December 6, 2025

241/4722) Mascot Brewery, King Street, Toronto:  Mondo West IPA by Mascot Brewery of Ontario:  ****1/2; 4.5% West Coast Session IPA hopped with Cascade, Cenennial and Amarillo; dry, resiny nose and flavours;

This was a can pour.

December 5, 2025

239/4720) Home:  Scrumpers by Smugglers' Trail Caskworks of British Columbia:  ****; 5% 10 ibu mulled winter spiced ale with Cabernet Sauvignon, sweet orange peel, coriander and winter spices; opaque, amber; tart, spiced nose; mildly tart with notes of wine, spice, and mildly bitter orange;

"our take on mulled wine”;

Day 4 of the calendar;

240/4721) Home:  Naughty Hopper by Double Vision Brewing of New Zealand:  ****1/2; 8.9%, 72 ibu Imperial IPA hoped with Simcoe, Amarillo and Mosaic; nearly clear, brownish; nose of grapefruit, pine and resin; similar flavours - an old school west coast IPA;

Calendar day 5

December 3, 2025

238/4719) Home:  Repeater by Full Circle Brew Co. of England:  ****; 4.2% Session IPA with oats and hopped with Centennial, Amarillo and Mosaic; cloudy; citrus is most prominent with tropical aromas; tropical is more forward in the flavours with citrus, and the mildest hint of pine at the finish; very flavourful, session or otherwise;

“suitable for vegans"  Day 3 of the Advent calendar

December 2, 2025

237/4718) Home:  Unsolicited Advice by Manual Labour Beer Co. of Alberta:  ****; 3.5% Dark Mild brewed with caramel, pale and chocoalte malts, Mount Hood hopsand Old English yeast; pours brown; nose of toasted bread and molasses; bready with notes of molasses;

Day 2 of the Advent calendar.  When I was in the ninth grade, an outstanding math teacher named Mr. Bergey counselled, "Free advice is usually worth what you paid for it.".

December 1, 2025

236/4717) Home:  Mwsh Lager by Purple Moose Brewery (Bragdy Mŵs Piws) of Wales:  ***1/2; 4.7% Kôlsch style lager brewed with wheat; clear, golden; lemony nose; lemony with toffee ; finish is mildly dry lemon; very flavourful for a lager;

Canada Craft Advent Calendar day 1

November 28, 2025

234/4715) Home: Origin of Darkness 2025:  Nitro Coffee Stout by Collective Arts in collaboration with Third Moon Brweing Co. and Monigram Coffee Roasters, all from Ontario:  ****; 8% coffee stout;  brewed with oats and Nicaraguan coffee; pours jet black with a thick, finely bubbled tan head; strong dark roasted coffee bean aromas; rich, dark coffee flavours with a hint of caramel sweetness; 

235/4716) Home:  Origin of Darkness 2025:  Bourbon Barrel Aged Coffee Stout by Collective Arts in collaboration with Monigram Coffee Roasters, both from Ontario:  ****1/2; 11.9%;  brewed with wheat, oats and Nicaraguan coffee; pours jet black with a short lived, thin bubbly head which quickly turns thin and wispy; nose of bourbon, alcohol, vanilla, chocolate and coffee; similar flavours; thick, very well carbonated mouth feel; 

November 27, 2025

232/4713) Bobhouse Banger by Refined Fool Brewing Co. of Ontario:  ***1/2; 6%, 5 ibu Peanut Butter Porter brewed with oats and peanuts, in the form of real peanut butter; chestnut colour; peanut outshines chocolate in nose; peanuts are a bit more subdued in the flavours alongside rich chololate; 

“...the perfect beer for downhill skiing, building snowmen AND frolicking along the shore of Lake Huron on a 34 degree  summer day”

This is the last entry from the Winter Sports Beer League mix pack.

233/4714) Home:  Summit Peak (IPA 31) by Collective Arts of Ontario:  ****1/2; 6.9% West Coast IPA hopped with Simcoe, Chinook, Vic Secret and Columbus Cryo; wheat added to the grain bill; hazy golden; nose of resin, pine and grapefruit; dry pine wirh a dry after taste;

November 26, 2025

230/4711) Home:  Cross Country Sniper by Refined Fool Brewing Co. of Ontario:  ****; 5%, 23 ibu Brown Ale; oats; brown; malty nose with notes of caramel; rich and malty with caramel flavours

231/4712) Home:  Pumpkin Brown Ale by Shakespeare Brewing Company of Ontario:  ****; 6%; with pumpkins from the Smelski Pumpkin Farm; rich brown; aromas of pumpkin and pumpkin pie spices; similar flavours;

November 24, 2025

228/4709) Home:  3-Man Luge by Refined Fool Brewing of Ontario:  **1/2; 5% lager; clear, colour of apple juice; mildly sweet, fruity nose; crisp (I think I am obligated to use that word when it comes to lagers) mildy sweet, mildly fruity;

229/4710) Home:  Incredible Athletes by Refined Fool Brewing Co. of Ontario:  ***1/2; 5%, 25 ibu Juicy IPA with wheat; cloudy; citrusy nose; citrusy flavours;

Two more from the "Beer League" mixed pack.

