Yule Smith Winter Holiday Ale

Time for an interesting review. I originally bought my first Winter YuleSmith in 08, but then I forgot about it. Then I decided I didn't want to drink an old bottle by itself, so I figured I'd trade for an 09 when it came out and drink the fresh next to the year old vintage. I did make that trade, but then I left the 09 in the cellar for too long as well. Rinse and repeat, I traded for a 10 and now I'm drinking a three year vertical of a beer that should be consumed fresh (or so they say). To be fair, the review scores will be from the most recent vintage. 10 poured into a snifter, 09 and 08 poured into pint glasses. **2010** 3.5 A: Hazed amber brown color. Two fingers of thick creamy beige head with average retention and lots of lacing. Also lots of suspended yeasties throughout. 4.0 S: Definitely digging this aroma. Great mixture of hops, malts, and yeast. Lots of citrusy hops with emphasis on orange and pineapple. Grapefruit and pine are secondary. Malts offer a pleasant portion of caramel and toffee. There's enough residual sweetness to give an almost barleywine-esque vibe. Good amount of yeastiness that is not overly bready. 3.0 T: Like the nose, the three components are all evident, but they don't mesh well in the taste. The hops are once again citrusy with orange and grapefruit strongest. Pineapple, pine, and a touch of spiciness are secondary. Toffee is the strongest malt component with caramel next. The malts are a bit too sweet for the hops to be enjoyable, but not strong enough to give a good barleywine vibe. Bitterness is comparably low. Yeastiness is pretty good though. 4.0 M: Heavier medium body. Good moderate carbonation. Good creaminess and slightly chewy due to the yeast. 3.5 D: Not bad, but this beer is right in the middle of a hoppy dry DIPA and a BW sweet DIPA. This needs to pick a side. **2009** 4.0 A: Pretty much the same as the 2010, but has a bit better retention and a decent amount more lacing. 4.0 S: Borderline 4.5. Time has done this beer well. The hops have subsided, but not completely. This now smells like a pretty damn good barleywine. Lots of prune, candied plum, and date fruitiness. Strong toffee and caramel maltiness. Hops are citrusy and focus on the orange aroma. 3.5 T: Tastes like a weak barleywine as opposed to a DIPA. The flavors are less muddled than the fresh version. Prune and date fruitiness with again lots of toffee and caramel. Orange citrusy hops and a bit of grapefruit. Not bad and definitely better than fresh. Good amount of yeastiness, but not too much. 4.0 M: Pretty much the same here. 3.5 D: Better than fresh. More barleywine than DIPA at this point. **2008** 4.5 A: The best of the bunch. This had way more carbonation than the other two. The yeast must have had a good time over those two years. Anyway, same general color and appearance, but the head has by far the best retention and TONS of lacing. 4.5 S: Straight up barleywine now. Lots of date here with some candied plum secondary. Toffee is stronger than caramel, but the fruitiness is way stronger than both. Hops are even more subdued, but still contribute a decent amount of orange and pineapple. 3.5 T: Tastes a lot like the 09, but more mellow. 4.0 M: Same again, which I think is the result of getting to this one last (all poured at same time) allowing the carbonation to dissipate. 4.0 D: Like the 09, but a bit more drinkable due to the mellowing out. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 02-19-2011 03:44:33

Doesn't really taste like a red. It's got more caramel, toffee, and maltiness than I would expect from a red. Too malty to reduce it from a 4 to a 3.

Excellent brew with amazing flavor and excellent mouth feel.

very nice beer but was expecting a little more

When fresh it's your typical X-mas beer. When aged a couple years the spice fades & turns into bourbon-y flavors

This was incredibly well-balanced. I don't normally enjoy huge malty hoppy red ales, but this was an exception. Velvety smooth mouthfeel, with hops drizzled in caramel. I enjoyed my bomber and would seek this again.

Closer to a red than amber. Great hop aftertaste!