November 20, 2024

224/4451) Home:  Omnipollo's Hatt by Omnipollo of Ontario:  ****; 6.2%, 65 ibu IPA hopped with Nelson, Motueka and Citra; grain bill is barley, wheat and oats; cloudy; dank citrus and tropical nose; dank herbal notes;

November 19, 2024

223/4450) Home:  Barrel Aged Bestowed It Was In My Cart - Batch 3 by Third Moon Brewing Co. of Ontario:  ****1/2; 13% ; aged in Basil Hayden barrels for 22 months and in 15 year Heaven Hill barrels for 12 months then conditioned on coconut, macademia and almond; pours black, almost no head; nose is raisins, boozy bourbon, oak, coconut; tastes of sweet boozy oak, raisins, strong coconut, dark fruit, alcohol; 

This is the last of the Hallowe’en beers.  I have had items in my cart many a time only to find that they are sold out when I go to pay.

November 16, 2024

220/4447) Birreria Volo:  Péché Mortel Bourbon 2024 by Dieu du Ciel! of Quebec:  ****1/2; 9.5%; mostly sweet bourbon butoak is also very prominent to the nose; grouind coffee flavours of the original mostly overshadowed by sweet boozy bourbon and muted vanilla;

Today is Péché Day 2024.

221/4448) Birreria Volo:  Péché Mortel Val Ambré 2024 by Dieu du Ciel! of Quebec:  ****; 9.5%; Val Ambré is a golden maple wine; nose of subtly sweet maple with coffee grounds; very low key – maple, not so sweet, muted muddy, earthy coffee grounds flavours;

222/4449) Birreria Volo:  BBA Hellwoods by Bellwoods Brewery of Ontario:  ****; 12.6%; nose is boozy, oak, not particularly sweet; flavours of boozy oak, roasted malt, raisins and an odd sweetness; I am torn as to whether or not I prefer this to the original or not – I just might;

I survived Taylor Swift's second night in Toronto.  Union Station was very sparkly and glittery.

November 15, 2024

219/4446) Home:  Barrel Aged Bestowed Trick or Treat Bag by Third Moon Brewing of Ontario:  ***; 13% Imperial Stout with vanilla, peanut butter, caramel, coconut and chocolate; aged in Russel’s Reserve and Barton 1792 barrels; black, short lived tan head; chocolate and coconut nose; coconut flavours are the most prominent with chocolate and caramel -the peanut butter is muted;

November 14, 2024

217/4444) Home:  Townsfolk by Third Moon Brewing Company of Ontario in collaboration with Superflux of British Columbia:  ****1/2; 6.5%; hopped with Nelson Sauvin and Citra; base of Pilsner and wheat malt; murky; nose is mostly pineapple; tastes of pineapple, berries

The bottom of the tin reads, “Superfolk”.

218/4445) Home: Third State by Third Moon Brewing Company of Ontario in collaboration with Transient Artisan Ales of Michigan, U.S.A.:  ****; 7% Milk Stout; with milk sugar; sweet, milk chocolate nose; thin mouthfeel; sweet and chocolaty with notes of roasted malt;

The bottom of this tin reads, “What’s Your State?”.

November 12, 2024

216/4443) Home:  Weary Bones by Third Moon Brewing Co. of Ontario in collaboration with Celestial Beerworks of Texas, U.S.A.:  ****; 8% Double IPA with Rakau and Citra; murky; nose is pineapple mostly; tastes of pineapple,with a degree of dankness and mild citrus; 

November 11, 2024

214/4441) Home:  Peanut Butter Cup Bestowed (2024) by Third Moon Brewing of Ontario:  ***1/2; 11.5%; Imperial Stout with chocolate, peanut butter and mini peanut butter cups; dark, thin tan head; nose of peanut butter and chocolate; thick, heavy mouth feel; peanut butter tastes more “real” than in a peaniut butter cup, also flavours of unsweetnened chocolate; not nearly so bad as I had feared; 

The bottom of the tin reads, "Peanut, peanut butter, no jelly”. 

215/4442) Home: Double Dry Hopped Double Bone Tree by Third Moon Brewing of Ontario:  ***1/2; “8% Double IPA brewed with Citra, Citra and even more citra”; murky; citrusy nose with herbal notes; strong grapefruit with zest and mild mineral and herbal notes; a bit soapy; I'm not sure about this one;  after letting it sit a while I added a half star;

The bottom of the tin reads, "Saturate your bones”.

November 10, 2024

213/4440) Home:  Time Takes Time Blend 3 by Third Moon Brewing Co. of Ontario:  ****1/2; 13%; blend of barrel aged stout and barley wine; Imperal stout is aged 20 months in Apple Brandy barrels; English style Barleywine is aged 12 months in 15 year old Heaven Hill bourbon barrels; pours black with very nearly no head; nose is sweet oak, bourbon, brandy and alcohol; tastes of sweet boozy vanilla, dark fruit and brandy with a hint of apples;

November 9, 2024

212/4439) Home:  60kn West of Milton by Third Moon Brewing Co. in collaboration with Willibald Farm Distillery and Brewery both of Ontario:  ****; 10.2% Triple IPA with oats; Superdelic, Citra and Galaxy hops; nose is mostly pineapple with peach; dank edge with alcohol which to a degree overshadows pineapple, stonefruitand mixed citrus;

This is their take on collaborator Willibald’s “Where the Fxxx is Ayr?”

