January 18, 2025

15/4496) Wvrst, Union Station:  Positively Bangin' by Bellwoods Brewery of Ontario:  ****; 6.0% IPA; clear, golden yellow; citrus nose; mildly sweet citrus flavours;

A quick glass to warm me up after skating in the rain at The Well.

16/4497) GLB Brewpub:  7 Minutes Fast by Great Lakes Brewery in colaboration with The Only Cafe, both of Ontario:  ***1/2;  4.3% cream ale; on cask; pours an orangey, opaque colour; Troy said it is based on Boddington’s; I tried it both ways and it is much more mellow on nitro and a bit sweeter than from a regular tap; only mildly minerally flavours;

The story goes that when the crew from The Only showed up at GLB to brew this cream ale, they were surprised to find that the door was locked and the shop was empty and they had to wait for seven minutes for the hosts to show.

Today the GLB Brewpub is hosting a Cask Social.

17/4498) GLB Brewpub:  Stout by Great Lakes Brewery of Ontario:  ***1/2; 4.3%; nose is chocolate and coffee; chocolate is more prominent in the flavours; thin mouth feel; 

January 15, 2025

13/4495) Bar Volo:  Batchlands by Badlands Brewing of Ontario in collaboration with Batch Brewing of Michigan:  ****; 6.5% IPA with Riwaka and Mutueka; cloudy /murky; sweet nose and citrus flavours;

14/4496) Bar Volo:  Avena Stout by Volo of Ontario:  ****; 4.5%; thick off white head; mocha nose and flavours;

January 13, 2025

12/4493) Home:  Kentucky (2024) by Nickel Brook of Ontario:  ****; 11.9% Imperial Stout; aged two years in bourbon barrels; to mark the 20th anniversary of Nickel Brook; additions of malted wheat, Demerara sugar and oats; dark with a minimal tan head; nose of oak, alcohol, roast; tastes of bourbon, dark coffee, oak, alcohol, roasted malts;

January 12, 2025

11/4492) Home:  Barrel Aged Brown Ale by Grain & Grit of Ontario:  ***; 8.5%; deep, dark chestnut brown; mostly coffee grounds to the nose, some oak; tastes of malts and coffee grounds; nothing like the name had led me to expect;

January 11, 2025

10/4491) Home:  In Your Face by 5 Paddles Brewing Company of Ontario:  ****1/2; 6.2% American IPA brewed with wheat and oats; hazy, yellow; nose of mango and pineapple; tastes of mango, pineapple with a touch of pear; not as bold as the name suggests, but very nice just the same;

January 10, 2025

9/4490) Home:  Origin of Darkness 2024 Bourbon Barrel Aged Old Fashioned Imperial Stout by Collective Arts of Ontario in collaboration with the Establishment Brewing Company of Alberta; :  ****1/2; 11.9%; a tribute to the Old Fashioned cocktail; with wheat, oats, Demerara sugar, cocktail bitters, infused with fresh orange zest and aged in Bourbon barrels; black, virtually no head; aromas of bitter orange, dark chocolate, oak; tastes of bourbon, bitter orange, cocktail bitters and dark chocolate; unusual, perhaps but here again it works; 

January 9, 2025

8/4489) Home:  Origin of Darkness 2024:  Spanish Cedar and Bitter Orange Infused Imperial Stout by Collective Arts of Ontario in collaboration with The Establishment Brewing Company of Alberta:  ***1/2; 10.7% Imperial Stout aged on Spanish cedar, infused with bitter orange with “a hint of cinnamon”; also demerara sugarwheat and oats; black with a light btown head; aromas of orange, cedar, dark chocolate with an edge of sweetness; tastes of cinnamon, bitter orange, cedar and dark chocolate; an odd combination but to a large extent it works;