Sunday 30 December 2018

December 30, 2018

379/2600) Home:  CPA (Canadian Pale Ale) by Old Tomorrow of Ontario: *1/2; 4.9%; malty, biscuity nose; malty but with a bitter edge and a bitter after taste;



Viewers who are triggered by the sight of an image of Canada's first Prime Minister are invited to get stuffed.

December 29, 2018

378/2599) Home:  Trash Panda Hazy IPA by Parallel 49 of British Columbia:  **; 5.5%; while the term hazy might suggest a New England sytle IPA this is brewed with Northwest hops; nose of citrus zest; tastes of both citrus and zest;


December 28, 2018

377/2598) Home:  Wizard Wolf Pale Ale Citra/Mosaic by Bellwoods Brewery of Ontario:  **1/2; 4.8%; this was a gift from eldest son; pours murky, swampy even; juicy tropical nose; tropical and citrusy; very nice;


December 27, 2018

375/2595) The 3 Brewers, Heartland:  I Did It All For The Cookie by The 3 Brewers of Ontario:  **1/2; Justin has brewed a beer with the same name before but it used the Festive Ale as a base; here it is the Amber Ale with molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger; I thought I might miss the spice that the Festive Ale brought but I was wrong; very strong ginger nose; ginger is strong but there is enough molasses and cinnamon to be noticed;  Well done;

376/2596) Home:  India Pagan Ale by St. Mary Axe of Ontario: **; 5.5%, 55 ibu; brewed with a blend of four American hops; pours hazy;  tropical nose;  juicy tropical flavours;


December 26, 2018

373/2594) Home:  God Save The Lager Imperial Pilsner by 8 Wired Brewing in collaboration with Bridge Road of Australia:  **; 7%; brewed with hops from New Zealand and Australia; piney nose; an uncommonly fruity pilsner with grassy notes and musty, citrusy flavours; very un-pilsner like not to mention un-lager like; 


374/2595) Home:  Starboard New England IPA by Lake of Bays of Ontario:  **; 5.4%, 40 ibu; brewed with Magnum, Citra and Mosaic hops; pours cloudy; juicy, fruity nose; fruity, juicy, tropical flavours; bitter finish;



Friday 28 December 2018

December 25, 2018

372/2593) Home: Cuvée de Nöel by Brasserie St-Feuillien S. A. of Belgium:  **1/2; 9%; brewed with licorice, though I scarcely noticed it, at Abdi Abbey; aged at the Abbey then by me as this only hit the shelves in February or March which I took as a sign to age it; wonderful nose of fruit and mild spice; spices, dried fruit, alcohol;


December 23, 2018

371/2592) Home:  Stone Free Hoppy Sour Apricot Ale by 8 Wired Brewing of New Zealand :  *1/2; 4.5%; brewed with malted barley and wheat, oats, apricots and lactose; pours hazy; tart, acidic nose; citrusy tartness;  OK for a sour;


Thursday 27 December 2018

December 22, 2018

369/2590) Home:  Warrior Irish Red Ale by Eight Degrees Brewing of Ireland:  **; 4.7%; brewed with barley and wheat; strong grapefruit and pine nose; pine flavours with sweet maltiness;

This was yesterday's calendar beer but I was too tired when I got in so I put it off a day.  Named in honour of St. Fanahan, a warrior monk and the patron saint of the brewery's hometown of Mitchelstown.  The brewery takes its name from the fact that it is located at 8 degrees west longitude and their beers are best served at a temperature of 8 degrees.


370/2591) Home:  Phat Phantom by Eight Degrees Brewing in collaboration with Jamieson Distilleries both of Ireland:  1/2; a 5.5% Irish Stout aged in Jamieson Whiskey barrels;  in this case the collaboration is with the Irish distillery, Jamieson as opposed to a brewery;  tastes a touch infected;  dark roasty notes with funk; hints of oak; I was hoping for so much more;



December 21, 2018

367/2588) The 3 Brewers, Adelaide:  Flanders Delight, also known as La Tripel by The 3 Brewers of Ontario:  **1/2; 7.2%; sweet nose; dark sugary flavours, fruity; a very nice tripel;

I was in town for the Solstice.  This is something of a tale of redemption.  The last two times I was here I ordered the IPA and I could not believe how different it was from the marvellous IPA that Justin makes on Mavis Road.  At first I thought I had been poured the wrong beer - scarcely any hops at all.  This Tripel in the Belgian style, however, is one of the best beers I have had at a Three Brewers and now I am looking for an excuse to return to Toronto.

