Beat the heat with crushable lighter local beers

Winnipeg’s craft brewers deliver fresh, fruity options this summer

Uncorked
By: Ben Sigurdson Posted: 2:41 PM CDT Friday, Jul. 12, 2024

After enduring an almost- inconceivable number of days with rain, clouds and moderate temperatures, it seems most of the province (at least round these parts) is finally getting its first proper taste of summer.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/07/2024 (758 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s the perfect time, then, to test drive a half-dozen new light (or lighter), fruit-infused local brews to help beat the heat…

The Good Neighbour Brewing Co. House Lime Lager (Winnipeg — $2.65/355ml cans, brewery) is an American-style lager infused with fresh lime; it’s very pale straw and slightly hazy in colour.

Aromatically it brings loads of bright lime notes that work well with the fresh malt and subtle hoppy and yeast notes.

It’s very light-bodied and dry, delivering delightful lime flavours along with flaked rice, malt and very low hops notes before the five per cent finish. This deliciously drinkable, very light lager will be gone in a flash in hotter weather. 4/5

One of the latest brews from its brewmaster’s series, the Fort Garry Brewing Co. Summer Breeze Fruited Wheat Beer (Winnipeg — $4.49/473ml cans, brewery, beer vendors, Liquor Marts) is a wheat beer infused with passionfruit and guava juice concentrate; it’s medium orange-copper in colour and hazy, and aromatically brings loads of tropical fruit, mango and peach aromas, with some underlying wheat notes.

It’s medium-bodied and slightly sweet, with tropical fruit concentrate flavours leading the charge, subtle underlying malt and wheat notes, virtually no hop bitterness and a modest 4.5 per cent alcohol finish.

It’s a touch too cloying to be a summer thirst quencher, but will please those looking for something fruity without sourness or bitterness. 2.5/5

Along a similar line, the Black Wheat Brewing Co. Mega Mango Wheat Beer (Brandon — $4.05/473ml cans, brewery, beer vendors, Liquor Marts) is medium gold in colour and slightly hazy, with ripe mango and toasted malt notes front and centre aromatically, and an underlying bread-dough note hanging around in the background.

It’s medium-bodied and mainly dry, with bruised mango flavours that border on medicinal dominating the wheat notes, no discernable bitterness and an unobtrusive 5.5 per cent finish.

Not bad, but it feels like it needs to either be even more fruit-driven or made in a drier, crisper style. 2.5/5

The Nonsuch Brewing Co. Catharina Sour (Winnipeg — $4.80/473ml cans, brewery, beer vendors, Liquor Marts) starts out as a wheat ale before the addition of fruit including papaya, passionfruit and orange.

Pale straw in colour and somewhat hazy, on the nose those tropical fruit notes show well, with secondary wheat and saline notes and a hint of gooseberry in there as well.

It’s mainly dry and light-bodied, with the tropical flavours delivering a touch of fruit sweetness, while the subtle malt and herbal hoppy notes hang around in the background.

At 3.9 per cent alcohol, it’s a sour to be crushed dockside, in the backyard or on the patio. 3.5/5

The Namesake Brewing Stone Cutter Sour (Winnipeg — $4.09/473ml cans, Torque, beer vendors, Liquor Marts) is infused with lemon and ginger; it’s pale gold in colour and slightly hazy, with a big fizzy head.

Not surprisingly, there’s a bright lemon-zest note on the nose that comes with fresh ginger and chalky notes.

It’s dry, light-bodied and with a nice mouth-puckering sour note, as lemon-zest and gooseberry flavours arrive with spicy ginger, slight saline and chalky components, lively effervescence and, at four per cent alcohol, a not-overpowering finish.

Zippy and fresh. Brewed at Torque. 3.5/5

Last but not least, the Little Brown Jug Blood Orange Philly Sour (Winnipeg — $4.24/473ml cans, brewery, beer vendors, Liquor Marts) is medium straw in colour and slightly hazy, with ripe orange notes on the nose that work quite well with the tropical fruit and malty, almost wheaty aromas.

It’s mainly dry and light-plus bodied, with ripe orange flavours showing quite well with fresh malt, light herbal and chalky flavours, a linear saline note, medium acidity and, at 4.5 per cent alcohol, a balanced finish.

While it’s decently complex it’s also, quite simply, a fun summer brew. 4/5

uncorked@mts.net

@bensigurdson

Ben Sigurdson
Literary editor, drinks writer

Ben Sigurdson is the Free Press‘s literary editor and drinks writer. He graduated with a master of arts degree in English from the University of Manitoba in 2005, the same year he began writing Uncorked, the weekly Free Press drinks column. He joined the Free Press full time in 2013 as a copy editor before being appointed literary editor in 2014. Read more about Ben.

In addition to providing opinions and analysis on wine and drinks, Ben oversees a team of freelance book reviewers and produces content for the arts and life section, all of which is reviewed by the Free Press’s editing team before being posted online or published in print. It’s part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.

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Ben Sigurdson
Literary editor, drinks writer