November 22, 2025

227/4708) Birreria Volo:  Encore by Fine Balance of Ontario:  ****; 11.9% maple barrel aged imperial stout; aged in rye whiskey barrels that previously housed maple syrup; boozy nose; maple mildly overshadows dark fruit flavours and hints of whiskey; 

Today is Peche Day - all of the other choices have been cited.

November 21, 2025

226/477) Home:  C'est What:  Horseshoes and Hand Grenades by Dominion CIty Brewing of Ontario:  ***1/2; 6.6% American IPA; cloudy; tropical, stone fruit nose and flavours with a very mild dankness;

November 20, 2025

224/4705) Home:  Wiener Dog Sledding by Refined Fool Brewing Co. of Ontario:  ***1/2; 5% Vienna style lager; translucent reddish brown; nose of toasted malts; tastes of toasted malts, caramel, hint of molasses; a very fine example of the style;

225/4406) Jean Skier by Refined Fool Brewing Co. of Ontario:  ****; 6%, 70 ibu IPA (American style) with Pahto, Citra and Centennial hops; translucent; mild pine nose; subdued pine flavours with caramel malt backdrop; another wonderfully Old School IPA from Refined Fool;

From their Winter Sports Beer League mix pack:  "good beers for average athletes".

November 19, 2025

223/4704) Home:  When Someone Uses My Driveway To Turn Around by Refined Fool Brewing Co. of Ontario:  ****; 6.5% American style IPA;clear; aromas of pine and grapefruit; similar flavours – delightfully Old School;

From their  IPA Funbox 11.

November 18, 2025

222/4703) Home:  The Ugliest Parent by Refined Fool Brewing Co. of Ontario:  ***1/2; 5.6% Double Dry Hopped Pale ale with wheat; hazy; grapefruit stands out among a mixed citrus nose; more pithy than juicy with dry grapefruit and mixed citrus in the background;

November 17, 2025

220/4701) Leotard Party by Refined Fool Brewing Co. of Ontario:  ***; 4.5%, 25 ibu session hazy IPA with wheat and oats; hazy, nearly cloudy; mild lemon aromas; faint lemon notes;

“...a shout out to those simpler, stretchier times”

221/4702) Home:  2AM In The Meadow Behind The Hardware Store by Refined Fool Brewing Co. of Ontario:  ****1/2; 7.5% Hazy double IPA with wheat and oats; nose is primarily pineapple; tastes of pineapple with sweet tropical candy necklace notes;

November 16, 2025

218/4699) Home:  Mystery Beer C by Nickel Brook Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 7.2% Hazy IPA with wheat and oats; pours hazy; nose is fruity, citrusy and tropical; no dankness, just mildly sweeet fruitiness;

219/4700) Home:  Mystery Beer D by Nickel Brook Brewing of Ontario:  ***; 6.5% lagered IPA; translucent, nearly clear; herbal aromas with tannins; crisp with dry malt flavours;

Oh, yes, about that ten day absense - I had to be treated (twice) for a detached retina.  Retain your retina at all costs.  

November 15, 2025

216/4697) Home:  Mystery Beer A by Nickel Brook of Ontario:  ****; 6.0% Canadian IPA brewed with rye and wheat; pours a translucent amber; aromas of apple, caramel and malted grains; tastes of caramel, apples and grains with lingering tannins;  given the styles, I thought this would be a lock and I did vote for it but in the end, it was not as clear a choice as I had imagined it would be;

217/4698) Home:  Mystery Beer B by Nickel Brook Brewing of Ontario:  5.5% Belgian style IPA, with wheat; moderately hazy with a soapy head; lemony nose with cloves; tastes of cloves and lemon with a dry after taste;

Mystery Pack, Volume 3: “Help us pick our next beer."

November 14, 2025

214/4695) Home:  Snappio by Fairweather Brewing of Ontario:  ***1/2; 6% “crispy IPA” brewed with wheat, oats and “new world hops”; clear; aromas of blueberries, citrus and grainy malts; flavours of blueberries and mixed citrus with a dry after taste;

215/4696) Home:  Priceless by Fairweather Brewing of Ontario:  ***1/2; 5.6% Pale Ale with wheat and oats; hazy; tropical aromas; juicy tropical flavours with muted coconut; heavy, nearly pulpy mouthfeel;

 “profile:  Fresh citrus, coconut, Chanel No. 5”

This the at least the third incanation of this beer that I am aware of.

