Beer column: ‘Tis the season for dark beers, right?

The weather in October has been surprisingly pleasant, but there’s no doubt the days are getting cooler and shorter.

As a result, after months of light summer beers, a lot of people are starting to get a hankering for some of those classic fall and winter suds.

We featured fresh hop beers in this column three weeks ago, which is a fall staple, but now it’s time to talk about a couple of dark beers that will serve you well as you battle the winter blues.

There are many great dark beers out there for you to try this winter, but this week’s column is going to focus on a pair of very popular brews from our neighbours here in Kelowna.

Copper Brewing’s Vanilla Coffee Porter and S’mores Stout are both limited releases that come out during the fall and winter and they’ve now hit liquor stores for the 2023-24 season.

The Vanilla Coffee Porter is described, right on the can, as “delicious and creamy,” but don’t let that second word fool you.

While it’s smooth and tasty, creamy certainly doesn’t mean heavy, which is a common misconception when many think about porters and dark beers.

So let’s pause for a second and address the difference between porters and stouts.

The biggest difference between the two dark beers is that porters are made with malted barley, while stouts are made with unmalted roasted barley.

As a result, porters tend to be more light-bodied with a lower ABV (alcohol by volume), and generally more drinkable than stouts, which are usually darker, bolder and pack some more flavour.

That is the case with Copper’s two most popular dark beers, as the Vanilla Coffee Porter is a simpler concoction that tastes like a delicious mix of coffee and beer, with a hint of vanilla.

(PS - the Vanilla Coffee Porter is made with DECAF coffee beans from a local Okanagan roaster, which means you can drink it as late as you want without worry about not being able to sleep).

Now, moving on to the S’mores Stout, which is no doubt a great beer to have while cozying up around the campfire.

“Loads of marshmallows, graham crackers and of course… a lot of chocolate went into this heart stout,” the can reads.

The can never lies, and the overwhelming sensation of the S’mores Stout is certainly a rich, sweet chocolate, but you do get hints of the other s’mores elements in there.

It’s easy to lump all dark beers together, but these two Copper creations both offer something very different and it’s well worth it to try both out.

If you’re around Kelowna, drop by the tasting room. Alternatively, find these bad boys in liquor stores from Kamloops to Osoyoos.

For our readers outside of that area, you may have to go bug your local liquor store to request some on order from Copper. Or better yet, come visit the brewery in Kelowna, it’s one of our favourites!

Josh Duncan is the NowMedia news director and a craft beer lover. Reach him at [email protected]. His beer column appears every Saturday afternoon in this space.