The Last Vestiges Of Winter
Great Lakes Brewery

 

Interesting brew and quite enjoyable as a one off. Sweet and tart, both. Spicy, yeasty, fruity. Headed in the direction of a sour ale, but not as much punch. I think this would do really well after sitting for a while, but works just fine fresh.

 

Reddish brown colour with a ring of tan head, no lace. Smell is a mix of dark fruit, spicy and yeasty, christmas cake, fig and plum with cola and anise. Taste is spicy with coriander and clove, malty dark bread, brown sugar and dark fruit, anise and a light touch of alcohol. Medium carbonation, a bit prickly, medium body. Pretty good but not in the St.Bernardus or Corsendonk Christmas ale realm.

Infected. Surprisingly, still drinkable as a weird xmas spiced sour sort of deal though.

 

The Last Vestiges of Winter is appropriately topped with enough fluffy head one could practically ski on it. Its slightly tarnished, off-white tone is especially suitable from a Toronto brewery, where the snow banks don't stay pristine for very long. Also suitable is the beer's dark colour (and for that matter its orange-red flare that will light it up like a Christmas tree at the right angle).

"Strong Spiced Ale" indeed - it doesn't take a good nose to appreciate the extra ingredients in this one. Mind you, it's not so easy determining what is added spice and what is simply innate to this strain of Belgian yeast. Regardless, there's an abundance of cinnamon, nutmeg and orange peel, with ginger and vanilla also being possibilities, and definite secondary notes of clove, anise and bruised banana too.

The Last Vestiges of Winter could almost pass as the 'Last Vestiges of Halloween' owing to such a strong presence of pantry spices. The taste is plenty reminiscent of a Pumpkin Ale (a style that, despite its name, is entirely characterized by spices and half the time not even brewed with any pumpkin at all). Ginger, cinnamon, and vanilla in particular define the taste and carry over into finish.

The malt profile, however, was obviously chosen with Winter in mind; cara- and roasted malts provide a hearty, toasty background for the spices. Also, the 9.2% is hardly noticeable but does combine with the spices to leave a pleasant, long warming sensation on the palate. The effervescence, spiced banana loaf and apple crumble notes afforded by Belgian yeast also make things feel much lighter.

Beer, like all things, is situational. Whether spicy food, loud music, Nicholas Cage films or certain people you know - you only enjoy them if you're in the mood. And there was no chillier, more rainy, windy, and grey spring day than today to review a beer called 'The Last Vestiges of Winter'. And, in fact, this warming, spiced, dark ale perfectly hit the spot. Another great recipe as part of GLB's Project X.