November 13, 2025

213/4694) Home:  Batch 500 Barrel Aged Bestowed 5th Anniversary by Third Moon Brewing of Ontario:  ****1/2; 14% Imperial Stout, their 500th batch, aged aged 19 months in a single Barton 1792 bourbon barrel; black, no head to speak of; nose is alcohol, bourbon, raisins, dark roasted malts and vanilla; tastes of dark roasted malts, alcohol, bourbon, dried dark fruit, vanilla and dark coffee; 

This was only available as part of the 5th anniversary mixed pack.  I can provide the math on request, but this came to more than $50.00 which is far more than I would have paid if it had been available on its own.  For this reason I am giving Third Moon a bit of a rest. 

November 3, 2025

212/4693) Home:  Fountain of Endless Life by Third Moon Brewing of Ontario:  ****1/2; 13.5%; English style barleywine aged 16 months in 10+ year Elijaj Craig bourbon barrels; pours black with very little head; nose is boozy bourbon, dark roasted malts and raisin; strong bourbon notes are most prominent of the flavours

November 2, 2025

211/4692) Home:  Time Takes Time, Blend 4 by Third Moon Brewig Company of Ontario:  ****1/2; 13.5%; a blend of barrel aged Imperial Stout, Barleywine and Doppelbock; aged from 16 to 20 months in 10 year Henry McKenna bourbon barrels; jet black, little head; nose of alcohol, bourbon, raisins, dark coffee and chocolate; a complex blend of sweet boozy bourbon, dark coffee and alcohol;

From the anniversary pack.

November 1, 2025

210/4691) Home:  Barrel Aged Coconut Macaroon Bestowed by Third Moon Brewing Company of Ontario:  ****; 13.5% Imperial Stout aged 14 months in Russel’s Reserve Bourbon barrels with coconut and Tahitian vanilla; dark as night, no head to speak of; nose of boozy bourbon, coconut, vanilla and chocolate fudge; dessert-like; sweet vanilla, bourbon, cherries, coconut and chocolate flavours; 

From their anniversary pack - it is finally cool enough to be thinking of drinking this.

October 31, 2025

207/4688) Home:  Devil's Sauce by Blood Brothers Brewing in collaboration with Bellwoods Brewery, both of Ontario:  ****1/2; 8.0% Double IPA hopped with Cashmere, Galaxy and Mosaic; oats and wheat added to the grain bill; hazy; fresh tropical aromas; delicious tropical flavours, not sweet, but no dankness to speak of either, with peaches, white grapes and oranges;

208/4689) Home:  Goblin's Trill by Bellwoods Brewery in collaboration with Blood Brothers Brewing, both of Ontario:  ***1/2; 8% Double IPA with oats and hopped with Galaxy, Mosaic and Cashmere; hazy; nose of oranges and off-putting “vegetal" notes that do not diminish on sitting; tastes of oranges, the afore mentioned vegetal notes are mercifully milder, in addition to grapefruit, grapes and melon; I found the mouth feel a bit thinner than the previous entry;

“The challenge placed before us was to brew the same beer, but make it uniquely different.”, in other words it was Blood Brothers' take on Bellwoods Gobline Sauce with Bellwoods returning the favour for Blood Brothers' Devil's Trill.

209/4690) Home:  Feast Beer by Fairweather Brewing of Ontario:  ***1/2; 5.8% lager; “our take on a German festbier.  Inspired by hedonism, and little else”; translucent; malty nose; rich and malty;

October 30, 2025

205/4686) Home:  Taniwha by Aqua Nova Brewing Co. of Ontario:  ***; 7.0%, 32 ibu milkshake New Zealand IPA with lactose; pours opaque, translucent with a frothy head; nose of white wine and tropical fruit; only mildly sweet, with a bitter finish; sweet white wine and mild tropical flavours; a degree of bitterness throughout, quite unlike most milkshake IPAs, though on sitting the bitterness does diminish;

206/4687) Home:  Jungle by Aqua Nova Brewing Co. of Ontario:  ****; 6.7%, 30 ibu Double dry hopped IPA; pours opaque; citrus and tropical notes to the nose; fresh citrus and tropical flavours;

October 29, 2025

204/4685) Home:  Satan's Pillowcase by Refined Fool Brewing Co. of Ontario:  ***; 5.6% Pumpkin ale; nearly clear; nose is a blend of pumpkin and spices; nice balance of pumpkin and spice; finishes with an unpleasant bitterness;

October 28, 2025

203/4684) Home:  Bravehop by Loch Lomond Brewery of Scotland:  ****1/2; 6.0% IPA hopped with Columbus and Chinook; unfiltered; addition of wheat; pours clear, amber; as suggested by the tin, the nose is an interesting blend of pine and marmalade; flavours of pine with fruitiness which seems odd to write but it works;

October 26, 2025

202/4683) Home:  City Slicker by Willibald Farm Distillery & Brewery of Ontario:  ****; 6.3% IPA with New Zeland Cascade, Citra, Mosaic and El Dorado hops; brewed with oats and wheat; cloudy orange; nose of oranges, tropical fruit and melon; flavours are not quite as strong as the nose though similar;

