youngs winter warmer

[sallad]

i picked up a bottle of young's winter warmer over the weekend. it was about maybe a 500mL bottle.. didn't drink it yet, but i have a couple questions about it..

first, since its a winter warmer, i assume its a seasonal winterbrew. and since its still available, i assume that its been sitting around for a few months. (i got it at a respectable beer shop, and i'm sure they've stored it properly)

is this a bottle conditioned beer? how does this beer age? there were several more bottles, and if they'll age well, maybe i'll pick them up too and throw them in the basement for a while. (my basement generally ranges from the low 70sF in summer to low 50s in the winter..) what does everyone think? i'm betting mr richard english will have some good info on this!

thanks!

[BHy9]

Not really sure about the conditioning, but I had the pleasure of doing a tour of the Young's brewery when I was in London England. I tried many of the brews that they produced to include the Winter Warmer. I was not impressed by most of their products. They had no real flavor to them. Very subtle if any flavor and their specialty's all rated about the same. Double Chocolate had NO hint of any chocolate flavor. The one that seemed to have the most/best flavor was the one produced for the Queens Jubilee. The Alcohol Content was 4.0 but best flavor of the many I tried. Just a thought so when you try it you are not too disappointed.

[Jarod]

Originally posted by sallad

first, since its a winter warmer, i assume its a seasonal winterbrew. and since its still available, i assume that its been sitting around for a few months. (i got it at a respectable beer shop, and i'm sure they've stored it properly)

is this a bottle conditioned beer? how does this beer age? there were several more bottles, and if they'll age well, maybe i'll pick them up too and throw them in the basement for a while. (my basement generally ranges from the low 70sF in summer to low 50s in the winter..) what does everyone think? i'm betting mr richard english will have some good info on this!

thanks!

It is seasonal brew.
To be honest it is average in taste compaired to other seasonal Winter beers. As far as cellaring it, I don't believe it would hold up too well. It only has an ABV of 5.0% and it is not bottle conditioned. I have had beers that I forgot about in the cellar,that were lower in ABV and not bottle conditioned, for a few years, and when opened actually improved slightly. But generally they do not hold up.
My advice: buy a few drink one fresh, and save 2. Drink 1 after year and see how it lasted. If going bad then drink them both, if ok try another year.

[hopjack13]

Originally posted by sallad
(my basement generally ranges from the low 70sF in summer to low 50s in the winter
sence the temp in your basment fluctuates you might want to throw them in an ice chest (without ice of course) that will keep them at a more even temp. i have an old fridge that keeps a pretty constant 58 degrees f, thats what i've been using. plus the ice chest will do a good job at keeping the light out.

[davesarman]

I actually think this is a great winter beer. It's one of the few holiday beers that are not overly spiced, super strong, etc. (Although I like those types of beers as well.) This to me has more subtle flavor profiles and complexities and I think it is very good. I usually get at least a four pack every year and cellar a few of them, even though it is not bottle conditioned (i.e. yeast in the bottle). Last year I tasted the 1995-96 and the 1996-97 versions side by side and I must say, they held up great. The malt profile was still present, hops had mellowed and there was a complexity of flavors that made for a very pleasant beer drinking experience. I keep these (along with all my cellared beers) in my basement in a covered beer case, and the temp of my basement stays pretty constant between 55 and 60 degrees all year long. If you take care of this beer properly, I think it's fantastic cellared.

[GunNut76]

I actually just tried a Youngs Winter Warmer and I thought it was weak. This is coming from a man who was raised on BMC. No flavor,sediment (this = not bottle conditioned to me) and not much alchohol. Like I said W-E-A-K!!!

[davesarman]

Originally posted by davesarman
I actually think this is a great winter beer. It's one of the few holiday beers that are not overly spiced, super strong, etc. (Although I like those types of beers as well.) This to me has more subtle flavor profiles and complexities and I think it is very good. I usually get at least a four pack every year and cellar a few of them, even though it is not bottle conditioned (i.e. yeast in the bottle). Last year I tasted the 1995-96 and the 1996-97 versions side by side and I must say, they held up great. The malt profile was still present, hops had mellowed and there was a complexity of flavors that made for a very pleasant beer drinking experience. I keep these (along with all my cellared beers) in my basement in a covered beer case, and the temp of my basement stays pretty constant between 55 and 60 degrees all year long. If you take care of this beer properly, I think it's fantastic cellared.

I was thinking of Samuel Smith's Winter Welcome when I wrote this....sorry about that....I don't believe I've ever had Young's Winter Warmer....