December 27, 2023

 265/4226) Home:  A Wish Full of Dreams by White Pony Microbrewery of Italy:  ****1/2; 11.9% “Imperial Stout Ale”; “Canadian Limited Edition Christmas 2023”; brewed with wheat, rye and sugar; “product of Belgium by Italian mind”; jet black, thin tan head; nose is roasted malt, vanilla, chocolate; chocolate with hints of vanilla and bitter dark coffee;

Perhaps because this one is usually 14.9% it receives the "Canadian limited" designation.  A terrific way to conclude Craft Canada's 2023 Advent calendar.   

December 26, 2023

264/4225) Home:  Logic Bomb by Surly Brewing Co. of Minnesota, U.S.A.:  ***1/2; 5.5% Juicy Pale Ale; only ever so faintly foggy pale orange; hopped with Warrior, Centennial, Citra, Talus and Sabro; fruity nose; fruity with a mild dry hop edge;

“You CAN handle the truth."  Day 23.

December 24, 2023

262/4223) Home:  Leisel Weapon by Noon Whistle Brewing of Illinois, U.S.A.:  ***1/2; 5.2%; German style Hefeweizen; pours foggy, golden; nose is yeasty with notes of cloves and bananas and herbal hoppiness; similar flavours;

Day  21 of the Advent calendar.  Leisel is a municipality in the Rhineland area of Germany.

263/4224) Home:  Rauchbier by Echoes Brewing Company of Washington, U.S.A.:  **1/2; 5%, 20 ibu;  Bamberg style Dunkel with Beechwood smoked malted barley and Mittelfrüh hops; nose is bitter and smokey; somewhat subtle smokey flavours and dark sugary notes but it's still a lot like drinking whatever someone has spilled into an ash tray;  Day 22;

December 21, 2023

260/4221) The 3 Brewers, Yonge Street:  Reindeer Village by The 3 Brewers of Ontario:  ****; 10%, 31 ibu Belgian Quadrupel; sweet, sugary nose; tastes sugary with hints of yeast and dark fruit; 

Also returning is the Christmas Amber.

261/4222) GLB Brewpub, Toronto:  Meet The Porters Picante by Great Lakes Brewery of Ontario:  ***1/2; 6.8%; their regular porter with chipotle peppers, cinnamon and Pilot coffee; nose of chili, malt, coffee, chocolate; flavours of coffee and chili, lingering with a warming after taste; probably not for people with ulcers;

I was hoping to find GLB's Solstice Stout on tap but I had to settle for buying a bottle to take home.

December 20, 2023

258/4219) Blue Moon Brewery at Stackt Market, Toronto:  Dopio Panettone by Blue Moon of Ontario:  ****1/2; 7.3%, 18 ibu; malty Christmas cake nose; malty, spiced fruitcake flavours;

My Italian acquaintances tell me it should be spelled "doppio:", with two letter "P"s.

259/4220) Home:  Hop, Skip and Juice by Vocation Brewery of England:  5.7% Hazy Pale Ale with Simcoe and Citra hops; also oats and wheat; hazy, golden yellow; sweet citrusy nose; sweet, juicy citrus flavours;

December 19, 2023

257/4218) Home:  Ridgetop Red Ale by Silver City Brewery of Washington, U.S.A.:  ***1/2; 6%, 15 ibu; brewed with Liberty hops; appearance is as one would expect; sweet, malty nose; sweet and malty with a mildly earthy hop edge;

December 18, 2023

256/4217) Home:  Basecamp Blonde by Hutton & Smith Brewing Company of Tennessee, U.S.A.: ***; 4.8%, 22 ibu; clear, golden; malty nose, mild hop edge; sweet, malty with dry hop edge at the finish;

December 17, 2023

254/4215) Home:  Five Dollar Shake by Tiny Rebel Brewing Company of Wales:  ***1/2; a 4.5% “creamy Citra IPA” brewed with malted wheat and lactose; foggy, straw appearance; nose is citrusy and sweet; sweet citrus flavours; the lactose is not TOO much in this instance compared with many milkshake IPAs;

This is the day 16 installment of the Advent Calendar.  The name is a reference to the film “Pulp Fiction”.

