BURNT ROCK VANILLA PORTER ~ BEAU'S

Classic British style porter, made with organic vanilla beans. This beer was brewed first in 2012, as part of the Pro-Am Series of beers which were created by amateur brewers and brewed at Beau’s. Patrick Boisvenue, the creator of Burnt Rock won Gold at Montreal’s Mondial de la Bière, for the 2013 version. Vanilla and caramel countered with a roasted malt and chocolate. This beer is now retired.

5.6% from Vankleek Hills, Ontario

-beer 56-

GREEN THUMB ~ GARDEN BREWERY

Ginger IPA. Garden Brewery makes their IPA but adding fresh root ginger to the vat after the first fermentation is done. The Brewery uses Builion hops . (These hops were a major variety since the 1940′s, but had a fall from popularity since hops with better storage stability have been introduced) The bullion hops lend some blackcurrant notes. Ginger dominated this beer, followed by a mild bitterness.

7.2% from Hamilton, Ontario

IBU 60 -beer 55-

LUG TREAD ~ BEAU’S

Kölsch/Lagered Ale. This is Beau's most widely available beer. It begins with a slightly sweet malty flavour, followed by an earthy grassiness, then a mild hop bitterness. It is well balanced and very palatable, but not as special as their other brews. A good go-to beer when surrounded by ‘domestic’ taps. 

5.2% from Vankleek Hills, Ontario IBU 21

-Beer 54-

DUBAÏ PILLÉE ~  LE TROU DU DIABLE

Modelled after a Double IPA or Imperial IPA. Pours a lovely shade of coppery orange. Tastes of tropical fruit and malty sweetness with a grapefruit bitter finish. Very palatable, but watch out , this beer doesn’t taste overly boozy, but at 9% it packs a punch.

9% from Shawinigan, Quebec 82 IBU

-Beer 53-

BLACK HEART ~ INDIE ALE HOUSE & NORTHWINDS BREWERY

Belgian Cherry Stout. Belgian yeast and a whole lot of Canadian sour cherries went into the creation of this beer. Chocolate, cherries, spice and roasted malts make up the nose. There is an upfront taste of chocolate sweetness, followed by cocoa bitterness and finished with fig and tart cherries. Very pleasant! This beer has only been brewed once as a collaboration between Northwinds and Indie Ale House.

6.8% from Toronto, Ontario & Collingwood, Ontario

-Beer 52-

BOG-WATER ~ BEAU'S 

A Seasonal Winter Gruit. Gruits are an unhopped beer, traditionally made before hops were widely available or when hops were too steeply taxed. Bog-Water uses bog Myrtle (Gale) to provide the bitterness. Myrtle was widely used in brewing in Europe until the 16th century. (Interestingly enough it was the Bavarian Purity Act of 1516 that put an end to using a variety of herbs in brewing) The inspiration for this beer came from the Alfred Bog, a 10,000 year old peat bog located in Eastern Ontario. The beer also uses the same malt and yeast profile that you would find in a Belgian Dubbel.
The copper brown brew has a lovely malty fruitiness. It has many herbal notes, and though unhopped has a nice light bitterness to it.

6.6% from Vankleek Hills, Ontario
-beer 51-

BUSH FIRE ~ BEAU’S

Bush Fire is a Rooibos and honeybush infused ale - part of  Beau’s “Wild Oats” series.  Rooibos (a popular tea) and Honeybush (also used in tea) are both native to South Africa.  Rosehips have also been added during the brewing process.  The beer uses four organic malts (Pilsner, vienna, carafoam, acidulated) and Whitbread Golding Variety hops.

Pours a coppery colour.  Nose has an astringency to it with the smell of rooibos and hops. Definitely a sipping beer.  I liked it more nearer the end of my pint (tulip really) than I did at the beginning.  To me the beer tasted medicinal, rooibos and honey bush were definitely present.  My jury’s out on this one, I may need to have another taste.