The bottom of tin reads, “But where the Fxxxis Milton?”

November 8, 2024

211/4438) Home:  Rocky Road Bestowed by Third Moon Brewing Co. of Ontario:  ****; 11.5% Imperial Stout with chocolate, walnut and marshmallow; pours black; nose is boozy chocolatge fudge; it does taste just like Rocky Road ice cream, albeit very boozy; bottom of the tin reads, “The rocky road to Hell”;

November 7, 2024

210/4437) Home:  Barrel Aged Bestowed Cookie Monster by Third Moon Brewing Co. in collaboration with Blood Brothers Brewing, both of Ontario:  ****; 13% Chocolate Chip Cookie Barrel Aged Imperial Stout; swapped barrels and blended Bestowed with Blood Brothers; conditioned on cocoa nibs; boozy chocolate nose; sweet boozy chocolate chip cookie flavours; 

An International Stour Day choice.  From the Hallowe’en mix pack.

November 6, 2024

209/4436) Home:  Great Lakes Brewery:  Double Thrust! by Great Lakes Brewery of Ontario:  ****; 8.2%, 45 ibu Double New England IPA; hazy; strawberry and mango nose; tastes of strawberry, mango with mild grape fruit;

November 3, 2024

208/4435) Home:  BOYD 2024 by Bellwoods Brewery of Ontario:  *****; 11.9%; aged 18 months in Armagnac barrels and 15 months in rye barrels; with wheat and oats; thick, syrupy mouthfeel; nose is dark fruit, raisins, oak; tastes of raisins, ripe dark fruit, boozy oak and fancy cognac which I gather is basically what Armagnac is;

This is returning for the first time since 2020 and the seventh time overall.

November 1, 2024

207/4434) Third Moon Taproom:  Deux Musketeers by Third Moon Brewing Co. of Ontario in collaboration with Sir John Brewing of Quebec:  ****1/2; 11.5% Imperial Stout with 3 Musketeers bars and cocoa nibs; pours black as night; nose is  sweet with a dark chocolate and marshmallow nougat nose; nearly overpoweringly sweet, like a boozy Three Musketeers bar; the nougat is more prominent in the flavours, alongside dark chocolate; an odd one; 

I also purchased this as part of the Hallowe'en mixed bundle.  The bottom of the tin reads, “All for one One for all”; 

October 26, 2024

198/4425) Steadfast Brewing Company, Toronto:  Systematic Desensitization Horchata Lager by Rorschach Brewing Company of Ontario:  ****1/2; 4.5% Horchata Lager with flaked rice, vanilla, lactose and cinnamon; conditioned on cinnamon sticks; cloudy; pumpkin spice nose; tastes a lot like pumpkin pie; delicious; 

Horchata is a cinnamon rice milk drink popular in Latin America.

199/4426) Steadfast Brewing Company:  PSL Gourd Intentions with Coffee, Vanilla, Condensed Milk and Nutmeg by Steadfast Brewing Company of Ontario:  ****; 5.6%; murky, with sediment; sweet, spiced nose; sweet, milky, dry spices; 

200/4427) Steadfast Brewing Company:  Smoked Pumpkin Amber Ale with Cinnamon by Everyside Brewery of Ontario:  ***1/2; 4%; smoked spiced nose; I swear I am tasting lime alongside the cinnamon;

 

Steadfast is doing everything right for this event, even down to the music.

201/4428) Steadfast Brewing Company:  Pumpkin Spice Downtown Brown by Amsterdam Brewery of Ontario:  ****; 5%; their Downtown Brown with pumpkin spice; chestnut colour; nose is pumpkin pie spices; rich, malty and nutty with mild spice;

202/4429) Steadfast Brewing Company:  Florentine Dark Lager with Cacao, Almond and Orange by Avling Brewery of Ontario:  ***1/2; 5.7%; looks murky; cocoa and mild almond to the nose; cocoa, orange, mild almond with malty flavours; 

All of the above were on cask and sample sized from a flight.

203/4430) Steadfast Brewing Company:  Dog Days IPA by Steadfast Brewing Company of Ontario:  ****;  6.6% West Coast IPA brewed with Canadian Sasquatch hops and “a blend of other classic west coast hops”; translucent; old school West Coast style nose, malty backdrop with piney notes; pine resin, grapefruit flavours;

"Miguel Is Cooking" hoodies are available for purchase and everyone who ordered food ws pretty happy about things in general.  I made the mistake of eating before I left home.

204/4431) Thirsty and Miserable:  Few and Far Between by Dominion City in collaboration with Counterpart Brewing both of Ontario:  ****; 6.5%, 26 ibu NEIPA; Freestyle Hops Mega Motueka (a blend of Motueka and Phantasm) in the whirlpool; dry-hopped with New Zealand Hops Superdelic, Riwaka and Nelson Sauvin Cryo Hops and "a touch of Simcoe" ; hazy; dank, herbal citrus and tropical nose; citrus and tropical flavours with a hint of dankness; 

Katie has reopened on a new neighbourhood and best of all, she remembers me.

