Nothing beats a good boozy barleywine on a cold winter’s day. And while barleywines were traditionally British in descent, many North American brewers are making these big beers, and adding their own flair. If you’re looking for a beer built for a Canadian winter, it follows that you should probably look for one made by a brewer in an area that really knows Canadian winters. Enter Half Pints Brewing Co, the pride of Winterpeg Manitoba. Burly Wine is their hoppy boozy brew of choice for the long cold winter. Yes, this is one of those beers you can’t swing down to the LCBO and buy; I got this on a trade. Andrew over at highhops.wordpress.com had an extra bottle and fancied a DDC bottle I’d brought back from Montreal. The trade ensued, and now, here I am, kneeling in the snow to make a representative picture of a very Canadian beer.
Half Pints Burly Wine
From a 341ml bottle with no freshness date I could find, but a sexy wax-dipped neck, the beer pours a dark copper brown, nearly chestnut in the centre. The low dense head dissipates to a thin film fairly quickly, but leaves a ring and some lace the whole way down. Aroma is huge sweet malts, alcohol, rum and molasses as well as dark dried fruits. Hints of woodiness and a touch of something spicy. Taste is marvelous, and a little unexpected. Immediately sweet and boozy, fruity and dark, but not at all cloying, and you quickly realize it’s because there is a generous amount of hop to balance some of it out. Anyways, immediately there is sweet malts, rum, yeast dried fruits and a little touch of wood. As it warms, sweet rich toffee starts to appear on the front of the tongue. Mid palate is ultra smooth, and almost buttery, but hops slide in at the finish and build, a little tannin and dryness, and I think it’s where the woodiness is coming from. Finish is still a lingering toffee sweetness with a nice warming alcohol at the back of your throat. Wow. This beer is massive. Not as thick or cloying as a lot of barleywines; I’m surprised and thankful for it’s hops (I’m told it’s 75 IBU, which is pretty big). It’s hugely drinkable, though is beyond a slow sipper. Still, perfect for a snowy Toronto afternoon, even if it is “The Winnipeg Winter Warmer”. Lovely, if you find yourself in Winnipeg for the 9 arctic-months of the year, invest in some bottles of this wonderful beer.
Thanks again, Andrew!
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