St. Benedict's Winter Ale - Stevens Point Brewery, Stevens Point

My expectations of this beer were pretty low. I've had a couple Stevens Point beers before and I remember them being nothing special. They were better than mass produced macrobrews but in the pantheon of great craft beers, Stevens Point is pretty far down the list. Also, it seems like the bulk of O'Fallon's beers are being brewed in Stevens Point now... and they're pretty poor quality. I tried to keep an open mind though and give this beer as fair shake. I'm pleased to say the St. Benedict's Winter Ale is better than I was originally expecting. How much better? Well... not much.

Stevens Point's St. Benedict's Winter Ale starts off really strong. It pours a deep red color, looking a lot like a glass of wine with a light tan colored head. This beer smells like a fruity Quadrupel with something missing... nothing specifically wrong on the nose, but there's something I can't put my finger on... because it's missing. I really, really like the aroma in this glass. There's plum, cherries and apple in the aroma, as well as a hint of chocolate.

The flavor of this beer is where it comes back down to reality. Most of scents in the aroma are curiously absent when St. Benedict's Winter Ale hits your palate. The flavor is similar to a lightly oaked malty beer that's been spiked with a bit of sweet cherry flavoring. It doesn't sound too bad does it? Well, take that beer and water it down THEN you've got the St. Benedict's. Honestly, this beer isn't all that bad. It's easy to drink, tastes much stronger than it is, and has a great aroma. If it just weren't so watery this would be a great holiday beer.