205/4432) Thirsty and Miserable:  Handsome by Matron of Ontario:  ***; a 4.3% Zoiglbier; perfectly clear; malty, spiced nose; malty, edge almost Saaz herbal earthiness; 

This was a splash in a taster glass in response to my query as to what a Zoigl was.  I turns out a Zoigl is an historic style from Eastern Bavaria.

206/4433) Thirsty and Miserable:  RiRi by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 6.5% IPA; all Riwaka hops; swampy; nose and flavours are dank tropical;

If anything Katie looks younger than she did five years ago when I last saw her.  New York CIty by The Demics was playing at one point.  I am glad I went.

October 25, 2024

197/4424) C'est What:  Two Flags by Dominion City of Ontario:  ****1/2; 7%, 63 ibu American IPA; Cascade hops; pours translucent; old school pine and grapefruit nose; dry resin and grapfruit flavours;

October 23, 2024

196/4423) Home:  Double Ducks by Burdock of Ontario:  ****; 8% Imperial IPA with wheat; dry hopped twice with Mosaic and Cashmere; cloudy; citrusy nose, especially tangerine; mild dankness; tangerine, tropical flavours;

October 22, 2024

195/4422) Home:  Sky Bison by Longslice Brewery of Ontario:  ***1/2; 5%, 35 ibu; North American Pale Ale; hopped with Cascade and Azacca; mildly hazy; nose is gentle notes of citrus, particularly tangerine; mellow citrus flavours;

October 18, 2024

192/4419) Home:  Roam by Market Brewing Company of Ontario in collaboration with Cascade Brewing of Oregon:  ***1/2; 6.5%, 25 ibu; with wheat and oats; hopped with Citra, Centennial and Amarillo; hazy; nose is oranges and mixed tropical; tastes fruity, particularly oranges and mangos;

193/4420) Home:  Wonder Crush by Beau's All Natural Brewing of Ontario:  ***1/2; 5% hazy IPA with wheat and oats; hopped with Alora and Motueka; mildly hazy but paler than the previous entry; citrusy tropical nose and taste;

194/4421) Home:  Deceptive Creature/IPA No. 28 by Collective Arts of Ontario:  ***1/2; 6.8%; New England IPA hopped with Nectaron, Nectaron Cryo and Citra; cloudy, nearly dayglo in colour; nose is mildly dank with orange, mixed citrus and stone fruit; stonefruit and citrus flavours;

October 14, 2024

191/4418) Home:  October DIPA (2024) by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 8.2%; hopped with Simcoe, Motueka and New Zealand Cascade; murky; nose is citrus, especially lime; lime and mixed citrus flavours;

October 12, 2024

189/4416) Badlands' Badio:  Mist by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ***1/2; 5.6% pale ale; hopped with Citra, Nectaron and Superdelic; cloudy; citrus, tropical nose with a hint of sweetness; dank edge, citrus, tropical, mild sweetness towards finish;

190/4417) Badlands' Badio:  Training Wheels by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 5.6% pale ale hopped with Nelson and Riwaka; cloudy; mildly dank and citrusy nose; mild tropical flavours;

October 11, 2024

188/4415) Home:  Nelly (Maui) by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 6.5%; brewed with a special Nelson Sauvin selection; swampy; pineapple, white wine, tropical nose; similar flavours;

October 10, 2024

187/4414) Home:  Nelly Kohia by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 6.5%; brewed with a Nelson Sauvin lot called Kohia Nelson; swampy; nose is dank melon with a hint of tropical; melon and guava flavours;

September 28, 2024

185/4412) Badlands' Badio:  From The Bine by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 6.5% wet hopped IPA; wet hopped with Centennial; dry hopped with Nelson Sauvin, Riwaka and Motueko; opaque yellowy orange; fresh tropical nose; tropical flavours with a hint of citrus and grapefruit;

186/4413) Badlands' Badio:  Super Nectar by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ***1/2; 6.5%; hopped with Nectaron and Superdelic; opaque yellowy orange; herbal nose and flavours; 

September 27, 2024

179/4406) C'est What:  Mocha Crunch Chocolate Bar Stout by Sawdust CIty of Ontario:  ****; 5.9%, 25 ibu Dessert Stout; “Built around the flavours of one of our favourite Canadian candy bars”; rich sweet mocha – so much like a Coffee Crisp; 

Today is C’est What's Fall Festival.  Everything is a four ounce pour.

180/4407) C'est What:  Extra Ball When Lit by Clifford Brewing of Ontario:  5.9%, 55 ibu; dry hopped with Galaxy; describerd as their Pinball Wizard, “given the hazy treatment”; fresh but mild citrus; 

I noticed a bartender paying close attention to the individual sitting next to me.  He was pouring bits of the samples into those tiny take away containers they use for sour cream and the like, which evidently is a no-no.

181/4408) C'est What:  Ma's Pumpkin Pie by Wave Maker of Ontario:  ***1/2; 5.2%;  brewed with pumpkin puree, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon and ginger; nose and flavours of pumpkin and spices; 

Perhaps I am being harsh here.  This is a perfectly fine beer, it's just at this time if year it is against heavy competition.

