Friday 24 October 2014

October 10, 2014

On the occasion of my 1000th post I thought it would be interesting to take a look up at the audience.

Not surprisingly, Canadians are the most frequent viewers followed by Americans. Germany comes in third place.  Russia is fourth followed closely by France.  Sweden sits comfortably in sixth with the United Kingdom in seventh.  The final three spots of the top ten are a race between Turkey, Poland and Malaysia.

In terms of browsers, Internet Explorer is in first place but with less than 50% of the page views attributed to it.  Just over a quarter of views are on Chrome and 18% are on Firefox.  Seven other browsers make up the remaining seven percent.

In terms of operating systems, Windows reigns supreme at 72% of views with Linux at 13%, Macintosh at nine percent and seven other systems at one percent or less.

October 9, 2014

Still no sign of the Richmond Adelaide Centre 3 Brewers but I did learn a couple of things today, beyond the fact that this year there is no special Oktoberfest menu.

First off, the bottles are gone.  I did like La Belle Province and while the others were on my list I never did try them and my reason may be a pointer towards why they stopped making them. , These were 750ml bottles and they were uniformly of higher than usual alcohol content so either they were the only drink of the lunch or you needed to be accompanied by someone of similar taste to share a bottle with.

Further, the seasonal selection has been replaced by the neighbourhood beer, different for each location.  Readers will recall that I favoured Oakville's over Toronto's Yonge and Dundas brew.

October 7, 2014

235/1216) C'est What:  Mild Mannered Reporter by Forked River Brewing of Ontario:  **; a 3.8% English mild with a sweet, bready nose;  malty with a touch of fruity hops;

This is brewed in London, Ontario.

October 6, 2014

234/1215) Home:  Scottish Ale by Highlander Brew Co. of Ontario:  **; 5.4%;  sweet and malty with a grainy finish and a sweet after taste;


October 4, 2014

233/1214) C'est What:  French Press Stout by Double Trouble Brewing of Ontario:  **1/2;  4.8%, 30 ibu;  sweet mocha nose;  rich delicious mocha flavours with a sweet finish;

Thursday 23 October 2014

October 3, 2014

OK, we really are little more than poseurs.  Yet again, the media has pretty accurately summed up our crowd.

http://www.theonion.com/articles/pfizer-releases-vintage-caskaged-robitussin,37092/

October 2, 2014

232/1213) Monk's Kettle, Etobicoke:  Red Racer ESB by Central City Brewing of British Columbia:  **;  5.5%;  very hoppy for an ESB;  strongly hopped nose, flavours and after taste;  if truth be told, it's more of an IPA than an ESB in my humble opinion;

October 1, 2014

Another beer I miss, again from Niagara Falls Brewery, is Olde Jack Strong Ale.  It was described as a strong bitter and with the large bottle size and the high octane content it was another good one to share.  It's funny how long some of these have been gone but I still remember them fondly.

September 30, 2014

In spite of myself, and at great risk to my beer geek street cred, I am on the verge of warming to The Beer Store.  They are now carrying Delirium Tremens, the beer the LCBO would not carry.



September 27, 2014

230/1211) Monk's Kettle, Etobicoke:  Pumpkin Porter by Nickel Brook of Ontario:  6%; nose is sweet mocha;  pumpkin is most prominent at finish and after taste and it is pumpkin, not simply pumpkin spices, as is often the case;

231/1212) Monk's Kettle, Etobicoke:  Bad Seed by Wellington County Brewery of Ontario:  **;  5.2%;  an unfiltered wheat beer, brewed with pomegranate juice;  light, airy tropical nose;  cidery mouth feel;  fresh pomegranate flavours;

September 23, 2014

Another ludicrously successful hop harvest.


September 22, 2014

Oh, dear.  I have been exposed.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jamesgrebey/signs-youre-a-beer-aficionado#1o25s61

September 21, 2014

228/1209) Home:  Saison by Four Winds Brewing of British Columbia:  *1/2;  6.5%, 30 ibu;  hazy;  spiced yeasty nose;  peppery spice with a hopped edge;

229/1210) Home:  DeuS Brut des Flanders by Brouwerij Bosteels of Belgium:  *1/2;   the label on the bottle reads 11.5%,however the sticker the LCBO slapped on indicates 9.7% abv;  the nose is yeasty with a touch of cider and peppery spice; towards finish cidery bubbliness makes its presence known;   it's a bit like a saison but very floral, with herbal, botanical notes;

There is a bit of a story behind this beer.  It is brewed, fermented and matured in Belgium.  Then it is shipped to France where it is re-fermented in the bottles and the traditional"remuage" and "dégorgement" procedures commonly associated with champagne take place.

