Samuel Adams Winter Lager
From a bottle into a pint glass. Poured a nice half-inch of head, off-white/eggshell. Dissipated, but left lacing. Transparent brown - there's not much of another way to put it. Perhaps a few ruby notes, but nothing major. Smell is mostly malty, light caramel with a little bit of real maltiness coming through. Spices are next, they seem to only impart a spiciness as a blend, not to be singled out. A nice little bit of hops on the end to clean things up. Maybe a touch of orange from that. Taste is very clean, as a lager should be. The spices don't muddle the hops and malt - all three play even partners in the taste. The hops are, in my opinion, the most interesting part of this beer - you get the nice caramel with warm spices, then a very clean piney taste mixed with orange. A well balanced example. The spices are what warms you with this beer - not enough alcohol to be warming you. Carbonation is typical Sam Adams, but it works. Instead of being a heavy Winter Warmer style of beer, it's a crisp, refreshing Bock-style with spices. It's very light bodied and would be a great session beer for a cold Saturday evening - unless you want something with more alcohol.