As the weather turns colder and the days grow short I'm left with a choice: construct a cocoon from pillows and retreat beneath the ground for the winter, or go on a hunt for warming winter ales. Since I only have 2 pillows and my housemates aren't happy with my building a larger fort out of sofa cushions, it looks like I'm off to the liquor store.
Enter 'Tree Brewing Company'. Established in 1996 (so says the bottle) this is another Canadian brew. The bottle is a pretty plan affair - company name embossed on the glass and a label around the neck. They have at least gone to the trouble of personalising their own bottle caps but at first glance this isn't an eye catching affair.
Still, I'm freezing and this stuff claims to be 'Winter Ale' so I'll give it a go. There's a mention of a 'vanilla finish' on the beer which sounds interesting too.
It pours nicely. Coppery brown, clear, decent head which leaves some lacing.
It looks nice, but it smells awesome.
The vanilla is definitely there and it goes great with the biscuity malt. On the mouth, there's bready hops, and some caramel flavours in there too. If you're a fan of Innis and Gunn I'm sure Vertical Winter Ale will be a pleasant surprise.
It's a great beer but I'm not sure if it's quite meeting it claim as a Winter Ale. It tastes best right out of the fridge, it's not as heavy as I was expecting and at 5% it's not as 'warming' as you might hope.
I could definitely put a few of these away but it probably wouldn't be my go-to beer on a frosty night. It's got a bit of an extra price-heft since it's bottled, not canned, but it's not so pricey that I'd rule it out.
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