October 23, 2025

201/4682) C'est What:  Dear Dale by Granite Brewery of Ontario:  ****; 6.6%, 66 ibu American Pale Ale; clear; nose is floral with grapefruit; flavours of dry herbal resin, floral and grapefruit;

"..an homage to Dale’s Pale Ale, an OG west coast pale ale by Oskar Blues in Colorado"

October 22, 2025

200/4681) Home:  Pumpkin Pie-PA by Bobcaygeon Brewing Company of Ontario:  ***1/2; 6.5% 28 ibu Pumpkin Spice West Coast IPA with real pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves; opaque; nose of pumpkin and baking spices; tastes of pumpkin and the afore mentioned spices; dry bitter flavours in the background; a bit unusual and interesting and it works in that it is not so sweet as these beers can be;

October 21, 2025

199/4680) Home:  Brokedown Pallet by Clifford Brewing Company of Ontario:  ****; 7.6%, 60 ibu hazy IPA with oats and wheat added to the grain bill; hopped with Citra, Mosaic and Sabro; hazy; earthy nose of citrus, particularly grapefruit, Sabro is muted, to my approval; old school dry, earthy grapefruit flavours; 

“an ode to the often overlooked brewing pallet”;

October 20, 2025

198/4679) Home:  Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Porter by Clifford Brewing Company of Ontario:  ****1/2; 10.5%, 45 ibu; brewed with the traditional four ingredientes, wax sealed; pours dark with a persistent pale tan head; nose of alcohol, bourbon and chocolate; tastes of chocolate, boozy bourbon and alcohol; thin mouth feel;

October 16, 2025

197/4678) Everyside, Toronto:  Easy IPA by Everyside Brewery of Ontario:  ****; 4%, 50 ibu; ever so slightly hazy; fresh floral and citrus nose; fruity and citrusy, no so much floral in the taste as the nose; basically a flavourful session IPA; 

This is located in the former 3 Brewers Adelaide Street location, with all the worrying aspects the earlier tenant had.  To wit, it remains a nine to five, Monday to Friday area and when I was there the second level was unused save for a couple of employees on break and a manager going over paperwork.

They do have an interesting promotion.  For $1725.00 up front one the next 365 beers are paid for.  Doing the math the price is very reasonable.  It seems it would limit the choice of where to drink to take full advantage unless you are the sort who buys lots of beers for people and it presupposes Everyside will be in operation for long enough to collect 365 glasses.

I did not stay to eat but it is a nice enough location, with very good servers, that I will be back again.

October 15, 2025

196/4667) Home:  S.O.B.B. Pale Ale by Great Lakes Brewing of Ontario:  ***1/2; 4.5% Pale Ale; oats and wheat added to the grain bill; hazy; citrusy aromas; crisp citrus flavours;

The South Ontario Beer Boys donate one dollar per can to Kars 4 Kids.

October 9, 2025

195/4676) Home:  Overnight Express by Broken Rail Brewing of Ontario:  ***1/2; 5.5% Milk Stout; brewed with oats and lactose; pours as dark as night with a tan head;  grainy, sweet mocha nose; flavours of mocha with a sweet finish;

October 8, 2025

194/4675) Great Lakes Brewery, Etobicoke:  GLB Beer Week West Coast IPA by Great Lakes Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 7%, 35 ibu; clear; West Coast IPA; brewed with only the traditional four ingredients; clear; citrus and zest nose; dry citrus and grapefruit zest

I was not able to make it out for any GLB Beer Week events but I appreciate the effort to fill the gap left by the loss of Toronto Beer Week.

October 5, 2025

193/4674) Home:  Art & Blood by Collective Arts in collaboration with Blood Brothers Brewing, both of Ontario:  ***1/2; 6.5% New England IPA; hopped with Neslon Sauvin three ways:  T90 pellets, Cryo, Hyperboost;; hazy; white wine aromas;  tastes of white grapes and melon;

October 4, 2025

192/4673) Home:  Super Nelson (2025) by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 6.5% IPA; hopped with Superdelic and Nelson Sauvin; cloudy; dank candied pineapple and lime nose; tastes of lime and dankness with notes of grapes;

October 2, 2025

191/4672) Home:  Dora #83 by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 6.5% IPA featuring the same pale wheat base and process from the last Dora offering; hopped with old and new Citra in equal proportion; nose is dank pineapple, mixed citrus; similar flavours, dankness lingers into after taste;

“...we wanted to build on #82”

October 1, 2025

190/4671) Home:  Inglewood (2025) by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 6.5% IPA featuring a new hop lineup of Mosaic and Motueka; foggy; nose of orangey citrus; tastes of citrus with a hint of zest and mild tropical notes;

September 28, 2025

189/4670) Home:  Su Su Maru (2025) by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 6.5% IPA; named for an old family cottage; hopped with Citra, Nelson and Peacharine; cloudy; nose of dank citrus and goose berries; dank berries overshadow citrus flavours;

