I confess to never before having heard the peculiar swimming term "shinnicked," despite my many childhood summer vacations spent on the shores of Lake Muskoka, near the town of Bracebridge where this potation is brewed. I suppose it only makes sense. Ontario cottage country to me is synonymous with summer, when the waters are warm and inviting. "Shinnicked" apparently refers to that frigid, paralyzed feeling one gets after plunging into a cold lake – as in, "Brrrrh, hand me a heartwarming brew, fast!" This dark beer was, according to the marketing pitch, made for people of such questionable judgment. An ebony-coloured, creamy elixir, it's medium-full-bodied, infused with Muskoka Roastery's heady Lumberjack coffee. The texture is milk-chocolate-smooth, and the taste refreshingly dry for a stout and moderate in alcohol (at just 5.2 per cent), with a roasted-coffee character up front and mellow bitterness toward the finish. Frankly, I'd rather take a dunk in the beer than in a cold lake.