Great Lakes Brewery Winter Ale (6.2%)

This is a beer with a long and, in my view, at least, somewhat checkered past. Back in the early 2000s, the Great Lakes Brewery was one of the first Ontario breweries to embrace the concept of the winter ale, packaging their seasonal offering in a festive 650 ml ‘bomber’ bottle. The problem was, again strictly from my point of view, is that year after year it was a bit of an over-spiced mess.

I know that I wasn’t alone in my assessment of the ale, as it was a regular topic of conversation among the writers and assorted beer cognoscenti of the time, but it was apparently sufficiently loved by the general populace that it sold well each and every time it appeared, perhaps because there was very little around to act as a comparison point. Hell, it and GLB’s other seasonals even scored the brewery an ‘Editor’s Circle’ award at the Golden Taps back in 2007, commended for being a bit revolutionary during that period of traditionally styled and slightly staid Ontario craft beer.

Of course, that was a different era and Great Lakes was then a much different brewery. So let’s see if the brewery’s Winter Ale has evolved as well.

One sniff of this clear, coppery-gold coloured beer tells me that it most definitely has. Rather than the sickly mix of spice of old, this has a soft spiciness that evokes cinnamon toast and stewed orange. The can speaks only of the former — the cinnamon, not the toast — but I’d guess there might be a touch of allspice and nutmeg involved, as well, and perhaps a hint of something gingery. (A post-tasting look at the brewery’s website confirms all the spicing save for the nutmeg.)

On the palate, the spice might still be a bit much for some, but I’d say that it remains comfortably within the bounds of reason. Up front, there is the orange and cinnamon of the nose, while in the mid-palate that dissolves into a mix of spice and citrus, the latter I suspect coming as much from the hops used as from orange or orange peel. Importantly, never does the spice overwhelm the other flavours present, even allowing a bit of hoppy bitterness to show up on the finish.

Many is the spiced ale that is fine through a sip or two, but grows tedious past about 250 or 300 millilitres. The Great Lakes Winter Ale, I’m pleased to say, does not count among them, and is, in fact, a thoroughly enjoyable sipper even into a second pint or can. 

83 ($3.50/473 ml)