Beer of the Weekend #179: Snowstorm 2010
I am debating whether to recommend Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale or Breckenridge Christmas Ale in the December LV. I’m leaning toward Celebration Ale since it offers a more intense winter warmer experience, but I may also suggest Christmas Ale as a good introduction to the style; excessive spice and hoppiness may not be pleasing to many. (Including me. Unless my tastes are changing, explosively hoppy beers are not my thing.)
However, I want to try one last winter/holiday offering from a regional brewery. Today’s brown bottle lunch is Snowstorm 2010, brewed by the August Schell Brewing Company of New Ulm, Minnesota.
Similar to Anchor’s special Christmas Ale, Schell’s Snowstorm recipe, and even style, varies from year to year. (“Much like snowflakes,” Schell’s website says, “no two Snowstorm beers are alike.”) This year’s version is, according to the Schell website, a “Dunkel Doppel Weizenbock.” However, unlike Anchor, I don’t think Schell alters much more than the year on the label. Anchor has the tradition of using a different design each year. Past Snowstorm styles are outlined on this webpage: http://www.schellsbrewery.com/ourbeers_info.php?id=8. A few have been so popular that Schell now brews them year round.
On with this year’s version.
Serving type: One 12-ounce bottle. There is a cryptic batch code printed on the bottom of the bottle, but nothing decipherable as a freshness date.
Appearance: Very sexy. Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is a beautiful amber-brown. Two fingers of slightly tanned head developed and dissipated quickly to leave a spotted lacing and ring around the edge.
Smell: Has that lovely dunkelweizen aroma to it, but with an added alcohol kick. Yeast, banana, apple, clove spice, caramel, and chocolate. Toward the end of the pint I smelled a little raspberry. Along with a subtle bubble gum scent, there is at least one festive aroma at play. Weak peppermint, maybe? I cannot pin it down for certain.
Taste: The first sip is thick and creamy, and the immediate flavor sensation is brandy-like/doppelbock alcohol. However, the affect fades as the beer warms and the flavor complexity emerges. The taste basically mirrors the smell. Yeast, banana, apple, clove spice, toasted caramel, and a little milk chocolate. Unfortunately, the taste did not solve my festive spice uncertainty. I still think I taste a little peppermint.
Drinkability: An excellent offering from Schell, and I hope the recipe becomes a regular in their lineup. It reminds me — dare I say it? — of Aventinus.
Fun facts about Snowstorm 2010:
-Style: Though classified as a “Dunkel Doppel Weizenbock” on the brewer website, BA lists it as a Weizenbock.
-Price: $1.59/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 7 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends German cuisine, chocolate, general dessert, and grilled meat.
-Each year’s Snowstorm is available November through January, or while supplies last.
The Quiet Man’s grade: A-.
However, I want to try one last winter/holiday offering from a regional brewery. Today’s brown bottle lunch is Snowstorm 2010, brewed by the August Schell Brewing Company of New Ulm, Minnesota.
Similar to Anchor’s special Christmas Ale, Schell’s Snowstorm recipe, and even style, varies from year to year. (“Much like snowflakes,” Schell’s website says, “no two Snowstorm beers are alike.”) This year’s version is, according to the Schell website, a “Dunkel Doppel Weizenbock.” However, unlike Anchor, I don’t think Schell alters much more than the year on the label. Anchor has the tradition of using a different design each year. Past Snowstorm styles are outlined on this webpage: http://www.schellsbrewery.com/ourbeers_info.php?id=8. A few have been so popular that Schell now brews them year round.
On with this year’s version.
Serving type: One 12-ounce bottle. There is a cryptic batch code printed on the bottom of the bottle, but nothing decipherable as a freshness date.
Appearance: Very sexy. Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is a beautiful amber-brown. Two fingers of slightly tanned head developed and dissipated quickly to leave a spotted lacing and ring around the edge.
Smell: Has that lovely dunkelweizen aroma to it, but with an added alcohol kick. Yeast, banana, apple, clove spice, caramel, and chocolate. Toward the end of the pint I smelled a little raspberry. Along with a subtle bubble gum scent, there is at least one festive aroma at play. Weak peppermint, maybe? I cannot pin it down for certain.
Taste: The first sip is thick and creamy, and the immediate flavor sensation is brandy-like/doppelbock alcohol. However, the affect fades as the beer warms and the flavor complexity emerges. The taste basically mirrors the smell. Yeast, banana, apple, clove spice, toasted caramel, and a little milk chocolate. Unfortunately, the taste did not solve my festive spice uncertainty. I still think I taste a little peppermint.
Drinkability: An excellent offering from Schell, and I hope the recipe becomes a regular in their lineup. It reminds me — dare I say it? — of Aventinus.
Fun facts about Snowstorm 2010:
-Style: Though classified as a “Dunkel Doppel Weizenbock” on the brewer website, BA lists it as a Weizenbock.
-Price: $1.59/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 7 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends German cuisine, chocolate, general dessert, and grilled meat.
-Each year’s Snowstorm is available November through January, or while supplies last.
The Quiet Man’s grade: A-.
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