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Brews News: 'Tis the season to chill out with dubbels, stouts and pale ales

Forget summer, winter is the prime season for rich and smooth beer.

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Forget summer, winter is the prime season for rich and smooth beer.

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The beer style of choice is dubbel, a Belgian brown ale with a heavy body. The LCBO carries a soft and satisfying example with Chimay Premiere. The style is echoed well by Anderson Craft Brewing’s Winter seasonal with its comforting cocoa and dark fruit flavours.

Easier to find if you’re a passionate supporter of craft breweries are stouts. Here, too, Anderson has an entry and, as stout drinkers know, the thick and frothy Black Coal from Railway City is delicious. Storm Stayed in London has a sessionable oatmeal stout with Safe Harbour that’s not only a pleasure to drink post-meal, but also should work well as an ingredient in mole — the Mexican sauce, not the backyard pest. There are various recipes online.

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I favour imperial stouts through the winter, but warn you that beers such as Guinness taste like water after getting used to the power of a high alcohol imperial stout. The holiday season brought several that I’m still working through, my favourite so far being the New World Style Imperial Stout from the Creemore Discovery Series. It’s stout for chocolate lovers and those who love pairing their stouts with dark, nutty chocolates.

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In addition to dubbels and stouts, English pale ales round out the winter selection. Mackinnon Brewing 8 Man from the Kingston area and Black Swan EPA from Stratford are two favourites.

An 8.3 per cent alcohol imperial stout from Creemore Brewery makes for an excellent fireside companion on a cold winter’s night. The special release was the final beer in Creemore’s 2021 Discovery Series of premium brews.(BARBARA TAYLOR/The London Free Press)
An 8.3 per cent alcohol imperial stout from Creemore Brewery makes for an excellent fireside companion on a cold winter’s night. The special release was the final beer in Creemore’s 2021 Discovery Series of premium brews.(BARBARA TAYLOR/The London Free Press)

NEW AND NOTED

Fans of English beers take note. Godspeed Brewery of Toronto released Sutoko Stock Ale. Godspeed used East Kent Goldings hops and fashioned a Burton Union system of oak casks to ferment the beer.

What’s dark and malty at Refined Fool in Sarnia: Judith’s Prius is a bourbon barrel Scotch ale, Plant Life is a stout incorporating cherrywood smoked malt  and No One Likes Your Grandson is a salted caramel porter made with Werther’s Originals.

Bellwoods of Toronto has a new triple IPA, Beerly Deloved that the brewery describes as having notes of Del Monte Fruit Cups.

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Dusk to Dawn White Stout is available through the online shop of Upper Thames in Woodstock. Dusk to Dawn has a coffee aroma with notes of Irish cream and caramel.

Cowbell of Blyth has its Nitro Stout on sale. It is charged with a widget inside the can, so no need to shake before opening and enjoying this dark chocolate meets oatmeal cookies beer. It’s $68.80 for 24 cans.

In addition to its Irish Stout, Imperial City in Sarnia has Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter. Think espresso meets roasted peanuts.

Stout lovers should know about the flagship beer at wee Caps Off Brewing in St. Thomas. Stovepipe incorporates coconut roasted onsite.

There’s a new porter with toasted coconut at Grey Matter in Kincardine. No Man’s and Island balances sweetness, bitterness from hops and kilned malts.

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STOUT HOT CHOCOLATE

Guinness, via The Beer Store, provides this recipe combining two winter favourites, stout and hot chocolate.

Ingredients:

1 330 mL bottle stout

4 tsp (20 mL) granulated sugar (approximate)

1-1/2 cups (375 mL) whole milk

60 g semisweet chocolate, chopped (about 1/3 cup/80 mL)

1 tbsp (15 mL) cocoa powder

Whipped cream, marshmallows or chocolate shavings (optional)

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring stout to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to medium and whisk until bubbles subside. Simmer, whisking occasionally, until stout is reduced by one-quarter (about 1 cup/250 mL will remain), 5 to 6 minutes.

2. Whisk in sugar until dissolved, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Whisk in milk and bring to a very gentle simmer, whisking often to prevent burning and to keep a skin from forming on the surface. Whisk in chocolate and cocoa powder until melted and smooth.

3. Divide between 2 mugs. Serve as is, or top with whipped cream, marshmallows or chocolate shavings (if using).

Wayne Newton is a freelance journalist based in London.

wayne.newton@bell.net

Twitter.com/WayneWriteOn

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