5.8% from Vankleek Hills, Ontario  IBU 15
-beer 50-

CHERRY BERLINER ~ OAST HOUSE

A Berliner weisse is made using both traditional warm-fermenting yeasts and lactobacillus culture.  They tend to be sour, tart and sharp with little hop bitterness.  The Cherry Berliner pours a lovely coppery pink.  I found my first pint of this refreshing and sour.  The second pint, the cherries started to taste more like cherry pie filling and there was a cinnamon like dryness.  Delicious but in small quantities.

5.5% from Niagara , Ontario
-beer 49-

NERF HERDER ~ INDIE ALE HOUSE

*Nerf Herder, a Belgian Session IPA,  is one from Indie Ale House’s One Hit Wonder Series.  Made with Columbus and Galaxy Hops.

Pours a deep yellow with a nice lacy head.  Nose has citrus (lemon and grapefruit), yeast and herbal notes.   Flavour follows suit with a moderate bitter finish.  Very drinkable.

5% from Toronto, Ontario  

IBU 50

* A nerf herder, also spelled “nerf-herder” or “nerfherder”, was someone who herded nerfs on various planets throughout the galaxy.  As it was solely an occupation for lower-class beings, the term ‘nerf herder’ became an insult throughout the galaxy.  Nerf-herders were often somewhat simple, but as a result of living outdoors and fighting off anything that interfered with their herds, they became quite capable. — Wookieepedia (Star Wars wiki)

Watch Princess Leia call Han Solo a nerf herder here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSwyNN7ms00

-beer 48-

PEPPERMINT PORTER ~ BEAU’S

This was a winter offering holiday beer for  the 2014/2015 year.  It was made as a collaboration between two craft brewers and brew masters, Beau’s and Big Rig.  It is a dark ale made with organic cocoa nibs and dried peppermint leaves.  Its tastes of rich chocolate and malt with a cool pepperminty finish . Limited Edition.

5.4% from Vankleek Hills, Ontario   IBU 31
-beer 47-

CHAMAN ~ DIEU DE CIEL!

A high octane version of an American Pale Ale.  Also called an American Double or an Imperial IPA.  This style of beer took off in the late 1990′s among some west coast American breweries.  

It has a nose and flavour of sweet malts, a light caramel, florals and citrus.  A well balanced beer, though high in alcohol is not overly boozy, with a clean dry finish.   I love this brasserie ~ I haven’t had a product from them that I have not enjoyed.

9% from Montreal, Quebec
-beer 46-

FARMERS’ MARKET RHUBARB 

SAISON ~ WELLINGTON BREWERY

Part of the small batch Welly One-offs. A flavourful saison with a delicate malt body and farmhouse yeasts. Working with growers at the Aberfolyle farmers market, locally grown rhubarb (200 pounds of it) were added to this brew, giving it slightly sour finish.

5% from Guelph, Ontario
-beer 45-

 ~LEMON TEA BEER ~ 

MILL STREET BREWERY

This is a refreshing summer beer infused with a combination of Earl Grey and Orange Pekoe Teas.  The base of the beer is a wheat beer with the added fruit and tea.   It pours a slightly cloudy light amber colour, and smells lemony.  It begins with a sweet malty flavour, followed by lemon and tea, with a slight tea aftertaste.  A refreshing summer beer!

5% from Toronto, Ontario   20 IBU
-beer 44-

HEF’S BIG WOOD ~ OAST HOUSE

Wooden vat fermented, Barrel-aged hefeweize.  Listening to customers around the bar order Hef’s Big Wood, always brought a smile.  The beer is a collaboration with Paul Pender from Tawse Winery.   The beer is aged in barrels giving it a boozy and oaky flavour.  The draft is a foggy orange and tastes of wine, and fruity, with a lingering oaky taste.  I wish they would make this again!

5.8% from Niagara on the Lake, Canada
-beer 43-

KARMA CITRA ~ GREAT LAKES BREWERY

Karma Citra uses a relatively new hop, Citra.  Citra hops have strong and smooth floral and citrus aroma and flavour.  These hops have caught on and are being used more frequently especially in the manufacture of APA’S and IPA’s.