September 27, 2025

188/4669) Home:  Red Brew by P.C. (President's Choice - a brand of the grocer Loblaws) of Ontario:  ***; less than 0.5% Abv; a “de-alcoholized lager” brewed with malted barley, “sugars (glucose-fructose), malted barley extract...caramel colour, phosphoric acid, hops, hop extract, sulphites”, which I find frightening; translucent; grainy nose; tastes of grain, caramel, mild herbal hop edge;

September 23, 2025

187/4668) Home:  Brutalism by Great Lakes Brewery of Ontario:  ***1/2; 6.5%, 20 ibu Brut IPA with flaked corn and wheat; translucent straw colour; nose is mostly stone fruit; mild herbal notes with some fruit, white grape and melon;

“Bruts are highly carbonated and fermented so dry that almost no residual sugar remains."

Two nearby examples of Brutalist architecture that come to mind are the Robarts Library ("Fort Book") at the University of Toronto and the former location of the Ontario Science Centre.

September 22, 2025

186/4667) Home:  Brewed For You Beer by Great Lakes Brewery of Ontario:  ***1/2; 4.4%, 22 ibu New England Pale Ale; brewed for the Brewed For You All-Ontario Craft Beer Festival; with oats and wheat; cloudy; nose of mango and peaches; lemony and dry throughout with mango and peache notes;

September 21, 2025

185/4666) Home:  Citraddiction Whole Leaf Hop Edition by Great Lakes Brewery of Ontario:  ****; 4.4%, 25 ibu XPA/NEIPA; brewed with oats and wheat; hazy; mango overshadows citrus in the nose;  flavours seem more of a balance between the two;

September 20, 2025

184/4665) Mugshot Tavern, Toronto: 2 X IPA by Anderson Craft Ales of Ontario:  ***1/2; 7.1%, 80 ibu double IPA; hazy; herbal hop notes;

September 15, 2025

183/4664) Home:  Thrillsner Cold IPA by Grain & Grit of Ontario:  ***1/2; 5.5%; brewed with lager yeast; hopped with Vic Secret, Hallertau Blanc and “plenty of Citra”;  with corn and sea salt; the can does not list Hallertau but the website does; hazy; citrusy, grainy nose; citrusy, uncommonly crisp for an IPA;

“It’s a throwback to our orignal recipe (circa 2018) turned up a notch”

September 14, 2025

182/4663) Home:  Blood Light by Blood Brothers of Ontario:  ***1/2; 4% Hazy pale ale; grain bill includes wheat and flaked oats; hopped with Citra and El Dorado; murky; citrus nose; mildly washed out citrus flavours with almost tannin-like dryness at the finish;

September 13, 2025

181/4662) Home:  Glorious and Free by Dominion City of Ontario:  ****; 6.5%, 30 ibu IPA; with wheat, oats (Canadian) and pilsner malt; Centennial, Chinook, El Dorado hops; cloudy, pale golden; nose of lemon, resin, peach; dry, citrusy with resiny after taste; 

A Trans-Canada brewing collaboration project.

September 12, 2025

180/4661) Home:  Scratch 'n Sniff by Flying Monkeys Brewery of Ontario:  ***1/2; 6%, 31 ibu Strawberries & Cream IPA; Hops: Strata, HBC 682, Luminosa, Sabro; Dry-Hop & Special Additions : Strata, Sabro, Strawberry Purrée, Skyfarm Strawberry Terpenes, Real Vanilla Extract, Lactose; clear golden yellow with a frothy head; nose of strawberries and cream; tastses of strawberries and cream, with orange and mango;

From their Wonderbox.

September 11, 2025

179/4660) Home:  Roll-Up by Flying Monkeys Brewery of Ontario:  ***1/2;  6.8%, 28 ibu;  Flying Monkeys' website describes this as both a “Pomelo IPA” and an "Enhanced West Coast IPA” with Krush hops and “pomelo turpenes” Hops:  Krush, Idaho 7, Dry hop additions:  Krush, Idaho 7, Euphorics turpenes Pomelo Daydream, Eurphorics turpenes Peachy Keen; grain bill includes wheat; pours a clear, golden yellow; citrusy grapefruit peach nose; mostly citrus flavours with grapefruit, no bitterness; West Coast in appearance but not at all dry or bitter, just very fruity;

Also from the website:  “turpenes are natural organiuc componds in fruits and plants (like hops) that influence flavours and aromas” 

From their Wonder Box

September 10, 2025

178/4659) Home:  Bone Pine by Sawdust City in collaboration with Beertown and Third Moon Brewing Company, all from Ontario:  ****1/2; 6.5%, 58 ibu; the tin calls this an “American style India Pale Ale”, while Saedust City's website refers to it as a "Bi-Coastal Hazy IPA"; Simcoe, Chinook, Columbus and Summit hops; grain bill includes oats; pours cloudy; fresh citrus aromas; citrusy, dry after taste;

“We’ve combined the hop profile of a West Coast style IPA with the malt body of a New England style IPA.”

