February 8, 2025

24/4505) Badlands' Greenhouse:  February DIPA (2025) by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 8.2%; hopped with Peacharine and Nelson Sauvin; murky, orange gold; nose of peaches, white wine; mildly sweet peach and white wine flavours;

February 6, 2025

23/4504) Home:  Terry's Obnoxious Windbreaker by Refined Fool Brewing of Ontario:  ****1/2; 8.4% West Coast Double IPA; from their IPA Fun Pack; pours opaque, brown; aromas of pine; Old School pine flavours against a strong malt backdrop;

February 5, 2025

21/4502) C'est What:  Hop Addict #9 by C'est What Durham Brewing of Ontario:  ****1/2; 6.2%, 52 ibu American IPA; clear, chestnut; nose has strong notes of pine, similar flavours;

22/4503) C'est What:  Bend The Universe by Dominion City of Ontario:  ****; 6.5% American IPA; yellow gold, hazy; nose of zest and citrus nose; flavours are citrus, primarily orange;

January 24, 2025

20/4501) Home:  Péché Mortel Bourbon (2022) by Dieu du Ciel! of Quebec:  ****1/2; 9.5% coffee Imperial Stout; aged in six year old Woodford Reserve Double Oaked barrels and blended with another batch aged in Smooth Ambler barrels; very dark brown with a thin, wispy  tan head; as it warms aromas of bourbon, oak and dark, earthy coffee emerge; boozy coffee flavours with oak and bourbon;

January 23, 2025

19/4500) Home:  Unicorn Ale by Great Lakes Brewing of Ontario:  ***1/2; 5%, 25 ibu Classic Pale Ale; the retro label is from 1987, GLB’s year of incorporation; the original recipe is long since lost; additions of wheat and oats; clear; malty nose with fruitiness; mildy sweet fruitiness;

January 19, 2025

18/4499) C'est What:  Double Shooms by Blood Brothers of Ontario:  ****; 8.5% Double IPA; murky; nose of dank tannins, tropical; sweet citrus and tropical with dank tannins emerging towards the finish;

An amped up version of Shumei.  

January 18, 2025

15/4496) Wvrst, Union Station:  Positively Bangin' by Bellwoods Brewery of Ontario:  ****; 6.0% IPA; clear, golden yellow; citrus nose; mildly sweet citrus flavours;

A quick glass to warm me up after skating in the rain at The Well.

16/4497) GLB Brewpub:  7 Minutes Fast by Great Lakes Brewery in colaboration with The Only Cafe, both of Ontario:  ***1/2;  4.3% cream ale; on cask; pours an orangey, opaque colour; Troy said it is based on Boddington’s; I tried it both ways and it is much more mellow on nitro and a bit sweeter than from a regular tap; only mildly minerally flavours;

The story goes that when the crew from The Only showed up at GLB to brew this cream ale, they were surprised to find that the door was locked and the shop was empty and they had to wait for seven minutes for the hosts to show.

Today the GLB Brewpub is hosting a Cask Social.

17/4498) GLB Brewpub:  Stout by Great Lakes Brewery of Ontario:  ***1/2; 4.3%; nose is chocolate and coffee; chocolate is more prominent in the flavours; thin mouth feel; 

January 15, 2025

13/4495) Bar Volo:  Batchlands by Badlands Brewing of Ontario in collaboration with Batch Brewing of Michigan:  ****; 6.5% IPA with Riwaka and Mutueka; cloudy /murky; sweet nose and citrus flavours;

14/4496) Bar Volo:  Avena Stout by Volo of Ontario:  ****; 4.5%; thick off white head; mocha nose and flavours;

January 13, 2025

12/4493) Home:  Kentucky (2024) by Nickel Brook of Ontario:  ****; 11.9% Imperial Stout; aged two years in bourbon barrels; to mark the 20th anniversary of Nickel Brook; additions of malted wheat, Demerara sugar and oats; dark with a minimal tan head; nose of oak, alcohol, roast; tastes of bourbon, dark coffee, oak, alcohol, roasted malts;

January 12, 2025

11/4492) Home:  Barrel Aged Brown Ale by Grain & Grit of Ontario:  ***; 8.5%; deep, dark chestnut brown; mostly coffee grounds to the nose, some oak; tastes of malts and coffee grounds; nothing like the name had led me to expect;