182/4409) C'est What:  Every Six Minutes by Granite Brewery of Ontario:  ****1/2; 7.3%, 60 ibu; an English/North American Hybrid IPA; 10 hop additions during the boil; strong, bitter citrus, pine and grapefruit; 

This one was on cask.

183/4410) C'est What:  Deck Ade by Dominion City of Ontario:  ****; 6.5%, 30 ibu;  brewed for Dominion City's tenth anniversary; hopped with Freestyle Hops Nelson Sauvin™, Nelson Sauvin™ Cryo®, Kohia Nelson SubZero Hop Kief, Strata®, Mosaic®, Citra®.; I found it very herbal; 

184/4411) C'est What:  Bine Hunter 2024 by Bellwods Brewery of Ontario:  ****; 5.6% wet hop pale ale with whole cone Cascade fresh hop flowers; fresh grapefruit and herbal notes;

September 24, 2024

178/4405) Home:  Aphrodite Porto by Dieu du Ciel! of Quebec:  ****; 6.5%; brewed with cocoa beans and vanilla beans; port barrel aged; billed as a cocoa and valilla stout; benefits from being allowed to approach room temperature; nose of port, oak and cocoa; port, chocolate, vanilla, mild roast flavours;

Photo to follow when I list the contents of the mixed pack that accompanied my son from Montreal.

September 20, 2024

177/4404) Home:  Rare Specimen by Collective Arts of Ontario in colaboration with Superflux of British Columbia:  ****; 8% Double New England IPA with wheat and oats; hopped with Galaxy, Citra and Clayton Amplifier hop oils; hazy; mixed tropical nose; mildly sweet tropical flavours;

September 19, 2024

176/4403) Home:  Todd Is An Absolute Beauty by Refined Fool Brewing Company of Ontario:  ****; 5%, 25 ibu American Pale Ale; with oats; packaged 12 Feb; hazy; brewed with Ekuatnot and Talus then dry hopped with Idaho Gem; nose is floral, melon, guava and orange; orange, lemon and guava flavours; very nice; I suspect it would have earned andother half star had ot been fresher;

“Easy drinking pale ale you can set your watch to”

September 15, 2024

175/4402) Home:  Priceless by Fairweather Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 6.1% "Juicy IPA" dry hopped with Strata, Galaxy and Talus; cloudy; nose is strawberries and tropical fruit; I am not finding it particularly “juicy” - similar flavours to the nose:  strawberry, mango and papaya;

September 14, 2024

174/4401) Collective Arts Taproom & Café, Toronto:  Happyness by Superflux Beer Company of British Columbia:  ****; 6.5%, 65 ibu Wesy Coast IPA; mostly clear; mixed citrus nose; mildly dry mixed citrus flavours; 

I missed yesterday’s tap takeover but everything was still available.

September 9, 2024

173/4400) Home:  Dora 73 by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 6.5%; modified malt base and whirlpool; all Citra; murky; citrusy nose, especially orange; flavours of orange and mixed citrus, just a touch of alcohol;

September 7, 2024

171/4398) Home:  September DIPA (2024) by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 8.2%; hopped with Nelson Sauvin, Motueka and Cascade, all from New Zealand; stonefruit nose; white wine, mixed tropical notes;

172/4399) Home:  Ridelic by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  *****; 6.5%; brewed with a pair of New Zealand hops - Riwaka and Superdelic; murky; notes of Pez, candied tropical fruit; 

September 3, 2024

170/4397) Home:  5-Way IPA by Madmash Brewery of Ontario:  ****; 5.5%; brewed with only the traditional four ingredients including five grains and five hops; The nose is sweet, butterscotch-like; mild bitterness throughout against dark sugary notes; largely unharmed by light; this is the winner of the three for me;

Madmash is located in Tavistock and the name is a tribute to downtown Tavistock’s notorious five way intersection.  

September 2, 2024

169/4396) Home:  Foggy Daze by Madmash Brewery of Ontario:  ***; 5.5% hazy IPA; very nearly clear; brewed with Triple Pearl hops, at least in the first version; citrusy nose; again, it suffers from being sold in a clear botle; lemony notes, mildly soured;

September 1, 2024

168/4395) Home:  Cream Ale by Madmash Brewery of Ontario:  **1/2; 5.5%; plus oats; brewed with locally sourced ingredients; mildly hazy; the clear bottle has done this no favours; mild skunkiness clouds nose and flavours; mostly mineral notes;

August 31, 2024

167/4394) Home:  Cream Ale by Anderson Craft Ales of Ontario:  ***1/2; 4.8%, 24 ibu "pre-prohibition ale"; “carbonated with recaptured CO2”; pours clear; nose is malty and minerally; pleasantly minerally with a mild herbal hop edge;

August 30, 2024

166/4393) Home:  IPA by Anderson Craft Ales of Ontario:  ****1/2; 6.5%, 60 ibu; clear, light blonde; brewed with only four ingredients; mildly harsh nose with resiny pine; malty back drop with flavours of pine, resin and a hint of grapefruit; delightfully Old School;

