Beer # 11 Great Lakes Winter Ale

Welcome back Beer Fans. I seemed to slip off into some holiday hibernation, but just as the Grizzly or Kodiak must rise from it's slumber so did I. First off I must apologise as I promised the 18 yo Ola Dubh up next... However, The Jockey got a nice little present in his Christmas stocking from a lovely lady so in honour of her largesse the next three posts are dedicated to her and her very intoxicating gifts.

Great Lakes Brewery is found in Toronto just north of the shore of the Great Lake of Ontario hence the name. www.greatlakesbeer.com Over twenty years ago Great Lakes became the original Toronto Craft brewery by purchasing a copper brewing vessel built in the early 1900's in Germany and moving it to their new home on the edge of the Gardiner expressway near the 427. There first beer was Golden Horshoe Premium Lager which was only available on draught in select locations around Toronto. Golden Horshoe of course referring to the nickname of the shore of Lake Ontario that forms a horseshoe shape from St. Catharines through Hamilton and Burlington and eventually up to Toronto. The Great Lakes portfolio has grown considerably to include two more regular beers Red Leaf Smooth Lager, and Devil's Pale Ale 666 (one of the Jockey's favourite pale ales in Ontario!) plus a number of regular rotating session beers, Orange Peel ale, Pumpkin Ale, Green Tea ale and today's tasting Winter Ale. They are very experimental at Great Lakes and do try a number of different concoctions. Most notably is at the Toronto Festival of Beer every August, Great Lakes hosts "Caskapaloosa" a celebration of "one off' beers made mainly for fun. I am still haunted by the memory of the last Caskapaloosa I went to... The Rhubarb ale was not a hit in my mind....burning rubber anyone?


Anyway on to today's sample:

The first smell is spice of which this beer has a lot. Cinnamon is prevalent with some honey and ginger. The colour is a slightly cloudy chestnut with a lightly tan head made of small bubbles. As for alcohol, this beer brings a winter warming 6.2% abv to the table.

The attack is all ginger and cinnamon reminiscent of a Jamaican ginger beer. hints of honey malt and bitter orange in the back ground. Short finish with a high alcohol feel similar to a brandy finish. The beer is heady and has a substantial mouthfeel. Perfect for a winter's ale; good substance and warming.

Overall results: (Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional)

Taste: Pass
Cost: Pass (Well it should... I got it free! but for a 750 ml bottle I believe it's $5.95)
Colour: Exceptional (I really like seeing cloudy beers they have an non-homogenized feel about them that shows somebody cares more about their beer than conventional thought)
Beer Style: Pass
Re-order: Pass ( I couldn't do another one today, but maybe tomorrow, and if the temperature hits the plus side again...no thanks)
Experience: Pass

I'll give this beer a high pass because I like the people down at great lakes they DO care about the industry and the people that drink their beer. I once went on a tour of their facility... it wasn't a scheduled, scripted tour. I popped in unannounced and the clerk in the store called one of the workers up, who toke me on one of the MOST detailed, most informative, most in depth tour of any brewery I have ever been on (I play dumb when I go to these things to see how different the tours are... I could GIVE these tours now). Obviously beer passion is something that unites the people at Great Lakes and it shows up in their products, they have their occasional flop (Trust me NOT forgetting rhubarb ale EVER!) But overall the love they have for they work shines through in the quality products they produce.

Up next Lake of Bays Mocha Porter.... still on deck is the 18 yo Ola Dubh stay tuned!!

Cheers

CJT