COUSIN ABBEY’S DUBBEL ~ OAST HOUSE

Cousin Abbey’s Dubbel is a very drinkable offering from Niagara’s Oast House brewery. Sampled on draught, it poured a clear very dark amber, with an off white head that quickly disappeared. The aroma contained lots of sweet malts, caramel, toffee, with notes of spice and fruit, and a whiff of booze. The taste was similar. The beer was sweet with lots of Demerara sugar and molasses. Sweet malts, plums and other over ripe fruits, spicy and estery Belgian Yeast, and vanilla all contribute to the flavour. The beer also tastes like it may have been stored in rum barrels, which have left an earthy and boozy taste. I find it medium to full-bodied, with moderate to low carbonation. Very warming on a winter’s night.

6.9% from Niagara on the Lake, Ontario IBU 18

NATTERJACK TOAD ~ MOONLIGHT KETTLE: MUSKOKA 

NatterJack Toad, A Belgian Ale, has a sad story behind it. It is beer memorializing Matthew Soos, an employee of Muskoka Brewery and a recent graduate from the Niagara College Brewmaster Program who died in August of 2015, at the age of 26. Talk began at Soos funeral of brewing one of his recipes as a Memorial beer for him. The Soos family was invited to the brewery and participated in the brewing, the recipe they chose was one he developed while at Niagara College. Natterjack Toad is a strong Belgian brewed with cardamom and pistachios. Soos family showed up at the brewery and help grind the 100kg of pistachios used in the brewing. All proceeds from the sale of the beer will be donated to charity.
Sampled on draught this beer poured a beautiful slightly cloudy golden colour with a small white head, which left nice lacing. The nose contained fruity esters, malts, cardamom, sugar, alcohol and yeasts. The beer tastes much as expected from the nose: sweet fruity malts, fruit esters, nuttiness, candi sugar, Belgian spices and yeasts all abound. The beer has a wonderful rich roundness. I hope that Muskoka makes this again.

7.2% from Bracebridge, Ontario

DÉESSE NOCTURNE ~ DIEU DE CIEL!

STOUT WEEK -
Déesse Nocturne (translates to 'night goddess') is a lesser known stout from Brassiere Dieu De Ciel. (Makers of Aphrodisiaque and Péché Mortel) Sampled on draught with nitro, the beer poured almost black with a dense off white head. Nice lacing was left as the foam receded. The aroma was intense blend dark roasted malt with hints of chocolate and a touch of coffee and smoke. There is no obvious bitterness on the nose. The stout is a dry (very similar to an Irish Stout) with little sweetness, lots of coffee, unsweetened cocoa and dark malts abound. A nice hop bitterness and tastes of burnt toast finish this quaff. The mouth feel is silky and smooth; the nitro gives it a compact head, but offers littler effervescence throughout. Another very drinkable, delicious offering from Dieu de Ciel.

5% from Montreal, Quebec

SWEET JESUS MOCHA MARSHMALLOW STOUT ~ LEFT FIELD BREWERY

STOUT WEEK - Sweet Jesus Mocha Marshmallow Stout is the newest offering from Left Field Brewery. It is brewed as a one-off and only available in the bottle store at the brewery and at select bars on cask. It is collaboration with dessert and coffee café, ‘Sweet Jesus.’ The beer was developed from a sweet stout recipe, with cocoa nibs and Brazilian coffee beans (from Sweet Jesus). The marshmallow was replicated by adding lactose during the process. Sampled from a bottle the beer poured a very deep brown with a cap of foam with good retention. Chocolate and coffee and roasted malts were dominant on the nose, and in the taste. The lactose was evident but not over done, giving it a sweet creaminess – but nowhere as sweet as the name may suggest. Notes of earthiness, smoke, and roasted malts were also evident. The marshmallow was very understated. Both the carbonation and the body were both squarely in the middle. Beautifully crafted and balanced, I would check this one out if you can.