The beer pours and hazy golden colour.  The nose is predominantly citrus, especially grapefruit, with hints of pine and mango.  Sharp hoppy finish , lasting bitterness.

6.6% from Toronto, Ontario (Etobicoke)
-beer 42-

 ~RUM RAISIN & BROWN ALE ~ 

CHESHIRE VALLEY

This is a bit of a mystery beer.  I had this at the “beer-fest”  at “The Only Cafe” in Toronto.  I can find no record of it at the Cheshire Valley brewing site, but I am pretty certain it was a Cheshire Valley product…perhaps an experiment or a one-off. A rich dessert beer, full of malty, rum and and raisin flavour.   Delicious, but in small quantities.

6.2% from Toronto, Ontario - we think
-beer 41-

 ~THE SOUR KRAUT ~ 

NEUSTADT BREWERY

This is actually a lager, flavoured with raspberries, not sauerkraut as the name may suggest.  I originally tasted this beer several years ago.  At that time it was higher in alcohol and to my recollection was more sour.  Several years ago it was rewarded a silver medal in the 2011 U.S. Open in Atlanta, Georgia.  The beer is a seasonal offering from Neustadt Breweries.  The been uses lager malts and is soured with raspberries.  The sourness is not overpowering and the light raspberry flavour against the malt background is refreshing.  I found the finish a little dusty and drying.

4% from Neustadt, Ontario
-beer 40-

CRUCIBLE ~ AMSTERDAM BREWERY

A Framboise that has been aged in Cabernet/Merlot Barrels for 8 mouths.  I have always thought that Amsterdam’s Framboise was excellent.  By aging it in wine barrels the beer takes on quite a a lot of the wine flavours and tannins, almost tasting like a sangria.  I enjoyed drinking this and went have been back for a few pints, however I do find the wine slightly overpowering and would like to taste a little more of the tartness of the raspberries. 

6.4%  from Toronto, Ontario
-beer 39-

GRAPEFRUIT RADLER ~STEIGL

Radler’s are a mixed drink using beer, much like an English Shandy.   Radler means “cyclist” in German and the drink has a long history in German regions.  Traditionally it is a 50/50 mixture of a pilsner beer and a sparking lemonade (think ‘Sprite or 7-up.)    Quite popular in Bavaria, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic… as a refreshing, thirst quenching summer drink.

The Stiegl Grapefruit Radler does not taste like beer at all.  Made with real grapefruit juice this is a refreshing summer drink, which is apparently only 35 calories/ 100 ml! 

2% from Salzburg, Austria
-beer 38-

 ~SWEETWATER SQUEEZE RADLER ~ AMSTERDAM BREWING

 

Another refreshing radler. Sweetwater Squeeze is made from the juice of blood oranges.  Its super fruitiness quenches the thirst on a hot day.  I would prefer something a little more tart, but a good fruity radler.

-beer 37-
3.8% from Toronto Ontario

BIZZANGO MANGO & ORANGE MUNGUS RADLER ~ FLYING MONKEYS

Flying Monkey’s brewery does some interesting stuff.  Both of the above beers were radlers and a one-off brews.  Bizzango was very Mango-y, sweet and thick, with little beer flavour at all.  The Orange Mungus was also very fruity and sweet, tasting like Orangina.  Both really refreshing, full of fruit flavour, and enjoyable, but they bare little resemblance to beer.  

Bizzango 3.5% Orange Mungus  5% from Barrie, Ontario
-beer 35 & 36-

 ~FARMHOUSE CLASSIC ~ 

BELLWOODS BREWERY

Bottle Conditioned Saison.  Farmhouse Classic is one of the first beers that Bellwoods Brewery made.  The golden Belgian Saison is made with traditional saison yeasts.  A refreshing beer with notes of wheat, lemongrass and a bit of spice.

