One of the best things about the calendar rolling over to November is the return of winter beers. Warming, flavorful, and delicious, winter beers are most definitely one of the things that make my season bright.
My first seasonal fling of the year comes on the heels of a 37 inch snow storm that rendered transportation in Fort Collins, CO to nothing more than skis and toboggans in 2003. This minor winter blizzard was the inspiration for New Belgium's featured winter ale this year.
Replacing 2 Below, Snow Day is unlike most other winter ales I’ve tried. While most of these seasonal beers come with a heavy dose of spice, Snow day is more like brown ale. The prevailing taste is clearly nut paired with undertones of caramel. Although it’s not a terrible marriage of tastes, it does lack a certain kick.
The head is thick and sweet, but once you pass the deliciously sweet carbonation you are left with an oaky beer that could only be considered a unique and novel taste if drank on a very limited basis. I won’t single out Snow Day as a bad beer because of its bland and uninspired taste, but I do find fault with New Belgium for attempting to turn, in my humble opinion, one of the world’s most underwhelming beer styles into something it’s not.
I’ll give Snow Day an extra point because I was unfairly expecting too much from a beer that replaced one of my favorite brews. That being said, I can’t bring myself to give Snow Day anything higher than 5.5 mugs out of 10.
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