I headed into the mountains this weekend. The weather forecast said snow. Winter ale’s are one of my favorites of the seasonal types. New Belgium Brewing, located in Fort Collins, CO, has been putting out a winter seasonal called 2 Below ever since I’ve lived here. As much as I like New Belgium, 2 Below was really not my favorite winter beer. But this season they put out another winter seasonal, Snow Day, which I have to say is one of my favorites that the brewery makes, period. I guess they’ve been brewing it since ’93, but I’ve never seen it until this year. I would drink it all year round if it were available. The profile is mostly smooth maltiness, but it has just the right amount of hoppiness too (for my liking anyway). Roasty undertones make for an excellent cold weather beer that definitely has a warming characteristic. The color is not as dark as it is in the photo; more like really dark reddish brown. I’ll be keeping some of these on reserve in my fridge for the rest of the winter for sure.
-Robin