September 9, 2025

177/4658) GLB Brewpub:  Vista Lunch Time Pale Ale by Great Lakes Brewing of Ontario:  ***1/2; 4.4% 19 ibu; with oats and wheat; hazy; flavours of citrus, strawberries; 

At least for now, this is only available on draught.  It seemed an appropriate choice as I was lunching at the time.  Vista is a new hop to me.

September 8, 2025

176/4657) Home:  Gusher by Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery of Ontario:  ***1/2; 6% 34 ibu Tropical Punch IPA; from their Wonder Box; hopped with HBC1019 and Idaho 7; dry hopped with Superdelic, HBC1019 and Riwaka; grain bill includes oat malt; ever so slightly hazy, golden; nose is a tropical fruit salad; similar flavours;

Fortunately, this one was not a gusher.  I have had too many of those.

September 7, 2025

175/4656) Home:  Alpha Premium Ale by Coywolf Brewing of Ontario:  ***; 5.5%; brewed in nearby Caledon; hopped with Citra; hazy, orange-gold; malty and citrusy nose; citrus notes, dry, malty back drop; packaged nearly four months ago - I wish this had been fresher;

For those who do not live downtown, a coywolf is half coyote, half wolf.  I often encounter cotoyes but I do not know if I have ever seen a coywolf in the flesh.

September 1, 2025

174/4655) Home:  Mania (2025) by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 6.5% IPA hopped with Nelson, Riwaka and Peacharine; cloudy; nose is mostly peach; tastes of peach, berries, white grapes;

 “the biggest, baddest, most NZ hopped beer”

August 31, 2025

173/4654) Home:  Dora #82 by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 6.5%; with a new “super pale” wheat malt they have not used before; cloudy; dank pineapple nose; tastes mostly of pineapple with a hint of berries;

August 30, 2025

172/4653) Home:  Wrexham Lager by Wrexham Lager Beer Company of Wales:  ***; 4%, 11 ibu lager;  Brewed under license by Central City Brewers and Distillers of British Columbia;  "may contain wheat"; clear, golden; mildly fruity nose; crisp, a bit more flavourful than some European lagers; 

Wrexham was originally established in 1882 and closed in 2000.  It was revived along with the orignal recipes.  Wrexham Lager was served on the Titanic.  This one is largely of historic interest to me. 

August 29, 2025

171/4652) Home:  Su Bird by Burdock Brewery of Ontario:  ***1/2; 5% American Pale Ale; “made from selected hops from Yakima Valley, OR”; oats; hazy; nose is mixed tropical fruit and tangerine; similar flavours though muted;

August 24, 2025

170/4651) Home:  Fruit Engine by Wellington Brewery of Ontario:  ***1/2; 8.0%, 30 ibu Double White IPA hopped with Sabro, Strata and Bru-1; hazy, golden; nose of stonefruit and citrus; stone fruit and citrus flavours;

August 18, 2025

169/4650) Home:  The Master Blend (2025) by Badlands Brewing in collaboration with Third Moon Brewing and Blood Brothers, all from Ontario:  ****1/2; 10% Triple IPA; Badlands is quick to point out that there is a mistake on label which reads, “fifth aniversary”; with the favourite hops of the past year chosen by the trio, in this instance Citra, Mosaic and Simcoe; mildly cloudy; nose of mildly dank citrus; tastes of mixed citrus with a scant hint of alcohol;

August 17, 2025

167/4648) Granite Brewery and Tied House, Toronto:  Keep On Buzzin' - Ales for ALS by Granite Brewery of Ontario:  ***1/2; 5.5% hazy Pale Ale with Mosaic, Simcoe, Krush, HBC1019 and HBC522;  on cask to mark Granite's 34th anniversary as part of a Cask Social;

Best of all, it was complimentary.

168/4649)  Granite Brewery and Tied House:  Mount Pleasant Ale by Granite Brewery of Ontario:  ***1/2;  505%, 60 ibu American Pale Ale; on cask; juicy but against an old school piney backdrop;

August 16, 2025

166/4647) Home:  Euphoric Gold by Badlands Brewing of Ontario in collaboration with Track (not Tracks! Brewing Company of England) :  ***; 8.2% DIPA; inspired by Track’s “gold top” series; with “Euphorics” which is a highly concentrated water soluble flavour and aroma liquid product, “Peachy Keen” was the name of the one used, then hopped with Riwaka and Motueka; nose is mostly peach; tastes of peach juice with notes of berries – a bit off the beaten path for Badlands; 

August 15, 2025

165/4646) Home:  Regal Serenity by Badlands Brewing of Ontario in collaboration with SOMA of Spain and Northern Monk of England:  ****1/2; 8.2% DIPA hopped with Riwaka, New Zealand Cascade and Nectaron; previously available in Europe; cloudy, yellow; nose of tangerine and stone fruit; tates of tangerine and stone fruit, mildly sweet;

August 14, 2025

164/4645) Home:  Land of Bones by Badlands Brewing of Ontario in collaboration with Bad Bones Brewery of Quebec :  ****1/2; 6.5% IPA with New Zealand hops:  Riwaka, Superdelic and New Zealand Cascade; murky pale yellow; nose of citrus, Pez and grapes; tastes of citrus, white wine and Pez;

Something even better than usual emerges at Badlands when it's time for their anniversary packs.

