December 7, 2021

328/3678) Home:  Cwtch by Tiny Rebel Brewing Company of Wales:  ***1/2; 4.6%, 50 ibu; Cwtch rhymes with butch; means a hug full of love; a Welsh Red Ale;  boasts six caramelly malts and three citrusy U.S. hops; pours a translucent red colour; citrus, caramel nose; like a sharply hopped red ale; sweet caramel and citrus; Advent day seven;

December 7, 2021

327/3677) Home:  Pilsner by Fierce Beer of Scotland:  ***; 4.2%, 18 ibu; unpasteurized; grain bill is barley and oats; tin reads, "Suitable for vegans.  Gluten fee"; brewed with malts from the U.K and Noble hops from rhe EU; clear, straw colour; save for the substitution of Noble for Saaz the nose is typical of pilsners -  grainy, grassy; a mildly sweet pilsner, not hurt by the lack of that Saaz bite; Advent day 7;

December 5, 2021

326/3676) Home:  Beyond The Gnome World by Silver Branch Brewing Company of Maryland, U.S.A.:  ***; a 4.9% saison brewed with pilsner malt, Saaz hops and a blend of two yeast strains from Belgian breweries;  pours hazy, straw colour; nose is Saaz, grainy, earthy and dank; very pilsner like with honeyed yeast notes; Day five of the Advent calendar.

December 4, 2021

324/3674) Home:  Bad Matter IPA by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 6.5%; dry hopped with Citra, Simcoe and Nelson Sauvin;  nose of orange, grapefruit and zest; flavours of orange, pineapple and berries;

There is great story behind the name.  Briefly, they learned rather late in the game that a big player owned the copyright to the  name "Badlands".  Bad Matter was their back-up plan.  In the end they asked nicely and they got the name.

325/3675) Home:  Hazy Hero by Revolution Brewing Company of Illinois, U.S.A.:  ***1/2;  7.3%, 50 ibu; hazy and golden; juicy tropical fruit nose; juicy citrus flavours with a touch of pine; 

Day four of the Advent calendar.

December 3, 2021

322/3672) Home:  BOO! by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 8.2%; a DIPA hopped with "mostly Riwaka and a kiss of Citra"; nose is berries and oranges; tastes of dank berries, orange and orange zest;

323/3673) Home:  Dragon's Milk White by New Holland Brewing Co. of Michigan, U.S.A.:  ***; 6% 35 ibu; bourbon barrel aged white stout with coffee, chocolate and vanilla extract; pale; sweet vanilla and white chocolate nose with coffee; sweet vanilla bourbon and oak flavours;

In an era of Revolting Developments here is another:  Nearly two years to the day after it was announced that the 3 Brewers in Mississauga would be closing, Katie let it be known that her lease is expiring on December 30th (which is exactly two years to the day after the 3 Brewers' final night in Mississauga) and she is not renewing.  Thirsty and Miserable will be closing for good.  Rumour has it she will work the connections she has made over the years in the hope of landing a job with a brewery.

December 2, 2021

321/3671) Home:  Autumn IPA by Peak Organic Brewing Company of Maine, U.S.A.:  ***1/2; 4.8%; a hybrid New England style IPA/session IPA; hopped with Citra, El Dorado and Azacca; the tin reads, "a session IPA for Fall"; mildly hazy; fresh citrus nose; citrusy with a bitter, resiny, finish; 

Advent day two

December 1, 2021

320/3670) Home:  APA by Brickstone Brewery of Illinois, U.S.A. ***1/2; 6.25%, 45 ibu; hopped with Amarillo, "then dry hopped for four days"; bright citrus nose; golden, translucent; citrusy with a touch of bitterness at the finish; a great start to the 2021 Beer Advent calendar;

Yes, that's right, I have not had a beer since November 9th.  I seem to have comedown with the seasonal influenza and it knocked me flat on my back.  To be candid, I was faking it on November 9th.  I forced down a very hoppy beer testing the theory that hops were beneficial to the immune system.  I also tried this in 2011 with a similar lack of results.