August 29, 2024

165/4392) Home:  Pound Galena by London Brewing of Ontario in collaboration with the Country Music and Art Summer Celebration and sponsored by Donaldson Home Services:  ***; 5.3%, 34 ibu; English style pale ale; pours clear; dry, grainy herbal nose; dry, herbal, malty flavours;

August 26, 2024

164/4391) Home:  Tangerine IPA by London Brewing of Ontario:  ***1/2; 5.7%; plus wheat; hazy; nose is grain and citrus; grainy with orange soda notes and a dry, citrusy finish;

August 25, 2024

163/4390) Home:  Organic Pilsner by London Brewing of Ontario:  ***; 5%; brewed with only the traditional four ingredients; pours clear; nose is grassy; typical pilsner flavours with an atypical hint of sweetness;

August 23, 2024

162/4389) Home:  The Bigger Lebadsky by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 10% Triple IPA dry hopped with Citra and Idaho 7; dank, citrusy nose; dank and citrusy flavours; a sneaky one – no hint of all that alcohol on the palate;

August 22, 2024

160/4387) Home:  The Master Blend (2024) by Badlands Brewing in collaboration with Third Moon Brewing both of Ontario:  ****; 8.2% 7th anniversary Double IPA; hopped with Citra, Mosaic and Simcoe; the can says it's a triple, elsewhere it is double; out-dated label cites 5th anniversary; cloudy; dank, fruity nose; similar flavours with a mildly sweet finish;

161/4388) Home:  Augustus by Badlands Brewing of Ontario in collaboration with Brasserie du Bas-Canada of Quebec:  ****; 8.2% Double IPA; 7th anniversary beer named for Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus who was the founder of the Roman Empire and the first Roman Emperor; hopped with Citra and Nelson Sauvin which are considered the first hazy IPA hops from USA and New Zealand, respectively; nose is pineapple and tropical; flavours of dank pineapple, tropical, berries;

August 20, 2024

159/4386) Home:  Serpents (2024) by Badlands Brewing of Ontario in collaboration with Messoreum of Quebec:  ****; 8.2% DIPA; hopped with Galaxy, Motueka and Simcoe; murky; nose is lime, pineapple; notes of lime, pineapple and leafy hops;

August 18, 2024

157/4384) Home:  Seven (2024) by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 6.5%; 7th anniversary IPA; hopped with Peacharine, Nelson Sauvin and Riwaka; murky; sweet tropical nose; sweet, mild herbal and fresh tropical notes;

158/4385) Home:  Big Bad Bells by Badlands Brewing in collaboration with Bellwoods Brewery, both of Ontario:  ****; 6.5% IPA with Mosaic and Nectaron hops; murky; nose is pineapple and orange; flavours of pineapple, orange and peaches;

August 16, 2024

155/4382) Home:  Madri Exceptionale by La Sagra of Spain in collaboration with Molson Coors of Ontario:  ***; 4.6% brewed with the addition of wheat; clear, golden; not overy sweet; a standard lager;

156/4373) Home:  Festive Farm Stout by Stonepicker Brewing Company of Ontario:  ***1/2; 6% peppermint stout; candy cane nose; dark chocolate and peppermint flavours; an odd one;

August 8, 2024

154/4381) Home:  Double High Grade by Fairweather Brewing of Ontario:  ****1/2; 8%; Double IPA; cloudy, golden yellow; nose is dank melon; melon with tropical flavours and dankness;

August 1, 2024

153/4380) Home:  Dora #72 by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 6.5%; “paler than usual wheat in the grist and modified the pH of the beer throughout the process”; murky; citrusy nose with a touch of dankness; citrus with mild astringent dankness;

July 28, 2024

151/4378) Badlands' Badio:  Bad Moon Rising by Badlands Brewery in collaboration with Third Moon Brewing both of Ontario:  ****; solid yellow gold; New Zealand hops:  Nelson Sauvin, Riwaka and Nectaron; nose is berries, white wine, grapefruit; mostly wine and berries; opens sweet with a dry finish;

152/4379) Badlands' Badio:  August DIPA (2024) by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 8.2%; solid golden; shortened fermentation; dry hopped with Nelson, Galaxy and Motueka; fresth tropical nose; tropica with mild dankness;

July 13, 2024

149/4376) Badlands' Badio:  Joy by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 6.5%: hopped with Nelson Sauvin, Rakau and Simcoe; swampy, yellowish; stone fruit nose and flavours with a hint of candied hops;

150/4377) Badlands Badio:  Dora 71 by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 6.5%; for this one they blended their old year selection of citra with the new year; also used MI’ll Ridge Malts pilsner malt as the base; again, swampy and yellow; nose is citrusy, midly dank citrus flavours;

July 9, 2024

148/4375) Home:  On The Road by Grain & Grit of Ontario:  ***1/2; 5.5%; brewed in memory of Tim Khan; a Rum barrel aged saison with pineapple juice , ginger, El Dorado hops and rye; ever so slightly hazy; pineapple and ginger nose; similar flavours with sweet rum noites; an odd one;

July 8, 2024

145/4372) Home:  Home:  Bronze Kicks by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****1/2; 5.5%; Pale Ale hopped with Mosaic and Simcoe; mildly hazy; nose is pineapple with mixed citrus; pineapple, tropical and citrus flavours;

