A rich, full-bodied winter warmer crafted in the British tradition of holiday beers. This deep mahogany colored brew balances complex fruit flavors with a refreshingly smooth texture, making Snow Cap a highly drinkable and desirable cold weather companion.

I heartily agree with the assessment that Snow Cap Ale is a great cold weather brew. This beer contains a hefty 7.0% alcohol and when you drink this beer you know, from both the taste and the affects, that it is strong.

Pyramid should be commended for listing so much detail about Snow Cap and their other beers on their website. If you’re a home brewer, you can use some of these details to approximate a clone recipe or at the very least use it for inspiration. For instance, this beer contains the following malts: 2-Row Barley, Caramel 80L , and Chocolate Malt. And the following hops:  Nugget, Willamette, East Kent Goldings. Pyramid lists Snow Cap as having a gravity of 17.3 degrees Plato or about 1.071 specific gravity. With 7.0% alcohol by volume, the final gravity should be about 1.018 specific gravity.

Where I Found It. I picked up a 12oz bottle 6-pack at a Beverages and More in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Serving Type. When I sampled this brew, it it was served from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance. The head had a nice cappuccino color but the head did not last too long. The color of the Snow Cap Ale is a very dark amber or a mahogany wood finish. Although mostly opaque due to the color, the beer was clear and not cloudy.

Smell. The aroma had an earthy smell with an essence of roasted chestnuts, which, if you have not had them, are sweet, roasty, and starchy. I also sensed a hint of banana and cloves and this makes me very curious about the yeast that was used. The hop bouquet was slightly spicy and smelled like an evergreen tree, possibly a douglas fir. I’m not certain right now which of the 3 hops would contribute to that type of bouquet.

Taste. When I tasted Snow Cap Ale, it reminded me of a beer from New Belgium Brewing, either 1559 or 2-Below. It had a roasty-burnt taste but not a bad burnt taste maybe like flambé. There was also a flavor of cloves. This is a 7.0% alcohol beer and I tasted the alcohol astringency in the beer. The hop bitterness was well balanced and not overhelming at all.

Mouthfeel. Snow Cap Ale felt like a full-bodied beer with an appropriate amount of carbonation. The aftertaste had a lingering bitterness.

Drinkability. This beer was surpisingly smooth and drinkable beer especially in colder weather. Snow Cap Ale, however, is not a session beer. It is strong and one is enough. Despite the fact that I prefer other winter seasonals, this is a top notch winter warmer that I would drink again.

Rating. My ratings below are on a five point scale with five being the best score. The overall rating is calculated exactly the same way as Beer Advocate.

• Appearance (20%): 4.0
• Smell (20%): 3.5
• Taste (40%): 3.5
• Mouthfeel (10%): 3.5
• Drinkability (10%): 3.5
• Overall: 3.6

What Others Thought

It is always more enjoyable to share a beer with friends and family. As part of this blog I plan on not only reviewing the beer myself but also gathering feedback from others. Below is what Liz, Erin, and Patrick thought about Snow Cap Ale.

Liz

• Appearance. Coffee dark. Frothy head.
• Smell. Coffee grounds.
• Taste. Rich, smooth, roasty, sweet.
• Mouthfeel. Creamy.
• Drinkability. Yes.

Erin

• Appearance. Dark brown, clear, amber. 5.0
• Smell. Coffee, chocolate, hops, and wood. 4.5
• Taste. Coffee, choclate, hops, woody but not as strong a sandalwood, cream soda. 4.0
• Mouthfeel. Smooth. 4.0
• Drinkability. Very good and smooth but not a strong finish. 3.5

Patrick

• Appearance. Very dark brown, coffee color. Samll, tight head. 4.0
• Smell. Alcohol, banana, cherry. 3.0
• Taste. Sweet, no hoppiness, strong. 3.5
• Mouthfeel. Astringent with tight bubbles and a bitter finish. 4.0
• Drinkability. Drinkable. Not a session beer. Goes down easy. 3.0

Caption from the Bottle

The following caption is found on the neck of the bottle:

It’s not winter without it. Snow Cap is a complex ale that is mahogany in color and deliciously smooth. Drink it while you can because when the snow’s gone so’t the Snow Cap.

