March 11, 2018

68/2289) Home:  Café Del Bastardo 2018 by Nickel Brook of Ontario:  **1/2;  they have dialed it up to 12% for 2018;  70 ibu;  barrel aged;  brewed with malted barley, malted wheat, flaked barley and flaked wheat, flaked oats, demerara sugar and Detour coffee beans;  coffee bean nose with vanilla and oak;  flavours of oak, dark sugar, unsweetened chocolate;  very nice;

March 10, 2018

66/2287) Home:  Boom!  Double IPA by Renaissance Brewing Company of New Zealand:  **1/2; 8.3%, 89 ibu;  an American West Coast style double IPA;  brewed with Citra, Columbus and Falconer's Flight hops;  pine and citrus nose;  resiny pine, citrus notes;  very pleasant;  strong malt backdrop;

67/2288) Home:  Cavalier Bleu Blueberry IPA by Beau's All Natural Brewing of Ontario:  **;  6%;  brewed with organic blueberry juice;  very hoppy, piney nose;  earthy hoppiness with blueberry in the background, emerging at the finish;  dry after taste;

March 8, 2018

64/2285) The 3 Brewers, Heartland:  I Did It All For The Cookie by The 3 Brewers of Ontario:  **1/2;  7.3%, 31 ibu;  a Thursday night cask, a  Belgian Dubbel; their Festive Ale with ginger, molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves;  "a liquid gingersnap";  ginger and molasses are especially prominent in the nose;  I am getting all of these in the flavours;  does exactly what it sets out to do;

65/2286) The 3 Brewers, Heartland:  Saint Stout (nitro) by The 3 Brewers of Ontario:  **; 5.6%, 40 ibu;  an American Stout with rye;  soft persistent head;  rye is very much in the background lending a mildly bitter snap especially at the finish; subdued chocolate and coffee notes;  the most recent feature beer;

March 7, 2018

63/Home:  Pale Ale by Black Oak of Ontario:  **;  5%, 35 ibu;  brewed with barley and wheat, German, English and American hops;  pours opaque with a foamy head;  malty, citrusy nose;  citrusy flavours with some dry bitterness;

I am not sure how it is that it took so long to list this one.

Purchased at the brewery

March 4, 2018

62/2283) Home:  Off The Leash India Pale Ale by High Park Brewery of Ontario:  **;  6.5%, 57 ibu;  brewed in Cambridge, Ontario;  a blend of English and American IPA styles; soft fluffy head;  very bready nose - it put me in the mood to bake which I did (a German style loaf using Railway City's cranberry lager and some spent grain popovers);  bready flavours with a snap of English and American hops;  bitter after taste;  an unusual and interesting effort;

March 3, 2018

61/2282) Bar Hop, Toronto:  Greenwood IPA by Left Field Brewery of Ontario:  **; 6.3%, billed as a Vermont IPA;  hazy, citrusy tropical nose;  similar flavours with a bitter backdrop and finish;  I admit, these Vermont IPAs are beginning to blend together for me;

This was the original Bar Hop on King Street.  I finally managed to squeeze my way in.  Any other time I have tried it has been a solid wall of people sitting on each others' shoulders.  Maybe the ban on driving on King Street really is having an impact.

March 2, 2018

60/2281) Home:  Apocalypse by Les Brasseurs R.J. of Quebec:  **1/2;  9%, 60 ibu;  Belgian Double Stout;  fermented twice, once with English yeast, then with Belgian yeast; brewed with Bravo and Cascade hops;  dark, roasted, nearly burnt coffee nose;  dark, roasty notes and alcohol;  lovely;