Each month, as part of this 366-day BC craft beer extravaganza that I will be sharing with you throughout 2016, I will highlight a specific style or theme of beers for a whole week of articles. Since March features St. Patrick’s Day and many of us largely associate the celebration with Guinness beer, the Sip Advisor thought it would be a prime month to highlight some of B.C.’s best stout beers.

If there’s anything the Sip Advisor likes more than a smoky beverage, it’s a spicy one and Central City Brewing has the answer to my wishes with this seasonal release.

The Habanero Stout is roasty, smoky and spicy – the triple threat! At 8.5% ABV, they aren’t messing around here. Despite the high alcohol content, it’s not noticeable. There’s also a nice balance between the overall sweetness of the stout and the chili spice of the habaneros.

To go with the beer’s heat, the classic Central City Red Racer logo of a girl riding a bike has been adapted to being a she-devil (still on the bike), clad in red and complete with tail and pitchfork. You gotta love the company slightly altering their label to give the beer a little more shelf appeal.

I’ve always enjoyed popping into Central City’s Surrey brewery, tasting room and store, but on this visit I was completely blown away by the pricing of some of their available beers. I’m not sure if they were simply clearing stock, but I was able to pick up bombers of today’s feature beer for only $2 each. You just can’t beat that!

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