6.5% from Toronto (east side), Ontario 30 IBU.

photo: Left Field Brewery

NOX AETERNA ~ BLACK OAK

STOUT WEEK - Nox Aeterna, which is Latin for ‘eternal light’, is a Smoked Oatmeal-breakfast stout. (though I know few who could 7% for breakfast) It is a limited release. Sampled on draught, the beer poured almost black. It let very little light through, and had only the slightest of ruby highlights. It had a moderate tan head., with good retention. A ring of foam lasted throughout the drink, leaving lacing down the glass. Carbonation was very hard to see due to the darkness of the brew. The bold aroma has smoke, coffee, roasted malts and chocolate notes. The stout was smooth and flavourful: coffee (hand roasted beans from Sense Appeal were used), smoke (from smoked malts), and chocolate played the dominant roles. The finish was dry with a little hop bitterness. The carbonation was moderate and the flavour was full bodied. Nicely balanced, quite delicious.

7.2% from Toronto (Etobicoke), Ontario

MIDNIGHT MASS CHICORY OATMEAL STOUT ~ BRIMSTONE 

STOUT WEEK - Brimstone is a small brewery in the Niagara region of Ontario and has done some pretty good beer in the past year. The brewery is in a church that had long lost its congregation; hence many of the beer names have a religious overtone. Sampled on draught this beer poured almost black with a deep khaki/dark tan head. The nose was dark roasted malts, fresh hops, and oatmeal, with hints of coffee, dried fruit and dark chocolate. The stout is quite full flavoured: coffee/chicory, chocolate, smoke all play their parts. The beer had a creamy texture and finished with a bitter dryness.

6.6% from Ridgeway, Ontario 35 IBU

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY STOUT ~ MUSKOKA

STOUT WEEK - This imperial stout was a seasonal offering from Muskoka. I love Muskoka’s Chocolate Cranberry Stout, it seem like they are expanding their fruit stout repertoire.
Sampled hand-pulled on cask. This beer poured an opaque almost black with ruby highlights. There was a small beige bubbly head that fades. Raspberry and chocolate danced on a boozy sherry like nose. The flavour had raspberry notes, with dark roosted malts, and chocolate. The beer was neither hoppy nor grainy. It was a beautiful dessert in a glass without being sweet or cloying. The beer had a smooth mouthfeel and was average bodied. A beautiful way to end the night.
8% from Collingwood, Ontario  25 IBU

SHAGBARK STOUT ~ SWEETGRASS

STOUT WEEK - This stout is the latest offering from Sweetgrass, the brewing arm of the Auld Spot Pub on the Danforth in Toronto.  It is a seasonal offering on limited release.  Sampled on drought it pours a deep dark brown with a small head.  The beers nose and taste include wood, earth, chocolate, smoke and a little sweetness.  The beer is full flavoured and moderately carbonated. The end has a good hop kick.  A decent stout, I will go and revisit this one.   

5.7% from Toronto   52 IBU

HITACHINO NEST ESPRESSO STOUT ~ KIUCHI BREWERY

STOUT WEEK - Many thanks to Linda for bringing me this most delicious imperial stout from Japan. Sampled from a bottle, the beer poured black with a milky coffee coloured foamy head. The head lasted a while before leaving a cap on the beer and lacing down the glass. The aroma contained acidic coffee, dark chocolate, floral hops, dark fruits (prunes and black currants), liquorice, and roasted malts. The flavour was coffee forward, with the tastes of acidity espresso beans, notes of chocolate, vanilla dark fruits and berries, roasted malts and molasses. The finish was dry and pleasantly bittered with earthy peppery floral hops. A little warming alcohol was also noted. The stout was full flavoured and robust, but smooth at the same time. The beer was lightly carbonated and creamy. This one is definitely worth a try.

7.5 % from Naka-shi, Ibaraki Japan

PITSCH PERFECT PILSNER ~ PITSCHFORK

Pitschfork in a new Microbrewery out of Toronto founded in 2015. At the present time they only offer one beer, on tap. Pitsch Perfect is a pilsner brewed in small batches using only: Canadian malted barley, Noble hops, artesian well water, and German lager yeast. Sampled on draught the beer poured golden straw colour with a frothy head. The beer was quite pleasant, a good German pilsner. It was crisp and well balanced. The beer may have been a touch hoppier than many other local pilsner and had a little more of the hops on the nose. Very sessionable but nothing super special. I look forward to revisiting this during the hot days of summer.

