Tag Archives: winter ale

Auld Nick Winter Ale – R&B Brewing (R and B Brewing)

by Mike

From Vancouver BC’s R&B Brewing comes the “Auld Nick Winter Ale” a Scottish Wee Heavy Ale.  The beer pours a deep brown colour with a tan head.  The aroma consists of toffee, molasses, brown sugar and some roasted malts.  The flavour is of toffee, molasses, earth, chocolate and dark fruits.  The alcohol content comes in at 6.5% with an IBU of 18.  This beer sits a little more on the sweet side which is quite fitting for a winter seasonal beer.  I will be looking for a few more bottles of this before the weather gets warm again.

Commercial Description: A “Scottish Wee Heavy”.  The Auld Nick is not your usual spicy Winter Ale. There are no spices in it. It is a sweet, full bodied English strong ale made using specialty malted grains and traditional hops of East Kent. A truly complex but surprisingly smooth beer.

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Break The Ice Party 2015 – Stanley Park Brewery

by Mike

On November 5th, 2015 Stanley Park Brewery held a launch party for their Ice Breaker Winter Ale at Robson Square in Downtown Vancouver.

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Stanley Park Brewery really knows how to throw a party and this was no different.  With an ice rink usually found under street level at Robson Square it only made sense to hold a winter beer launch party here.  For the lucky people that either won their way into this party or were invited everyone had fun.  There was lots of the Ice Breaker on tap or in bottle and lots of food to pair it with.

Full sized photos.

If you have never tried this winter ale then you should really check it out as it is not a Vanilla bomb but almost like a Black Forest Cake.  It is one of my favourite of the style!

Ice Breaker Winter Ale – Stanley Park Brewery

by Mike

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

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The Twelve Beers of Christmas – 9 – Howe Sound Brewing Father Johns Winter Ale

by steveeh

Steve’s Ninth Beer of Christmas is Howe Sound Brewing of Squamish’s Father John’s Winter Ale.

Let’s get this part out of the way now: I love this beer. OK on to the review.

Starting on a great brown colour with red highlight with a reddish brown head. The beer is slightly cloudy and fairly opaque.

The nose has mellow cedar with tropical fruit underneath (maybe papaya?). A bit of faint cinnamon or nutmeg floats underneath everything and just a hint of candy sweetness but not too much and a malty roundness finishes the aromas.

The flavours start bold and almost rough with brown ale and rough acid fade quickly to papaya with an almost sake-like rice flavour. A cedar aftertaste is very nice and I wait very long between sips to enjoy it. The mouthfeel is full and rich with a buttery feel.

Yup, love this beer

Winter Ale – Lighthouse Brewing (December 20, 2013)

by Mike

Beer Advent Calendar 2013

From Victoria’s Lighthouse Brewing comes their “Winter Ale”.  This Winter Warmer pours a very deep ruby/brown with an off white head.  The aroma consists of roasted malts, dark fruits and some vanilla.  The flavour is of roasted malts, dark fruits, coffee, chocolate, vanilla, rum, smoke, some sugar and a some bitterness.  The alcohol content comes in at 6.5%.  As winter ales go this is a very well crafted ale.  I would have no problem sitting down to a few of these this winter.

Commercial Description:  Lighthouse Winter Ale is brewed in the English tradition of the “winter warmer”. We begin with a generous quantity of Maris Otter malt, enriched with the finest UK specialty malts, producing a luscious, silky-sweet character and striking copper/amber hue. German Noble hops provide a delicate balance on the palate, and add spicy complexity to a predominantly malty aroma. Mashed at a slightly higher temperature, and cellar-aged at the brewery, this full bodied, rich, and warming ale is the perfect companion through the chill of the holiday season.

Beer Advent Calendar 2013

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