7% From Toronto, Ontario
-beer 34-

SHOTGUN WEDDING ~ INDIE ALE HOUSE

Shotgun Wedding is a Cantaloupe pale ale  that has been aged in Chardonnay barrels.  The name made me laugh,  ‘can’t elope’ - ‘shotgun wedding’.   It pours a hazy golden amber colour.  Nose is fruity, funky with a touch of wine.  Beer itself is quite tart and sour (possibly lactic fermentation?).  Flavours of lemon, melon and yeast.  I enjoyed this.  Interesting.

5% from Toronto, Ontario
-beer 33-

 ~LORRAINE ~ 

AMSTERDAM & NICKEL BROOK

Lorraine is the a collaborative effort between Amsterdam Brewery and Nickel Brook Brewery, and is the latest in their ‘Adventure Series.’  It is brewed as a Lichtenhainer, a German style beer that you may not have come across before. Lichtenhainer uses a small amount of smoked malts in their beer which lends a smokey flavour.   It is also listed as a Berliner Weissbier, which is top fermented beer that uses both lactobacillus culture and warm-fermenting yeasts. 

The taste has almost no hop bitterness.  It is sour with a subtle smokiness and a discernible wine taste, from the Cabernet Franc barrels that the beer was aged for four months in.   Layers of flavour beginning with tart fruit, going to a smokiness and then a lingering sourness

4% from Toronto, Ontario
-beer 32-

HEATHERS WITBIER ~ WELLINGTON

This witbier (Wheat beer) is a Welly One-off for the 2015 season. Brewed with heather tips and lemon peel.  

Unfiltered beer pours a rich gold.  Aroma is mild.  More flavourful then many other witbiers it has lovely herbal notes with lemon and a dry citrusy finish.  

5% from Guelph, Ontario
-beer 31-

 ~ FRUIT STAND WATERMELON WHEAT ~ KENSINGTON BREWING CO.

Fruit Stand Watermelon Wheat.  Kensington Brewing Company created this as an homage to the fruit and vegetable stands that line Kensington Market.  Their wheat beer is very mild and uses a Kolsch yeast to alleviate the spicy/banana tastes that some Wheat beers have.  Watermelon juice has been added to the beer during the fermentation process.  Kensington Brewing makes this only in the summer (May to September).  This beer needs to be served icy cold on a hot day.  The nose is definitely watermelon, but the taste of the watermelon does not over power the beer leaving room for grassy notes as well.  This light bodied beer is a good alternative to a Radler on a hot day.

4.5% from Toronto, Ontario
-beer 30-

MELLIFERA ~ LE TROU DU DIABLE

Mellifera means honey bearing.  Hence the name of this Saison which contains a good amount of local honey added in the brewing process.  Following the addition of honey,  came a ‘lactic fermentation’ giving it a distinct sourness.   The beer is citrusy and a little funky on the nose, with faint notes of honey.

Read more on lactic fermentation here  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactic_acid_fermentation

4.6% from Shawinigan, Quebec
-beer 29-

ROSEE D’HIBISCUS ~ DIEU DE CIEL

Seasoned Wheat Beer.  Rosee d’Hibiscus starts off as a wheat beer, during the brewing process Hibiscus flowers are added giving the beer a lovely fragrance and a slight acidity.  It pours a rich pink, has a lovely tartness and a flavour all its own.  I often drink this as a refreshing summer beer.

5.9% from Montreal,Quebec
-beer 28-

BELGIAN WIT ~ MILL ST. BREWERY

When I first started drinking beer and enjoying it, it was the wheat beers that drew me in.  They had a light taste and were easy drinking.  This very refreshing summer beer is made from wheat, coriander and orange peels.  It is unfiltered which gives the beer a cloudy or white (Wit) appearance.  This is a good example of a classic Wit beer.  

5.2% from Toronto, Ontario
-beer 27-

DISCO SOLEIL ~ DIEU DU CIEL!

