STORM WATCHER Winter Lager

I'm back from my hiatus! Guess what I picked up this time? Another brew from the folks at the Vancouver Island Brewery, that's what! I figured they've been great so far with every brew of their's that I've tried. So I popped into the liquor store and made the choice to go with another one of their seasonal brews. I had a little voice in my head that said "Well, you like everything else they make..." I picked up a 6-pack of the Storm Watcher Winter Lager (ABV 5.5%) for my bro at work. You can find this at most BC Liquor Stores; I got mine at the Northgate location.

Vancouver Island Brewery - Storm Watcher Winter Lager (ABV 5.5%)

On pour, it has a caramel-amber colour, and the head dissipates quickly. It smells quite sweet, with a honey lager-like aroma. Before I even took a sip, I felt like this brew had more characteristics of an ale than a lager. I'm pretty sure this lager was made for ale-lovers.

The first sip sat well with my taste buds. The overall taste had hints of honey, caramel, and cereal-like tastes. It's not crisp and clean like most lagers, but the way it's flavoured has more of an ale characteristic. A lot of people might not be on top of that, but I find that it works quite well in this case. It's designed to be served really chilled, and it has a sweeter taste that I really like.

It definitely differs from other winter lagers, like the Rickard's Oakhouse winter lager. This doesn't have a hint of oak at all, but both are solid winter lagers, despite what other "beer people" think. I can't speak for them, but I am a real person with normal taste buds, and this is what I think.

So if you're in the mood for a bit of a sweeter lager that will go down smooth, something different for a change, I suggest snapping up a pack of the Storm Watcher. It's great for a rainy day (maybe that's why they named it Storm Watcher?), which we see a lot of, living on the west coast.

Overall, the consensus from my buds: This beer is light-tasting, sweet, refreshing, and smooth.

The Vancouver Island Brewery Storm Watcher Winter Lager gets an enjoyable 8.0 / 10