Innis & Gunn Winter Beer 2011. $14.95, LCBO

Before you do a double take at the price, know that this beer is part of a sampler of Innis & Gunn products available at the LCBO.  It comes with two of I&G's other offerings, as well as the branded glass you see in the shot. On to the beer!
This beer pours perfectly into the glass it comes with, the head just brushing the rim, and the shape focusing the nose in such a way that really helps you to appreciate the nuance of the recipe. Brilliant ruby red, with one finger of head that hangs around for a bit, it laces the glass pretty well and has little to no active carbonation visible to the naked eye. The colour is really stunning, there is no need to pass any light through it. Almost glows red all on its own. It smells like caramel malt, biscuity, with a spicy hint that eludes to cinnamon and nutmeg a bit, but I'm not sure if that is brewed in, or an effect of the whiskey casks it is aged in. The first sip brings more of the malts, caramel and toffee but not too heavy, and delicate, slightly citrusy hops that give way to some oak and vanilla. There is a dry finish that eludes to that cinnamon spike again, but I don't get much of it in the actual flavour, and I second guess myself a bit. But if that's what I taste, that's what I taste! The 7.4% ABV gives it a nice warming boozy feel, perfect for a cold winter night, or spreading some Christmas cheer. It is smooth, but not heavy, oily and slick but nicely crsip, almost micro carbonated.
      This isn't the kind of beer you pair with a meal, it's the kind of beer you sit by the fire and enjoy. Sure, you could find the perfect match for something like this, but it is so unique a product (as is the entire I&G line), that it really deserves to be savoured on its own. Innis & Gunn Original was one of the first beers that took me into a whole new world of possibility years ago. Four different I&G brews later and I am still impressed at the style and substance they have all had to offer. The complexity is there, but it never becomes over the top. In fact, you should really slow this one down and savour it. 8/10.