Brew Review: Southern Tier Old Man Winter Ale

As I mentioned in the weekly wrap up, Neal made good on Saturday afternoon on a bet we made when the Giants played Green Bay to get into the NFC Championship. As I drank a great many beers that day back in January, I don't even remember the precise terms of the bet; something about 12 beers to the winner, with an additional beer for every point over the spread... Or something. Whatever it was, Neal ended up owing me 17 beers. He paid out 19, because I guess he wasn't really sure what the terms were either. In any case, he delivered these beers to me on Saturday, and now is 50% paid up; I'll find a time and place for him to wear my newly acquired Giants hard hat soon (and that place will be somewhere public).

While I was in no shape to do anything but wallow in bed in discomfort Saturday evening, digesting hot dogs, by Sunday night, after a cold run and ample digestion time, I was ready to take a peak at my winnings. Let me say, if you're the betting type, make a bet with Neal. The stakes are high, but he does not take the payout lightly. A lesser man would have forked over a case of Bud Lights (the lowest man of all would have made a bet with Brad over a football game 2 years ago and still not have paid up...), but Neal curated an impressive selection of international beers for my tasting pleasure. The first one I pulled out was possibly not labeled in English, but what I could read indicated it was 11.9% ABV. That's quite a Sunday evening beer. I decided maybe I should take a more modest approach, and pulled a few more bottles until I selected my beer of choice for the night: Southern Tier's Old Man Winter Ale from Lakewood, NY.

Again, Sunday was pretty frigid ("bitterly cold," according to the weather folk, who lost the ability to appreciate cold weather sometime over the course of several 50 degree days in January and February), and after I came home from a few hours, I spent much of the afternoon reading under the covers. A winter ale was just what I had in mind to warm me up.




I watched a lot of real estate television last night, and this is what you call "staging." Stuff I took off my night stand to make me appear minimalist included my alarm clock, a box of tissues, 2 remotes, a dirty plate, about a dozen Hersey Kiss wrappers, those pesky little plastic t-shaped tags that come on clothing, and miscellaneous analgesics, vitamins, and other pills. The Garmin and obscured photo of IMan running Boston are legit.

Old Man poured a rich copper and has a malty, grassy aroma. The hops here are very piney, with I think almost a smoky, earthy finish. Some people use "peat" as an adjective to describe beer. I have no idea what peat tastes like. That's a component of gardening, right? Do people eat that to be able to use it comparatively? If so, they're more dedicated beer nerds than I. But if peat tastes vaguely like a distant campfire in the woods, this is peaty.

Speaking of campfires in the woods, I don't go to those in the winter, and I don't know that this speaks to me as a winter ale. I actually don't go to campfires in the woods most seasons. That's really a once-per-year in the summer thing for me. Except for the time I busted my knee, which was indeed at a winter campfire in the woods. We were also drinking Utica Club that night, so maybe things would have been different with some Old Man Winter. Anyway, I think winter ales are typically maltier, and while this label indicates they've used 2 types of malts (in addition to 3 varieties of hops) in brewing, I don't get much malt to this, and least not at first pour. Though as the beer sits and warms up a bit, the hops are some what turned out and the malt comes out. Still, if its not the kind of beer that's going to get you through hibernation, maybe it's something to prep you for it, like a fall ale? That's not a thing, though, so I guess it's just a pinier brown ale. Whatever, I dig it. And the 7.7% ABV makes an ideal Sunday night bedtime elixir.

Good thing I cracked it at 6:45pm. Being old is cool...