This Winter Warmer surprised me a bit.  I saw in fine print on the label, "...Brewed with cinnamon, ginger and orange." and thought it would be, shall we say, a little too spicy for me.  However, the flavors here really blend together smoothly and aren't over the top so it's not the in your face spice bomb that I had feared.  Really, the main flavor seemed to be a caramel malt, but the spices blend in so nicely and smoothly, that it really has a pleasant little unique, sweet, malty flavor.  l'd even go so far as to say that the flavor is rich.  There are two reasons I don't rate it higher,... the mouth-feel seems a bit thin and slick and more importantly there seems to be a sticky, citrus-y, bitterness that remains after each sip.  It only appears in the after-taste, but it's kind of annoying and for me, takes away from the rest of this brew which is otherwise smooth and tasty.  All said, I did really enjoy this beer and thought it was actually light and smooth enough to be sessionable and yet still rich enough to be savored all by itself.

Bottle Cap

Brewery Website

BeerTripper Rating

http://www.samueladams.com/

Alcohol Concentration

5.60

Winter Warmer

Ale