255/4216) Home:  Happy Amber by Mad Tree Brewing Company of Ohio, U.S.A.:  ***1/2; a 6.0%, 30 ibu amber ale; dry hopped and late hopped with U.S. hops:  Cascade, Chinook and Centennial; malty and floral nose; tastes of malt and caramel with a bitter hoppiness;

The name was was auto corrected from Hoppy Amber and it stuck.  Day 17 - caught up again.

December 16, 2023

252/4213) Bar Volo, Toronto:  Double Geordie Mortis by Third Moon Brewing Co. in collaboration with Great Lakes Brewery, both of Ontario:  ***1/2; 8%; Double IPA; hopped with Citra, Mosaic and Simcoe; off-putting “vegetal” notes, initially, which dispel; tropical and citrusy nose and flavours;

253/4214) Bar Volo:  Truce '23 by Tooth & Nail of Ontario:  ****1/2; 9.5% Holiday Ale with figs, raisins, star anise; spiced nose, dark fruit; rich, dark fruit, spice; remarkable;

Post Sugar Daddies' annual Vince Guaraldi Tribute at the Pilot.  I have been trying to see this for years and until now something has prevented it every year.  The Pilot didn't have anything on tap I felt like drinking so I made do with club soda.

December 15, 2023

251/4212) Home:  You're My Boy, Blue! by Florida Avenue Brewing Company of Florida, U.S.A.:  ***1/2; 5.3%, a 12 ibu Blueberry Wheat Ale brewed with Warrior hops, blueberry puree, flaked oats and wheat; blueberry nose; fresh natural blueberry flavours; 

Many of these Advent calendar beers are so well suited to summertime.

December 14, 2023

249/4210) Home:  Life & Death by Vocation Brewery of England:  ****; 6.5%; Citra, Mosaic; billed as a “Classic IPA” and "U.S. Style”; nearly clear with a persistent, foamy head; nose is mildly dank, grapefruit with a hint of tropical fruit; tropical, grapefruit flavours, somewhat but pleasantly dank;

250/4211) Home:  Festive Porter by Great Lakes Brewery of Ontario:  ***1/2; 7.2%, 12 ibu; brewed with cinnamon, coffee, cherries and vanilla; all components make their presence known in the nose; cherries offer a tart, dank edge, vanilla takes a tiny bit of the edge off the astringent cinnamon with coffee in the background;

$1 per can goes to the Daily Bread Food Bank as part of GLB's Hops for Hunger program.

December 13, 2023

248/4209) Home:  Legendary Lager by Mad Tree Brewing Company of Ohio, U.S.A.:  ***; 4.2%, 15 ibu; clear, golden; hopped with Loral and Czech Saaz; Pilsner-like nose, as Saaz hops would lead one to expect; a clean, crisp lager taste with a hint of pilsner to it;

December 12, 2023

246/4207) Home:  Coastal Wave by Lost Craft Beer of Ontario:  ****; 6.0%, 40 ibu; IPA; billed as a hybrid with hazy and juiciness of an East Coast IPA with West Coast grapefruit and pine; "heavily hopped" with Amarillo and Simcoe; cloudy; nose is juicy and pulpy with prominent grapefruit notes; it is a tiny bit of a mess with nothing standing out:  citrus, tropical, pine at finish, grapefruit throughout; all the same, I want another;

I am not sure how I managed to overlook this one for so long. 

247/4208) Home:  North Tower Stout by Earth Rider Brewery of Wisconsin, U.S.A.:  ***1/2; 6%, 28 ibu; nose of roasted malt and semi sweet chocolate; unusually thin mouth feel; tastes of chocolate and mildly roasted malt;

December 11, 2023

244/4205) Home:  Bruski by Noon Whistle Brewing of Illinois, U.S.A.:  ***; a 4.6% “Traditional Lager”, according to the tin; brewed with Saaz hops; typical Saaz nose, sharp and herbal; herbal Saaz bite, a bit like a malty pilsner;  Advent Calendar, Day 10

245/4206) Home:  Tropical Haze by Silver City Brewery of Washington, U.S.A.:  ***1/2; 6.4%, 50 ibu; an India Pale Ale brewed with a “specialized yeast strain”; also oats, wheat and and “experimental hop variety” elsewhere is informs that it is hopped with Strata, Citra, Mosaic and Idaho 7; hazy appearance; mild tropical fruit nose, similar flavours;

This is Day 11 on the Advent Calendar, I am caught up for now.

