Beer of the Week
Click here to view previous beers. We feature a new beer every week - This week's beer:
Faceplant Winter Ale - Nelson Brewing Company, Nelson, B.C.
Price: $11.45 - for 6 x 355 ml cans*
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Best Feature: great name, malty, sweet, smooth
Nelson Faceplant comes in a wintry blue can with a snowcapped Nelson Brewing Company logo. Nelson Brewery offers a wide range of products, all 100% certified organic, that are available in most liquor stores (often hidden on the side shelves). Faceplant Winter Ale is a great value for a specialty product made with premium ingredients and a higher alcohol content (6%). The aroma reminded me of sweet cocoa, bakers chocolate and molasses. The pour produced a rich thick head that was very fluffy similar to foam in a milkshake. Faceplant has a lower amount of carbonation and is fairly light in body, especially for a dark beer. The initial taste is sweet brown sugar and syrup followed by a soft lingering bitterness and roasted aftertaste with hints of dark chocolate. This is a great beer for tasting because the flavours will flow through different parts of the mouth and taste buds - there are a lot of flavours that will delight your senses. The sweet taste is very apparent but not overwhelming or unbalanced. The mouth is left satisfied and clean but the flavour do linger pleasantly. Faceplant Winter Ale is perfect for sipping in front of the fireplace after a long day of skiing or playing in the snow. This is the type of beer that is best served straight from the garage - chilled but not ice cold. Try Nelson Brewing Faceplant Winter Ale alone or match it with some dark chocolate or a dessert made with molasses to really send your sweet taste buds to new levels of pleasure. In addition, this beer is perfect for cooking and baking - try beer pancakes, coffee cake, stew or the sweet and spicy drunk chicken featured on the recipe page of this website.
Beer Fact: Nelson Brewing Company produces all of their beer with 100% certified organic ingredients. This organic hops and malted barley. Obviously 100% organic ingredients are more expensive but the flavour and quality of the products will help this brewery survive in the competitive market. Nelson Brewery definitely should be commended for trying to reduce their impact on the environment by "going green".
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Best Features: rich thick head, full body and flavour
Nelson Brewing Company's Faceplant Winter ale is only seasonally available, so it will not be in your local beer store all year. When poured, this ale was a dark reddish brown topped by a nice thick head with tight bubbles. The nose is distinctly malty with undertones of sweetness maybe even caramel. The mouthfeel was medium and full-bodied, with a sweet start chased by a malty finish. I rather enjoyed this beer; I found it easy to drink and enjoyed the flavours. Try Nelson Faceplant Winter Ale with a nice rare cut of prime rib, roast beef or turkey and gravy.
Beer Fact: There are several "winter ales" available on the market. Many of these beers use "adjuncts" to help flavour the beer while others rely on a rich blend of dark roasted malts to result in a chocolate or roasted finish. Which is better? You will have to decide on your own but using adjuncts can often make the beer unbalanced and result in overpowering flavours.
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*Unless otherwise stated, this is the BC Government Liquor Store price quoted.
*Our rating scale is based on a five point system (1 being least enjoyable, 5 being excellent) We rate the beer using the following criteria; overall taste, appearance, mouthfeel, freshness, body, aroma, finish, availability, and price.
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