After a month of conditioning under the stairs I gave my winter ale a try and it seems to have worked very well. Chocolate is the main aroma with a hint of smoke and some roasted barley bitterness in the finish but it's smooth and with enough alcohol to warm the cockles nicely. Compared to a couple of the Christmas ales that I sampled at the Town Street Tavern last Sunday it comes out very well. The spiced version has also been moderately successful although the dominating flavours are cloves and cinnamon rather than ginger and orange. When I have access to a red hot poker (no longer a court issue, just some very tedious paperwork) we will have a go at mulling it and see if that brings the flavour out.