December 10, 2023

242/4203) Home:  The Promenade by Hutton & Smith Brewing Company of Tennessee, U.S.A.:  ***1/2; a  6.7% New England IPA brewed with four different hops; ever so mildly hazy; fruity, pulpy nose; mildly sweet fruit salad flavours;

Advent Calendar Day 8; brewed in Chattanooga to be precise; 

243/4204) Home:  Altruism by White Pony Microbrewery of Italy:  ***1/2; 6.5%, 30 ibu; Belgian golden ale brewed with wheat, sugar and Noble hops; pours clear, golden; sweet, nearly sugary nose; sweetness offset by herbal hop notes in the flavours;

White Pony bills themselves as an “Italo-Belgian Brewery”.

December 9, 2023

241/4202) Sin and Redemption, Toronto:  Sinner's IPA by Amsterdam Brewery of Ontario:  ***1/2; 6%; lemony grapefruit nose; tastes of peach, tropical fruit, lemon lime; 

untappd.com was my source for the information that Amsterdam brews this for them.  It would be interesting to compare this to their Monk's Hazy IPA but I didn't think of it at the time.

December 7, 2023

240/4201) Home:  Freedom of Speach by Revolution Brewing Company of Illinois, U.S.A.:  ***; a 4.5%, 7 ibu session sour ale with peaches; pours clear; nose is peach; peach flavours with tart finish;

December 6, 2023

239/4200) Home:  Tap Shack by Earth Rider Brewery of Wisconsin, U.S.A.:  ***1/2; 5%, 16 ibu; Caribbean style lager with lime zest; “...made for hot summer days”; pours clear; nose is pleasant lime zest and it tastes of similarly; pleasantly flavoured lime zest with gingery notes; 

I added an extra half point after imagining this on one of those afore mentioned hot summer days.

December 5, 2023

238/4199) Home:  The Golden Blonde by Echoes Brewing Company of Washington, U.S.A.:  ***1/2; 7.7%, 24 ibu; Belgian style golden ale; pours a translucent golden colour; late addition of Huell Melon and Styrian Goldings hops; nose is melon; complex flavours of coriander, white pepper, clove and banana; 

December 4, 2023

237/4198) Home:  CLWB Tropica by Tiny Rebel Brewing Company of Wales:  ****; 5.5%, 40 ibu Tropical IPA brewed with the addition of wheat and hopped with Citra, Simcoe and Mosaic; cloudy; sweet melon and tropical fruit nose; flavours of coconut, peach, cantaloupe, mango, though quite so strong as promised by the nose;

December 3, 2023

236/4197) Home:  Grapefruit Supreme by Surly Brewing Company of Minnesota, U.S.A.:  ***1/2; 4.5% “Tart ale with grapefruit added”; cloudy appearance; nose is grapefruit seltzer; the tartness is in the background and mercifully it is almost completely overshadowed by strong grapefruit flavours; a summery beer for Advent;

December 2, 2023

234/4195) Home:  Cookies 'n' Cream Stout by Mill Street Brewery of Ontario:  ***1/2; 5.5%, 15 ibu; with the addition of wheat, but it is “lactose free” – hurrah!; nose is mostly sweet vanilla; tastes of vanilla with hints of chocolate and cherries;

A Brewpub exclusive, purchased there. 

