From Stanley Park Brewery (Turning Point Brewery) in Delta BC comes their “Ice Breaker Winter Ale”.  I was a little trepidatious about trying this beer as I find many winter ales vanilla and spice bombs.  The beer pours a deep ruby brown colour with a light brown head.  The aroma consists of caramel malts, molasses, chocolate and cherry.  The flavour is of big dark chocolate, molasses, caramel malts, cherry and some dark fruits.  The alcohol content comes in at 5.5% with an IBU of 20.  I was happy to find this was not a typical winter ale and reminded me of a black forest cake.  If you are into winter beer but want something different pick up a bottle or two.

Commercial Description:  The label reads Stanley Park, but tasteful notes of cherry and dark chocolate will put you in a Black Forest state of mind! Specialty German malts provide the backbone and rich colour, while low carbonation and IBU allow the unique flavours of this porter style ale to break through. Cheers!

Food pairing as per brewery:  Aged Gouda, Mascarpone, or Gruyère cheeses, Roasted Pork Tenderloin with fresh cherry and tomato chutney, or with dessert like Dark Cocao Chocolate, or New York Cheesecake