Anderson Valley Brewing Company is one of my favorite small California microbreweries - their beers are consistently outstanding across the board. Finding a fresh six-pack on the East Coast is always a treat. With that, I couldn't pass up a chance to try their Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale.
One of their award winning beers, this one has a deepreddish color with a light tan head. It pours hazy, likely both unfiltered and some protein haze. The nose is noticeably spicy - with cinnamon and nutmeg, along with hints of nutmeg, ginger and almond.
Upon tasting, its sweet up front, with a big body and lots of maltiness. At 6.9% ABV, its a little stronger than your average beer. All that alcohol means lots of complex sugars that make it a little chewy, with hints of fruity esters - black current, cherry, apple - and biscuit, caramel from the roasted malts. It finishes spicy with very subtle hop notes - centennial or hallertau to my taste buds. Well carbonated that's not too heavy and doesn't linger on your taste buds, Winter Solstice makes for a nice winter ale, not too heavy but one that could benefit from more aggressive hopping for a more distinctive character.
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