November 28, 2014

264/1245) Home:  Monster Mash by Barn Door Brewing Company of Ontario:  **;  7.5%;  deep chestnut colour;  creamy head;  dark sugary nose;  dark burnt sugar notes;  hints of root beer, even chocolate;  surprisingly complex;

265/1246) Home:  Saphir Hop Ale by Alexander Keith's of Ontario:  **;  5.5%;  clear; nose like Chinese tea;  hints of tannins, citrusy notes;  black tea notes;

November 27, 2014

262/1243)  C'est What:  Perry Loved Mary by Old Flame Brewing Co. .of Ontario:  **;  6.3%, 81 ibu;  very floral hoppy nose;  sweet, herbal, floral, almost gingery hop notes;  there is an underlying sweetness in spite of the high ibu figure;

263/1244) C'est What:  Cuckoo For Cocoa Husks by Wellington County Brewery of Ontario:  **1/2;  on cask;  a porter brewed with cocoa husks added directly to the mash;  very thin mouthfeel;  persistent beige head;  mild mocha nose with milk chocolaty mocha flavours;

I drove an hour to Guelph to buy this, and then I turned around and headed back home but I hadn't had a chance to try it yet and when I saw it on cask I had to taste it that way.  It was necessary to call up a Youtube video from 1974 in order for my son to appreciate, if not get, the joke.

November 26, 2014

261/1242) Home:  Jumpin' Jack India Pumpkin Ale by Tree Brewing of British Columbia:  **;  6.5%, 65 ibu;  nose is sharp, earthy hops - the spices are almost entirely over-shadowed; opens with spice but hops quickly rush to the front throughout the finish and after taste with just a touch of spice remaining;

November 25, 2014

260/1241) Home:  Monk's Kettle, Etobicoke:  2014 Reserve St. Ambrose Russian Imperial Stout by McAuslan of Quebec:  ***;  9.2%;   rather than using chocolate malt, the barley was roasted;  there is so much going on in both the nose and the flavours but  what I took most from this was how warming it was and how long the flavours lingered - one of the longest finishes I can recall;  the nose is wine and coffee;  flavours of sharp red wine, molasses, raisins, figs, chocolate, vanilla;  it was quite an experience;

In recent years, the LCBO has alternated on an annual basis between carrying McAuslan's Vintage Ale and their Russian Imperial Stout.  Last year McAuslan came up with a work-around and released three vintages in one package.  This year, the year of the 25th anniversary of their Russian Imperial Stout, it is not listed at the LCBO.  McAuslan responded by shipping twenty-five kegs of the Russian Imperial Stout to twenty-five Ontario pubs and set a time of 8:25 at which the kegs will be tapped.  I was expecting a count-down like New Year's Eve but it was all very subdued.  Best of all, I managed to get the very first glass.  Quite a number of samples were handed out but that's the sort of place the Monk's Kettle is.

This very nearly did not happen.  The previous night an unusually heavy thunderstorm knocked out power in Etobicoke and the Monk's Kettle was without refrigeration. They set three kegs on ice, including this one.  It made for sparse selection for those not drinking the RIS.

November 23, 2014

259/1240) Home:  The Witty Traveller by Railway City Brewing of Ontario:  *1/2;  4.2%, 15 ibu;  brewed with malted barley and wheat, orange peel zest, coriander, white pepper;  the tin reads, "The Witty Traveller has finally arrived!  With spices from the East, the fruits of the South and yeasts of the North enveloped in tastes and aromas of far flung places"  clear pale colour; coriander, peppery nose;  tastes of spice with a touch of smoke;  I suspect this would be even better to cook with than to drink;

November 21, 2014

256/1237) Beer Academy:  Imperial Stout by Six Pints Specialty Beer Co. of Ontario:  **1/2;  9.07%. 50 ibu;  aged for 6 months;  their suggested pairing is "cold nights and great friends"  nose is bitter dark chocolate and mocha; notes of alcohol, mocha, roast, rich and smooth;

This became available today - I had been hearing about it for quite a while.  This is the draught version but I also took a bottle home.

257/1238)  Thirsty and Miserable:  Weendigo Bourbon Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout by Forked River Brewing of Ontario:  **1/2; nose is dark roasted coffee, wine, bourbon, oak;  flavours of deep, dark, rich espresso, oak;

258/1239)  Thirsty and Miserable:  Saison du Gilligan, a collaboration between Great Lakes Brewing and Bar Hop, both of Ontario:  **1/2;  a cloudy saison brewed with guava;  the aspects I do not care for in saisons are ably masked by the addition of guava;  fresh tropical fruit nose;  delicious guava flavours with a bit of a hop bite at the finish;

I was thinking at the time, and clearly it's a two-beer plus idea, but as I am more likely at this point in my life to be blessed with grand-children than with children, if I put a twenty dollar bill in an envelope every time I am paid, in a couple of years I will have one thousand dollars in cash with which I can reward the first child of mine who presents us with a grand-child named Gilligan.  I will accept it as a middle name.

The above is a good representation of the sort of mood that Thirsty and Miserable puts me in.  Katie's latest chalkboard entries read, "please be advised we do not provide lemons, limes or straws", "stuff that is not beer - if it is not listed here we do not have it" and "we do (not) serve pitchers".  I have been trying for several months without success to tout a family or work event there.

November 20, 2014

255/1236)  Home:  Dial "Z" For Zwickel by Beau's All Natural Brewing of Ontario:  **;  5.7%; Wild Oats Series No. 44;  the German Beer Institute defines Zwickelbiers as "essentially an effervescent form of a Bavarian Kellerbier but generally brewed slightly weaker and less hop-accented";  I dare say, I like this more than most Kellerbiers I have tried;  the nose is pretty much a equal blend of hops and malt;  almost pilsner like flavours;  Euro hops are blunted by malt, followed by a bitter after taste;