The first brew I tried in the “It’s really cool when breweries send you beer” session was the K-9 Cruiser Winter Ale. We all know winter warmers can run the gamut of great to terrible, so I had no pre-conceived ideas about what this beer would taste like. I guess I was expecting something malty with that special ‘extra’ spice profile that, honestly, rarely works for me. So here goes… The pour was a nice caramel color and predictable head of a couple of fingers. On the nose there is a sweetness of malt and some fruit, with a touch of hop citrus. The taste was great. None of those “hey, check out that coriander” or “whoa, someone spilled some ginger in here” moments, just a nice smooth beer. Not to say that there’s no spice, because there’s a hint. A nice hint, though, of something like cinnamon or another Christmas-like spice, which makes this a pleasant seasonal brew. I could definitely have several of these in an evening and not get overwhelmed, and probably will now that I think about it. Overall, a really solid and drinkable beer that I’ll definitely have around the house for the next month or so. Cheers ~G

score 3.5