January 11, 2025

10/4491) Home:  In Your Face by 5 Paddles Brewing Company of Ontario:  ****1/2; 6.2% American IPA brewed with wheat and oats; hazy, yellow; nose of mango and pineapple; tastes of mango, pineapple with a touch of pear; not as bold as the name suggests, but very nice just the same;

January 10, 2025

9/4490) Home:  Origin of Darkness 2024 Bourbon Barrel Aged Old Fashioned Imperial Stout by Collective Arts of Ontario:  ****1/2; 11.9%; brewed in collaboration with the Establishment Brewing Company of Alberta; a tribute to the Old Fashioned cocktail; with wheat, oats, Demerara sugar, cocktail bitters, infused with fresh orange zest and aged in Bourbon barrels; black, virtually no head; aromas of bitter orange, dark chocolate, oak; tastes of bourbon, bitter orange, cocktail bitters and dark chocolate; unusual, perhaps but here again it works; 

January 9, 2025

8/4489) Home:  Origin of Darkness 2024:  Spanish Cedar and Bitter Orange Infused Imperial Stout by Collective Arts of Ontario:  ***1/2; 10.7% Imperial Stout brewed in collaboration with The Establishment Brewing Company of Alberta; aged on Spanish cedar, infused with bitter orange with “a hint of cinnamon”; also demerara sugarwheat and oats; black with a light btown head; aromas of orange, cedar, dark chocolate with an edge of sweetness; tastes of cinnamon, bitter orange, cedar and dark chocolate; an odd combination but to a large extent it works; 

January 7, 2025

7/4488) Home:  Bourbon County Brand Stout 2023 by Goose Island Beer Co. of Illinois, U.S.A.:  ****1/2; 14.1%, 60 ibu Boubon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout; aged in freshly emptied barrels from Buffalo Trace, Heaven Hill, Four Roses and Wild Turkey; “barrel aged for an average of twelve months”; black, thin, short lived head; nose of alcohol, bourbon, oak; tastes of bourbon, fudge, oak, and alcohol; 

There is also a 14.6% version.

January 6, 2025

6/4487) Home:  Bourbon County Brand Bananas Foster Stout 2023 by Goose Island Beer Co. of Illinois, U.S.A.:  ****; 13.9% stout aged in bourbon barrels; brewed with bananas, almonds, cassia bark, “natural flavours” and wheat; black with a scanty tan head; nose of bourbon, oak, roasted malts, cinnamon; tastes of bananas, bourbon, cinnamon and vanilla;

January 5, 2025

5/4486) Home:  Double Tempest 2024 by Amsterdam Brewery of Ontario:  ****1/2; 11.9% Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout; black with a wispy tan head; boozy bourbon nose with vanilla and oak; tastes of chocolate, vanilla, booze, bourbon and oak;

January 4, 2025

4/4485) Home:  Lagershed India Pale by Shawn & Ed Brewing Co. of Ontario:  ***;  6.0%, 45 ibu India Pale Lager; brewed with Ontario and Australian hops; pours clear, golden; nose is malty, biscuity with mild citrus; tastes malty with citrus in the background;

January 3, 2025

3/4484)  Home:  Barrelshed Pale Ale by Shawn & Ed Brewing Co. of Ontario:  ***1/2; 6.0% Pale Ale; pours amber; malty, herbal nose; tastes malty with prominent herbal hop notes;

January 2, 2025

2/4483) Amsterdam Brew House:  Raglan Road by Amsterdam Brewery of Ontario:  ***1/2; 5.2% 26 ibu Irish Stout; appearance is as expected; roasted malt and mild chocolate notes; 

January 1, 2025

1/4482) Home:  Vintage Ale 2024 by Fuller's of England:  ****1/2; 8.4%; Crystal extra dark malt; Pilot, CF299 hops; bottle conditioned; with invert sugar; bottle #141424; pours brown/amber; nose of marmelade, hint of lemon, Christmas cake; Tastes of Christmas cake, marmelade with dry, herbal notes;

 “While we always put a best before date on this bottle, the flavours will continue to defelop for many years after that.”

Maybe it’s me, but I find this edition more complex in its fresh state than those of previous years.