Beer of the Week (Vol. XXXII)

After a brief hiatus for holiday and vacation, we're back with another edition of Beer of the Week brought to you as always by the fine folks at Glen Lake Wine & Spirits who can help you bring tidings on good cheer to almost anyone this Christmas season.

When you're in warmer climes it's tough to get into the winter beer season. I experienced this recently in Miami when the both the urge and the opportunity to enjoy winter beer was limited. Palm trees, sunny skies, and temps in the eighties are just not conducive to the heavier, heartier styles of beer. This was reflected by the paucity of winter offerings on store shelves in Miami. One winter beer that was available was Samuel Adams Winter Lager, which is this week's featured brew.

Brown bottle. Standard pattern Sam Adams label with light blue and white colors. Barley snowflakes in corners provide some winter flavor.

Beer Style: Winter Bock

Alcohol by Volume: 5.8%

COLOR (0-2): Dark amber, very clear 2

AROMA (0-2): Light hops and malt 1

HEAD (0-2): Off white color, good off the pour with some lacing. 2

TASTE (0-5): Mostly malty flavor with a faint hint of spice. Rather light-bodied and thin. 3

AFTERTASTE (0-2): Not much follow through. 1

OVERALL (0-6): It's a decent tasting beer and is quite drinkable. However, it's not really my idea of a winter beer. While Sam Adam's bills it as a "rich and hearty dark lager" I found it to be on lighter side when it came to flavor, mouth-feel, and body. You need something with more there there to get you through the long nights of winter. 3

TOTAL SCORE (0-19): 12