CHRISTMAS ALE ~ SHEPHERD NEAME

7% from Faversham, Kent, England
Sheperd Neame is one of England’s oldest brewery. Christmas Ale is their seasonal release and is a winter ale. Sampled from a bottle, the beer poured a clear copper-orange with an average creamy head, which reduced to a cap and left decent lacing. Lots of carbonation was apparent. The nose had notes of Christmas cake, fruity esters and dark fruit, caramel and brown sugar, a touch of spice and earthy floral hops. The taste is quite sweet with fruity and caramel notes, spice and earthy hops. The finish has a sweetness balanced with the earthy hops. Body is medium but the mouthfeel is little thin. The carbonation is active. I thought this was a very pleasant Christmas Ale, not to much of anything and nicely balanced.
Malts: Pale and Crystal malts
Hops: Goldings (aroma), Target, Challenger (bittering hops)

CUVÉE ~ NICKEL BROOK

Cuvee is an auburn ale, brewed with both North American and European malts, Caribbean demerara, fruits (figs, orange peel, raisin), herbs and spice (cinnamon, all spice, black pepper, cardamom and vanilla beans) and then aged in bourbon barrels. Good fresh and great for cellaring. Sampled on draught, the brew poured a very murky brown, with a finger’s height of puffy frothy beige head, which left some leggy lacing. The aroma contained spices, white wine, dried fruit, dark fruit, herbal notes, sugar, roasted grains, citrus and subtle oak, bourbon and vanilla - wonderfully complex. The flavour was just as complex, with flavours of spice, fruit, Christmas cake, wine, caramel-sugar sweetness, orange peel with a tart finish and notes of pepper, vanilla and oaky bourbon. The beer had a medium to full body, lots of active carbonation, and a slightly drying finish. A delicious and complex beer, I would love to know what an aged bottle tastes like. Expensive but worth it!
8% from Burlington, Ontario

BAH HUMBUG ~ WYCHWOOD BREWERY

Bah Humbug is a seasonal winter warmer (spiced beer.) Sampled from a bottle the beer poured a slightly opaque coppery mahogany with a thick cream coloured head. The nose contained caramel, nuts, dried fruit, cinnamon, spice, breadiness and a hint of sweetness and leafy hops. The taste had notes of dried fruit, caramel, light toasted malts, cinnamon, subtle banana, bread malts and nuttiness. The finish is leafy maris otter hops along with spice, which leave a drying subtle bitter aftertaste. The body was medium-light and the carbonation on the soft side. A very palatable Christmas beer.

6% from Witney, England

GREAT LAKES BREWERY ~ GRANDPA’S OL’ WHITE EGG NOG STOUT

This was my first time ever having a white stout. I had this seasonal offering on draught. The beer poured a slightly hazy pale golden amber colour with a lasting white creamy head, which left nice lacing. The stout smelled like…egg nog, with lots of nutmeg, vanilla, cinnamon, sweet malts and a touch of earthiness. The stout itself was quite sweet with lots of vanilla, nutmeg, and other Christmassy spices, a lactic quality and a soupçon of bourbon. The beer almost had a sweet soda like quality to it. The body was medium-full, the carbonation was low and quite fine, and the stout felt creamy on my palette. I liked this to start the evening but I would not want to drink more than one of them, as I think it would easily become cloying.

5% from Toronto, Ontario

BIZARRE LOVE TRIANGLE ~ WEST AVENUE CIDER

West Avenue has no shortage of interesting and innovative ciders, along with some very good traditional ones. Bizarre Love Triangle was created using molasses, wintery spices and muscovado sugar and aged for a year in bourbon barrels. Sampled on draught the cider poured a slightly opaque rich golden amber. The flapper and the nose had complexity. The nose contained spices (cinnamon, cloves, etc) as well an a rich fruitiness along with the apples. The spice and the sweetness is cut by the tartness of the apples. A lovely woody nuttiness is evident from barrel aging. The cider is not heavily carbonated and has a lovely boozy warmth. A lovely winter bevvie!