This is another one that was a bit of work to find.  The first time it came to Ontario a mere 240 bottles were available and I had no luck at all finding it, even at the price.


Tuesday 21 October 2014

September 20, 2014

226/1207) Home:  Black Watch Brune by Brasseur de Montreal of Quebec:  **1/2;  a 4.7%, 25 ibu; Scottish ale;  nose is sweet, malty, dark sugary;  rich, roasty sweet malt flavours; another superior British style beer brewed in Quebec;

227/1208) Home:  Swiss Mountain Appenzeller Bier by Brasseur Locher of Switzerland *;  4.8%; clear pale straw colour;  Euro-hop bite;  bready nose; a bit one note;

When we were in Switzerland we saw Calanda Brau everywhere.  Eventually I learned to like it.

September 18, 2014

222/1203) C'est What:  Admiral Tiberius Pale Ale by Junction Craft Brewing of Ontario:  **;  4%, 40 ibu;  nose is tropical fruit;  dry earthy hop flavours with a bitter finish;

I was pretty happy to finally find this one after coming so close a few weeks ago.

223/1204) C'est What:  Werner Stengel IPA by Junction Craft Brewing of Ontario:  **1/2;  6.2%, 59 ibu;  Werner Stengel is a German roll-coaster designer/engineer; he designed the first roller-coaster loop;  fresh fruity herbal nose;  floral, fruity hops with a sharp edge;

224/1205) C'est What:  Italian Backyard Pale Ale by 5 Paddles Brewing of Ontario:  *1/2;  4.2%, 35 ibu;  the first thing I noticed was that nose of basil;  it's your standard pale ale flavours with a basil finish;  it would be great to cook with;  "reminiscent of a long summer days picking and peeling tomatoes in Nonna's Backyard";

225/2106) C'est What:  Uncle Kev's Milk Stout by 5 Paddles Brewing of Ontario:  **; 6.5%, 18 ibu;  nose is sweet milk chocolate, mocha;  very sweet mocha flavours; usual four ingredients plus corn;  the bartender suggested it was a great dessert;  the website opines,  "as memorable as one of Uncle Kev's stories"

Sunday 12 October 2014

September 17, 2014

221/1202) Home:  Uber Berliner Style Weisse by Nickel Brook of Ontario: *1/2;  "Das People's (sic) Bier";  3.8%, 31 ibu;  cidery nose;  as tart as an aspirin tablet;  a one note beer but it is a reasonably good note at that;


September 14, 2014

220/1201) Monk's Kettle, Etobicoke:  Dunkel by Oast House Brewrey of Ontario:  **;  5.4%;  very dark; grainy, chocolate nose;  chocolate notes but not overly sweet with a mildly dry finish;

September 13, 0214

219/1200) Home:  Duvel Tripel Hop by Duvel Moortgat of Belgium:  **;  a 9.5% Belgian golden ale with extra hops;  Duvel is traditionally brewed with two varieties of hops; Duvel tripel Hop is brewed with a third that changes regularly;  the two constant hop varieties are Saaz and Golding and the third is Mosaic;  the nose is earthy, almost musty;  sweet opening followed by sharp hopiness and a fruity finish;


September 12, 2014

218/1199) The 3 Brewers, Oakville:  The Neighbourhood Beer - The Chate Trick by the 3 Brewers of Ontario:  **;  6.5%, 35 ibu;  our server described this to me as half way between a cream ale and a stout;  amber colour with a fresh yeast nose;  sweet minerally notes against roasty flavours;  the website describes this as a pre-prohibition style cream ale but a tip of the hat goes to the server because there are definitely stout elements to this beer;

Chate Trick is explained as Oakville slang for an unfair deal.