August 11, 2025

163/4644) Home:  Serpents (2025) by Badlands Brewing of Ontario in collaboration with Messorem of Quebec:  ****1/2; 8.2% DIPA; hopped with Motueka, Simcoe and Citra; swampy, orange; aromas of lime; very dry with limes and mixed citrus;

August 10, 2025

162/4643) Home:  Eight by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****1/2; 6.5% IPA; hopped with Peacharine, Superdelic and Riwaka; pours yellow-gold, somewhere between murky and swampy; sweet candied peach aromas; tastes of sweet peaches with Pez-like candy notes and a hint of tropical fruit;

From Badlands' eighth anniversary mixed pack.

August 9, 2025

160/4641) Badlands' Badio:  Be Free by Badlands Brewing of Ontario in collaboration with Freestyle Hops:  ****; 6.5%; hopped with Nelson Sauvin, Riwaka and Peacharine; murky gold; herbal, berries, stone fruit;

161/4642) Badlands' Badio:  Have Style by Badlands Brewing of Ontario in collaboration with Freestyle Hops:  ****; 6.5%; hopped with Cascade, Kohia Nelson, and Motueka; murky gold; citrusy flavours with lime and grapefruit in particular standing out;

August 4, 2025

159/4640) Home:  Make Milk Bags Great Again by Refined Fool Brewing Co. of Ontario:  ***1/2; 5.6%, 35 ibu Canadian Red Ale; deep red-brown; malty nose with caramel notes; sweet malty flavours with caramel;

The photo is the best I could come up with.  Here is what it reads:

"There is no milk in this beer.

"But if you understand the satisfaction that comes with perfectly snipping the top corner of a bag of milk, you are Canadian to the core. Where did the little plastic piece go that you just chopped clean off? If you did it correctly it's somewhere in the drawer with the scissors. This is our identity.

"That's why this Canadian Red Ale was brewed for you. Smooth, crisp, and slightly malty with juuuuuuuust the right amount of bitterness. It pours deep red, much like the colour of an aggressively tossed elbow.

"Save your sorry's, it's time to Make Milk Bags Great Again."

August 3, 2025

158/4639) Home:  Tokyo IPA by Omnipollo of Ontario:  ***1/2; 5.4%; brewed to mark the anniversary of Omnipollo’s bar in Tokyo; billed as a rice IPA though while whole barley is listed on the package, rice is not; hazy, golden yellow; nose of tropical fruit and lemon; lemony tropical flavours feel mildly washed out;

This was brewed in Ontario, but as Omnipollo is a Swedish company I never know how to list things like this.

August 2, 2025

157/4638) Home:  Hoperator by Frank Brewing Co. of Ontario:  ****; 5.1%, 32 ibu American Pale Ale brewed in the West Coast style; translucent at first, but settles to become clear; nose of grapefruit and citrus; dry, bitter throughtout, mostly citrus flavours;

July 30, 2025

156/4637) Home:  Rebel Yell by Grain & Grit of Ontario:  ***1/2; 4.7% red ale; brewed with the addition of corn; translucent; sweet, malty nose; mildly sweet and malty, finishes with sweet caramel notes;

July 29, 2025

155/4636) Home:  Dammit by Lake of Bays Brewing Company of Ontario:  ***; 4%, 11 ibu hazy light IPA;  hopped with Citra Dynaboost, Citra and HBC1019; dry hopped with Citra and HBC1019; brewed with additions of flaked wheat and rice; hazy yellow gold; lemony citrus nose; mostly washed out lemon flavours; 

July 28, 2025

154/4635) Home:  Tesla's Revenge by Broken Rail Brewing of Ontario:  ***1/2; 6.4% American IPA; grain bill includes wheat and oats; opaque; nose of grapefruit with mild pine; hint of lemon and grapefruit; 

Broken Rail is housed in a former Grand Trunk Railway station in St. Mary’s.

July 22, 2025

153/4634) Home:  Super Dry by Rorschach Brewing Company of Ontario:  ***; 4.9% Japanese Rice Lager; nearly clear, nearly colourless; lemony nose; mild lemon flavours;

July 20, 2025

152/4633) Home:  D$Duties by Aqua Nova Brewing Co. of Ontario:  ****1/2; 7.0%, 58 ibu Double West Coast IPA; brewed with the traditional four ingredients; translucent; nose of grapefruit and resin; old school pine and grapefruit flavours;

July 14, 2025

151/4632) Home:  WaterShed Tempest by Shawn & Ed Brewing Co. of Ontario:  ****; 7.5%, 26 ibu Strong Ale; made with local honey from Honey Bee Inc.; Clear, amber; nose of honey and caramel with herbal notes; honey takes the edge of strong maltiness; one for colder weather than currently;

July 13, 2025

150/4631) Home:  Hopeye by Rouge River Brewing Company of Ontario:  ****; 6.8% hazy IPA with oats; hopped with Citra and Riwaka; “fermented with a special thiolized yeast"; cloudy yellowy gold; nose of citrus and tropical; citrus, tropical, fresh sweet candied notes;

One of the best labels in recent memory.