5% from Toronto, Ontario 27 IBU

NAUGHTY NEIGHBOUR ~ NICKEL BROOK

Sampled from a fresh tin (made with no preservatives), Naughty Neighbour is an American Style Pale Ale. The ‘neighbour’ part of the name is a reference to our neighbour to the south. The beer poured a cloudy light amber colour with a sizeable eggshell head. The head lasted a while and left some lacing as it disappeared. The beer was clearly unfiltered and left some sediment at the bottom of the glass. The nose was dominated by hops at first, leading with citrus and pine (cascade, centennial and Citra); there were also subtle fruity esters (tropical fruit) happening and a hint of grain and bread. The flavour is crisp and clean. Lots of citrus and pine in the flavour but there are also more subtle flavours in the background: tropical fruit, floral, grass, bread. This pretty juicy APA finished with a moderate hop kick and a dry finish. The carbonation was moderate (the beer is naturally carbonated) and the beer was full flavoured. Tons of flavour and a low ABV make this a great session beer. For me personally, I prefer my session beer to be a little less hoppy.

4.9 % from Burlington, Ontario 38 IBU

SOFIE ~ GOOSE ISLAND

Labelled as a saison, Sofie is 80% new Belgian style saison and 20% aged in wine barrels with orange peel. Sampled from a 750 ml bottle this beer poured a bright, slightly hazy, straw yellow, with a moderate white head, which left some lacing as the foam fell. The nose is a little peppery, with Belgian yeast, slight citrus, barnyard funk, white wine, and coriander. – from the smell I thought the beer would be sweeter and darker. The taste profile is bright and refreshing with a certain amount of complexity. It is sweet to begin with lemon and orange flavours, followed by a mild pepperiness, wine, and a little wood from the barrels. The finish is dry and somewhat tart. The carbonation was effervescent and crisp. Easily quaffed, highly sessionable.

6.5% from Chicago, Illinois

WHEAT ~ SIDELAUNCH

Sidelaunch Brewing in the rebranded and renamed Denison’s beer. This beer was formerly Denison’s Weissbeer, now simply known as ‘Wheat.’ Sampled on draught in a weizen glass, this beer poured a bright cloudy yellow, with a white lasting head. The beer is billed as an authentic unfiltered Bavarian style Wheat beer and has a nose that reflects this. The smell is vibrant and fresh and contains lots of banana, ripe wheat, citrus, coriander and clove. The taste was quite fruity and fresh, as well as the tastes the nose would suggest, fresh fruit, lemon citrus, yeast and wheaty malts all have a part to play. I think this may be one of the better hefes I have had and a good example of the style. It is full of flavour and the extra fruitiness makes it very refreshing. The beer had a creamy mouthfeel and was moderately carbonated. A very enjoyable quaff and paired perfectly with fish tacos.
5.3 % from Collingwood, Ontario

10W30 ~ NEUSTADT

Neustadt Springs Brewery has been brewing quality brews long before the wave of new craft breweries. The brewery is family owned and operated. The building used is reported to be one of the oldest operating original brewery buildings in Ontario. 

10w30 is English dark mild. Sampled on draught, the beer poured a dark mahogany brown with ruby highlights and an off white creamy head, that dissipated quite quickly. The nose had brown sugar with caramel and molasses, with notes of dried fruit. The taste was very similar with lots of fruitiness up front, followed by a strong roasted malt backbone (caramel, molasses and toast) and touch of earthy bitterness (New Zealand hops) at the end. The beer had richness and a creamy mouth-feel with medium to low carbonation. This was a very malt forward sweet beer, simple but tasty.
5.5 % from Neustadt, Ontario
SILVER MEDAL in WORLD BEER CUP 2004
SILVER MEDAL ~ CANADIAN AWARDS 2004
GOLD MEDAL ~ MONDIAL MONTREAL 2008

WINTER WEISS MUSKOKA BREWERY 

Winter Weiss (Dunkelweiss) is Muskoka’s cool weather partner to their hot weather Summer Weiss. It is brewed seasonally as the name would suggest. Sampled from a tin the brew poured an unfiltered dark brown with ruby highlights and a generous cream coloured head. The head dissipated fairly quickly and left some lacing. The smells of a weiss beer were dominant with banana, clove and spice; sugary dark malt, dark fruit and bready grains were also evident. The taste was much like the nose with clove and banana and spice at the forefront, followed by caramel malts and grain and then and earthy notes. The carbonation was moderate, as was the body. The beer was intended to be a cross between the wheaty hefeweizen and a Munich Dunkel, A very satisfying cold weather brew.
5% from Bracebridge, Ontario IBU 12