Information

• Alcohol content: 7.0% alcohol by volume
• Malts: 2-Row Barley, Caramel 80L, Chocolate Malt
• Hops: Nugget, Willamette, East Kent Goldings
• Gravity: 1.071 specific gravity or 17.2 degree Plato
• Style: winter warmer
• Brewery: Pyramid Breweries
• Beer Advocate rating: 3.59 (on January 17, 2009)

Other Reviews

• Beer Advocate – Snow Cap
• The Full Pint – Beer Review – Pyramid Snow Cap Ale
• A Beer Sort of Blog – Snow Cap Review
• Drink Hacker – Review: Pyramid Brewing Snow Cap Ale
• The Brew Site – Advent Beer Calendar 2007: Day 19: Pyramid Snow Cap
• Hedonist Beer Jive – “CAN’T YOU JUST TASTE THE SNOW CAP”

Every year Deschutes Brewery selects a Northwest artist to create an image evocative of the season’s festive atmosphere.

According to the brewery this beer is brewed with “dark crystal malt” and “bountiful hops.” Although that description is not enough to recreate the recipe for home brewing, it does give you a glimpse of what to expect. During my first session trying this beer, I thought it was interesting and fairly decent. In successive sessions, this beer grew to be one of my favorite winter warmers of this season.

Where I Found It. I picked up a 12oz bottle 6-pack at a Beverages and More in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Serving Type. When I sampled this brew, it it was served from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance. Pouring the beer directly into a glass produced a very healthy 1.5 inch head that had a very nice eggnog and cappuccino hue to it. The beer itself had a slightly translucent and clear brown oak color with a slightly orange hue.

Smell. The aroma was malty and roasty, probably from those dark crystal malts. The hop bouquet was nice and floral with a hint of pine. The combination of the floral notes and pine gave it a very slight hint of Christmas potpourri.

Taste. The flavor was wonderful with a strong roasted flavor and a slight caramel taste. It also had hints of a strong cup of cappuccino. The balance was slightly more bitter than malty but it is not overpowering and if it was any less bitter it might have been too sweet.

Mouthfeel. The beer felt like a medium to full bodied beer with just the right level of carbonation. It went down fairly smooth but it is not the smoothest beer I’ve had but it is also not harsh at all. Aside from the hops, there was no discernible aftertaste and even the hop aftertaste did not linger.

Drinkability. I think this was a very drinkable beer especially for cold weather. It might be a bit heavy for the summer time but this is a characteristic common to winter warmers. It was easy to drink more than one. Jubelale has a high alcohol content producing a nice buzz after one beer but the alcohol does not adversely affect the flavor.

Rating. My ratings below are on a five point scale with five being the best score. The overall rating is an average of each of the ratings.

• Appearance: 4.0
• Smell: 4.0
• Taste: 4.5
• Mouthfeel: 3.5
• Drinkability: 4.0
• Overall: 4.0

What Others Thought

It’s always more enjoyable to share a beer with friends and family. As part of this blog I plan on not only reviewing the beer myself but also gathering feedback from others. Below is what Liz and Doug thought about the beer.

Liz

• Appearance. Amber color with a cola fizz colored head.
• Smell. A hoppy floral smell and a light roasty malt aroma.
• Taste. A coffee taste that is almost espresso-like. Bitter and piney.
• Mouthfeel. Palette cleansing. Medium to full bodied.
• Drinkability. Although does not prefer amber thought this beer is drinkable. 3.0 rating.

Doug

• Appearance. Maple brown color with a stouty head.
• Smell. Bright and floral.
• Taste. Floral. Brownish with a touch of black coffee. Like a stout.
  
• Mouthfeel. Cleans palette.
• Drinkability. Drinkable. 3.0 rating.
  

Caption from the Bottle

The following appears on the side of each bottle:

Every year, fall’s crisp, cool air signals the imminent arrival of winter. Thoughts of snow, friends and family, the holidays, and — Jubelale. Brewed with dark crystal malt creating a luscious holiday note with bountiful hops to excite your taste buds— it’s easy to see why Jubelale is the perfect complement to the season.

Information

• Alcohol content: 6.7% abv
• Bitterness: 60 IBU
• Style: winter warmer
• Brewery: Deschutes Brewery [more info]
• Beer Advocate rating: 4.01 (as of Jan. 2, 2009)

More Reviews

• Beer Advocate — Jubelale
• The Full Pint — Review – Deschutes Jubelale 2007
• The Brew Site — Deschutes Brewery Week: Jubelale 2008
• randys.org — Holiday Beer Report: Deschutes Jubelale 2008
• BetterBeerBlog — Beers in Review: Deschutes Jubelale 2008 and Scaldis Noel