I don’t actually remember having Widmer‘s W’06 NW Red Ale, but that’s apparently what their new seasonal Brrr is based on. It’s a 7.2% alcohol in the “Northwest Red” style (although now that it’s a winter seasonal, you’ll see it classified as a Winter Warmer), and you’ll recall that I received three of them.

By and large, general reaction to the beer when it first appeared was apathy, or at least “unremarkable.” That was the pushback I got on it before I even opened a bottle, so I was definitely curious. (Having not had it before, remember.)

Appearance: Nice and clear, red-amber in color, with a light tan head that built up nicely.

Smell: Clean, spicy hop aromas, a little earthy. Some rich roasted malt notes accompany that as well.

Taste: Big hop kick right up front, which washes over the back of the palate with a very clean, very pleasant bitterness—spicy and powdery. Malt is mellow and smooth with a nice “red” character (roasty grains with no astringency) and there’s a very pleasant warming quality accompanying the hoppiness.

Mouthfeel: Nice and smooth and medium-thick. Nice aftertaste—very clean—from the hops.

Overall: Hoppy and tasty, I was bracing for mediocrity since that was the prevailing reactions of others, but I quite like it.

On BeerAdvocate, it thus with 11 reviews scores an overall grade of B. On RateBeer, it scores 3.59 out of 5 and is in their 88th percentile.