LIONS WINTER ALE ~ 
GRANVILLE ISLAND

Lions Winter Ale is Granville Island's award winning brew taking silver at the World Beer Championships in 2011.  It is only seasonally available (October to March).  Sampled form a tin, the beer pours a filtered dark red colour with

a creamy head, and lots of effervescent bubbles.    The aroma is malty with tons of caramel, chocolate, vanilla, and a candied fruit, which reminds me of Christmas, baked goods.  The beer is bursting with bold flavours that mimic the smell, with the addition of a slight hop bitterness at the end.  The hops are not enough to cut the sweetness of the beer.  Very tasty but sweet – would pair well with sharp cheeses or a dessert. It has a creamy smooth mouth feel with medium carbonation.   A good winter warmer, I can see purchasing several more tins for cold nights.

Granville Island Brewing was established in Vancouver in 1984.  It is one of the oldest craft breweries in Canada.  Beers are named primarily after locations in Vancouver. 

5.5% from Vancouver, British Columbia

NAVIGATOR II ~ MILL STREET

Sampled from the cask, on draught.  This version of Navigator (an American IPA) was extra hopped in the cask and aged in oak.  It had a citrusy nose and flavour, while retaining hints of wheat.   The bitterness was moderate but not overpowering.  The hops gave it some pine/resin character.  The alcohol content was a little astringent, but an enjoyable brew.  I am sorry a multinational corporation has bought out this brewery.  Though they will still brew in the same brewery with the same recipes and care, I am sorry to see Canadian ownership slip away.

6.7% from Toronto, Ontario

LENOIR ~ BELL CITY

Sampled from a tin. Bell City has made Lenoir, Belgian style ale, using a classic recipe.  It pours a clear light amber/golden colour with a moderate head.   The nose was mild and contained notes of spice (clove), ripe fruit banana, peach, sweet esters of Belgian yeast, and candy sugar.  I found this beer a little sweet for my tastes, but is a very pleasant and a good example of the style.  The malts tasted quite sweet as well as the fruity esters, I was even getting a lot of bubble gum.  The brewery states they use lots of Belgian Candi Sugar, (a sugar often used in making dubbels or tripels) as their added touch.  Lenoir was the second core brand for the newish Bell City Brewery. It is names after Etienne Lenoir, the Belgian inventor of the internal combustion engine.

6.5%  from Brantford, Ontario             18 IBU

SAWDUST CITY ~ WINDING ROAD 

FOR 7 KM

Sampled on draught.  Winding Road for 7 km is a rye saison.  It pours a clear medium amber with a moderate white head.  The aroma contains citrus, especially orange, florals and spices.    It had wild notes to it and reminded me a bit of wine.  Taste is much the same florals and citrus, and citrus peel are in the forefront, but also contains saison yeast notes, rye, peppery spices and a refreshing sourness.  The finish was sweet.  I like the balance of the malts and yeast.  I would revisit this one. 

7% from Gravenhurst, Ontario

 

WEISSE O’LANTERN ~ BEAU’S

Weisse O’Lantern is No. 13 in Beau’s Wild Oats Series and was part of the 2015 Oktoberfest four-pack.  It is a weisse beer, brewed with pumpkin (350 pounds of pumpkin go onto each batch), making it a new hybrid, a pumpkinweisse.  All ingredients are organic.  Sampled from a 60 mL bottle, the beer pours an orange hued gold, with a good creamy off white head.  The head lasts for a while, and leaves good amount of lacing as it dissipates.  The aroma is very typical of a weisse beer, with hints of pumpkin and citrus in the background, and in the forefront spices (clove and ginger), yeasts and bready malts.  The taste is also very typical of a weisse beer with bubble gum and banana, but also the spice (ginger, cinnamon, and clove), citrus peel and a very subtle pumpkin.  Cinnamon lingers in the aftertaste.  This is a very interesting hybrid, though if you were looking for a pumpkin beer I may start elsewhere - this tastes much more like a weisse.  Drinkable and much enjoyed, but a little steep in price.

 

5.6% from Vankleek Hills, Ontario    17 IBU

Hops: Wheat, pilsner, carafoam, caramunich

Malts: Organic Hallertau tradition

Other : orange peel, ginger, cinnamon and brewers yeast

VOODOO DOUGHNUT LEMON CHIFFON CRUELLER ~ ROGUE ALES

OK, I often like the ‘out-there beers’ – the more experimental brews, the one offs…but I have finally met a beer I did not like, and I am putting that mildly. Brewed only once is not necessarily a bad thing. Brewed as a Doughnut Ale, to match Voodoo Doughnuts Lemon Chiffon Crueller, this is a crazy concoction brewed with a plethora of ingredients, including lemon juice, marshmallow, and vanilla beans.
The beer poured an off brown colour. The nose contained lots as astringent synthetic lemon, resembling a mix of cologne and lemon cleaner. I took the first sip, hops, lemon pledge, and bubble gum with a strange marshmallow after taste. I though it may grow on me after a few sips. I tried. The flavour didn’t grow on me, quite the opposite. This one was a pricey sink pour. YUK!

HOPS: 2-Row, Munich, & Rogue Farms Dare™ and Risk™ Malts; Perle and Sterling Hops

YEAST: Pacman Yeast

OTHER: Lemon Juice, Lemon Extract, Vanilla Beans, Vanilla Extract, Marshmallows & Free Range Coastal Water

6.9% from Newport, Oregon, USA