Lifestyle_NovDec2023_Final _Online

Blackfriars Bridge Stout by London’s
Toboggan Brewing is slightly sweet with
the expected roasted barley aroma with
chocolate and coffee background notes.
Toboggan is also known for a similar brew
with an added infusion of Madagascar
vanilla beans.
bourbon-aged imperial stout to enjoy over
the holidays, or at least that’s where I lean,”
said Dave Reed, co-owner of Forked River
Brewing, the oldest operating craft brewer
in London. “Lately there have been some
cool, fun flavoured stouts too. It’s such a
great platform, roasty, chocolaty, velvety,
creamy vanilla flavours to have fun with.
As for themes for the season, I
think the best way to describe it is that
decadence is the theme,” Reed added.
Flavoured stouts that are fun for
Christmas and throughout winter are
a Forked River forte. These include
Upper Thames Brewing’s Dark Side Chocolate
Stout is thick and malty and derives its rich dark
chocolate flavour from being aged on roasted
Ivory Coast cacao nibs sourced from their
Woodstock neighbour Habitual Chocolate .
Chocolate Raspberry, a sweet stout that
mimics the flavours of a Viva Puff cookie
with sweet raspberry and chocolate.
“It’s a great way to make connections
with beers and flavours you may not
immediately associate with beer, like a
Viva Puff, Terry’s Chocolate Orange, or
an After Eight, and those are flavours
we have been playing around with lately
in a sweet stout format,” Reed said. “We
had done the Chocolate Orange in the
past, so this time around it’s time for the
Raspberry to take the stage.”
Christmas beer and winter warmer
releases start in November. Brewers
across the region have worked with
other flavours in seasons past, including
gingerbread, butter tart, black forest
cake and smoky wood. Hoppy bitterness
disappears in favour of malt-forward ales
that can get a sweet boost from brewers
with the addition of honey, molasses or
brown sugar.
A defunct brewery in Kingston found a
winner with Tannebomb Imperial Wit,
with spruce for bitterness and cranberries
for sweetness in a wheat beer base.
Perhaps a true seasonal classic, and
one that’s easily prepared at home, is
wassail beer. The tastier cousin of cider,
it’s made with brown ale such as the nutty
Anderson Craft Ales Brown, red wine,
cider, spices and apple slices served warm.
There are various and varied recipes.
Wassail is an old English word for
“be well” and that’s what one of the
area’s popular tiny breweries, Caps
Off Brewing, wishes for its patrons
anticipating the return of Wassail Ale.
Last year, Caps Off brewed its own take
on wassail, with a brown ale infused with
mulling spices — imagine cinnamon and
nutmeg — and christened it Pass
the Hat. It was an apt name as
money made from its sale was
given to charity. Pass the Hat
might be back for 2023.
Another style right for the
season is cuvee, a premiumpriced,
high-quality beer that’s
rested in barrels, sometimes
several different barrels, for
intense taste.
Among local brewers working
with barrel ageing is Forked River,
which uses bourbon and white
wine barrels to produce distinctive
sours.
If you think unusual flavours or
high-alcohol coffee-and-dark-chocolate
beers won’t please dinner guests or
gift recipients, there are seasonal
alternatives with sampler gift packs
featuring multiple styles and, often, a
merchandise bonus.
For example, Railway City Brewing
has a pack featuring its much-loved Black
Coal Stout, as it returns for winter along
with the straightforward Crew Premium
Lager, the East Coast IPA Juice Caboose,
and Elgin’s Finest Wee Heavy, a Scottish
ale ideal for cold weather. A stylish Railway
City toque is included.
At yuletide, there’s room for lowalcohol
or no-alcohol brews. Beers such
as Lunchbox Lagered Ale by Harmon’s
Craft Brewing, the brewed-in-London
Triple Bogey Brewing’s Non-Alcoholic
Lager and Bellwoods Brewery’s Non-
Alcoholic Jelly King Dry Hopped
Sour are among the popular choices for
those who don’t want any buzz. The best
selection is available through Designated
Drinks (designateddrinks.ca) in London
while select brands are at many grocery
stores, including those that don’t sell
“real” beer.
Light or no-alcohol
beers are a good
option to start off
a three-beer dinner
party. Starting with
a crisp four per cent
alcohol beer with
subtle fruitiness,
such as Smooth
Sailing Light
Lager from Cowbell
Brewing of Blyth, is
a good choice. Follow
this with an amber,
such as Rusty Sled
from Toboggan
Brewing or Local
117 from London Brewing. These taste
wonderful when paired with a traditional
turkey dinner. A rich dessert is best
matched with a stout, such as the seasonal
Crappy Tire Stout from Rusty Wrench
Brewing of Strathroy, or Dark Side
Chocolate Stout from Upper Thames
Brewing in Woodstock.
High-alcohol imperial stouts are best
in a snifter glass, warmed by your hand
or, in a pinch, a red wine glass. For light
beers and ambers, a pint glass works well
but looks a little too everyday for special
occasions. A stemmed lager glass adds a
touch of class.
What’s on your Christmas beer menu?
A light lager, an amber and a strong stout
are excellent starting points. A Scotch ale
— aka “a wee heavy” — a barrel-aged sour
and a festive cranberry-infused beer round
out the list for a selection that will leave
guests impressed.
GEORGE MACKE is a Southwestern Ontario
explorer with a taste for local craft beer.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023 November/December LIFESTYLE FEATURING 2023 EATDRINK LifestyLe 53