The History of Winter Welcome
Throughout history, beer of somewhat higher alcohol and richness has been enjoyed for the winter holidays, when old friends get together to enjoy the season. Wassail, a festival to celebrate winter and the beer that goes with it, predates the Christian era. Winter Welcome Ale is vintage-dated with a special label each year, and was first shipped to the US in 1990 – it was the first imported winter seasonal beer. Serve in a traditional Sam Smith tulip or nonik glass for the holidays.
Taste
Honey-amber colored, creamy head of small bubbles, floral aroma and delicious caramel malt flavor with great finesse. Fine hop aroma finish and a fruity note from fermentation in open-topped stone “Yorkshire Squares.”
Serving Suggestion
Roast goose, smoked turkey with oyster dressing, rack of lamb, candied yams, Smithfield hams, fresh pears and apples, Christmas cake. Serve in crystal tumblers, or traditional Yorkshire tulip or nonik pint glasses.
About the Samuel Smith Brewery
The Old Brewery at Tadcaster was founded in 1758 and is Yorkshire’s oldest brewery. Samuel Smith is one of the few remaining independent breweries in England, and further is the last to utilize the classic Yorkshire Square system of fermentation solely in stone squares.
The rich Samuel Smith strain of yeast at The Old Brewery dates from the early 1900s. Hops are hand-weighed by the master hop blender, and the brewing water is drawn from the original well, sunk over 250 years ago.
First introduced to the U.S. market in 1978 by Merchant du Vin, Samuel Smith beers quickly became the benchmark ales for the emerging craft beer movement. To this day, they remain among the most awarded.
Samuel Smith beers and cider are vegan products, registered with The Vegan Society, as seen here; product list is here . (Stingo is aged in wooden vessels that previously held fined beer, so it’s not registered vegan.)
Beers from Samuel Smith’s Old Brewery have delighted consumers and inspired other brewers for over 250 years. Some of the traditions of this fiercely independent Yorkshire brewery can be seen in the video below: delivery by horse-drawn dray wagons; barrels made by the brewery cooper; and open-topped Yorkshire Square fermenters made of slate.