TORONTO, ON – Amsterdam Brewery has announced the return of three winter seasonal brews to the shelves at its retail stores – and soon at LCBO stores for two of them – as well as the upcoming release of a much anticipated fourth.
Making its 6th annual appearance is Wee Heavy Scotch Ale, a 6.2% abv strong ale with the following description:
Fend off winter chills with this deep ruby red coloured, lightly hopped Scottish ale that is brewed with local golden honey for a sweeter taste. Heather tips are added to the end of the brew to balance out the richness leaving earthy notes.
Returning in a 2nd yearly vintage is Vicar’s Vice Olde Ale, a 8.1% abv winter warmer with these tasting notes:
Deep burgundy in colour with a light tan head. The aroma – Sweet and smokey: caramel, chocolate with hints of tobacco. The taste – a blend of apricot with sweet malts upfront followed by roasted nuts and a toffee finish.
This year’s edition of the annual Sour Cherry Imperial Stout – created in collaboration with Good Earth Food & Wine – was released last week at a Brewmaster & Winemaker Dinner at the Amsterdam Brewhouse, and is described as follows:
A collaboration between Brewmaster Iain McOustra and Winemakers Ross Wise and Greg Yemen. Sour Cherry Imperial Stout was aged for 11 months in Cabernet Moldovian cigar barrels. This beer has a high aroma of dark fruit and chocolate with a subtle cherry body and a dry cocoa finish.
As noted above, all three beers are currently available at both Amsterdam retail locations – Wee Heavy in 500 ml bottles, Vicar’s Vice in 650 ml bombers, and Sour Cherry in 750 ml champagne-style bottles. Wee Heavy and Vicar’s Vice are also due to be released soon at select LCBO locations across Ontario.
Finally, the 2014 vintage of Double Tempest – an amped up version of Tempest Imperial Stout aged in Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels – is due to release at the Amsterdam retail stores on Saturday December 6th at 11:00 AM. See the video below for more details.