The 3 Brewers have been up to quite a bit of late.  The Adelaide-Richmond Centre location, promised for the end of 2013 is now scheduled to open in a couple of months. It will certainly be an interesting venture.  This is very much a jacket and tie, nine to five, part of town so the crowd will be very different than the crowd at Yonge and Dundas.  I only hope they find that they can stay busy enough in the evenings but if they have enough of a streetfront presence, as opposed to an indoors shopping mall frontage, it might work. For me, it is much closer to Union Station so it might be my first choice come the cold months when I hope to see their Winter Warmer return.

In addition, the 3 Brewers has announced plans to open a location in Liberty Village at 99 Atlantic Avenue, which is very close to where Big Rock has announced that it will open a Big Rock Urban Brewery and Eatery.

As if this wasn't a lot, the menu promises new locations on Yonge Street, between Sheppard and Finch, in North York and in Mississauga where Baton Rouge used to be (I think) all due "end 2014".

September 11, 2014

MADD Canada has partnered with the Niagara College Teaching Brewery and others to create and market an alcohol free lager to be sold at Shoppers Drug Mart, Sobey's and Metro stores in Canada.

Garrison Keillor once opined that, "The man who invented near-beer was a damn poor judge of distance" but if this is actually drinkable, and experience compels me to fear otherwise, anyone who says they drink for the taste and not the alcohol will be presented with a challenge.


September 10, 2014

The province has announced that it intends to sell the Queen's Quay LCBO outlet and warehouse.  Prospective buyers, which is to say condominium developers, will be on the hook to provide a new head office location and LCBO store in the area and it is a safe bet that the historical boards will have things to say about preserving features of the buildings in question.

This notion has been floated before so I am not especially worried but I would miss the Queen's Quay LCBO as they tended to carry all of the off beat releases and they were only a marginally ambitious walk from the GO train and GO bus terminals.  Just the same, one should never underestimate Toronto's lust to stain its waterfront with ever more condominiums.  And they dare to mock the 905 area.

September 9, 2014

Sort of a sad day what with the news that Mr. Greenjeans has closed after thirty four years at Toronto's Eaton's Centre.  Their beer selection didn't get much wilder than Tankhouse but I was reminded of other places I used to like from that era.  Growlers, as I have mentioned far too many times, is gone and missed but I had the opportunity to visit the Red Tomato a while back, downstairs from Fred's Not Here.  It looked tired.  It hadn't really changed much, design-wise, since the 1980s and what was downright bizarre was the fact that there were different menus depending on where you sat.  There was one menu for the tables but if you fancied something on the bar menu you had to get up and move no more than a couple of steps and sit at the bar.  I used to like this place a lot back in the day but I cannot picture myself going out of my way to visit again.

September 8, 2014

217/1198) Home:  Midnight Sun Espresso Stout by Yukon Brewing Company of Yukon Territory: **1/2;  6.1%;  "beer worth freezing for";  brewed with ground coffee;  the nose reminds me of C'est What's Coffee Porter was like some years ago with very strong coffee ground aromas;  strong dark coffee notes with sweet roastiness, very nearly mocha flavours;

To date, I have made notes on beers from all of the provinces, save for Newfoundland (and Nicholas Pashley has written compellingly on Newfoundland's brewing scene so I know it is only a matter of time) and two of the territories.

This was purchased with a number of others at an SAQ steps away from our hotel in Gatineaux.  The SAQ is Quebec's equivalent of Ontario's LCBO.  It seems to exist aside numerous other beer outlets. Whether by chance or design, the smaller stores seem to focus on Quebec beers - I don;t know if I saw any local beers at the SAQ - while the SAQ carried a number of very fine imported beers.  The SAQ did feature a number of local wines, however.


September 7, 2014

216/1197) Home;  McChouffe by Brasserie d'Achouffe of Belgium:  **1/2;  8%;  an Ardennes strong beer;  chestnut colour;  sweet, dark sugar nose; rich, warming burnt sugar, dried fruit flavours with a hint of alcohol at the finish;

Having enjoyed their other beers, I had been looking forward to this one for a long time. According to legend this came about as a Belgian's idea of what must have kept Scotsmen warm on cold winter nights in their stone castles.