7.2% from Flamborough, Ontario

Photo Courtesy of West Avenue Instagram

FIEBRE DE CALABAZA ~ SAWDUST CITY 

Fiebre De Calabaza is one crazy brew! It is a sour Bourbon barrel fermented oatmeal stout with Mexican spices and pumpkin on nitro. Sampled on draught at Sawdust City’s Annual tap takeover, this stout poured a deep mahogany brown-black with a generous pillowy beige head. The nose contains a plethora of smells: sour, spice, smoke, pumpkin, fruit, roasted malts, chocolate…. The taste is as complex. The beer’s first impression is that of a sour stout, with vinous dark fruit. This is followed by roasted malts, chocolate and cocoa and woody notes from the barrel aging and then finishes with heat from the Mexican spices and habanero at the back of your throat. The body is medium and the carbonation was average to light. There is a lot going on here, this is definitely a beer for the adventurous. Interesting but I could not have more than one.
6.5% from Gravenhurst, Ontario 35 IBU

COUNTRY BUMPKIN ~ OAST HOUSE

Country Bumpkin is a seasonal offering from Niagara Last house featuring fresh pumpkin and acorn, butternut, and hubbard squash that have been roasted then mashed with the malt and a load of pumpkin pie spice that has been added in the boil. Sampled on draught the beer poured a fairly clear deep orangey amber with an average cream coloured head. The aroma was a pumpkin pie! - lots of baking spice (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves), pumpkin, and roasted malts. Taste follows as would b expected, spices up front, followed by pumpkin and then toasted malts giving it a crusty pumpkin pie impression. There is very little hop bitterness. The body was medium and the carbonation was average to soft. This is one of the nicer pumpkin beers I’ve had.

5.5% from Niagara on the Lake, Ontario 18 IBU

GREAT LAKES ~ WINTER ALE

A Winter Warmer sampled from a bottle. The beer poured a translucent medium beer brown with slight amber hues. It had a fingers height of head that left good lacing after it fell. There was lots of spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger) on the nose as well as caramel, dark fruits, and sweet malts. The beer began with sweet malty caramel and suggestions of orange, followed by dry spices (cinnamon, nutmeg), with a touch of honey. It finished fry with a pleasant earthy hop and warming ginger. It is well carbonated and the mouth feel is on the thinner side of medium. A pleasant offering from GLB, but these beers are like pumpkin ales to me, I want them as a treat not all the time. Worth checking out.

6.5 % from Toronto, Ontario

LA RÉSOLUTION ~ UNIBROUE 

Sampled on draught, La Résolution is Strong Dark Spiced Belgian Ale. It has been brewed since 2014 and is only seasonally available. It pours an opaque dark velvety brown with deep copper highlights. It had a little off white head that persisted and then left webby lacing down the glass. The rich complex smells contained gingerbread spices, cherries, dark fruits, caramel and Belgian yeasts, and alcohol. Sweet molasses, Christmas cake, dried fruit, Belgian yeasts, caramel, roasted malts and gingerbread spice dance over ones taste buds, leaving a boozy warmness. The beer had full flavour and a medium mouthfeel with medium-high carbonation. The beer finished semi-dry with herbal spicy flavours. I really enjoyed this one. Lots of flavour, very drinkable and nicely warming. I love the melange of favours and how well they are combined. Would definitely have this one again.

10% from Chambly, Quebec 22 IBU

2015: A SPICE ODYSSEY ~ WELLINGTON

I bought and drank this the day that Bowie died.  It seemed fitting.  Sampled in a Bomber bottle, this is a Chai Tea Latte Stout.  Originally brewed in 2014 by an all female brewing team, what was meant to be a Welly One-off has now become a Welly re-boot.  The spices used were donated by the Bollywood Bistro and a portion of the sales go to help women in crisis.  The beer pours a very dark brown, almost black, with a finger of beige head.  The head lasted quite a while and left some thin lacing.  The nose had sweet chai spice, chocolate, nutmeg, cinnamon, and roasted malts.  The flavour began and dark roasted malts and dark chocolate, followed by hints a lovely spiciness, including vanilla, cinnamon, ginger and cloves.  The finish was dry and the cinnamon lingered.  Good medium mouthful and flavour.  Overall a nicely balanced, not over done beer.  Will have this again - it is a good sipper on a winters night.  Cheers Ziggy.

 7% from Guelph, Ontario      17 IBU

BROKEN HIPSTER ~ INDIE ALE HOUSE

Broken Hipster is a traditional Belgian Wit.  Indie ale house brews it with rose, lavender, ginger, orange and ‘other stuff.’  The beer pours a murky unfiltered light gold.  Nose is banana, bubble gum and spice.  Flavour is yeasty/bready with citrus, clove, bubble gum and very subtle peppercorn.  I wish that some of the herbs would pack more of a punch, but this is a very drinkable wit for a hot summers day. Very enjoyable!

5% from Toronto, Ontario  

IBU 25 to 30
-beer 88-

ROSEE D’HIBISCUS ~ DIEU DE CIEL

Seasoned Wheat Beer.  Rosee d’Hibiscus starts off as a wheat beer, during the brewing process Hibiscus flowers are added giving the beer a lovely fragrance and a slight acidity.  It pours a rich pink, has a lovely tartness and a flavour all its own.  I often drink this as a refreshing summer beer.

5.9% from Montreal,Quebec
-beer 28-