Winter Warmers – LCBO Winter Release

So I posted a few days ago, and mentioned the new beers in the LC, but thought I’d give you the full break-down of what they’ve got to keep you warm through our long nights.  Can I just take a moment and say how awesome this release looks?  They just keep on upping their game, to all of our benefit.  Thanks to the beer crew at the LCBO!

The order is the order I drank them (and thus, the order of my notes).

Trafalgar Bock, Trafalgar Ales and Meads, #684852 – Aroma is malty and some burnt/charred wood. Taste is more of the same, with a pretty thin body, especially for a bock.  At least it wasn’t infected.

Meantime Coffee Porter, Meantime Brewing, #194167 – Dark lovely coffee/espresso aromas, with sweet malts and hints of vanilla.  Taste is a bit maltier, sweet and grainy, with caramel and burnt sugar dancing with lovely coffee.  Excellent.

Marston’s Oyster Stout, Marston’s, Thompson & Evershed Plc. #457663 – Rich and velvety in the mouth, there’s heaps of lovely dark malts in the taste as well as the aroma.  Hints of chocolate and molasses in the finish.

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, Brooklyn Brewery #95034 – Like smelling a bar of dark chocolate, huge chocolate in the aroma.  Taste is very chocolatey too, but with a great alcohol warmth, which makes sense with it’s 10%abv.  Nice dry cocoa finish with a lingering alcohol presence.

Box Steam Dark and Handsome, Boxsteam Brewing, #188887 – Fruity and spicy aroma, with some rootbeer/jager medicinal hints.  Same in the taste, with a nice mineral like hop.  Quite an interesting beer.

Lava, Ölvisholt Brugghús, #187005 – Massive smoked imperial stout, with a heap of smokiness in the aroma.  Leather, burnt sugar and fruits are also prevalent.  Taste is again leather and dark fruits with this lovely smooth smoke throughout and a long sweet finish.

Southern Tier Creme Brulee, #135194 – Huge vanilla and caramel aroma with hints of milk.  Taste is all vanilla and burnt sugar and cream.  Heavy, even thick, body with a long sweet warming finish.

Traquair Jacobite Ale, Traquair House Ales #186999 – A killer spiced Scotch ale, the aroma is of spices and dark fruits, and is a little musty.  Taste is more fruity, with nice cinnamon and licorice notes.  Something about the yeast gives it a quality like a farmhouse cheese.  A little raw and wild.  Awesome.

St Ambroise Vintage Ale, McAuslan Brewing #66027 – The 2010 Barleywine from McAuslan, drink it now or lay it down for 1-2 years.  Young, it’s got a lot of chocolate and dark caramelly malts in the aroma.  Very malty taste, a bit of allspice and cinnamon.  Quite boozy, but it’s in balance.

Christoffel Winterse Bok, Sint Christoffel Beir #186193 – Aroma is of dark caramel, molasses and vanilla.  Taste is less sweet than I expected, with something like melon and a musty hop.  Not my favourite.

Dieu du Ciel! Solstice d’Hiver, Dieu du Ciel! #188888 – A huge Barleywine.  Spicy and phenolic in the nose, with lots of alcohol.  Taste is hugely sweet, with a cupboard’s worth of spices.  Sweet hot boozy finish that just goes on and on.

St Bernardus Abt 12, Brouwerij St. Bernardus, #198895 – Big sweet malts and Belgian yeast in the aroma.  Taste is huge dark fruits and dried jammy fruits.  Molasses and more of the Belgian yeast, with a nice hot alcohol finish that lingers on.  Lovely.

La Trappe Quadruppel, Koningshoeven B.V. #92791 – Big dark fruits, and caramelly malt sweetness.  Spices, not over-bearing, but warmly present throughout.  Loooooooong finish that hides it’s abv and makes you want more.  Buy lots of this.

Post a Comment

Your email is never published nor shared. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

*
*

Subscribe without commenting