EMBITTERMINT ~ BEAU'S

Embittermint is the second beer created for Fe’brew’ary, which features a different beer each week. It is an IPA brewed with lemon grass and peppermint and spearmint, and uses floral hops for a more delicate finish. It is Number 62 in Beau’s Wild Oats series. I was quite curious about this beer, and upon entering my local, I asked, How bizarre is this one? I was pleased when both the manager and bartender both sung its praises. Sampled on draught, the beer poured a hazy light golden colour with a white cap. Orange, florals, lemon, and mashed mint danced on the nose. The 70 IBU was really well hidden and the beer didn’t have all that much bitterness. The beer starts with lots of citrus, both lemon and orange, this turns into beautiful floral hops at the end, along with the sensation of cooling mint. This odd pair is remarkably smooth and refreshing. I will go back and have another; I just hope it lasts until the end of the week.

Malts: Pale ale, carahell, carafoam, acidulated (all organic)
Hops Organic crystal, organic WGV (Whitbread-Golding Variety)
Yeast: Dry British ale
Other: Local spring water, organic lemon balm, organic spearmint, organic peppermint.
6.7% from Vankleek Hills 60 IBU

FRAMBOISE LAMBIC ~ LINDMANS'

I remember the first time I had this, the bottle came wrapped in paper with cherubs on it. This is a Belgian Framboise Lambic. The bottle was capped and corked. Upon opening it poured an opaque deep garnet red colour with a large intense pink head. The head lasted and left foam cap. The bottled opened with a satisfying pop and filled the room with the smell or tart natural raspberries. The smell was both sweet and tart, with a faint note of yeast. The beer is ALL raspberry (it is made with 30% raspberry juice). It begins quite sweet but finishes with a sour tartness. It does not taste like beer, but rather an intense raspberry soda. Little evidence of alcohol was present. The finish is quick and clean and does not linger on the palette. There was ample carbonation and a medium mouth feel and fuller body than one would expect at 2.5% ABV. Lindemans' has a reputation of being an introduction to more complex Belgian lambics and geuze . This Lambic is not complex with farmhouse funkiness, but is simple and very pleasant. I have to admit this has its charms. I hope to find a few Belgian beauties over the next year.

2.5% Vlezenbeek, Belgium

THE TOM GREEN BEER ~ BEAU’S

The Tim Green Beer is a collab between comedian Tom Green and Beau’s Brewing. It is a milk stout. Sampled from the bottle the beers poured very dark brown with coppery highlights and a beige head that really stuck around, and left nice lacing. The nose was predominantly coffee and chocolate. The flavour was dominated by coffee and chocolate too, with notes if roasted malts, and hints of caramel. There was a nice touch of sourness from the lactose. The end had a nice bitterness, which balanced out the subtle sweetness of the beer. I found the mouthfeel to be creamy, pleasantly carbonated but a little thin for a stout, it was more like a porter. Overall I really enjoyed this highly sessionable stout. BTW apparently Milk stouts were patented in 1907. The “milk” was supposed to make the beer more appealing due to its nourishing ingredients.

5% from Vankleek Hills, Ontario

IDLESCHWEIN ~ NEUSTADT SPRINGS BREWERY

Idleschwein is a dark wheat beer, or Dunkelweizen. Dunkelweizens were traditionally brewed in the south of Germany. I enjoyed this one on draught. The beer pours a deep dark amber colour. It had minimal head, which settled to a small ring of bubbles around the edges of the glass. The nose contained lots of sweet roasted malts, Belgian yeast, pear and apple, cloves and other spice. The flavour was similar to the nose, but introduced some other flavours too. The beer had the flavours of a classic hefeweizen, with banana, Belgian yeasts, and cloves, but also had hints of other spices…. almost like a banana bread. There as quite a lot of fruitiness in this beer too, I got late season tree fruit, which added both a sweetness and a touch of tartness. The malts were sweet and tasty and added a caramely-ness. It was medium bodied and full of flavours with moderate to low carbonation. A really interesting brew, though I found this quite sweet, and the bitterness was negligible. I would gladly sip on another.
4.7% from Neustadt, Ontario