September 6, 2014

215/1196) Home:  Bear Paw Honey Lager by Whistler Brewing Company of British Columbia:  *1/2;  5%;  brewed with BC honey;  "…be careful where you put your bottle down - we don't want to bring some 'friends' out of hibernation";  amber colour;  fresh honey nose;  tastes like slightly malty honey;  very sweet;  among honey beers this is the strongest honey flavoured so far;  it is very nearly a mead;

I have heard tell that meads are catching on in California so here's hoping the trend reaches Ontario soon.

From a mixed pack.  I have already written up more than one.


September 5, 2014

214/1195) Home:  le Stout café + vanille by Brasseur de Montreal of Quebec:  **1/2; 6.6%;  " CO2 neutral", I suppose until someone burps;  vanilla, chocolate, coffee nose; thick mouthfeel;  delicious sweet vanilla flavours, slightly dry after taste;  another excellent stout from Quebec;

Brasseur de Montreal is located in the Griffintown area of the city.

September 4, 2014

212/1193) Home:  le Seingeur Noir by Brasseurs du Monde of Quebec:  ***;  an 11.5% Imperial Stout;  the mouth feel is tiny bit fizzy;  surprising nose of port, coffee, alcohol.;  roasted coffee notes, sweet dried fruit with a bitter alcohol bite at the finish;  an outstanding stout, quite astonishingly good;

213/1194) Home:  Tailgate Pilsner by Grand River Brewing of Ontario:  *1/2;  4.5%;  pours cloudy;   grainy, grassy with mild hoppiness;  overall,  a fairly ordinary pilsner;


September 2, 2014

Staying with Niagara Falls Brewing Company, their Eisbock was consistently outstanding.  Each year's vintage was different so people with too much time on their hands were able to debate the merits of one over the other.  This was my first encounter with the style and it remains one of the best examples.  It was strong and it came in a large bottle so it was definitely one for sharing.

September 1, 2014

211/1192) Home:  La Vache Folle Porter Chicorée (edition Limitée) by Microbrasserie Charlevoix of Quebec:  **;  6.5%, 24 ibu;  brewed with sugar, fuggles hops and chicory, which is frequently employed as a substitute for coffee;   the nose is chicory scented; coffee flavours with a chocolate edge and a sugary finish;

While it is not precisely a porter it is a pretty good variation thereon, and ever so slightly off beat.  It's this sort of thing that makes exploring Quebec's beers so very much fun.

Purchased at a foodie/kitchenware/chocolate/cheese/lunch-counter/cafe sort of place in Gatineaux.


August 31, 2014

210/1191) Home:  Sir Johns A's Honey Wheat Ale by PEI Brewing Company of Prince Edward Island:  *1/2;  4.5%;  brewed with Prince Edward Island honey;  hazy, pale;  nose of fresh honey;  opens with rich honey, followed by sweet malt and a mildly hoppy finish;

August 30, 2014

208/1189) Home:  Cascade Simple Malt India Pale Ale Américaine by Brasseurs illimités of Quebec:  *1/2;  6.4%, 66 ibu;  maltiness very nearly over-shadows the hop nose; sweet maltiness with a dry hoppy finish;

209/1190) Home:  Elsinore by Phillips Brewing Company of British Columbia: *1/2; "authentically brewed and cold fermented";  grainy nose;  moderate hop notes;  pretty ordinary considering the brewer;

Thursday 9 October 2014

August 29, 2014

206/1187) Home:  IIPA/IPA Imperiale by Frampton Brasse of Quebec:  **1/2;  fresh piney hop nose;  surprising malt presence but by the finish it is all about the hops;

207/1188) Home:  Raven Cream Ale by R & B Brewing Company of British Columbia:  *1/2;  4.8%  unpasteurized;  it is darker than most cream ales;  very minerally, almost metallic nose;  minerally bite with mild hop notes;  there are features unusal for a cream ale, yet it is undoubtedly of the variety;

Wednesday 8 October 2014

August 28, 2014

204/1185) Home:  Porter by Labatts of Quebec:  *1/2;  I had no idea this was still made; it is only available in Quebec, which causes me to wonder why I shouldn't be able to get this in Ontario;  there is limited, which is to say no, information about this one on Labatts' website;  one could be forgiven for not identifying this as a porter;  it features unusually sweet notes of chocolate and coffee, even cola flavours;  I would say that it's OK, for a Labatts product it's very good but by no means is this my favourite porter;

Now I wonder if I will find Labatts IPA any time soon.