146/4373) Home:  Home:  July DIPA (2024) by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****1/2; 8%; New Zealand hops:  a blend of Nelson, Riwaka and Motueka; new malt used this time out; murky; tropical nose with no dankness; some opening dankness in the flavours but this is washed away by sweet tropical notes;

147/4374) Home:  Chuffed To Bits by Goodlot Farmstead Brewing Company of Ontario:  ***1/2; 

6.6%; a dark ale brewed with only the traditional four ingredients including English malts and Ontario Noble hops; chestnut colour; nose is roasted malt, raisins; mild sweetness with notes of raisins and roasted malts;

July 5, 2024

144/4371) Home:  Snapio by Fairweather Brewing of Ontario:  ***1/2; 5.1% “Crispy Pale Ale” dry hopped with Riwaka and Cryopop; clear; nose of candied peach and berries; tastes of blueberry, peaches mild citrus;

July 2, 2024

143/4370) Home:  Between Jobs by Stockyards Brewing Co. of Ontario:  ****; 4.5%, 30 ibu; Session IPA; dry hopped with Azacca and Citrus; brewed with oats; relatively clear; nose is herbal, dry; resiny, herbal flavours; uncommonly flavourful for a session IPA – no hint of being “washed out” as is so often the case;

July 1, 2024

142/4369) Home: Shattered Mirror by Stockyards Brewing Co. of Ontario:  ****1/2; 6%, 40 ibu; brewed and double dry hopped with Galaxy; with oats; hazy; pine and grapefruit nose; pine, grapefruit and citrus flavours; very nice;

June 28, 2024

141/4368) Home:  High Falutin' by Goodlot Farmstead Brewing Co. of Ontario:  ****; 5.6%, 40 ibu ESB; brewed with four ingredients; pours copper; malty nose; dry and malty; excellent example of the style;

July 27, 2024

140/4367) Home:  witte by Fairweather Brewing Company of Ontario:  ***; 4.8%; “Belgian style” white ale with citrus and spices; nose is mildly smokey with zest; lemon, spice notes emerge;

July 24, 2024

139/4366) Home:  Pale Ale by Vimy Ridge Brewing Company of Ontario:  ****; 5%, 30 ibu; brewed with four ingredients; clear; piney nose; mild pine flavours;

June 23, 2024

138/4365) Home:  Help Yourself To My Parents's Wardrobe by Refined Fool Brewing Co. of Ontario:  ***1/2; 6%, 15 ibu Raspberry Vanilla Smoothie IPA brewed with raspberries, vanilla, lactose and oats; hazy with suspended particles/globules of sediment; the nose is raspberry and vanilla; lactose is muted, mostly flavours of fresh raspberry and mild vanilla;

June 21, 2024

136/4363) Home:  #Select Simcoe by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 6.5% IPA; as others in the series, the hops are sourced from Yakima; cloudy, yellowy orange; tropical fruit nose; tropical and melon flavours;

137/4364) Home:  Monday by Refined Fool Brewing Co. of Ontario:  ***1/2;  a 5%, 25 ibu Survivor IPA; “survivable compounds” are the beer soluble oil compounds of hops which have a high impact on finished beer aroma" - from the tin; hopped with Ekuanot, Idaho Gem and Talus; grain bill includes oats; mildly hazy; nose is primarily lemon zest; flavours of lemon zest and orange;

This was originally brewed in collaboration with Wellington Brewery of Ontario but I think this is a subsequent batch.

June 18, 2024

135/4362) Home:  #Select Riwaka (2024) by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****1/2; 6.5% IPA; again, a New Zealand hop; cloudy; nose is tropical, pineapple in particular with candy -  Pez?; pineapple, mixed tropical Pez-like candy;

June 17, 2024

134/4361) Home:  #Select Nelson Sauvin (2024) by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 6.5% IPA; Nelson Sauvun is a hop friom New Zealand; off-gold; cloudy/murky; nose is dank with gooseberry notes; dank pineapple, tropical, gooseberry flavours;

June 16, 2024

133/4360) Home:  #Select Nectaron (2024) by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 6.5% IPA; Nectaron is a New Zealand hop; cloudy, yellow-gold; nose is peaches and pineapple; tastes of dank pineapple against a backdrop of peaches;

June 15, 2024

132/4359) Home:  #Select Mosaic (2024) by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 6.5% IPA; cloudy, yellow; nose is mildly dank with berries; mild dankness with gooseberries;

June 13, 2024

130/4357) Home:  Play Nice by Fairweather Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 6.7% hazy IPA dry hopped with Strata and HBC586; tropical nose; tropical flavours, particularly guava;

131/4358) Home:  #Select Citra by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 6.5% IPA; swampy, yellow; citrusy nose; flavours of citrus and zest; dank, yet a bit sweet;

June 10, 2024

129/4356) Home:  Quantum Coast IPA by Silversmith Brewing of Ontario:  ****1/2; 6.7%, 55 ibu; purchased at the former site of Black Oak, now owned sy Silversmith; a West Coast IPA with Abstrax Quantum Brite Mos and Sim extract with Idaho 7 and Mosaic T90 pellets; nose is decidedly dry and dank citrus and grapefruit; grapefruit, resin and pine flavours;

