September 14, 2018

258/2479) Work (it was "beer cart" day):  Daura Damm by CC Damm (Barcelona) of Spain:  *1/2; 5.4%; crafted to remove the gluten; "100% natural"; brewed with rice plus barley malt; nose is sweet and grainy; sweet with flavours of corn and grain;

259/2480) Home:  Pale by Partake Brewing of Ontario:  *; 0%; dry, grainy nose with a strong Euro-hop edge; sweet maltiness for the most part with that Euro-hop edge, especially at the finish;

September 13, 2018

257/2478) The 3 Brewers, Heartland:  Exercising Demons by The 3 Brewers of Ontario:  *1/2;  3.7%, 6 ibu; this cask features their Raspberry sour with lime, ginger and lactose;  nose features strong lime; the tartness of the sour is retained, even enhanced, but with strong notes of lime;  ginger emerges towards finish; I retain my bias against sours;  the lactose doesn't feature appreciably;

September 11, 2018

256/2477) Home: Clausterhaler Original non-alcoholic beer by Binding-Brauerei AG of Germany:  **; 0%; brewed with hop extract, fermentation carbon dioxide;  malty nose with sharp Saaz like bite; bready, malty with a bitter edge; much like a good pilsner; surprising;

I have to give credit:  this tastes and smells like a beer - a German beer.

A pair of non-alcoholic beers.

September 8, 2018

249/2470) The 3 Brewers, Heartland:  Pre-Fall Red Ale by The 3 Brewers of Ontario:  **; a 6.2%, 26 ibu American Amber/Red on cask; their Amber with walnuts, Saaz cones and honey; honeyed nose; Saaz is nicely offset by honey notes and a pleasant nuttiness;

Today is Caskamania II.  This beer is by the Richmond Hill brewmaster.

250/2471) The 3 Brewers, Heartland: Flurry To The Solar Plexus Fruit Beer by The 3 Brewers of Ontario:  **;  4.7%, 18 ibu; their White with passion fruit, mango and Ekuanot hops; opaque appearance; hops to the nose at first; as it warms (this is recommended by the brewmaster) fruit emerges; strong fruits complimented by hops;  brewed by the Liberty Village brewmaster;

The format was the same as last year.  Tickets are two dollars each and one ticket buys a quarter pint, no charge for admission.  There were also snacks set out.  For sixteen dollars one can try everything and you have only had the equivalent of two pints.

251/2472) The 3 Brewers, Heartland:  Honeymoon Red Ale by The 3 Brewers of Ontario:  **;  5.6%, 25 ibu; a blend of their Blonde and Amber with honey by a representative of the Yonge and Dundas location; sweet nose;  honeyed flavours, but not overpowering, with grains, and a faint nuttiness;

This year there was nobody from either Kanata or Ottawa.  Instead, Yonge/Dundas sent three brewmasters.

252/2473) The 3 Brewers, Heartland:  Brut IPA by The 3 Brewers of Ontario:  **1/2; 5.2%, 24 ibu IPA-Brut; the Blonde with Amylase enzyme and citra hops; brewed by a representative of the Yonge Dundas location; the carbonation did not work out but otherwise this is very fine; fresh strong citrus nose; fresh citrus flavours, slightly washed out; dry, no sweetness at all;

Justin brought his Wildest Dreams Sour-Gose which he had made before.  He was looking to take first this year after placing second a year ago.

253/2474) The 3 Brewers, Heartland:  Magic Missile by The 3 Brewers of Ontario:  *1/2; 4.7%, 18 ibu; the White with honey, juniper berries, orange peel, lemon peel, rosemary and lavender; today's theme seems to be honey; herbal, medicinal nose with, inexplicably, a hint of mint; floral, herbal, honeyed flavours; citrus and zest towards the finish;

This is from their Oakville but since last year there is a new brewmaster there so, strictly speaking, no one was on hand to defend the title.

254/2475) The 3 Brewers, Heartland:  Omma Bissap Wheat Beer by The 3 Brewers of Ontario:  **; 4.7%, 18 ibu; by their Adelaide brewmaster; the White with hibiscus, mint and lime; the nose is floral with mint and lime;  a nice balance of mint and lime;

Bissap is a hibiscus tea popular in Africa and the Caribbean.

255/2476) The 3 Brewers, Heartland:  Sweet Chin Music Hefeweizen by The 3 Brewers of Ontario:  *1/2; 4.7%, 18 ibu; the White, which Justin suggested was as much a theme as honey, with strawberry, rhubarb and kiwi; mild fruity flavours; another effort from a third Yonge-Dundas representative;

Home field was no advantage for Justin last year so this year it must be said he won fair and square and congratulations go out to brewer Justin.  We are so lucky to have him in Mississauga.

September 6, 2018

248/2469) The 3 Brewers, Heartland: Toot Your Own Horn by The 3 Brewers of Ontario:  **; 4.9%, 33 ibu;  on cask, their IPA and Raspberry Sour, half of each, plus Nugget hop hash and Simcoe hops;  quite a bit to this one;  raspberry nose with a citrus edge;  opens with raspberry, yielding to citrus and the tart edge shows up in the finish;  I like this more than the Raspberry Sour itself.

September 3, 2018

247/2468) Home:  Mon Cheri by Barley Days Brewery of Ontario:  **1/2;  5.5%, 10 ibu; purchased at the brewery; a cherry porter, brewed with the usual four ingredients plus wheat and Ontario cherries; the nose is alcohol and cherries;  chocolate notes with cherries; another in a series of Black Forest cake-like beers;

September 1, 2018

245/2466) Home:  Coors Light by Coors Brewing Company of Ontario:  *; 4%; I bought it for the label, see below, which also reads, "The Official Beer of Major League Baseball"; anything with the Montreal Expos logo is collectable and self-recommending, at least to me; I gave most to wife after she cut the grass, saving a taster glass for me;  clear; no preservatives;  sweet and minerally;

I am at a loss to explain its popularity.

246/2467) Home:  Noire by Les Trois Mousquetaires of Quebec:  *1/2; a 5%, 25 ibu German-inspired black lager; malty with chocolate notes;

These were purchased at the brewery in Brossard.  There are a couple of coolers but no tasting bar, no snacks.