205/1186) Home:  The Bold - Belgian Pale Ale by Dead Frog of British Columbia:  **;  5%, 27 ibu;  unfiltered;  bitter, hoppy nose;  there is a bitterness, courtesy Cascade and Columbus hops that lingers into the after taste; towards the close, fruitiness and spices characteristic of Belgian beers come in to play;

August 26, 2014

203/1184) Home:  Double IPA by Brasserie McAuslan of Quebec:  *1/2;  8%;  soft finely bubbled head;  strong, sharp, piney nose;  bitter piney hop flavours but also a strong malt backdrop;  bitter finish;

Purchased at Broue Ha Ha in Gatineaux.  Broue Ha Ha can only be rivaled by the Beer Table at Grand Central Station in New York City.  They also carry chocolate, hot sauces and cheese.


August 25, 2014

202/1183) Home:  Let The Gruit Times Roll by Railway City Brewing of Ontario:  *1/2; 5.3%;  brewed using four 4 varieties of malted barley in addition to sage, rosemary, and black cumin;  spiced, herbed nose;  my first thought was that it was like liquid stuffing; my second thought was that this would be great to cook with which is what I did with the rest of the bottle - it added a whole new dimension to dinner;

This bottle is courtesy of my bother who has a skill for finding beers that are, basically, unavailable, witness his ability to come up with Black Coal Stout - one of my favourites.




Sunday 5 October 2014

August 23, 2014

199/1180) Gananoque Brewing Company, Gananoque:  Cooper's Hawk by Gananoque Brewing Company of Ontario:  *1/2;  named for a hawk startled in the ceiling during renovations;  an old school ale with sweet citrus notes;

200/1181) Gananoque Brewing Company, Gananoque:  Rhubarb Witbier by Gananoque Brewing Company of Ontario:  *1/2; the rhubarb is faint in the nose but much more prominent in the fruity flavours;

201/1182) Gananoque Brewing Company, Gananoque:  Black Bear Bock by Gananoque Brewing Company of Ontario:  **;  very malty nose;  notes of roast, chocolate;  it is very nearly a stout;

Their new location is in an industrial bell tower.

August 21, 2014

198/1179) Brasseurs du Temps, Gatineaux:  Dumduminator by Brasseurs du Temps of Quebec:  *1/2;  8%;  a chestnut coloured Doppelweizenbock  named for their master brewer Dominique "Dumdum" Gosselin;  nose is banana and spice;  malty, slightly roasty,with notes of  banana;

August 20, 2014

193/1174) Stonewater Pub, Gananoque:  Stonewater Ale by Church Key Brewing of Ontario:  *1/2;  strictly speaking it is made with "help and guidance of the brewmaster at Churchkey Brewing";  I am reminded of Northumberland Ale;  it's a very old school ale;

The Stonewater Pub is a must visit for me whenever I am near Gananoque.

194/1175) Brasseurs du Temps, Gatineaux:  Carpe Diem by Brasseurs du Temps of Quebec:  *1/2;  6.5%;  a dry hopped Belgian IPA;  Belgian yeast with a  hop bite to the nose;  sweet yeastiness with a dry hop finish;  

195/1176) Brasseurs du Temps, Gatineaux:  L'Allumante by Brasseurs du Temps of Quebec:  **;  a 5.5% nut brown ale;  a tribute to Hull's match girls of last century;  a touch of nutty caramel with biscuit to nose;  malty and rich with a dry hoppy finish;

196/1177) Brasseurs du Temps, Gatineaux:  Au Pied Du Courant by Brasseurs du Temps of Quebec: **1/2;     a 6.5% dry hopped American IPA;  citrusy, piney nose;  very dry astringent finish;  full flavoured rich hoppiness;

197/1178) Brasseurs du Temps, Gatineaux:  La Nuit des Temps by Brasseurs du Temps of Quebec:  **1/2;  5.5% stout;  the nose features coffee, mocha, dark chocolate;  roasty flavours;

I continue to marvel at how so very many good stouts come from Quebec brewers.