June 9, 2024

128/4355) BMO Field, Toronto:  Hazy Phase IPA by Mill Street Brewery of Ontario:  ***1/2; 6.2% , 45 ibu; at the Argonauts' game; anywhere else this might be unremarkable but it went so well with a hot dog and a view of Lake Ontario and Ontario Place where I got to know so many wonderful people the summer that I worked there; 

It is memorable in that it cost $24, including my tip.  I have forgiven the Duke of York for those pints of Fuller’s London Pride ESB costing in escess of $15.  Mind, for all that, it ends up being cheaper than a dog and a pint at a baseball game and I got to keep the cup.  At a later game I learned I can get a Tanqueray and Tonic for $15 or $16 including my tip which, while it is twice what I pay at Dum-Dum's, is a significant savings if I can convince myself that a G&T goes well with a stadium hot dog.

June 8, 2024

127/4354) Home:  Westetobicoken by Great Lakes Brewery of Ontario:  ***1/2; 4.8%, 15 ibu; Patersbier; nose of yeast and cloves; yeasty, strong clove notes; sweet; clever name;

June 7, 2024

126/4353) Home:  Light Work by Fairweather Brewing of Ontario:  ***; 4.1% All Day Pale Ale; dry hopped with Citra; hazy, yellow-gold; citrusy nose; washed out lemony flavours;

June 6, 2024

124/4351) Home:  New England Style Octopus Wants To Fight by Great Lakes Brewery of Ontario:  ****; 6.2%, 88ibu with tropical hops, hazy; tropical flavours with an ever so faint hint of dankness;

125/4352) Home:  Big Party Day Beer by Great Lakes Brewery of Ontario:  **1/2; 5.3%, 20 ibu; New England IPA with pineapple and passionfruit; also oats and wheat; to celebrate the second anniversary of the brewpub; mildly hazy; nose of pineapple and passionfruit; flavours are mostly pineapple which lends it a “sour” feel;

June 3, 2024

123/4350) Home:  Gaze by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****1/2; 8.2% DIPA hopped with Mosaic, Simcoe and Nelson Sauvin; cloudy; nose is orange, kiwi and mild tropical; tastes of oranges with tropical flavours;

June 1, 2024

121/4348) Badlands' Badio:  Baby Kiwi Pale Ale by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 5.6%; cloudy, yellow; with New Zealand hops:  Nelson Sauvin, Riwaka and Motueka; nose is stone fruit; mildly dank stone fruit flavours;

122/4349) Badlands' Badio:  June DIPA (2024) by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****1/2; 8.2%; brewed with a  "modified grist" as well as Galaxy, Simcoe and Nelson Sauvin hops; murky yellow; pineapple nose; candied citrus and pineapple flavours;

May 31, 2024

120/4347) Home:  Karmadelic IPA by Great Lakes Brewery of Ontario:  ****1/2; 6.6%, 55 ibu; Superdelic hops from New Zealand; also oats and wheat; clear, even with the oats; pine, grapefruit nose; piney flavours; 

May 29, 2024

119/4346) Great Lakes Brewery:  Double Octo by Great Lakes Brewery of Ontario:  ****; 8%, 88 ibu Double IPA with oats and wheat; mildly hazy; similar to the original; notes of citrus and bubblegum;

May 28, 2024

117/4344) Home:  California King by Fairweather Brewing of Ontario:  ****1/2; 7.2% “Classic sucker-free IPA”; a West Coast IPA; dry hopped with “extra nice” Cascade and Centennial; citrusy nose; mild grapefruit with back drop of malty sweetness;

118/4345) Home:  Aliens Exist by Short Finger Brewing Co. of Ontario:  ***; 5.8%; “You have to taste it to beleive it.”; a mixed fermentation pale ale; “pale ale base that is fermented with our house culture”; hazy; tart nose; tart, fruity flavours;

May 26, 2024

116/4343) Craft Beer Market, Toronto:  Addy IPA by Craft Beer Market of Ontario:  ****1/2; 5.6%; clear, copper; pine and grapefruit nose; pine, resin and mildly sweet grapefruit;

Their House IPA.  I would order this again, and the same goes for my dinner.

May 23, 2024

115/4342) Home:  Decadence (Hawaiian Dessert) by Rorschach Brewing Company of Ontario:  ***1/2; 7% Chocolate Milk Stout brewed with oats and lactose; conditioned on fresh roasted coffee beans, toasted coconut, hazelnuts, cocoa and vanilla; nose is dark coffee, coconut, dark chocolate and hazelnut; mostly bitter throughout; dark unsweetened chocolate and bitter roast coffee;

  

May 13, 2024

114/4341) Home:  Old Primeval Rye (2024) by Bellwoods Brewery of Ontario:  ****; 11.7% Imperial Stout with oats; named for a giant snapping turtle from Georgian Bay; aged 15 months in rye barrels from Templeton & Willett Distillery; black with a thin, wispy dark tan head; thick, heavy, viscous mouthfeel; nose of rye, dark fruit, molasses and, oak; flavours of rye, alcohol, soy, chocolate, dark coffee, dark roasted malts and dark fruit;

