‘Tis the season for snuggling under a blankie on a cold Friday night and locking lips with something dark and slightly sweet, like an Innis & Gunn oak aged beer. I have completely fallen for this Scottish craft brewer — I especially love their Original and Spiced Rum Finish beers, so I was excited to sip their seasonal brew, the Winter Treacle Porter.
“Soothing like an open fire on a cold day.”
Evidently, “treacle” is a fancy word for molasses, and I think the beer would sound more appealing if they’d called it Winter Molasses Porter. Just sayin’.
It’s the first time Innis & Gunn has brewed and oak matured a porter. Treacle was used to add depth and sweetness, and give the drink more viscosity and thus a heavier mouthfeel.
Check to all of the above, and I’ll add in the extra complexity found in an oak aged beer: the malty notes and hints of yummy things like vanilla. There was, however, a lingering sort of bitter taste that I didn’t love. My husband, on the other hand, had no problem fininshing off the bottle (to fortify himself for an evening taking the children trick-or-treating in -6C weather).
“I like that it’s beer,” he said. Well, cheers to that!
*Note: The Winter Treacle Porter is also available as part of a “Holiday Gift Pack” that includes a bottle of the above, a bottle of Original, a bottle of Highland Cask and a branded glass (from $14.95).
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