Winter White Stout
Grain & Grit

At my lady Pamela's house; canned and chilled, 473mL in a pint glass. From the January curation from Vaughan, Ontario's Small Batch Dispatch. My sixth beer from the Hamilton, Ontario brewery, and third for 2025...

April 21, 2026: At my lady Pamela's house; canned and chilled, 473mL in a pint glass. From Small Batch Dispatch's December curation. Canned November 24/25. My 2nd time drinking this, and 1st for 2026. Wildly admired, and recommended to those who'll listen, by Gracie...

Dec 21 2025

355 mL can from the Toronto Brewing 2021 advent calendar; dated Nov 15 2021 and served slightly chilled.

Pours a slightly cloudy golden-yellow colour; countless flecks of sandy sediment hover throughout its body, which is capped with over a finger of lumpy, foamy white head. It lasts for several minutes, soon falling back to a generous collar and soapy cap; no lace at first, but there's deposition as you sip at it. Peppermint candy cane is immediately obvious on the nose, to the point that it largely obscures lesser aspects of the aroma. I can make out hints of cocoa and wheat, but other than that it's mostly minty, sugary sweetness. Kinda one-note, and not very stout-y.

It's sweet, it's minty - not sure what else I was expecting. I'm tasting peppermint / candy cane, sugary sweetness and hints of dark chocolate, with wheaty, bready malts underneath. Cacao nibs and more peppermint into the finish, with hints of bitter baker's chocolate reverberating into a peppermint-y aftertaste. Light in body, with moderate carbonation that feels prickly and lively on the tongue; fairly crisp-feeling, and surprisingly refreshing for a peppermint beer. One short can per night is plenty for me, but I could tolerate another.

Final Grade: 3.66, a passable B grade. This is probably the closest I've ever come to tasting a York peppermint pattie in beer form: if that sounds at all appetizing to you, then I'd say you should give this a try. Personally, I am not real big on minty beer, and sadly Winter White Stout doesn't have a whole lot of depth (beyond the flavourings) to maintain my interest for long - guess it's a good thing the serving size was so small. It's fine as a novelty seasonal, and I'd consider picking it up again next winter, but I doubt I'd go out of my way for more.

 

So - not sure this is the same beer as previously reviewed - this iteration is 5.5% ABV 22 IBU brewed with candy cane and cocoa. And this is not a Belgian Wit.
Pours a cloudy/hazy orange to dirty golden with 1/2 finger of off white head.
Aroma is interesting mix of roasty chocolate malt, hint of coffee, some earthy herbal hop, and just a bit of fruity yeast - my nose apparently not attuned to mint...
Taste is sweet - candy sugar, cocoa, some herbal almost fruity coffee, and just a bit of peppermint candy on the swallow. Mint is there, but I don’t get that big peppermint candy hit - actually ok with that.
Remarkably full creamy mouth feel - smooth, sweet with cocoa, and earthiness on the finish.

 

If you've had the chocolate "After Eight" that is pretty much what this beer both smells and tastes like with a hint of clove and wheat malt in the background. It didn't really lace or retain but it did produce a thumb of head. I'm very impressed that it doesn't cloy at all despite it's sweetness. To summarize, yeah, it's gimmicky but it's Christmas.

 

Seems I'm the first to review this. I'm calling it a Witbier based on the name, look, & definite Belgian taste of the base of this beer as it's not close to a traditional stout. In general I don't like the Belgian beer flavour but thought I'd like to give this a try anyway. Pours a hazy straw/orange with small white head. Aroma is mild with that distinct Belgian aroma. Taste follows with the beginning of each sip hitting with the Belgian flavours as well as orange and then fading with mild effects from each of the minty candy cane, cacao nibs, and coffee as promised on the label, and noticed in that in order by intensity (however all are pretty mild compared to the Belgian taste. Not being a fan of this style, I found that in taking quick sips one after another, the sips after the 1st were all a little more smooth and let the mint, chocolate & coffee tastes show themselves a bit more over the Beligian. Enjoyed it more than I thought I might, but I don't plan on having this again. For Witbier fans looking for something with a unique twist, you might enjoy this one more than I did.