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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Horrible blind-order pairing with a pizza but saving it until the end made for a tasty dessert. Vanilla and chocolate dominate. Would probably make a great beer float.

473 mL can. Nice looking beer - bronze with a small but persistent beige head. Smells good too - sweet vanilla is there but not overpowering, and there is a hint of chocolate from the malt. So far, so good. Flavour is a little flat and underdeveloped, unfortunately. The vanilla is there, but everything alse is muddled and uninteresting.

Canette 473ml. De couleur ambrée-foncée et claire. Nez de vanille, moyen de malt sucré, léger de pain et de caramel avec des notes de chocolat au lait et de houblon herbeux. Moyennement ronde en bouche avec un pétillement moyen ainsi qu’une texture aux notes huileuses. Goût d’extrait de vanille (présent toute la gorgée) lors de l’entrée en bouche auquel se rajoute un moyen goût de grains de malt moyennement sucrés et très légèrement rôtis avec des notes de caramel doux et de chocolat au lait (très faibles traces lactiques) puis en finale l’on retrouve un léger regain de goût de vanille, des notes amères de houblon herbeux aisni que quelques traces épicées piquante (poivre? cannelle?). Post-goût moyen, composé d’un résiduel de vanille sucrée avec quelques notes de houblon herbeux et des traces rôties.

Surprisingly decent for Granville. Stong aromas of both vanilla and cocoa. Pours copper, medium to high carbonation though a little high for style. Taste has mild bitterness and sourness. A chalk-like finish to this. A little tinny also, but had this in a tall can.

473ml can from the LCBO. Malty, milk chocolate and spice aroma, flavours of chocolate milk, spices and light hop bitters.

This ale poured a deep amber colour with a quick living, soapy, white coloured head. Scents include caramel, bread and sweet grass. First sip was smooth and malty with flavours of brown sugar and caramel with a small amount of milk chocolate. finish is really malty with light chocolate flavours lingering.

Pour is a dark amber brown. Very clear. Scent is of vanilla, sugar, mint, and a hint of chocolate. Taste is a dark malty flavor backed by hints of vanilla and mint. Hardly any bitterness... not much for hops. Finish is light bitter though. Very good for a change up on a regular lager.

On tap at the moose in north bay. Clear dark brown pour, with a tiny white head. Sweet, fake, artificial cocoa aroma, light spice, and sweet butterscotch malts. This isnt totally unpleasant, but whoa is it sweet. I washoping the finish wouldnt reflect the aroma, but its just as sugary and sweet. Not awful but not my bag either.

473ml can. Pours a clear dark brown with an orangey tan head. Aroma is a head-scratcher. Cocoa, white freezies, and I swear to Jeebus, vanilla Misty Mints. The taste has a watery dark malt base, with cocoa, straw, artificial vanilla, faint mint, mineral notes, faint citrus and a chemical aftertaste. Another fine product from the chemists at Molson/Coors. Just wait until you try their Rickard’s Oakhouse! Craptastic!

341 ml bottle from the Beer Store (part of Winter Mingler pack). Pours an amber brown with small tan head. Aroma is gently toasty and has light vanilla, spice and caramel - nice if a little muted. Flavour has toasty caramel, grains, vanilla and gentle spiciness. Body is pretty average. Understated but good.