Craft brews fit for fine weather and feisty playoff hockey

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/04/2024 (531 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As is common this time of year, Manitoba craft brewers have shifted their focus to pumping out brews geared towards warmer temperatures — lagers and ales that are lighter and sometimes fruitier.

And, sports fans, take note: these fresh, lively beers with relatively low alcohol content (five per cent by volume or less, in the case of the brews reviewed this week) are well-suited for cracking open while watching your Winnipeg Jets tussle with the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Trans Canada Brewing Co. Flying Otter Light Lager (Winnipeg — $3.44/473ml cans, brewery, Liquor Marts, beer vendors), for example, is an ideal brew to help transition your macro-brew loving pals over to supporting local producers.

Pale straw in colour and clear, this well-priced light lager offers simple but fresh malt, bread dough and modest corn notes. It’s dry and light-bodied, although there’s a nice creaminess that accentuates the malt and grainy flavours and is balanced by lively effervescence before the modest finish (it’s four per cent alcohol).

Not an earth-shattering brew, but quite tasty.

Trans Canada launches the Flying Otter today (April 27) in the brewery taproom (1290 Kenaston Blvd.), where $5 pints and $15 pitchers will be available all day alongside food, games, live music and more. The Flying Otter is also available in 12x355ml can cases for $24.94. 3/5

Another approachable (and very tasty) lighter brew is the Good Neighbour Brewing Co. Kölsch Lagered Ale (Winnipeg — $3.99/473ml cans, brewery, Liquor Marts, beer vendors).

It’s pale gold in colour and slightly hazy, with a lovely biscuit note that comes through aromatically along with fresh malt and subtle floral and hoppy notes. It’s light-bodied and dry, bringing almost a hint of citrus along with the biscuit, malt and very modest, barely-bitter hops flavours.

Everything wraps up crisp and clean (and with a modest 4.6 per cent alcohol), but there’s underlying complexity that comes with every sip — well done. 4/5

The FullGeek BrewLab Like Clockwork Lager (Winnipeg — $3.99/473ml cans, Oxus Brewing, Liquor Marts, beer vendors) is infused with blood orange zest and vanilla; aromatically those components aren’t overpowering, but work rather well with the malt and cracker notes.

On the light-plus bodied finish the vanilla aspect is most prominent, with the orange notes coming in and creating a creamsicle-like flavour profile, albeit not as overpowering or excessively sweet as some other beers made in this style.

The malty flavours carry through to some modest bitterness and a medium finish (at five per cent alcohol).

Brewed at Oxus Brewing Co. (1180 Sanford St.). Fun stuff. 3.5/5

The Little Brown Jug Queer Beer Fruited Lager (Winnipeg — $4.39/473ml cans, Liquor Marts, brewery, beer vendors) returns as the official beer of Pride Winnipeg, which runs May 24-June 2.

This year’s batch sees Little Brown Jug infuse the beer with cherry and lime; it’s deep copper-reddish in colour and aromatically brings those fruity components with malt and a slight herbal note.

It’s dry and medium-bodied, with muted effervescence bringing a slightly softer texture that contrasts the cherry and tart lime flavours nicely, while the malty note lingers on the short finish (it’s five per cent alcohol).

A portion of proceeds from each can goes to Pride Winnipeg. Another fun one. 4/5

Tighter and racier is the Torque Brewing Co. Purple City Lavender Sour (Winnipeg — $4.75/473ml cans, brewery, Liquor Marts, beer vendors); medium straw and hazy in appearance, it’s a lavender-infused sour that brings the requisite floral aromas along with black tea, malt and subtle white pepper and saline notes.

On the palate it’s light-bodied, dry and zippy, with that almost-salty note coming with bright tart citrus and berry notes as well as lavender, black tea and baking spice flavours.

There’s virtually no bitterness here, and the four per cent alcohol means the finish is crisp, short and clean. Very refreshing. 3.5/5

The Sookram’s Brewing Co. Carmilla Blood Orange Wheat ($4.49/473ml cans, brewery, Liquor Marts, beer vendors) was brewed by the women of Sookram’s for International Women’s Brew Day (March 8).

The blood orange-infused wheat beer is medium gold and hazy in appearance, while aromatically it brings a core of ripe citrus notes along with a lively herbal component from Amarillo and Citra hops, all underpinned by a fresh wheat note.

It’s mainly dry and light-plus bodied, with blood orange and citrus rind flavours arriving with moderate herbal, hoppy bitterness, a wheat component lingering in the background and, at five per cent alcohol, a modest finish.

A portion of proceeds go to the North End Women’s Centre. 4/5

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