368/2589) C'est What:  Old Tyme Gingerbread Porter by Oast House of Ontario:  **; 5.3%; wonderful gingery nose; spot on gingerbread flavours;  ideal for the season;

I had hoped for redemption here as well but I was disappointed.  I spend much of the year looking forward to St. Ambroise Russian Imperial Stout.  I had ordered a glass on an earlier trip to Toronto and I tried it again hoping for a better experience but again it was a disappointment.  It could be that the recipe has changed or it may have suffered outrages during shipping from Quebec but the wonderful notes of oak, bourbon and vanilla have been replaced by flavours of red wine vinegar with a hint of Windex - revolting.

Wednesday 26 December 2018

December 20, 2018

366/2587) Home:  Winter Stout Nordic Farmhouse Stout by Nogne Ø in collaboration with Beer Here, both of Norway; 10.5%, 100 ibu; brewed with malted barley, malted wheat, malted oats, caraway, coriander and a Norwegian yeast strain called Kveik; nose of dark coffee; similar flavours with fruit and spice;


December 19, 2018

365/2586) Home:  Calm Christmas Belgian Tripel by Nogne Ø of Norway:  **1/2; 9%, 35 ibu; brewed with malted barley and malted wheat, demerara sugar, orange peel and cinnamon; pours clear; somewhat of a sugary, gingery nose;  raw sugar notes but orange zest flavours keep things from being too sweet; cinnamon flavours throughout; this is the best pick from the 2018 Advent calendar so far;


This is the latest I have achieved 365 beers among the years I have managed that.  I have noted that at the end of 2016 I was writing about how this was becoming increasingly difficult but now I have done it in back to back years.

December 18, 2018

364/2585) Home:  Une Belle Histoire Farmhouse Porter by Brouwerij Alvinne in collaboration with Brouwerij Rosny, both of Denmark; 5.6%; again, possibly infected;  mildly funky nose; mild coffee notes with funk; did not finish;


December 17, 2018

363/2584) Home:  Morpheus Saison by Brouwerij Alvinne of Denmark:  1/2; 6%; foamed violently on opening; smells spoiled, or perhaps soured;  at any rate it was not working for me so I did not finish this one;  I am pretty sure it was infected;


December 16, 2018

362/2583) Home:  Jefe by White Pony Microbrewery in collaboration with Panil Birra Artigianale both of Italy:  *1/2;  6%; brewed in Belgium by Het Nest Brauwerij with wheat, barley and passionfruit; dry hopped with Motueka hops; yeasty passionfruit nose; peppery spices largely overshadow the passionfruit;



December 15, 2018

361/2582) Home:  Ambra Amber Ale by White Pony Microbrewery of Italy:  **; 9.3%; brewed with barley malt, wheat, sugar; a Belgian style amber ale brewed in Belgium by Het Nest Brauwerij; sweet, malty nose; sweet caramel notes, malty; a nice amber ale from an unusual source;




December 14, 2018

359/2580) Monk's Kettle. Etobicoke:  Surround Sound by Collective Arts of Ontario:  **1/2; 8.2%; sweet tropical fruit nose;  citrusy, tropical flavours;  another winning IPA from Collective Arts;

The Monk's Kettle (Note to lawyers:  the one in Etobicoke) is under new management.  The menu, including the specials, and the beer list remain largely unchanged, at least in spirit.  What is different is the energy has returned.  I felt a certain malaise the last time I was there. 

I felt much the same way during my most recent visit to the beerbistro.  Some have suggested the nearby and newly opened Craft Beer Market is taking business away.  I have not been but based on descriptions from those who have it seems different enough that there should be room for both.

