Craft Beer; Local brewers latch on to a European tradition, with good effect
By Randy Shore, Vancouver Sun
Brewers know a little sugar and a little spice makes everything nice.
Long reflective of the passing of the seasons across the pond, Christmas and winter ales are a European tradition that has taken firm root in B.C. soil. Most every craft brewer and brew pub in B.C. has something brewing for the cold, dark winter months.
“A winter beer is something a little stronger and a little sweeter, something to sit down with on a wet night in Vancouver or a cold snowy night anywhere else,” said Granville Island brewmaster Vern Lambourne. “It needs to be a little stronger and have a little more alcohol; that’s what gives it that warming effect.”
Winter beers usually range from about 5.5 per cent alcohol to as much as 9.5 per cent, enough to make you warm all over.
While a lot of brewers add citrus rinds, cloves and other spices to their Christmasthemed concoctions, Lambourne is not one of them, relying on special yeasts and the character of his barley blends to bring out unique, spicy flavours. Hints of banana, vanilla and clove are not unusual in beers with higher alcohol content. Roasted grains will bring coffee and chocolate notes to the party.
When the weather turns wet, Granville Island Brewing releases Lions Winter Ale made with a blend of three different barley malts and aromatic Williamette and Spalt hops. Lambourne has a delicate touch with hops, which hint at their presence without overpowering.
New this year is the Imperial Chocolate Stout, brewed as a limited release for the 125th anniversary of Rogers’ Chocolates. Chocolate stout is named for the dark roasted malt used to give the brew its signature black pigmentation, but Lambourne ups the ante by employing real chocolate in the mix, Rogers’ chocolate, of course. The result is a dry, almost floral hint of chocolate without any added sweetness.
The higher alcohol content gives the impression of sweetness, Lambourne noted.
R&B Brewing brings back a winter ale called Auld Nick in time for Christmas every year, a semi-stable recipe based on a “Scottish wee heavy,” a rich malty ale with toast-like tones. Auld Nick Winter Ale was aging for more than two months, and was released mid-November.
“What I love about Auld Nick is it’s so warm and it has so many complex flavours,” said R&B brewmaster Rick Dellow. “It’s like a Christmas cake in a glass, although we don’t add any spices to it.”
Like their competitors up the road at Granville Island, R&B has found a flavour partner for a winter limited release: Salt Spring Coffee’s Sumatra coffee. After six test batches, Dellow has settled on a recipe, according to partner Barry Benson. R&B Spirit Chaser Sumatra Coffee Porter launched Nov. 30.
In much of continental Europe, people expect their beers to change with the seasons, owing to a centuries-long tradition of brewing for refreshment in summer and sustenance in winter. The Brits will drink stout in summer lightened with fizzy lager or pale ale, while in Germany some beers are not available at all out of season.
While North Americans are used to getting whatever they want 365 days a year, Benson says beer drinkers are coming around to drinking by the calendar.
“When we first started up, we used to have to take them by the hand, pour the beer in a glass, put it in their hand and help them drink it,” Benson said of the earliest days of B.C.’s craft beer revolution, now more than a decade distant. “But there has been a huge revolution in beer knowledge, just in the past four or five years.”
Red Truck Beer Company takes a decidedly more aggressive approach to infusing Christmas flavours into their Red Truck Ale by adding brandied fruit and spices.
Steamworks Brewing Company maintains a roster of changing seasonal beers, including Blitzen, a Belgian tripel. This homage to the famous Trappist Ale rings in at a cheek-warming nine-per-cent alcohol and is loaded with natural fruit and spice tones generated by special yeast cultures used in its fermentation.
Whichever you try, make sure you have a ride home.
rshore@vancouversun.com
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Oh, By Gosh By Golly, It’s Time For Winter Ales
Brew Pubs
Vancouver
Steamworks
Blitzen Belgian Tripel, 9%
Tasting Notes: Belgian tripel with dry fruity flavour and candy-like sweetness.
Release: December
Yaletown Brewing Co.
Le Nez Rouge, 9%
Tasting Notes: Abbey-style ale with a spicy aroma and a long finish.
Release: Dec. 2
Richmond
Big River Brewing Co.
Gingerbread Man, 6.5%
Tasting Notes: Amber ale with bread and malt flavours capped by orange, ginger and Christmas spice.
Release: November
Surrey
Central City Brewing
Winter Ale, 7.5%
Tasting Notes: A dark amber ale brewed with a secret spice mix. Release: Mid-November
Squamish
Howe Sound Brewing Co.
Father John’s Winter Ale, 7%
Tasting Notes: Deep orange amber ale with strong nutmeg, clove and vanilla overtones.
Release: Nov. 1
Breweries
Granville Island Brewing
Lions Winter Ale, 5.5%
Tasting notes: Malt forward ale reveals vanilla notes with mild hop and floral nose.
Release: Mid-October
Imperial Chocolate Stout, 7.5%
Tasting notes: Rich, but light-bodied, with a remarkable dry chocolate high note and a long toasted malt finish.
Release: Nov. 18
R&B Brewing Co.
Auld Nick Winter Ale, 6.5%
Tasting notes: A very complex aged ale with toasted malt tones and fruity aromas.
Release: Mid-November
Red Truck Beer
Red Truck Limited Dunkel, 5%
Tasting notes: A dark Germanstyle lager with a burnt caramel finish
Release: December
Red Truck Xmas Cake cask, 5.5%
Tasting Notes: Cask-only offering is Red Truck Ale infused with brandied fruit and spices.
Release: December (Your best bet to find some is the Alibi Room.)
Crannog Organic Ales
Old Puddin’ Head, 8.3%
Tasting Notes: Full-bodied ale with caramel malt finish with bitter orange peel, coriander and mace.
Release: Late November
Russell Brewing
Blood Alley Bitter, 6.5%
Tasting notes: A bitterish Extra Special Bitter, not your typical Christmas beer.
Release: November
Tree Brewing
Vertical Winter Ale, 5%
Tasting notes: Medium bodied ale with a vanilla finish.
Release: November
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