October 24, 2013

265/913)  Beer Academy:  Brewed Awakening Porter by Six Pints Specialty Beer Company of Ontario:  **1/2;  on cask - a first for the Beer Academy;  an Espresso Porter infused with twenty shots of espresso and one half pound of coffee beans;  the nose is dark coffee grounds;  the flavours are a blend of coffee and espresso;  thin mouth feel, not unusual for a cask;

This was the opening night celebration for this limited edition cask and the re-introduction of their very first beer, a porter.  I took home a couple of bottles of this as well. 

I was in town for a CD release event featuring Mike Murley and the University of Toronto Jazz Orchestra.  As he was signing my disc I related my story of the first time I encountered him.  It was a hot day in 1984 and I was intending to go to Paupers (I still haven't been).  I heard this incredible racket coming from the Brunswick House and there were three saxophones, a stand up bass and a drum kit and the musicians were all clad in loud shirts, berets and sunglasses.  I have been a Shuffle Demons fan ever since.

October 23, 2013

264/912)  Home:  St. Ambroise Apricot Wheat Ale by McAuslan Brewing of Quebec:  **;  5%;  very up front apricot nose;  sweet, fruity against flavors against a wheat backdrop;

October 18, 2013

259/907)  Caffe Volo:  Snap, Crackle and Hop by Parallel 49 Brewing Company of British Columbia:  **1/2;    9.3%;  an Imperial Rice IPA;  sweet, citrusy nose;  touch sweetness with a bitter hop bite at finish and in the after taste; 

260/908)  Caffe Volo:  Lord of the Hops IPA by Parallel 49 Brewing Company of British Columbia:  **;  7.2%;  citrusy nose, though less so than the above;  mild citrusy hoppiness;  less dynamic than the Rice IPA; 

261/909)  Caffe Volo:  Schadenfreude Pumpkin Oktoberfest by Parallel 49 Brewing Company of British Columbia:  **;  5%;  the nose is like pumpkin pie filling;  starts out with pumpkin flavours;  the finish and after taste lean toward the spices;

262/910)  Caffe Volo:  Lost Souls Chocolate Pumpkin Porter by Parallel 49 Brewing Company of British Columbia:  **1/2;  6.5%;  nose is a blend of chocolate, pumpkin and espresso;  mild, astringent spices;  I am at risk of losing count of the pumpkin ales I have enjoyed this season;

263/911)  Caffe Volo:  Robust Porter by House Ales of Ontario:  **;  dark coffee nose with a touch of mocha;  forward mocha flavours;  a solid porter;

Not only was tonight the evening before Cask Days but the Volo was also holding a Parallel 49 event (they of the un-Paralleled six-pack experienced earlier) with the owners and brewers present and, yes, as per usual there were half pints tonight.

October 17, 2013

258/906)  Concordia Club, Kitchener:  KW Oktoberfest Ale by Brick Brewery of Ontario:  *1/2; grainy nose;  malty taste; 

Believe it or don't, this was my first Oktoberfest.  Our Kitchener branch organized it and it was certainly a good deal.  The bus ride was part of the price, which might have been part of the problem.  I would have been happy to leave at ten but the bus wasn't scheduled to show until midnight.  I am glad I had the Oktoberfest experience but it does not necessarily need to be repeated.

October 16, 2013

257/905)  Home:  Siamese Twin Ale by Uncommon Brewers of California, U.S.A.:  **; 8.5%;  brewed with "Belgian techniques and Asian spices";  the tin also reads, "Uncommon beer for uncommon people";  brewed with Kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass & coriander;  sweet malty nose;  it looks like pale coca cola;  the coriander is especially strong in the nose - it's  strong to the palate also, largely overshadowing the lemongrass;   it is also herby and rooty with licorice notes;  it's an odd one to be sure;

I really do want to experience this one again to try to figure it out.  I suspect it would be good to cook with.  For those who break up multi-packs at the LCBO (not me) you will need to carry tin-snips.  Aging is recommended - I will test this.

Today is Tim McCarver's birthday, for baseball fans.

October 15, 2013

255/903)  Home:  X-Porter, a collaboration between Midtfyns Bryghus of Denmark and Brouwerij De Molen of the Netherlands:  **1/2;  8%;  this collaboration rose from the two brewers sharing a stand at the 2010 Copenhagen Beer Festival;  the nose is licorice, raisin;  flavours of fruit, raisin, mild alcohol, with espresso notes;

256/904)  Home:  Tailset Ginger Ale by Grand River Brewing of Ontario:  *;  grainy nose with muted ginger;  not especially gingery, more malty with Euro-hops;  compared to the recent wealth of ginger beers, quite disappointing, especially from a favourite brewer;  come to think of it, I wasn't all that keen on their bock lately, was I?;

A porter and two stouts:

October 14, 2013

October's installment of places I miss features the Burger Bar and Tequila Tavern.  This was a western-themed joint right down to the décor.  I thought the service was great and their beer selection was top flight.  I was a fan of their Oh My Goodness This Just Might Kill Me burger and people would rave about their onion rings, with panko breading.  They even had space set aside for stroller parking.

I have related the tale of how Brock was a mixologist hoping to run a mixed drinks sort of a place but the craft beer crowd moved in and he so enthusiastically supported them that he sold the business to operate the Kensington Brewing Company. 

They closed on New Year's Day but you can find Yelp reviews dated as late as July 4.  It is possible that these are really reviews of Templeton's Café which opened in the same spot in May, without any signage that I could spot.  Templeton's has a reasonable beer selection - I chose Conductors Ale by Junction City the night I visited - but the menu is quite different.  The crowd is a lot younger, too.  It is a shame to lose a place like that but we are still not lacking in choice in Toronto