360/2581) Home:  Stout by Yankee and Kraut in collaboration with HoppeBrau handgmachte bier, both of Germany; 5.4%;  sweet, milky mocha nose; opens with dark coffee; sweet mocha finish;


December 13, 2018

357/2578) Home:  IPA by Caribru of Ontario:  **; 5.6%;  brewed at Junction Craft with a blend of West Coast and New Zealand hops and mango; resiny nose; mango is understated as are the New Zealand hops; grainy, resiny flavours;

The label reads, "Beer for good" - a portion of the proceeds goes to charity.  This is a break from the Advent Calendar.


358/2579) Home:  Saison by Yankee and Kraut of Germany:  *1/2; 8%; yeasty, honeyed nose; uncommonly sweet for a saison with yeasty, musty flavours, mildly spiced;


Day 13 of the Advent calendar.


Sunday 23 December 2018

December 12, 2018

356/2577) Home:  Ceres by Brouwerij Frontaal in collaboration with Walhalla, both of the Netherlands; *1/2; 5.2% smoked rye Scottish ale; rich, sweet, malty nose with toffee notes; sweet toffee and malt flavours;



December 11, 2018

355/2576) Home:  Can You Pass Me The Milk? by Brouwerij Frontaal of the Netherlands:  *; Advent, day eleven; 4.0% Cacao Milk Stout brewed with lactose and cacao nibs; sweet chocolate nose; very mild chocolate notes - extremely mild: even the carbonation is more pronounced;  tastes watered down; not offensive, just not the least bit inspiring;


December 10, 2018

354/2575) Home:  Export Lager by Ugly Duck Brewing in collaboration with Hornbeer, both of Denmark; *1/2; 5.5%; Advent, day ten; billed as an "Old school beer with a new school twist"; brewed with Danish pilsner malt, raw wheat;  the twist is Rakau and Mosaic hops; nose is sweet and fruity with a hint of sharp citrus - very grainy but also very fruity; interesting;


December 9, 2018

353/2574) Home:  Galaxy Hoppy Blonde by Ugly Duck Brewing of Denmark:  **;  Day 9 of the Advent calendar; I think this brewery is also known as Indslev Bryggeri; 6.5%, 15 ibu; a Belgian blonde ale brewed with Belgian yeast and Galaxy hops;  sweet yeasty nose; sweet yeasty flavours with cloves; the hops step forward in the dry finish;


Saturday 22 December 2018

December 8, 2018

352/2573) Home:  the check please by Eviltwin Brewing in collaboration with "_______ brewing", or Blank Brewing; brewed for them by Dorchester Brewing; a 7% double dry hopped black India Pale Ale; pours dark brown; piney nose; I am not getting the chocolate notes so common with a black IPA, instead mostly piney flavours but it's quite nice;


December 7, 2018

351/2572) Home:  Fruit Salad by Eviltwin Brewing of Massachusetts, U.S.A.:  **;  Day seven of the Advent calendar; a 7% India Pale Ale brewed with grapefruit, mango, raspberry, passionfruit, blueberry;  brewed for Eviltwin by Dorchester Brewing; translucent pink-red colour;  nose is cherry-like especially but very fruity in general; I am getting all of the fruits listed - like a fruit punch;


This one was a bear to wrestle out from the calendar.  A capsule review for anyone who has taken a young person to a performance by The Wiggles:  Fruit Salad:  Yummy, Yummy!

December 6, 2018

350/2571) Home:  Tamarack & Spruce Tip IPA by Yukon Brewing Company of Yukon Territory in collaboration with NWT Brewing Co. of the North West Territories:  **; 7%, 65 ibu; brewed with wild foraged Tamarack from the North West Territories and Spruce tips from Yukon; Tamarack is a variety of larch;   also Millenium, Chinook, Amarillo and Simcoe hops;  pours clear; nose of pine resin with citrus;  like an especially great Vicks cough drop; not surprisingly tastes very piney with lemony citrus and a bitter finish and after taste, as well as more of the Vick's flavours;


December 5, 2018

346/2567) beerbistro: Ahtanum Leaves IPA by Shillow Beer Co. of Ontario:  **; 7.1%; described as a "West coast style IPA brewed with the remaining stock of the now-retired Ahtanum hop"; uncommonly malty with a spicy, leafy hoppiness; nice - it is a shame to lose this hop;

347/2568) C'est What:  Export Stout by Henderson Brewing of Ontario:  **; 5.1%, 18 ibu; roasty mocha nose; mildly sweet mocha flavours;

