Ten Great Beers Available in Manitoba (Part Seven)

Great Belgian beers, unfortunately only the Chimay Green (150) is currently in Manitoba

It's been over three years since I've done a Ten Great Beers Available in Manitoba post. Most of it has to do with Manitoba Liquor Marts being stubborn with bringing in anything interesting out-of-province and I have a busy job that doesn't allow me to write often.

1. Chimay 150 Green Cap - MLCC discontinued a bunch of Belgian beers right before COVID hit until earlier this year when they started to bring some back. I had the pleasure of sampling this strong Golden Ale in Leuven, Belgium back in the spring. Sweet, floral, just what you want in a Belgian Ale.
2. Lagunitas IPA - Lagunitas IPA has been available in Manitoba several times, as recently as 2016 but it's back in 500mL cans. The interesting part about this California-based brewery's IPA is that it's brewed in Netherlands, which is a tad bit further than California. Affordable at $3.79 per 500mL can. Hoppy, floral, nice to drink at any time.
3. Section 6 Honey Belgian Single - Currently only available at the brewery until 2023. I've had the honour of sampling this sweet ale many, many times over the years before Section 6 opened this month. It's sweet, tad floral, has a nice Belgiany yeastiness to it, a beer I could sip on all day. Surprisingly doesn't contain any actual honey (for now), but you would never know!
4. Kilter Space Jam - Love this just for the name but this is a very jam-forward IPA that tastes like you're eating straight from a jar of your grandma's homemade jams. Very sweet, lots of berry notes and I almost feel like pouring this on toast.
5. Rebellion BEER! - Currently only available at Quality Beer Store in Winnipeg, this beer is for those who want a crisp, light, easy drinking beer on a hot summer night next to a nice bonfire. My non-craft beer friends and family actually really enjoyed this beer.
6. Half Pints Burly Wine 2021 - Surprisingly still around after all these years. Burly Wine is pretty much the gold standard of Barley Wines. I'm not happy that it's no longer in bottles but the entire Canadian craft beer industry moved away from bottles once COVID hit and all breweries discovered that the typical consumer wants cans over bottles. Sweet, very boozy, dark fruit and raisins, lots of caramel. Sample this on a cold winter night.
7. Trappistes Rochefort 10 - I've probably listed them on one of these lists before but back when the big Belgian beer cull happened a few years back, Rochefort 10 was the first one to go. This dark, heavy, sweet and nutty ale is back and a regular in my fridge.
8. Delirium Tremens/Nocturnum - This isn't available at Liquor Marts, rather at various Winnipeg beer vendors. Quality Inn has proudly carried Delirium Tremens for many many years now, to the point that they even sell it in five litre Bubbas! I found Nocturnum at another beer vendor, your mileage may vary.
9. Surly Darkness (various years) - Quality Beer Store also has a limited stock of Surly's world famous Darkness Imperial Stout. I have a few bottles aging and can't wait to pick them up. It's rich, sweet, roasty, boozy and strong enough to wake up the dead, it's that good!
10. Sookrams Star Beast Imperial Stout - This edition of Ten Great Beers is pretty heavy in stronger beers but it's no surprise with this being written during a cold snap in December. This one will help keep you warm on the chilly nights, but you won't get too tipsy as it's only available in a 355mL can. Sweet, boozy, notes of molasses, raisin and chocolate. Like Kilter, I harassed Sookrams for years until they finally came to Brandon. Also, this is probably the only stout I openly didn't mind drinking on a 30C day back this past summer at their patio.