May 12, 2024

113/4340) Home:  Barrel Aged BOP (2024) by Bellwoods Brewery of Ontario in collaboration with Horus Aged Ales of California, U.S.A.:  ****; 10.5% Double Chocolate Rye Barrel Aged Imperial Stout with oats, wheat, rye roasted malts and Ghanian cocoa nibs with an eight hour boils phase; pours a deep rich brown with a light brown head; thick, heavy, syrupy mouth feel; nose of boozy rye, oak and roasted malts; fudge, rye, alcohol, dark rosated malt flavours;

May 9, 2024

112/4339) Home:  alta by Fairweather Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 6.7% hazy IPA dry hopped with Talus and Nelson Sauvin; hazy, golden with a foamy head; nose is mildly dank tropical and citrus; flavours of dry citrus and tropical;

It makes up for missing out on Third Moon's anniversary pack.  I am in need of faster fingers.

May 8, 2024

111/4338) Home:  Chunk (Chocolate Mint) by Bellwoods Brewery of Ontario:  ****; 10% Bourbon Barrel aged Imperial Stout with cocoa, vanilla and mint; aged 20 months in bourbon barrels;  with wheat and oats;  pours dark with a thin but persistent dark brown head; thick, heavy mouth feel; minty nose with chocolate, like an After 8; tastes like a roasty After 8 with coffee notes; sweet bourbon more prominent in flavours than nose;

May 7, 2024

110/4337) Home:  Double Date by Grain & Grit in collaboration with Muddy York Brewing Co., both of Ontario:  ****1/2; 7.7% double IPA with oats; murky; nose is pineapple, tropical; similar flavours; mild dank bitterness at finish;

May 5, 2024

109/4336) Home:  Sugar Sugar House House by Bellwoods Brewery of Ontario:  ****; 8.5%, 70 ibu; Imperial India Pale Ale with Ontario maple syrup and  three varieites of oats; dry hopped with ; Azacca, Mosaic and Vic Secret; pours cloudy; fruity tropical nose with just a hint of sweet maple; maple is subtle, mostly fresh tropical notes;

May 4, 2024

108/4335) Sin and Redemption:  Black Rocs 1979 by Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs of Belgium in collaboration with Barrel of Monks Brewing of Florida, U.S.A.:  ***1/2; 6.3% flavoured stout with wheat malt, sugar and spices; nose of dark sugar and spices; tastes of dark sugar, roasted malts and cola; from their Bras series;

Here’s to you NC, where ever you are.  I remember 1979.  I hope you do.  Johnny Thunders was right:  You can't put your arms around a memory.

May 3, 2024

107/4334) Home:  Witchshark 12th Anniversary Edition by Bellwoods Brewery of Ontario:  ****1/2; 9%; Duble IPA with oats; special edition with Phantasm hops; cloudy; nose is sweet and tropical; flavours of Pez candy, tropical, white wine;

May 1, 2024

106/4333) Home:  An APA Brewed With Centennial, Sultana and Nectaron by Bellwoods Brewery of Ontario:  ****; 5.6%; with oats; somewhere betwixt hazy and cloudy; nose of pineapple and fresh tropical; pineapple flavours dominate;

April 30, 2024

105/4332) Home:  Barrel Aged From Underneath Batch 2 by Third Moon Brewing of Ontario:  ****1/2; 11.5% Imperial Chocolate Porter; aged twelve months in Basil Hayden bourbon barrels; with wheat and Magnum hops; nose is boozy bourbon and oak; tastes of chocolate, soy, bourbon, alcohol and roasted malts; 

April 29, 2024

104/4331) Home:  From Underneath (2024) by Third Moon Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 10% Imperial Porter brewed with roasted and brown malts and chocolate; also wheat and Magnum hops; sweeter than I recall last year’s being, more like cocoa; nose is cocoa, sweetness is off set by alcohol; similar flavours with coffee and roast; 

April 27, 2024

102/4329) Home:  Pumpkin Ale by The Exchange Brewery of Ontario:  **; 6.1%, 23 ibu; “lightly spiced and brewed with load of pumpkin”; aged in oak and with house Belgian yeast; unpasteurized; Perle and Styrian Celeia hops; tart, from the oak?; more like a sour with fruit, hints of pumpkin;

103/4330) Home:  Desperate Measures by Fairweather Brewing of Ontario:  ***1/2; 6.6% “Dessert Beer”; brewed with bananas, lactose, vanilla and cinnamon; hazy yellow; nose like banana cream pie with a hint of earthy cinnamon; sweet banana cream pie flavours; an unusual beer; I’m not sure I could drink more than the one;

I cannot stop myself from thinking about a similarly named, Vaudeville inspired new wave band from decades ago.

April 26, 2024

100/4327) Home:  Extension Two-Way IPA by The Exchange Brewery of Ontario:  ****1/2; 6.5%, 70 ibu; West Coast IPA with wheat; hopped with Cascade, Centennial, Citra, CTZ and Simcoe; translucent, copper; nose of pine, grapefruit; pine, grapefruit, himts of  malty sweetness;

101/4328) Home: 8' Breakfast Stout by The Exchange Brewery of Ontario:  ***1/2;  7%, 55 ibu; with oats and cold brewed coffee; nose of mild roast and cold brewed coffee; tastes of cold brew and roast;