This IPA made with Kumquats was a new edition to this brasserie’s roster in June 2014.  The beer pours a hazy gold colour with a small white head.   Nose is mainly orange peel. The sweetness of the initial sip ends with lovely citrusy hop finish.  Fruity and delicious.
-beer 26-

7% from Montreal, Quebec

INSTIGATOR IPA ~ INDIE ALE HOUSE

This is Indie Ale House’s flag ship beer.  Originally IPA’s were aggressively hopped so that they would survive the journey by boat.  The IPA’s were popular with early home brewers too.  INSTIGATOR is an homage to the first craft brewers, who “went looking for trouble.”

The beer pour a slightly murky light apricot colour.  Floral and citrus (grapefruit) good bitterness. Excellent IPA.

6.6% from Toronto, Ontario
-beer 25-

WINTER BREWED ~ BEAU’S

This is a collaboration between Beau’s and Bridgehead (a fair trade coffee distributer and roaster.)   This beer is infused with Mexican coffee and four organic hops (Perle, centennial, cascade, zeus)  The beer has a lot of coffee flavour,  with malty caramel and a hint of citrus.  A pleasure to drink.

6% from Vankleek Hills, Ontario  25 IBU
-beer 24-

~ APHRODISIAQUE (Aphrodite) ~ 

DIEU DE CIEL

A Sweet Stout flavoured with vanilla and chocolate.  Remarkably smooth and tasty.  It pours almost black, with a coffee coloured head.  Bitterness and sweetness beautifully balanced.  Made with organic fair-trade cocoa and vanilla beans.

5.6% from Montreal, Quebec
-beer 23-

 ~DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHERRY STOUT ~  BLACK OAK  BREWERY

A delicious sweet stout.  Lots of chocolate throughout, with a roasted malt subtleties and a tart cherry finish.  Very smooth. Released in limited quantities 2014.

5.8% from (Etobicoke) Toronto, Ontario
-beer 22-

 ~ CHOCOLATE MILK STOUT ~ WELLINGTON

Milky and chocolaty - a delicious winter treat! Brewed with fair trade Peruvian cocoa powder, lactose and flaked oats. A robust stout that smooth and satisfying.
-beer 21-

7.2% from Guelph, Ontario

GINGER CAT ~ MILL STREET

Was lucky enough to sample this one before it was released to the public.  This was inspired by candies, the brewmaster had in Hawaii.  It is a Belgian style witbier ) made with both raw and malted wheat.  Candied stem ginger and orange peels have been added during the brewing process.  Served unfiltered with a little haziness from the yeast.  Gingery, but not too much.
-beer 20-

5% from Toronto, Ontario

 ~MADDADDAMITE’S NOOBROO ~ BEAU’S

Maddaddamite’s NooBroo is a GRUIT. Gruits are an un-hopped beer, garnering the flavours from other botanicals - originally used before hops or when hops was unavailable or too heavily taxed.  

To create this gruit, Beau’s teamed up with award winning writers and environmentalists Margaret Atwood and her husband Graeme Gibson.  The beer is inspired by Atwood’s novel MaddAddam, the third in her science fiction trilogy that begins with Oryx and Crate, and followed by The Year of the Flood.  Within the context of the novel there is much foraging and harvesting of plants and flowers.  Atwood tasted and helped select the botanicals that were included in making this gruit.  A portion of money from each bottle will be donated to the Pelee Island Bird Observatory.

The gruit pours a hazy coppery-pink.  It has subtle floral and berry smells.  The taste is light, with floral and berries - almost like a fruit infused herbal tea.  The shopping list for this beer is immense, (local Spring Water, Organic Barley Malt, Organic Honey, Organic Hibiscus, Organic Red Clover Flower, Organic Rose Hips, Organic Elderberry, Organic Burdock Root, Organic Maqui Berry, Organic Wild Cherry Bark).  The beer is light in taste with no one ingredient standing out.  Though I was expecting a little more oomph, a very pleasant summer drink, that I will return to.

5.2% from Vankleek Hills, Ontario
-beer 19-