Winter beers go beyond vanilla, says On The Coast beer columnist

If the vanilla taste of winter ales turns you off, don't worry; On The Coast beer columnist Rebecca Whyman feels your pain.

She says the use of vanilla is a recent trend, and seems to have really caught on here in the Lower Mainland — even though Whyman finds it "cloying and annoying."

"Vanilla isn't a traditional winter ale flavouring," Whyman told On The Coast's Gloria Macarenko.  "Spicing beers is fairly traditional. Before the wide usage of hops to bitter beer it used to be herbs and spices and tree bark that were used. It was a natural progression from there to add some spices to a nice winter ale, but these spices tended to be nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice."

Whyman says there's a lot more to winter beers than just vanilla.

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She says that generally speaking, winter beers are richer, sweeter and darker roasted. A common thread is maltiness — and booziness.

"I think what people look for in a winter beer is one that makes you feel cozy and warm. Higher alcohol content often helps that feeling along!" she said.

Here are a few winter beer picks for this season.

Howe Sound Father John's Winter Ale

"This rich and malty ale has vanilla notes, but it also has ginger, nutmeg and molasses."

Powell Street Dunkelweizen

"A German-style dark wheat beer with rich chocolate malt flavours are accented by notes of clove and banana derived from the use of a traditional Bavarian yeast."

Four Winds Oat Porter

"This fall and winter seasonal employs oats for a smooth and creamy mouth feel while chocolate malts provide a cocoa coffee flavour."

To hear the full story, click the audio labelled: Are you a winter beer hater? Then go beyond vanilla, says expert