Brasseurs du Temps is not far across the river from Ottawa - highly recommended.



August 19, 2014

192/1173) Harper's Burger Bar, Kingston:  Origin Wheat by MacKinnon Brothers Brewing of Ontario:  *1/2;  unfiltered;  honey coloured;  bananas and cloves to the nose;  sweet and yeasty in the Belgian style;

MacKinnon Brother Brewing opened in May of this year in Bath, Ontario.

Today we ate from two places featured on You Gotta Eat Here - lunch was from MLTDWN.


August 18, 2014

187/1168) Stone City Ales, Kingston:  12 Star Session Ale by Stone City Ales of Ontario:  **;  4.8%, 35 ibu;  citrusy nose;  bitter hop notes;

188/1169) Stone City Ales, Kingston:  Arabella Super Saison by Stone City Ales of Ontario:  *1/2;  7.5%, 25 ibu;  sweet yeasty nose;  peppery, spicy with a sweet finish;

189/1170) Stone City Ales, Kingston:  Yew-Es-Eh! by Stone City Ales of Ontario:  **1/2;  5.5%, 45 ibu;  an American Pale Ale;  grapefruity nose; delicious hop flavours;  dry, astringent finish;

190/1171) Kingston Brewing Company, Kingston:  Dragon's Breath Pale Ale by Kingston Brewing Company of Ontario:  *1/2;    an English style IPA;  mild British type hop nose; malty flavours;

This is distinct from their Dragon's Breath Real Ale, and for anyone who remembers, I think it is also distinct from Dragon's Breath Pale Ale by Hart Brewing but I could be wrong about that.  I hear tell it is brewed by McAuslan of Quebec which would explain the British feel to it.  I long for KBC's peanut pasta between visits.  I hope no one reading is allergic.

191/1172) Kingston Brewing Company, Kingston:  Dunkelnacht by Kingston Brewing Company of Ontario:  **;  roasty nose;  flavours of chocolate and bananas;  banana notes are especially present in the finish;

We missed Nicholas Pashley by a day at Stone City, according to his Twitter messages.  The bar snacks were complimentary.  How can you beat that?  Absolutely worth several return visits.


They had announced that they would be closed the next day in order to catch up on beer production.  I can only hope that they are ready for the return of the students to Queen's University.


Flights are a great idea.


If you think it couldn't get better, the music is supplied by a turntable.  They had Brian Eno's Another Green World in perfect condition.

August 16, 2014

186/1167)  Home:  Jake the Snake by Lake of Bays of Ontario:  *1/2;  7.5%;  an  Imperial Pilsner aged in white oak barrels;  from the NHL Alumni series, Masked Men edition III; named for the first goaltender to don a mask, Jacques Plante;   pours a clear, straw colour;  unusually strongly hopped for a pilsner, with Columbus and Chinook hops;  the alcohol notes are prominent but for all this the backbone is the pilsner style, which is a style I hadn't imagined could be tinkered with to any degree;


August 14, 2014

184/1165) Home:  Colonel John Hamilton Gray Brown Ale by Prince Edward Island Brewing Company of Prince Edward Island:  **;  6.5%;  roasted malt nose;  rich, roasty flavours with note of unsweetened chocolate;  thin mouthfeel reminiscent of cask ale;

There were two (unrelated) Fathers of Confederation named Colonel John Hamilton Grey.  The drawing on this packaging is of the PEI Colonel Gray, and it dates from about the time of the Charlottetown Conference.  He served with the British Cavalry and was strongly in favour of confederation in 1864.  The other Colonel Gray was from New Brunswick and his career was with the local militia.

Our Colonel Gray boasted that he had a daughter born in each quadrant of the globe: the Red Sea, South Africa, Kent and Charlottetown.

185/1166) Home:  Premier George Coles Cream Ale by Prince Edward Island Brewing Company of Prince Edward Island:  *1/2;  5%;  a golden ale with a sweet nose and sweet minerally flavours;

George Coles was the first premier of PEI.  He was also a brewer and a distiller.

These are from the Gahan Series.  The packaging reads, "Dream big.  Work hard.  Drink Beer."  The Gahan House is a terrific brewpub in Charlottetown, PEI with fine beers and excellent fish and chips.

