanced. Not one of the flavors stood out, but this was an enjoyable beer.

Victory Vakima Twilight

While out in Philadelphia, I happened upon Victory Yakima Twilight Ale on draft. The beer is dark amber in color with a lofty foamy head. It has a peppery and floral aroma. The taste is sweet and smooth with a crisp hop finish. The alcohol content is 8.7% ABV. I thought that the Yakima Twilight Ale had a great taste and the balance of crisp hops and sweet malts made drinking this beer a very enjoyable experience.

Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA

My taste buds have been evolving and I never used to like IPAs. Recently, I have been enjoying beers with higher hop content, so I decided to give Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA a try since it was on draft at McGrath's. The beer has a copper color with a light foamy head. The smell consists of lemon with a hint of pepper and flowers. The taste is sweet and lemony with a light hop bite. It is very smooth drinking with a round flavor. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. I asked myself why I ignored this beer for so long when I had heard many good things about it. I feared it as an IPA originally, but I am very happy that I decided to try it. I thought that this was a very solid beer, easy to drink, and full of flavor. This is definitely a recommended beer and I will order it again and again.

Weyerbacher Winter Ale

McGrath's in Harrisburg recently tapped a keg of Weyerbacher Winter Ale. The beer is a dark amber color with no head. The beer smells malty and spicy, hints of toasted malts also linger. The taste is comprised mostly of toasted malts with slight spice accent. There is a slight hop bite and the beer finishes slightly dry. The alcohol content is 5.6% ABV. I thought that the Winter Ale was very tasty, and I like the toasted malt flavor with the slight hop bite.

Magic Hat #9

The final beer I had in the Merry Winter Sampler from Magic Hat is #9. This is a pretty common beer and I've had it before, but have not provided tasting notes for it. It has a light gold color with a lofty frothy head. The smell is lightly floral, but not overpowering. The taste is smooth and light with a slight hop flavor. It also has a slight cream roundness to the taste. The alcohol content is 4.6% ABV. I thought that #9 is a decent flavored beer, very smooth drinking, and leaves you satisfied. It is no wonder why the beer is so popular.

Magic Hat Odd Notion Winter 09

Another beer in the Merry Winter Sampler is the Magic Hat Odd Notion Winter '09. Magic Hat makes an Odd Notion beer for every season of every year. This version is a reddish amber color with a light head. It smells malty with hints of raspberry. The taste mostly focuses on sour fruits, and I am picking up apple and raspberry. The alcohol content is 4.5% ABV. There is not much carbonation, and the beer is light flavored. The sourness is prevalent, and I thought this was an interesting mix for a winter beer. I think the taste came around the more I drank it and I really liked it by the end of the glass.