348/2569) C'est What:  Pair of Wise Guys by Muskoka Brewery of Ontario:  *; a 7%, 20 ibu Weizenbock; from their Moonlight Kettle Series 2018; minimal carbonation, odd fruity, almost soured nose;  mild tartness and fruit; tastes like a bock gone wrong;

349/2570) Home:  Imperial Stout by Yukon Brewing Company of Yukon Territory:  **; 9.5%, 30 ibu; "made with ten different malts"; "beer worth freezing for"; mildly sweet nose of mocha, caramel, red wine; chocolate, caramel, toffee notes;  hides the alcohol well;


December 4, 2018

344/2565) Home:  Bring Out The Imp!! by Alechemy Brewing of Scotland:  **1/2; a 10.5% Imperial Stout brewed with barley, wheat and oats; also "molasses liquorish"; and Belgian yeast; very little carbonation to speak of, even when poured at a one hundred and eighty degree angle to the glass there is precious little foam; roasty nose; dark, roasty flavours with alcohol, molasses, licorice, dark coffee; very nice;


345/2566) Home:  Ay Ay Ay PA Session IPA by Baja Brewing Co. in collaboration with Cerveceria Cholala, both of Mexico; 4.5%  part of the Advent; calendar; floral, chrysanthemum tea nose; floral flavours with an herbal hop bite in the after taste;


Saturday 15 December 2018

December 3, 2018

343/2564) Home:  Mexican IPA by Baja Brewing Co. of Mexico:  *1/2; 7%; very malty nose with a dry hop edge; uncommonly malty for an IPA though there is a resiny dryness; I'm not sure about this one;


Advent day three.

December 2, 2018

341/2562) Symposium Café, Vaughan:  Iron Pig Pale Ale by Orange Snail Brewing of Ontario:  **; 5%, 20 ibu; malty nose; biscuity with a dash of spiced citrus;

It's an interesting story.  This was a lunch/brunch in memory of a fellow from Buffalo we played boardgames with back in the day.  In the mid-1990s he showed up at the Fort York Armories, the Sergeants' Mess to be specific, with a game from Germany accompanied by a translation of the rules from a site called Babelfish and as a result we were among the first North Americans to play "Settlers of Catan".

He died a few years ago and once the legalities were out of the way one of our group received a cheque with a letter indicating that Nelson had left some money aside so that we could get together and have lunch on his tab.  Only five of us made it out and the holder of the bankroll let it be known we would have to reconvene as we had scarcely put a dent in the allotment.

342/2563) Home: Orange Mocha Frapp Stout, a collaboration between Tiny Rebel Brewing Company and Fierce Beer, both of Wales:  **; 7%; brewed with barley, wheat, oats, coffee, cocoa powder and orange peel; dark chocolate, coffee, orange nose; flavours of bitter chocolate, dark coffee, oranges;


Day two of Advent.

December 1, 2018

340/2561) Home:  FUBAR Pale Ale by Tiny Rebel Brewing Company of Wales:  **; 4.4%; nose of Asian tea; floral Asian tea flavours, fruity with a dry aftertaste;



Day one of the Advent calendar.

November 30, 2018

339/2560) Home:  Red Racer S'more Stout by Central City Brewing of British Columbia:  **; 5.5%; brewed with cocoa powder, vanilla and lactose; cocoa powder and dark coffee nose; dark coffee and cocoa flavours with a sweet finish; 

The problem might be the name.  It is not particularly like a s'more but a it's very nice stout just the same.


Wednesday 12 December 2018

November 29, 2018

337/2558) The 3 Brewers, Heartland:  We Should Mate by The 3 Brewers of Ontario:  *1/2; 4.6%, 35 ibu; cask; billed as a Sour Harvest Ale, dry hopped with Loral and Citra hops and soured with lactic acid; nose of citrusy hops; I am tasting mostly the musty hops and lactic acid at first but a certain fruitiness emerges towards the finish;

338/2559) The 3 Brewers, Heartland:  Festive NEIPA by The 3 Brewers of Ontario:  **1/2; 6.6%, 25 ibu; a "blend of traditional and trendy"; instead of the Winter Warmer, which I will miss;  fruity, sweet nose; bubblegum, nutmeg, stone fruit, citrus;  I wasn't sure I would like this one; surprising;

In other news my Advent Calendar arrived today which means it may not have been the very best day to take the bus to work.  I hid it in a spare office overnight.  For this year they have put the touch on twelve breweries from twelve nations and asked for a beer from each and a collaboration with a brewer of their choice from each.  I can hardly wait.



