Name: Snow Goose Winter Ale

Brewer: Wild Goose (Flying Dog)

Style: English Strong Ale

Vintage: 2007

Cellared On: November 24th, 2007

Original Tasting: December 14, 2007

I hadn’t heard of this beer before I saw it a few weeks ago in my local beverage center. As I was deciding whether or not to purchase it, I noticed the magic words “ages well” printed on the label. Bingo! That was good enough for me to give it a shot!

Snow goose is an attractive dark reddish brown brew. It’s not very high in carbonation, but it still managed to form a nice creamy head. It wasn’t very aromatic either, but I did manage to smell a bit of toasted malt and spice (I think) coming off the glass.

Toasted malt flavors with a touch of brown sugar are the first things I taste, but they quickly get out of the way of the emerging hop flavor. The hops are delicious - not too strong, but rather very nicely proportioned to the malt. I would almost call the hop flavor subtle, even though they’re clearly the star of this beer. The finish of this beer is quick and dry, with the hoppy goodness lingering well after.

This medium-bodied beer is easy and enjoyable to drink. It’s not a brew that’s overly complex or demanding on the palette, but not every beer has to be world-class in order to be enjoyable.

Six Month Tasting: June 20th, 2008

There hasn’t been too much change here. Hops are virtually identical to what I wrote above. The semi-sweet malty presence is also much the same, although I don’t get too much brown sugar this time around. If anything, I’m noticing more of an oaky presence to the malt.

The jury’s still out on this one.

Cellar Outlook: The Snow Goose label really caught my eye when I read the words “… a rich ale, this award-winning classic ages well..”. I have to admit that I have my doubts as far as it’s cellaring ability goes. I don’t think this beer is bottle-conditioned, and it’s 6.2 ABV% doesn’t bode well for years of aging. I think the best hope is that a year or two of cellaring allows some of the toasted flavors to come more to the forefront while not losing all of the tasty hop flavors.

Six Month Cellar Outlook: Despite not much change in the flavor profile, I’m starting to loose confidence in the ability of this brew to improve. I’m just not seeing anything that can emerge with more time. I hope I’m wrong!

Next Tasting: June 2008

Jason

jason@brewbasement.com

www.brewbasement.com