July 12, 2025

149/4630) Home:  Seeing Double by Grain & Grit of Ontario in collaboration with BAOS podcast:  ***1/2; 8% Double Pale Ale with wheat and oats; hopped with Citra, Simcoe, Mosaic, Galaxy and Nectaron;  translucent orange with very little in the way of head; nose of orange and mixed tropical; tastes like a sweet tropical salad with orange, mango, papaya and pineapple; this would have been 4 but for the unpleasant industrial grade alcohol notes ;

untappd.com lists a different hop lineup.

July 8, 2025

148/4629) Home:  Iris by Hatch Brewing of Ontario:  ***1/2; 6.5% IPA with oats; hazy, golden-straw colour; nose of stone fruit and lemons; I taste mostly stone fruit, if somewhat muted;

July 7, 2025

147/4628) Home:  Hatch by Slake Brewing of Ontario:  ***1/2; 5.2% Pale Ale with oats; pours orange-gold with a frothy head; citrusy nose and flavours; a month fresher than the previous two entries and it shows;

July 6, 2025

146/4627) Home:  Super Sunset by Slake Brewing of Ontario:  ***; 4.6% American Pale Ale with oats; hazy yellow gold; lemon and mixed citrus nose; subdued lemon and lime against a mixed citrus backdrop; here again, the freshest I could find was packaged in April, though I wish otherwise;

July 5, 2025

145/4626) Home:  Slow Slow by Slake Brewing of Ontario:  ***; 6.5% IPA with oats added to the grain bill; opaque; nose of mango, papaya and lemon; somewhat muted and bland notes of mango, papaya and mixed citrus;  undoubtedly I would have liked this more had it been fresher;

From the tin:  “Slow is the way.”

July 3, 2025

144/4625) Home:  Baby Nelly by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 5.6% Pale Ale; hopped exclusively with Nelson Sauvin; cloudy, yellow gold; nose of white wine and tropical fruit; tastes of white wine with tropical fruit; mildly sweet;

July 2, 2025

143/4624) Home:  Summer Buzz (2025) by Badlands Brewing of Ontario:  ****; 5.6% Pale Ale, hopped with Peacharine, Mosaic and Motueka; cloudy; nose of lime and stone fruit; dank with flavours of lime with peaches;

July 1, 2025

142/4623) Home:  Amber Ale - Ice Aged by Old Credit Brewing of Ontario:  ***; 5%; amber/red colour; malty nose; sweet with flavours of honey and toasted malts;

June 30, 2025

141/4622) Home:  Apollo Seven by High Gravity Brewing under contract from the Apollo Brewing Company, both of Ontario:  **1/2; 7% lager; clear, golden; sweet, malty nose; tastes malty, mildly sweet, save for the abv, this is not much different than most lagers;

Apollo Seven was the first Apollo mission, in the wake of the Apollo 1 tragedy.  The astronauts orbited the earth and paved the way for Apollo Eight to orbit the moon.

June 29, 2025

140/4621) Home:  Wood Woods by Bellwoods Brewery collaboration with Wood Brothers Brewing both of Ontario:  ****;   8% Double IPA; added oats; murky, straw colour; nose of peaches, grapes and a hint of pine; dry lingering dank stone fruit flavours with a hint of white grape;

Brewed to commemorate the 6th anniversary of Wood Brothers Brewing Co.

June 28, 2025

139/4620) Home:  Dreamy by Willibald Farm Distillery and Brewery of Ontario:  ***1/2; 6.0% IPA; hopped with Nelson Freestyle, Motueka Freestyle, “and a touch of Citra and Mosaic”; cloudy; nose of pineapple with hints of melon; mostly pineapple flavours with an herbal dankness;

June 27, 2025

138/4619) Home:  Velocipede by Bicycle Craft Brewery of Ontario:  ****; 6.0%, 70 ibu West Coast IPA with malted rye and malted wheat added to the grain bill; translucent dark amber; nose of grqpefruit and zest; tastes of resin, zest, grapefruit and mixed citrus against a sweet malt back drop, but overall dry and bitter;

Velocipede is the original name of the bicycle.

June 24, 2025

137/4648) Home:  Wrecking Ball by Radical Road Brewing Co. of Ontario:  ***1/2;  7% “hazy IPA” according to the tin; with wheat; mildly hazy with a frothy head; nose of grapefruit and pine; basically a hazy IPA with West Coast flavours and mouth feel;