April 7th is National Beer Day; perfect timing for Chews and Brews’ April Craft Beer review! April is an interesting month for me and beer drinking. I am starting to want whites and more fruity types of beers, but still can’t kick the darker, heavier beers. This beer review has mostly dark beers – a way for me to say good-bye to the winter types of beers and hello to the summer, lighter beers. This will probably be the last post of my beer reviews where you see dark beers, until about October or November. I’ll be switching to hefeweizen‘s, craft lagers, whit’s and other spring / summer types. 

April Craft Beer Review

Parallel 49 Brewing, The Salty Scot  

7.5 % Alc./Vol. ; 17 IBU 

This was one of my favourtie craft beer finds this winter season. I first had it in the beer advent calendar in December, and have since purchased it a couple times. 

A – pours a clear, brown with a beige frothy head that lingers

S – smells of ripe bananas, caramels and toffee malts

T – lots of caramel malts on the tongue with a slight saltiness to balance with the sweetness

M – light, sticky, medium carbonation, medium body. High in alcohol, but not a boozy taste. 

O – overall like I said above, a great beer that I have had a few times now. It’s a great dessert beer, or a beer for cold winter nights, by the fire place. And I always love Parallel 49’s fun labels! 

Okanagan Springs, Cloudy Amber

5.0% alc/vol.

This beer, along with the next one, came in the Okanagan Springs Winter Craft Pack. 

A – a slight haze, with a orange/brown colour, and thick, white, foamy/soapy head that retained well. 

S – some floral notes, earthy smell – maybe of leaves. 

T – caramel malts first and then some floral, earthy, hops to round it out.

M – smooth at first with some bitter aftertaste. Medium carbonation and medium bodied. 

O – Overall a decent beer. I didn’t care much for the bitter aftertaste that wouldn’t go away for me, but I appreciate the attempt at a balanced, cloudy amber beer. 

Okanagan Springs, Classic Nut Brown Ale

5.6% alc./vol.

I love nut and brown ales (as you will see below, with my most favourite beer ever!) – I find them sweet, smooth, sticky and quite easy to drink. 

A – deep, dark brownish orange colour with creamy white head that left right away.

S – weak scent, couldn’t pick up much – a bit bready, grainy and maybe a hint of coffee

T – caramel malts, light notes of bitter coffee, nuts, leafy hops to balance out the sweet caramels and nuts

M – fizzy and frothy, medium bodied, easy and smooth to drink

O – a decent nut brown ale, good flavour

Whistler Brewing Company, Valley Trail Chestnut Ale

5.0% alc./vol.

Behold, my all time, most favourite beer ever! Sadly this beer is only seasonal, but when it’s out, I am buying it like crazy! It is a limited, small batch tasty ale that is around in the fall, and if you are lucky, you can find it into the winter and spring too. 

A – dark brown, clear pour with exceptional frothy, beige head that retains well

S – vanilla, rich nuttiness, caramels and toffee

T – lots of nuts, sweet malty caramels, brown sugar, toffee and molasses. Very little bitterness.

M – not overly carbonated, very smooth, sticky, dessert beer

O – overall, you know how I feel about this beer. I rave about it all the time to everyone I can. The sweetness is awesome, but still tastes like beer, not too sweet. It’s smooth and can be easily drunk. Love, love, LOVE!

Goose Island, Matilda

7.0% alc./vol.; 26 IBU

Found this beer on the top shelf of a Superstore liquor store with a bright sticker saying “New – Try Me!” so I listened. 

A – dark, hazy pour, orange / dark yellow with white, bubbly head that stuck around

S – smells wheaty, some funky sour, citrus, lemons

T – tastes less sour than it smells, but some lemony sourness, plus more grains and bready

M – medium carbonation, medium bodied, refreshing

O – I actually enjoyed this even though the smell was a bit off putting. It’s refreshing and has a lot of flavours balancing out with the grains and sour fruits. 

This spring and summer I am looking forward to trying out what the craft beer market has to offer! I hope there will be new whites, wits, and hefeweizens, as well as some interesting craft lagers, fruity and spicy creations. This April craft beer review concludes my nut brown ale, porter and stout addiction; at least until the fall. 

If you enjoyed the April craft beer review, check out some of my other beer reviews: 

• March craft beer review
• February craft beer review
• January craft beer review
• Hefeweizens
• Fall Beers
• IPAs and cheesecake
• Banff Ave Brewing
• Big Rock Brewery

What craft beers are you looking forward to this spring and summer?!