Fall in for some big flavour

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/09/2014 (4312 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The first day of fall has come and gone — the kids are back in school, football and hockey are overlapping, and the selection of beers on local shelves is moving from the crisp citrusy fresh to the warmer, heartier brews.

All those low-alcohol radlers/grapefruit-infused beers are making way for stouts and porters. And the ever-popular pumpkin-and-spice-infused brews are popping up like jack-o’-lanterns at Halloween.

Fall brews bring plenty of flavour, often with a good deal of complexity. Richer texture and bigger spice notes mean they’re ideal to enjoy on cooler evenings and with seasonal fall fare — root vegetables, heartier stews and even Thanksgiving dinner.

Enjoy these new-ish brews (listed from lightest to heaviest) around a fire, after you’ve finally turned on the furnace, or as you tune in to watch either the Winnipeg Jets or Blue Bombers…

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The second annual Half Pints Pro/Am Brew Challenge gets underway Sept. 29. Both professional and amateur brewers submit beers to be tasted by a panel of judges, who will determine the best of the best between Oct. 1-4. The amateur winner gets to brew their beers with Half Pints Brewing Co. (watch for the Simcoe Spruce, last year’s winning beer from Dean Kelly of Saskatoon, to become available soon).

For more info on the events in conjunction with the challenge, visit www.winnipegbrewbombers.ca.

uncorked@mts.net

Twitter: @bensigurdson

 

LAKE OF THE WOODS BREWING COMPANY SULTANA GOLD (Kenora, Ont. — $15.89/1.89L bottle, select Liquor Marts)

The Sultana is the first Lake of the Woods Brewing Company beer available on retail shelves here (there have been a couple on tap at local watering holes for some time). It’s also the first growler, the larger-format refillable jug, to appear in Manitoba (although there’s nowhere to obtain a refill here… yet). Medium-gold and with a frothy white head, there’s a golden raisin note worthy of this beer’s name that comes through aromatically, along with toasted malt and lighter caramel notes. It’s a fresh, creamy blond ale, with plenty of malty notes as well as some light bitterness. Get some friends together to watch hockey or football and dive into this — once it’s opened it needs to be consumed fairly quickly before it goes flat. 3 1/2 stars

 

HALF PINTS OKTOBERFEST LAGER (Winnipeg — $12.52/6x341ml bottles, Liquor Marts and brewery)

Deep copper in colour with a pale, frothy off-white head, the Oktoberfest employs Weyermann Munich malt as well as German Perle and Hallertau hops. Caramel, herbal and toasted malt aromas are pleasant, with an underlying fruity note that shows promise. It just stays dry, and the caramel/malt notes work nicely with the light bite of hops. A nice option for Thanksgiving dinner — if you can keep it around for that long. 4 stars

 

FORT GARRY BREWING HAPPY JACK PUMPKIN ALE (Winnipeg — $6.77/650ml bottle, Liquor Marts)

Every year I say “no pumpkin beers this year,” and every year I end up trying a couple, including this one. Medium-copper in colour with an off-white head, the clove and cinnamon reminiscent of pumpkin-pie filling sure comes through on the nose, with some legit pumpkin notes as well as light caramel and malt. It’s off-dry and fairly rich, but seems a touch more more pumpkin pie-ish than straight-up pumpkin than last year’s batch. If you like pumpkin beer, you’ll love this. 3 stars

 

ST. BERNARDUS ABT 12 (Belgium — $4.75/330ml bottle, Liquor Marts)

Beer geeks got downright giddy on Twitter when the St. Bernardus popped up on the Liquor Marts website. It’s easy to see why —deep copper in colour and with a persistent, fine off-white head, the intense, complex aromatics here include raisin, prune, caramel, toasted malt, candied orange and mineral notes. The texture here is incredible — it’s rich, with fine effervescence that’s somehow both soft and intense. There’s some sweetness on this extra strong abbey ale (it’s 10 per cent alcohol), with loads of raisin, fig, dried cherry, malt, toasted-oat and light spice. The flavours go on forever. If you see this complex, beautiful brew, buy it — it won’t last long. 5 stars

 

ROGUE SHAKESPEARE OATMEAL STOUT (Newport, Ore. — $8.59/650ml bottle, Liquor Marts)

There may be no beer better-suited to cooler temps than stout, and there may be no better stout in our market today than this one. Deep black in colour with a rich, dark beige head, this stout delivers plenty of roasted-malt notes (four are used in making this beer, as well as rolled oats) plus chocolaty aromatics of all sorts: cocoa, milk chocolate and even a hint of Tootsie Roll. It brings that chewy stout texture that’s so endearing, yet remains crisp and virtually bone-dry. Flavour-wise, there’s a distinct chocolate-covered espresso-bean flavour, with secondary milk chocolate and smoky notes. It’s pricey but near-perfect. 4 1/2