Winter 2021 is all about finding more things we love to enjoy locally. Craft beer fans are in luck! The 22 partners along Hamilton Halton Brant’s True Brew Path excel at making beers, ciders and wines that pair perfectly with sub-zero temperatures! Here are some of our favourite pours for the winter months.
Snuggle Up With a Stout
For a winter beer that’s complex and dark, you can’t go wrong with a Stout. Gally Stout from Orange Snail Brewers in Milton has notes of roasted barley, balanced neatly with a campfire smokiness and sweet toffee. Despite its thick black appearance, this stout has an invitingly light mouthfeel and body.
Just down the road in Burlington, Nickel Brook Brewing Co’s Cheeky Bastard Stout pours dark but remains incredibly smooth and approachable. This light-medium body stout packs an aromatic punch of rich chocolate and hints of coffee. Pleasant notes of lightly roasted and sweet malts greet the palate, with a crisp finish.
Ice Is Nice
Cider is the new beer, but West Avenue Cider House in Freelton has taken a page from the winemaker’s playbook and applied it to their cider. West Avenue’s North By North West Cider takes full advantage of Halton’s long, cold winters and uses frozen juice that slowly ferments into a rich, smooth, elegant iced cider. It makes a delicious aperitif or dessert course sipper.
Winter Calls For More Coffee
Blend your two favourite beverages: beer and coffee! Collective Arts Brewery in Hamilton has a delicious Blueberry Chocolate Coffee and Vanilla Sour. The sweet, tart blueberry flavour gets heightened to new levels with the bright acidity and roasty chocolate notes emphasized by Detour coffee and cocoa.
Hamilton’s Grain and Grit has created a delicious coffee shop-inspired creation in their Play Thing Oatmeal Stout With Chai. In addition to the Chai flavours, you’ll taste roasted malt, chocolate and hints of coconut.
A Pint of Valentine’s Day Chocolate
Who says chocolate always has to be chewed? Furnace Room Brewery’s Alani Godiva Orange Chocolate Stout unites two dessert favourites into one very drinkable winter brew. This sweet, creamy mixture of orange and chocolate has a full body and rich, malty flavour.
Heat Things Up
Visit Bell City Brewing Company in Brantford to pick up a few cans that will really bring the heat! Hielo De Fuego Habanero Lager is a limited-edition brew that offers fantastic flavour and complexity and just the right amount of hot pepper heat.
Pour Some Wine On Winter
Ridge Road Winery’s rich reds, like Baco Noir, Cabernet Franc, and Call Me a Cab, a Cabernet Franc and Merlot blend are perfect for the winter season. However, if you are absolutely committed to beer, Merit Brewing in Hamilton has a delicious brew called Then, which is a Cab Franc Skin and Vine Saison that offers a balanced blend of red fruit and wine essence with a crisp, dry finish.
Cozy Patio Pairings
Sipping a pint on a patio while the snowflakes fly is an item that needs to be on every craft beer lover’s Winter ’21 Bucket List! Head to Steel Wheel Brewery in Brant for a farm-to-glass experience on their cozy covered and heated patio. While in that neck of the woods, don’t miss a stop at Flux Brewing. Purchase a basket of firewood and enjoy a tasty pint while you stoke your own personal fire pit on their patio.
Hurry Hard
It doesn’t get more Canadian than pulling up to buy your beer from a brewery housed in a former curling rink! Head to Dundas to Shawn & Ed Brewing Co. to pick up some of their Lagershed Dark, a full-bodied, easy-drinking dark lager with a caramel colour and rich roasted malt flavour. Subtle nutty biscuit and chocolate aromas complement the creamy and almost coffee-like flavours.
Take a Tropical Escape
If you’re dreaming of escaping from winter to a sunny beach, Hamilton’s Clifford Brewing Co. has the perfect beer to complement your tropical fantasies. Their Fruition Fruited Sour is bright and refreshing, with a nice balance of sour that bursts with the fruitiness of coconut, pineapple and lime.
Sample The Best Of The Season
Cameron’s Brewing Company’s Winter Sampler Pack is a curated three-can collection of their best brews for winter sipping: Cruising Through The Galaxy Hazy IPA, Crooked Nose Stout and the west-coast style Ambear Red Ale.
Check out the Craft Beer Passport app to enjoy a $2 craft beer at selected stops.
