24 Days of B.C. Beer: Idleback Amber Ale by Slackwater Brewing (No.5)

Welcome to 24 Days of Beer, in which we guide you through what might be a very dark month. Aren’t you glad we’re here to tell you what to drain your sorrows with?

We’ve arrived at the first beer on this list that does not have “stout” or “dark” as a descriptor. But for those that like to actually do things during the winter like camping or hiking or skiing (you know, all those things we can’t do right now), this is an optimal beer for the season.

It’s fittingly an ode to the Okanagan’s Idleback Lake, as the outdoorsy angle is clearly one that Penticton-based Slackwater Brewing has established as a motif since opening about a year and a half ago. (Other titles include a What The Fog!? NE IPA and a Deepwater Robust Porter.) Crazy how it’s the only brewery in the province to use the outdoors as a brand identity.

Jokes aside, the Idleback is fresh and easy to drink but somehow still fairly rich at the same time, forcing you to savour it. It’s also got a hint of pine that I totally would have noted before reading the brewery’s description of the beer.

So, by our completely scientific calculations: pine=tree=Christmas Tree=winter. There, perfect.

Previous 24 Days of Beer:
Tmavý Pivo 13 by Slowhand Brewing (No.1)
Mint Chocolate Stout by Moody Ales (No.2)
All Season Nitro Dry Stout by Container Brewing (No.3)
Four Year Oatmeal Stout by Strathcona Beer Company (No.4)