Craft beers come in all sorts of varieties and although the right one can perfectly compliment the cooling weather, the amount of choices can be confusing. Luckily, Saskatoon’s brewmasters are here to help.

As we move further into the moody months of autumn and winter, students may find themselves looking to enjoy a nice seasonal beer. Unfortunately — if you’re anything like me — words like stout, lager and porter don’t really mean much to you.

So, I turned to three of Saskatoon’s micro-breweries for advice on what qualities to look for in autumn and winter beers and which of their beers they personally recommend.

Steve Cavan, founder and brewmaster of Paddock Wood Brewing Co., suggests that the best beer for moving into winter is a strong one.

“I like to curl up on my couch with a nice strong beer. I don’t want to drink a regular beer — five per cent alcohol — before bed. Give me a beer that’s 10–12 per cent alcohol and I usually split it with my wife, but that’s all I need,” Cavan said.

Cavan also set the tone early, affirming that this time of year is all about dark beers, pointing to the popularity of Paddock Woods’ London Porter and Black Cat brews.

“Black Cat has always been that favourite for September–October. We use a special malt that has colour with little flavour, so people who are afraid of dark beers are surprised,” Cavan said.

For my money, the London Porter is a great bet from Paddock Wood. Deep, mellow flavour with a just a hint of chocolate to keep things from getting too boring, it’s a beer for winter nights watching the snow fall.

At 9 Mile Legacy Brewing, co-founders Garrett Pederson and University of Saskatchewan College of Law graduate Shawn Moen agree that darker beer — and less of it — is your best bet for the changing seasons.

“When you get into the fall and wintertime you’re going to be getting into more malty beers, malty stouts,” Pederson said. “We have an English Brown Ale that’s really malty, chocolatey, roasty.”

Likewise, Moen suggests that strong flavour is a must.

“These are seasons where you’re starting to eat a lot more different and stronger flavoured foods. Something like our [English] Brown Ale or Angus Stout has the guts to stand up with a meal like that,” Moen said. “It’s that full-bodied flavour and experience that really seems to go well with cold weather.”

Of the four beers I tried, the Angus Stout was easily my favourite. While the coffee and dark chocolate flavours are prominent, it goes down incredibly easily and tastes like it would pair well with anything, even — as Moen recommended — a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a boozy float.

Lastly, Kelita Deptuch and Robert Belanger, the bar manager and sales manager respectively of Prairie Sun Brewery, made it three for three on recommending dark beers in smaller doses.

“I like darker beers for winter and the heavier the beer, the better. Stouts and porters and red ales are premium for winter. Most of our house beers, you can drink a few of them. Lots of seasonals, I find you’re pretty good after one or two,” Deptuch said.

Campfire, a seasonal red lager currently on tap at Prairie Sun, is double smoked in the brewing process and you can taste it. It’s a beer to curl up with. However, there was another beer that made an impression on me: Toffee 5— a chocolate porter, also on tap.

“The Toffee 5 is very warm — toffee is actually a byproduct of brewing. It’s got a hint of coffee and chocolate to it,” Belanger said.

Despite the overarching suggestion that a good fall or winter beer should be enjoyed sparingly, the sweet caramel aftertaste made me want to drink it until I burst. So sometimes, moderation is easier said than done.

In short, if you’re looking for a drink that matches your mood this autumn, recommendations are unanimous. Go darker when you can, look out for stronger coffee, caramel and chocolate flavours and — if you can help it — cap it off at just one or two.

For more information on these local breweries, visit paddockwood.com, 9milelegacy.com and prairiesun.ca. Select beers from Paddock Wood and 9 Mile Legacy are also available on tap at Louis’ Pub.

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Photo:  Caitlin Taylor / Photo Editor