November 26, 2018

336/2557) Home:  Skeleton Key With Vanilla, Dulce de Leche and Scotch Bonnet Peppers by Bellwoods Brewery of Ontario:  **1/2; 10.9% spiced imperial stout aged one year in rum barrels; pours with almost no head to speak of;  nose is sweet and milky with a chili and alcohol edge; flavours of chocolate, spice, rum with chili throughout especially in the lingering finish;

Tuesday 11 December 2018

November 25, 2018

334/2555) Wellington Brewery, Guelph: Fisherman's Friend Imperial Stout by Wellington Brewery of Ontario:  *1/2; 11.9%; cask; yes, really - they added Fisherman's Friend lozenges to the original UVB-76 base;; it tastes like a particularly boozy cough remedy;  I'm glad I tried it but I'm not sure I would try it again, maybe next time I have a cold I will think about this one;

I missed the previous day's release party for their UVB-76 series of beers.  Two are returning from last year and there are two new ones.  There were a number of variations available on cask only and who would have guessed that this would be the only one left over the next day...

335/2556) Home:  Golbin Sauce by Bellwoods Brewery of Ontario:  **1/2; 8.5%; a double dry hopped double IPA with Lupulin powder; pours opaque; pineapple nose; pineapple and other tropical flavours; it is not a new beer, I am surprised I have never managed to be at Bellwoods when it is available until now;


November 24, 2018

332/2553) Home:  Munich Lager by von Bugle Brewing of Ontario:  *1/2; 5%; brewed with three malts, unhusked roasted barley and three hop varieties; grainy nose; grassy, grainy notes, hint of leafy bitterness;  a very good Munich style lager;



von Bugle is a Steam Whistle spin-off.  Creating a separate brewery allows them to continue to say they do one thing and do it well.  Domi Terra Nostra Patria translates as at home the land of our country.

333/2554) Home:  Skeleton Key Spiced Imperial Stout with Coffee and Vanilla 2018 by Bellwoods Brewery of Ontario:  **1/2; 10.9%; aged in rum barrels for one year; bitter, dark coffee nose tempered by sweet, spiced vanilla; the taste is a blend of spices, coffee, vanilla;  no sign of the Dr. Pepper notes from the Péché Day offering;

November 23, 2018

331/2552) Home:  White's Bay IPA by Collingwood Brewery of Ontario:  *;  6.1%, 45 ibu;  brewed with a blend of English and American hops; soft fluffy persistent head; sharp, bitter hop nose with something akin to antiseptic edge; similar flavours against a sweet malty backdrop then the antiseptic returns;

White's Bay is along the Collingwood shoreline, just northwest of Collingwood itself.


Monday 10 December 2018

November 22, 2018

330/2551) The 3 Brewers, Heartland:  Witch King by The 3 Brewers of Ontario:  **1/2;  cask; 6.8%, 26 ibu; a Bourbon barrel aged version of their Paths of the Dead Porter; woody, sweet vanilla nose with coffee notes;  Justin only had a week or so to "age" this but still the vanilla flavours are present just not quite so prominent as other examples of the style;  it is enough to take the edge off the coffee flavours;

November 18, 2018

329/2550) Home:  American Pale Ale by Catapult Brewing of Ontario:  **; 5.25%, 35 ibu; pours clear; nose is a blend of sweet malts, caramel, citrus; citrusy, resiny flavours against a sweet cereal malt background; very fine;


Sunday 9 December 2018

November 17, 2108

326/2547) Amsterdam Brewhouse:  2018 Double Tempest Imperial Stout by Amsterdam Brewery of Ontario:  **1/2; 11.9%, 75 ibu; aged in Woodford Reserve Barrels for 7 months; sweet oak and vanilla against a roasty backdrop; 

Today is Double Tempest Day.  I picked up a couple of bottles at the bottle shop and then stepped inside to enjoy the music and four once pours of Double Tempest.

