There’s nothing better on a cold winter night than a pint of your favourite stout or porter while sitting next to the fire, dog curled up at your feet, watching the weather channel that’s forecasting snow for the next week.
If you feel differently, then another pint and log on the fire is called for. If that doesn’t help your winter blahs, add one more pint and a pillow — it’ll be spring soon enough.
Black Heart Oatmeal Stout
There’s a reason why this tasty beverage took home the gold medal from the Canadian Brewing Awards in 2003 (we never did enter it again). She’s a thing of beauty as you pour her into the glass and watch that delicious head settle. The roasted barley gives it a drier stout style with the unmistakably rich and silky finish that only oatmeal can provide. It’s proof positive that if it isn’t broke don’t fix it. Trends in beer will come and go, but Black Heart is forever! Always keep at least one on hand for that out-of-town visitor that says they are a stout lover.
Philips Black Jackal Imperial Coffee Stout
People either tend to love or hate coffee beers. They can be tough for Brewmasters to get just right, too bitter is often the cry. Phillips brewmaster/owner Matt Phillips has done it yet again releasing a big and complex delicious ale. First off, you can’t miss the intense coffee nose upon pouring. The beer does have that traditional bitter finish one would expect from a coffee beer, but it’s well balanced and leaves a pleasant after taste that just gets better as you make your way through the glass. It’s actually better as it warms slightly.
Tin Whistle Chocolate Cherry Porter
This is a bit of an anomaly for a porter as it is surprisingly easy drinking, one of our tasters referred to is as “almost watery.” The easy drinking quality of the beer makes it a great porter for first timers. The chocolate and cherry flavours are present in the head but not overpowering on the finish. When we sampled the beers, we had this one first knowing the Black Heart and Black Jackal would be much more powerful beers, and they were with much longer lasting and stronger aftertastes.
What’s great about tasting these three beers beside each other is that it shows you the difference in executed theory between multiple breweries. It’s that kind of adventurous attitude that has BC at the forefront of brewing in Canada!
The Nelson Brewing Company Column, co-written by staff at the brewery, appears monthly in {vurb}.
