I love all the items LCBO gets around the holidays - gift sets, small batch brews, various other limited runs. Last year I got the chance to try Fuller's Vintage Ale and if I come across it this year, I will buy several for now and one for a year or two from now. Since the real holidays are more than 2 months away, only a few little things are available for purchase now. I saw two small batch brews - Innis & Gunn Triple Matured and another easily forgettable one. The Innis & Gunn came in a nice blue box. Check out the photos.
The beer is a bit more expensive than other brews, but it is still fairly affordable - $4.95. I think I will even keep the box for a few months on my bookshelf.
Pours with a thick, creamy head which takes a few minutes to recede to less than a pinkie thickness. The scent is of roasted malt, oak and a bit of toffee. There is a sweet undertone, perhaps fruits. The taste is a bit similar to the traditional Innis & Gunn taste yet quite distant. It is very smooth and the oak taste is not as intrusive as their other brews. Hints of malt and sweet notes of fruits are present. The finish is medium to long as the flavour takes some time to develop to a combination of roasted malt and oak. Some sweeter notes can be detected as well. This is a very balanced and excellent beer. Don't be afraid of the 7.2% ABV, the brew is so smooth and pleasant that you will not even notice the alcohol in the taste, only when it sneaks up on you. If you come across this beer, get it. It is worth the $5.
Scores:
Cost - $4.95 per bottle
Taste - 8.5/10
Overall - 8.5/10...excellent beer, I am sad that it is a limited run
Got to agree that this is a fantastic beer. Smoooooth. I'll be revisiting the LCBO to stock up for the year
ReplyDelete