Cold Mountain is Highland's perennial Winter Ale and pours a dark malty brown. The first sip tastes of dark chocolate. This is not a Hershey's chocolate but something more exotic, perhaps like a dark German chocolate. This chocolate body dominates the beer flavor to the last sip, an excellent pairing of hops and malt combinations.
I really don't know what style to call Cold Mountain? Is it a Stout, a Porter or a Brown Ale, I don't know? I estimate that this is not quite a stout but is a unique and superior brown ale style. I'm giving Cold Mountain 4.75 out of 5 pints only because all beers can't receive a perfect score.
Other beers I've been drinking this fall include New Belgium's Snow-day which is an Indian Brown Ale style, another great offering from Fort Collins. I recently had a Mendocino Oatmeal Stout which was an excellent, very flavorful creamy stout. I highly recommend that my fellow beer lovers find and enjoy these beers.
Beer Advocate suggests it is a Winter Warmer.
ReplyDeletehttp://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/811/7296
Did it have flavors of spices, or just unadulterated malt brew? Inquiring minds, and all that - though again, I have not seen this in the northeast. Looks like I need a southeast beer swing/tour.
Cold Mountain doesn't have those spicy flavors that some of the other winter ales have. I'm sure they are hidden in there some where or it wouldn't taste like dark chocolate. Winter welcome has a pretty limited release. I would highly recommend a beer tour across the state of North Carolina.
ReplyDelete