Winter Seasonal Beers from Ontario
Ontario Craft Beers for Winter and Holiday Food Pairing and Cooking
These dark ales, lagers and porters from small craft brewers across Ontario make great Christmas gifts for holiday hostesses and hosts, and cheer the festive table.
Over the past 20 years, the small independent craft breweries of Ontario (Canada) have been gradually diversifying the range of their products. No longer is the selection limited to honey-blonde beers and pale ales. From raspberry beers to wheat beers and beyond, there’s now a huge choice. Among the most exciting are the seasonal brews released for a limited period. For fall, winter and the holiday season of 2007-2008, an exciting array is available.
Dark Beers for Dark Winter Nights
- Wellington County Dark Ale is a surprisingly pale brown, but its taste is strong, rich, full and not at all sweet. It would make a fine complement to lamb.
- Barley Day’s Wind and Sail Dark Ale is blended from Two Row, Carastan, Chocolate and Black Malt. A medium red-brown, it’s distinctively smoky, sharp and dry.
- Scotch Irish Black Irish Plain Porter from Scotch Irish Brewing in Carleton Place comes in an old-fashioned stubby bottle. It’s a very dark caramel colour with a smoky, dark molasses taste. A recommended pairing? Oysters.
Pale Ales and Dark Lagers
- Not all the winter choices are dark, however. Niagara’s Best Blonde Premium Ale from St. Catharines is a sharp and tangy cream ale with a pale straw colour.
- King Brewery Dark Lager sounds like a contradiction in terms, since "lager" literally means "light". Brewed in the Munich Dunkel style, it has a lovely medium red-gold colour and a sharp, fruity and full flavour.
- Cameron’s Dark 266 is a delightful standout. Dark red-brown in colour, this is a sweet, caramel-tasting dark lager that’s delicious in the glass; it would also make an excellent cooking ingredient in hearty dishes featuring autumn vegetables and meats.
Unusual Offerings
- Great Lakes Winter Ale is a stronger beer, at 6.2% alcohol, and it’s sold in 750 ml bottles with an attractive snowflake imprint that would please any dinner hostess or host. The colour is pure maple syrup, and the taste follows suit. Smooth and slightly sweet (it’s boiled with honey, ginger, cinnamon and orange peel), its flavour evokes maple and coffee.
- Great Lakes Pumpkin Ale is perhaps the most surprising and unusual of these selections. It's actually made with dehydrated pumpkin in the mash, along with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and allspice. The resulting brew is a clear dark gold with a distinctive pumpkin-pie flavour that would make a unique pairing with turkey or roast pork.
- Mill Street Barley Wine is a unique beverage, and available only in growlers (large-size bottles) or on tap. At about 9% alcohol, it’s not a drink to be taken lightly, and its brown-sugar taste would stand up well to many food combinations. If a standard lager might be compared to a white table wine, this is more like an armagnac: a strong, bold drink that lends itself to after-dinner sampling, perhaps with a selection of artisanal cheeses.
All of these products are available through the LCBO. The Ontario Craft Brewers also provide a wealth of information about these and other seasonal beers, plus holiday recipes and entertaining tips.
