Anderson Valley Brewing - Winter Solstice

For the Fifth Beer of Christmas, we prepare for snow & ice with a winter warmer.

Anderson Valley Brewing Company
Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale

This is the first beer I've had from Anderson Valley, but based upon tonight's results, others will certainly follow.

The beer pours up a nice chestnut amber-brown with a frothy, light beige head that subsides to a thin cap with scattered webs of chunky lacing. The head adds volume to the aromatics, allowing the smell of sweet malt with pine and cloves. Even a light touch of vanilla.

The mouth-feel is thick with much of the aroma coming through in the taste. The sweet malt is at the forefront. It's a bit roasted and the bittering that comes with that and the hops hits the back of the tongue on the finish. Before that, though, cloves and black pepper cut the sweetness of the malt and join a nice alcohol ester that warms despite the drink being cold.

After the Twelve Beers is over, I'll be running by Spec's to see what other Anderson Valley varieties they carry.

Stats
Brewer: Anderson Valley Brewing Company
Location: Boonville, California
Website: http://www.avbc.com
Style: Winter Warmer
Alcohol Content: 6.90% ABV
Interesting Note: Anderson Valley (the valley, not the brewery) is the origin of the Boontling language, a homegrown language or jargon developed about the time of the beginning of the 20th century. You can read more about Boontling at it's Wikipedia entry or watch this YouTube video.