Starr Hill Snow Blind
About this time of year, as the weather grows colder and the days shorter, my fridge starts too fill up with warming, boozy beers. Troeg’s Troegenator is a frequent visitor as it provides the right amount of heft, warmth and sweetness to thaw out cold bones in the evening. It’s pretty much a staple during the Winter months. Starr Hill also have a darn tasty doppelbock, in the form of their Snow Blind, that very well may be sitting side-by-side in the fridge going forward.
The 7.7% ABV Snow Blind is available right now as part of the brewery’s Winter Tour variety pack. It’s boozy and warming as it should be with a good amount of bready malt, sweetness and soft raisin/dark fruit notes (which were a nice touch). The beer’s carbonation is lacking a little bit as it glides without much liveliness across the palate. This ends up giving the seasonal release a slightly viscous mouthfeel, which still works nicely with the long, warming finish. There’s a light numbing of the tongue — probably the result of the alcohol — but that subsides after a few sips.
Snow Blind has been around for a few years now, but this was, I believe, the first time I had crossed paths with the doppelbock. It’s nice to know that there’s a more localized substitute for the wife’s favorite (Troegenator) as the temperature continues to drop. I’d personally like to see a touch more carbonation to help cut the malt sweetness a bit, but when it’s time to defrost, I certainly won’t complain to find a glass full of Snow Blind in front of me.
This is a review of a promotional sample.