Friday, February 23, 2007

Beer Tasting: Anderson Valley Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale


The Beer: Anderson Valley Winter Solstice
Style: Winter Warmer
Reviews: Beer Advocate Rate Beer
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Packaging & Date Stamping: 12 oz. brown bottle; no date stamp

From where & how stored: Purchased from Beer Yard in Wayne, PA, stored at 55F until time of holiday beer exchange

Pricing: $40.00 per case of 24

Availability: Winter Seasonal

ABV, IBU, and Other Available Stats: 6.9% ABV
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Bryan's Notes
The Look:
- Orange-ish bronze
- 2 1/2 finger head; slowly fades

The Aroma:
- decent malty aroma
- licorice too
- bit of alcohol

The Taste:
- medium body
- bit of orange peel
- light carbonation, just enough
- spices not too intense at all

The Verdict: A nice, easy-drinking winter beer. Do the lack of strong, noticeable spices make this disappointing for a winter seasonal? I don't think so.
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Adam's Notes
The Look:
- orange brown and slightly cloudy

The Aroma:
- light malty fresh hoppy nose
- I sure hope the rest of beer lives up to the nose!

The Taste:
- light on the palate
- taste is green bitter
- not sweet
- refreshing
- no roast, no sweet malt, almost sweet, almost bitter, almost drinkable
- I wonder if something was lost in the trip to the East Coast or perhaps my palate is not what it should be today

The Verdict: This really takes me in a different direction. Lately I've been very focused on dark beers; this isn't that. Why would you drink this? Hmmm...it isn't bad, but, I'm a little confused by it. I wish I had another to try. Come to think about it the one I had a few months ago didn't really stand out either.

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