235/4196) Home:  Passion of the Heights by Florida Avenue Brewing Company of Florida, U.S.A.:  ***1/2; 4.7% ; described as both a “Tropical Wheat Ale” and an “American Wheat Ale”; brewed with hibiscus, orange zest, rose hips, cinnamon, lemongrass and ochre; nose is a tropical fruit salad; similar flavours but towards the finish a blast of cinnamon is incorporated;

December 1, 2023

233/4194) Home:  Infinity Hero IPA by Revolution Brewing Company of Illinois, U.S.A.:  ***1/2; 7.0%; 2023 Advent Calendar, Day One; hopped with Nectaron, Strata HBC#586 and HBC#1019; an attempt to unite classic IPAs with hazy IPAs featuring “next-gen dry-hopping”; hazy; juicy, citrusy nose; flavours do not quite live up to the nose; flavours of citrus with a bitter finish and after taste; 

This was canned July 26th.  I would like to try this one fresher. 

This year’s Advent Calendar theme is “Medal Winners and Their Masterpieces.

 

November 30, 2023

232/4193) Home:  St. Ambroise Barrel Aged Imperial Porter by Brasserie McAuslin of Quebec:  ****; 10%; from their Barrel Collection Barrique; added wheat; nose is sweet vanilla and bourbon, nothing over powering; subtle vanilla flavours with chocolate, roasted malts and no hint of alcohol;

November 29, 2023

230/4191) Old Flame Brewing Co. in Toronto's Distillery District:  Perry Loved Mary West Coast IPA by Old Flame Brewing Co.:  ****; the chalkboard reads 6.4% while the card on table says 6.3%; brewed with New World hops; translucent; pine and grapefruit nose; strong pine, grapefruit and pineapple notes;

231/4192) Mill Street Brewpub, Distillery District:  Hop Avenue IPA by Mill Street Brewery of Ontario:  ***1/2; 6.3%; hopped with El Dorado, Amarillo and Azacca; described as hazy, mildly so; fresh tropical nose, similar flavours;

November 26, 2023

229/4190) Home:  November DIPA (2023) by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 8.2%; hopped with Motueka, Nectaron and Superdelic from from New Zealand; cloudy; dankness overshadows citrus to the nose; I taste dankness with a mild alcohol burn and mild citrus;

November 25, 2023

228/4189) Home:  Enoch Turner's Ale by Amsterdam Brewery of Ontario:  ****; 4.7%; 40 ibu historic pale ale; brewed in collaboration with with local beer historian Jordan St. John to mark the 175th anniversary of Enoch Turner School House; brewed with heritage Chevalier malt and English leaf Goldings hops; clear, copper; nose is bready, biscuity; toasty, biscuity flavours with hints of marmalade;

November 24, 2023

227/4188) Home:  Petals by Fairweather Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 8.2% Double IPA dry hopped with El Dorado, Nelson Sauvin and Citra; pours cloudy; nose is floral with tropical fruit notes; floral, citrus and tropical fruit flavours;

November 18, 2023

224/4185) Amsterdam Brewhouse:  Double Tempest 2023 by Amsterdam Brewery of Ontario:  *****; 11.9%; aged 8 months in a mix of Buffalo Trace and Four Roses barrels; strong boozy nose; sweet bourbon, chocolate molasses;

Today was the Calm Before The Storm event, held the day of the release of Double Tempest.  I generally do not go in for this sort of thing but the price was very reasonable.

225/4186) Amsterdam Brewhouse:  Full City by Amsterdam Brewery of Ontario:  ***1/2; 10%; Tempest Imperial Stout cold steeped with a coffee blend from Demello; I was not quite so keen on this one; strong cold brew coffee nose and flavours; 

226/4187) Amsterdam Brewhouse:  Hunter's Moon 2021 by Amsterdam Brewery of Ontario:  ****1/2; 11.9% barleywine aged in bourbon barrels; sweet boozy nose; sweet dark fruit flavours with sticky toffee pudding and bourbon;

November 16, 2023

223/4184) Home:  Rush Xanabeer by Henderson Brewing of Ontario:  ***1/2; 10.5% Belgian style extra strong ale with freeze dried honeydew melon, Huell Melon hops and Niagara Riesling juice; brewed in collaboration with the surviving members of Rush; pours translucent; nose of cloves and grape must; tastes of cloves with, melon and grape skins;