Sprecher Winter Brew

Sprecher Winter Brew

Sprecher Winter Brew: Makes me want to switch to root beer.

Joy has returned to the Brew du Jour refrigerator! After several sad, empty days, beer once again occupies the fridge door. To commemorate this occasion, as well as the  nasty, sloppy weather of late, I opened up a Sprecher Winter Brew.

While Glendale, WI-based Sprecher makes some pretty tasty root beer, I’ve never been particularly fond of their beer. Though I haven’t come across an offensively bad specimen from Sprecher’s line-up of mostly malty, German styles, none have been memorable. I also find Sprecher’s 16oz bottles annoying, since there isn’t really much to enjoy about 4 extra ounces of mediocre beer.

Nonetheless, given Sprecher’s aforementioned penchant for malty, German styles, I figured that this Dunkel Bock might be worth a try. Yet again, however, the results were unimpressive. Winter Ale is intensely malty throughout, with a slightly unpleasant sour aroma and aftertaste that, after a few sips, became a little nauseating. Since neither the brewmate or I could stomach 16oz of this stuff, most of the bottle ended up down the drain. In the future, I think I’ll stick to Sprecher root beer. The facts:

Sprecher Winter Brew

Style: Dunkel Bock
Availability: Seasonal (winter)
ABV: 5.75%
Hops: Cascade, Chinook, Mt. Hood, Tettnanger
Notes: Intensely malty, with a somewhat nauseating sour aroma and aftertaste.
More Info: http://www.sprecherbrewery.com/beer.php?cat=2
My Take: Skip the Winter Brew and stick with the root beer.