LCBO Food & Drink Holiday 2025

AFTER DARK

PULL OFF A SPICY PAIRING Tamale-Style Pie with Smoky & Spicy Pulled Pork p. 159 Comfort doesn’t necessar ily have to mean tradition. Here, the chocolate and fruitiness of Imperial stout play nicely with the warm ing spices and chili heat that complement the fatty richness of pulled pork. The combination, reminis cent of mole, is inspiration enough to consider a tropi cal vacation.

IMPERIAL STOUT

Imperial stout was originally exported from Britain to Rus sia—both places that know about winter. Imperial stout is bigger and stronger in both taste and alcohol level than regular stout, and con tains a galaxy of nuances in its depths. Oak-aged versions develop vanilla, caramel and woody tannins from whisky barrels. In all cases, serving Imperial stout at room temperature allows the beer to express itself. Strong and Barrel-Aged Stout

Wellington Brewery Imperial Stout (LCBO 296269, 473 mL, $4.50) is a classic British take on the style with notes of dark chocolate, molasses, dried cherry and an earthy bitterness that rounds out the palate.

Cowbell Brewing Nitro Chocolate Imperial Stout (LCBO 45044, 473 mL, $4.25) combines roast malts with cacao in order to deliver a huge chocolate character that’s made even smoother and creamier by the foamy, nitrogen-fuelled pour.

Innis & Gunn Vanishing Point 09 (LCBO 45142, 500 mL, $17.95), this year’s limited edition Imperial stout is aged in Strathclyde whisky casks from Glasgow, imparting vanilla, toffee and coconut complexity.

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———————— HOLIDAY 2025