327/2548) Amsterdam Brewhouse:  Brandy Double Tempest by Amsterdam Brewery of Ontario:  **1/2; 11.2%, 75 ibu; aged 6 months in brandy barrels then conditioned on whole sour cherries and vanilla beans; dark coffee notes and cherries throughout, vanilla towards finish;

There were food stations and the music was very good but I had committed myself to catching up with my eldest son so I couldn't stay as long as I might have wished.

328/2549) Thirsty and Miserable:  Smalls Hazy IPA by Left Field Brewery of Ontario:  **; 4.5%, 30 ibu; this was in a tin; an easy going New England IPA; pours hazy with a mildly tropical nose with citrus notes; mild pine and citrus flavours with tropical notes;

November 15, 2018

324/2545) The 3 Brewers, Heartland:  Random Sexual Innuendo by The 3 Brewers of Ontario:  *1/2; cask; 5%, 20 ibu; described as a New England style IPA;  it is The Carrot with carrot juice, orange peel, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and lactose; spiced nose much like pumpkin pie; a wild blend of citrus and fresh spices;

325/2546) The 3 Brewers, Heartland:  Paths of the Dead by The 3 Brewers of Ontario:  **; 6.5%, 27 ibu; "a lighter take" on the Baltic Porter style, lagered for smoothness; the malt is dehusked to accentuate the cocoa notes and minimize the burnt character;  strong roasted coffee nose, forward coffee flavours, faintly sweet;  I am missing the burnt notes Justin was trying to avoid, not to mention the chocolate notes common to the style but to review the beer he made I do enjoy it; 

I have long wished for Justin to try his hand at a porter and I am delighted to finally have my wish come true.

November 13, 2018

323/2544) Home:  Potato Oatmeal Stout by Brothers' Brewing Company of Ontario:  *1/2; a 4.5% smoked stout; the smoke is understated and does not get in the way of the mild sweetness and chocolate notes;

The original idea was to blend this with Royal City Brewing's Potahto Amber Rye Ale to make a Black and Tan and call it Potato/Potahto but the second component was not available when my wife picked this up.

November 11, 2018

322/2543) Home:  Skeleton Key Spiced Imperial Stout with Vanilla (2018) by Bellwoods Brewery of Ontario:  ***; 10.9%; aged for one year in rum barrels; brewed with ginger, allspice, black pepper, cardamon, cinnamon, star anise, nutmeg, juniper berries, vanilla; nose is a spice bouquet, rum, oak, vanilla;  flavours of rich roasty malts, rum, vanilla, Dr. Pepper, spices, cola;



November 10, 2018

320/2541) Home:  Bring Out Your Dead 2018 by Bellwoods Brewery of Ontario:  ***; 11.4%; more fruit, especially berries, than previous editions; oaky, boozy nose; rich oak red wine, spiced cognac at finish; if I could resist, this is one I would consider aging;


321/2542) Home:  Kindred Spirits Irish Whiskey Barrel Aged Stout by Innis and Gunn of Scotland:  **1/2; 6.1%; Tullamore DEW Irish Whiskey to be specific:  triple distilled, named for founder David E Williams; nose is dark coffee, raspberries;  flavours of coffee, bitter chocolate, vanilla, oak;


November 9, 2018

319/2540) Home:  McNall's Mission Honey Brown Ale by Cowbell Brewing Co. of Ontario:  **; from their Founders Series; 4.8%, 20 ibu; toasted biscuit nose; honey is nicely understated, complimenting rather than overshadowing the flavours and adding caramel like notes to flavors of mild chocolate, toasted malt, biscuit;

George McNall was a company scout in World War 1 and received a medal for "conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty"in 1918.  He enlisted again at 45 years of age as a dispatch rider in World War 2 and returned safely to Blythe.  Among the things I like about this brewery is their dedication to local history and local characters. 



November 7, 2018

318/2539) Home:  Riverside Copper Pilsner by Saulter Street Brewery of Ontario:  *1/2; 4.4%; brewed in the Czech style; malty nose; malty flavours flavours with a mercifully mild Euro-hop snap at the finish;