6 mostly local craft beers to try in 2016

For those whose New Year's resolution is to drink better beer, you've come to the right place.

CBC Ottawa asked Nick Ringuette, owner of Brother's Beer Bistro in the ByWard Market, to offer up a few ideas for local drinkers looking to expand their horizons in 2016 — or to just find the right beverage for tonight's festivities.

• What's open, what's closed in Ottawa for New Years' Day, New Year's Eve

Many local breweries remain open today, as do the LCBO and the Beer Store, so you don't have to wait to dive into Ringuette's selections.

For someone new to the scene

Making your first foray into the world of craft beer? The clean, crisp Natural Blonde Ale by Ottawa's Kichesippi brewery might be a good jumping-in point, suggests Ringuette.

"If you're not necessarily into craft beer, chances are you're drinking a lot of blonde stuff — like, let's say Stella, Bud, Blue," says Ringuette.

The "supremely palatable" golden-hued ale is available at Kichesippi's brewery, says Ringuette, as well at the LCBO in six-packs.

"It's not crazy," Ringuette notes. "It's just good beer."

For someone who loves IPAs

Known for their supreme bitterness and their bold citrus and pine aromas, there's nothing subtle about a good India pale ale — and Ringuette says for the best in eastern Ontario, it's worth making the drive to Kingston.

Stone City Ales' Uncharted IPA is a beautifully balanced version of the style that's got just enough hops to provide that bracing bitter quality IPAs are known for, Ringuette says.

"It's everything that I look for in an IPA. It's got very fresh flavours," says Ringuettte. "It is hoppy, but it's not over-the top."

If a drive to Stone City's Kingston brew pub isn't in the cards, it's on tap at Brother's Beer Bistro and a few other drinking establishments around Ottawa

For the dark beer enthusiast

When it comes to stouts, the creamy mouthfeel of Guinness is the international standard — but there's a bigger, boozier, more flavourful riff on that particular beer available in Gatineau.

Montreal brewery Dieu de Ciel's Péché Mortel — "mortal sin" in English — is an imperial stout brewed with fair-trade coffee, and it's the ideal choice for a dark beer lover to savour on a cold December night, says Ringuette.

"You want something big and malty and roasty," says Ringuette. "It warms from the alcohol but is still really, really balanced. A ton of flavour."

It's also nitro-infused, the same process that gives Guinness its creaminess, says Ringuette.

That said, if you're scared off by Péché Mortel's heavy alcohol content — it's listed at 9.5 per cent — Dieu Du Ciel also makes a tamer vanilla-and-cocoa stout called Aphrodisiac that's also delicious, says Ringuette.

Both are available at well-stocked beer stores and dépanneurs in Gatineau and west Quebec.

For someone who loves brown ales

A bit darker than a pale ale, a bit lighter than a stout, brown ales are all about those warm, malty flavours — and Ashton Brewing Company's take on the style is a "really nice" example, says Ringuette.

"You get a lot of burnt sugars, you get caramel, sometimes butterscotch," Ringuette says of the local brewery's version.

Ashton's beers aren't available at the LCBO or the Beer Store — at least not yet — but you can track them down at bars around Ottawa, as well as at the brewery's own pub, about 40 kilometres southwest of downtown Ottawa.

For the wine aficionado

Finally, if you're looking to convert your wine-loving friends to something with a bit more barley this New Year's Eve, Ringuette suggests tracking down one particular limited edition brew by Ottawa's Dominion City Brewery.

This year, Dominion City has taken their classic extra special bitter, or ESB (a style which, despite the name, isn't actually that bitter, says Ringuette) and aged it in Merlot barrels.

The resulting concoction is an English-style ale with notes of red wine that should appeal to fans of both beverages, says Ringuette.

And in case it's sold out at Dominion City's Orléans brewery, don't worry: Ringuette says they'll soon be cracking open a keg at Brother's Beer Bistro — possibly as soon as tonight.

"I'm going to brag about it, but we've got, I think, the only keg in Ottawa," he says. "I'm super excited to try it. It's going to be phenomenal."