From what I'm led to believe, Winter Welcome is unbelievably expensive. Fortunately I have no first hand knowledge of whether that's true or not. My daughter's boss gave her a bottle for Christmas and she passed it along to me. Such generosity was not wasted, I can assure you. Smith's has to be one of the best ales on the market, and I am most thankful for the opportunity to sample some.

Good booze needs a context for proper enjoyment, otherwise you're just drinking for the sake of drinking, which is never wise. Since Winter Welcome is an English import, I figured it would go nicely with a London-made pipe packed full of tobacco from England. I was not mistaken.

Now when I say Samuel Smith is smooth, I mean smooth, as in smoother than a politician's political patter. And there is no bitter after taste, absolutely none whatsoever. If I recall correctly, Miller used call itself the champaign of bottled beers. It's not, but this is.

The Smith brewery has a web site well worth perusing: http://www.merchantduvin.com/pages/5_breweries/samsmith.html Since their once a year winter offering is so superb, I feel biblically obligated to assess the rest of the fine brews listed thereon. The Bible does say, "whether you eat or drink, do all to the glory of God." I fully intend to joyfully obey the Lord by a monthly taste of Smith beer or ale. Look for the coming reviews.

Note: Martin Luther was a godly man, the grand Reformer and a great lover of top shelf beer. In his honor, the beers and ales I evaluate with be measured in Luthers. Thus, Samuel Smith's Winter Welcome Ale gets 5 out of 5 Luthers. Highly recommended!