Granville Island Lions Winter Ale

Brewed by Granville Island (Brewery - MolsonCoors)
Style: English Strong Ale
Kelowna, Canada

Serve in English pint, Snifter

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Butterscotch, toffee, vanilla and chocolate in the sweet aroma. Clear copper coloured body is topped by a decent, fine bubbled, tan head that recedes slowly to a lasting cover with some lace. Toasty and doughy malts with notes of biscuit, wafer-cookie/waffle, vanilla, cinammon and chocolate up front in the flavour. Mild bitterness keeps sweetness from becoming overwhelming. Medium body with moderate carbonation that is lightly prickly and does a good job of concealing the somewhat slick texture. Half-pint glass. Cellar temperature. Bottle (BCLS at Kingsgate, Dec-07).

Sample on tap at Granville Island Taproom: Brownish amber color with a small off-white head. Mild vanilla/root beer aroma. Flavor is spicy with vanilla and caramel and a mild bitterness. Medium bodied and smooth with moderate carbonation.

This is an amazing little beer - sweet but still very refreshing. Hints of butterscotch without being too in-your-face. A shame that it’s not available all year.

UPDATED: DEC 27, 2011 A seasonal offering from Granville Island Brewing with distinct vanilla notes in the nose and palate, especially at the end. Spicy and cinnamon aromas too, contributing to the pie/cookie-like character. A little buttery too. Medium-bodied and warming. Finishes surprisingly clean because it seems like it would be sweet. A good effort from this brewery. Can be nice on tap...rerate wow the cream soda craP is crazy. The pie notes are there when warmer but get rid of that vanilla cream overload!

Sample, draught, drank on site, savoured on February 9 2007; eye: copper, amber, slight effervescence, little beige head, clear; nose: malt, hops, vanilla, concentrate sweetness associated to the vanilla; mouth: malt, hops, vanilla, concentrate sweetness associated to the vanilla, surprising finale almost all in vanilla with a hint of hops, not much carbonated except in the finale where is seems fizzy, medium body, slightly sticky texture, lightly acidic, a tad of acidity is present throughout the tasting, mildly bitter; overall: correct FRANÇAIS Échantillon, en fût, bue sur place, savourée le 9 février 2007; oeil : cuivrée, ambrée, très légère effervescence, petite mousse beige infime, claire; nez : malt, sucré concentré associé à la vanille, assez vanillé; bouche : malt, houblon, vanille, sucré concentrée associé à la vanille, finale très surprenante presque toute en vanille avec une petite pointe de houblon, peu carbonatée sauf en finale où elle semble pétillante, corps moyen, texture légèrement collante, légèrement acide, petite acidité qui est présente pendant toute la dégustation, moyennement amère; en résumé : correct

This stuff is like candy, so you have to be in the mood for that. I can have 2-3 at most. They hit the spot though. Vanilla and caramel smell and taste. Very enjoyable!

Copper colour, fluffy dissipating head. The vanilla/butterscotch aroma is stronger than any beer I’ve had before -- truly overwhelming. A bit one-dimensional, but it serves its purpose. The taste is much like a slightly watered-down vanilla Coke float, with a hint of metal and alcohol. Good call on the cardamom, Oakes. Like I said, sort of one-dimensional but a study in flavour, and for that deserves accolades. Loses points for the thin body, although it suits the style.

Beautiful golden brown. Smells of vanilla and butterscotch and the taste doesn’t disappoint, unlike most sweet beers I’ve had; and definitely unique for a winter style ale. A great desert beer and perfect for the winter season. Not something you’d want to have too much of (it’s very sweet) but great for what it is.

Looks pretty nice with a small thick head and a dark amber colour. Smells sweet like a cream soda pretty much. Has a really nice creamy sweat taste going for it. Lots of vanilla taste in it. It has a kind of bite to it and the end, which is a wee bit hoppy, but not really too much. Definately a strange brew eh... I would drink it again because it is not too bad, but definately different from other beers that are out there.

Ugh! This is hardly beer at all, but cream soda with a few hops thrown in for good measure. Pours light amber with minimal head, cheap vanilla aroma. Tastes like Barqs without the bite. Minimal hopping, good carbonation but thin finish and lingering sugary aftertaste. Yuck. Not for beer-drinkers.