Wednesday 1 October 2014

August 11, 2014

183/1164) Home:  Aventinus Weizen Esibok 2013 Limited Edition by Weisses Bräuhaus G. Schneider & Sohn GmbH of Germany:  *1/2;  12%; strong, plummy nose with alcohol notes;  flavours of cloves, bananas, plums, alcohol;  a bit too strong for my liking -  almost over the top;  a slow sipper for certain;


August 10, 2014

181/1162) Home:  1864 Blueberry Ale by Prince Edward Island Brewing Company of Prince Edward Island;  **;    4.5%;  from the Fathers four pack, in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Charlottetown Conference ("Cheers to Confederation");   an unfiltered white ale brewed with Prince Edward Island wild blueberries;  there is some sediment at bottom of the bottle ; mild blueberry nose with a hint of wheat;  the blueberry is prominent but not overly so;  a good beer for the summer;

182/1163) Home:  Organic Apricot Ale by Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster) of England:  **;  5.2%;  nose is like apricot cider;  sparkling sweet apricot;  fizzy, cidery;




August 9, 2014

180/1161) Home:  Rogue Farms 19 Original Colonies Mead by Rogue Brewery of Oregon:  **;   the label listing the ingredients reads 5.2% abv but the one applied by the LCBO indicates 6.6%;     19 Colonies refers to their 19 colonies of bees;  brewed with wild flower honey, jasmine green tea leaves and champagne yeast;  clear with a sweet honeyed nose;  fruity candy like sweetness to start;  tart and cidery with champagne like notes;

The bees that produce Rogue Farms Hop Farm honey feed on blackberries, raspberries, cherries, lavender, pumpkin, corn, woodruff, rye and all seven varieties of Rogue hops.


August 8, 2014

176/1157) C'est What:  Bell Ringer IPA by Gananoque Brewing Company of Ontario:  **;  6.5%, 60 ibu;  earthy hop nose;  bitter, rooty hop flavours with a lingering bitter after taste;  it's no Train Wreck but it is good;  in fact it is a re-tooled Train Wreck with a less insensitive name given recent events and more in line with their new home in an historic building in Gananoque;

177/1158) C'est What:  Island Hopper by Wellington County Brewery of Ontario:  *1/2;  4.8%, 45 ibu;  on  cask, gravity feed;  a perfectly clear pale ale;  mildly gingery nose, watery mouth feel;  eminently quaffable;  largely washed out taste with a pleasant mild hoppiness;  a very upscale patio/lawn mower beer;  brewed with locally grown bee balm leaves;

178/1159) C'est What:  Ooh Mommy Cremini Mushroom Ale by Church Key of Omtario:  1/2;  7.0%;  mouldy, fungusy nose. like a booze -soaked mushroom;  mouldy, fungusy flavours with a touch of melon which makes no sense at all and a bizarre after taste;  I could barely finish it;    it took a Smashbomb to re-set my palate and my being in general after this tauma;

179/1160) The 3 Brewers:  Anthos by The 3 Brewers of Ontario:  *1/2;  5.3%, 20 ibu;  an unfiltered wheat beer brewed with rosemary;  spiced rosemary nose;  tastes of spices with a sweet finish and herbal bitter after taste;  

Anthos is the Greek/Latin word for rosemary.


August 7, 2014

175/1156) Home:  Hopbot IPA by Hop City of Ontario:  **1/2;  7.1%, 70 ibu;  citra, centennial, mosaic, summit and wllamette hops were used along with wheat and barley; fragrant floral nose with an earthy edge;  delicious hops, bright mildly citrusy;  a solid IPA for International IPA Day;


August 6, 2014

174/1155) Home:  Imperial Compass by Southern Tier of New York;  **1/2; 9%;   a bottle conditioned sparkling ale brewed with rose hips;  citrusy nose - lemon, grapefruit; refreshing citrusy hops, not over the top;


August 3, 2014

173/1154) Home:  Thirsty Beaver by Tree Brewing of British Columbia:  *1/2;  a medium bodied amber ale with a sweet malty nose;  vaguely in the English style but leaning more towards the sweet and malty side;