APFELGOSE ~ REVEL CIDER CO

What a wonderful marriage! This is cider made using brewing techniques from the traditional German style gose beer. The cider was soured for four months with lactobacillus and Brett Q (from the Niagara Escapement Yeast Labs) and finished with sea salt and coriander seed. It is the first in their “Brett Series.” Revel uses all locally sourced Ontario apples from local orchards.
It  poured a slightly hazy very pale yellow. The nose was light and perfumy with hints of tart apples and a grassy funkiness. The taste had a dry sweetness, almost like wine. There was both sweetness and tartness to this beer. The coriander was subtle but added spice. There was almost a nuttiness in this, reminding me of honey-salted nuts. There was a familiar flavour I couldn’t quite put my finger on either. The cider ended with a dryness and a sea salt after taste. The cider was both light and flavourful. A really good merge, I look forward to tasting more from this series.

7.7% from Hamilton, Ontario

Picture: Revel Instagram

TYRANNOSAURUS GRUIT ~ BEAU’S 

In honour of Gruit day (February 1st) Beau’s has created this most interesting Gruit. Gruits are beers that date back before the Bavarian Purity acts that declared the only ingredients a beer could have was barley, hops, yeast and water. In a gruit herbs, spice and other botanicals are used as bittering agents and flavour. Gruits have many many flavour combinations depending on the foliage (terrior) that grows around the brewery.
This beer has been brewed once and is on a seasonal and limited release. Sampled on draught this beer poured an intense bright red (much like cranberry juice) with little head. The red come from the beets that this gruit was brewed with, along with hibiscus flowers. The nose is very light and contains beets and subtle floral notes. Beets dominated the initial taste of this beer, both lending their sweetness and their earthiness. I found the beet a little cloying at first, but getting beyond their initial flavour the subtle flavours of the hibiscus emerged. Though this beer contained spruce tips and juniper berries, I could not easily identify them. The brew was mild with a light mouth feel. Very different, not for everyone, but worth a taste.

5.8% from Vankleek Hills, Ontario IBU 17

Malts: Pale ale, Vienna, CaraRed, acidulated (all organic)
Hops: Organic magnum
Yeast: German ale
Other: Local spring water, organic beet powder, organic spruce tips, organic juniper berries, organic hibiscus flowers.

HARRY PORTER ~ GREAT LAKES BREWERY

Sampled on draught on nitro. This porter poured an opaque very dark brown, with deep ruby hues and had a beige head that lasted several minutes and left good lacing. As the head died down, it left some lacing around the glass. The nose had coffee, roasted malts, burnt caramel, hints of chocolate and earthy-woodsy hops. The taste is much like a traditional porter, with roasted malts, coffee, hints of chocolate, burnt sugar, and dried fruit with a pleasant amount of bittering earthy hops and a little sweetness on the finish. I found this brew medium bodied, moderately carbonated, and very satisfactorily flavourful.

6.2%  from Etobicoke, Ontario    18 IBU

2013 Gold Medal - Canadian Brewing Awards.

SCREAMING BEAVER ~ BEAU’S

Sampled on draught…by surprise! At my local I ordered Mango Saison…the keg had been changed but not the tap label. Taking a big swig out of this one was a bit of a surprise for unsuspecting taste buds. Screamin’ Beaver #3 in Beau’s ‘Wild Oats’ series and is also a featured bottle in their best of Beau’s 2015 collection. It is an oak-aged Double IPA. It is influenced by both American and English IPA's; it is aggressively hopped like an American IPA, but still contains a malty sweetness at its centre like an English IPA. It weighs in at 9.9% ABV and 99 IBUs. The beer has been dry hopped and aged on oak staves. The beer poured medium amber with reddish hues (coppery colour) with a small amount of off white head, that stayed for quite a while and then left lovely lacing. The nose and the flavour of this beer had a nice complexity. The nose contained oak, grapefruit, brown sugar caramel, ripe tree fruit and cracker-like grains. The flavour also had grapefruit and orange rind, an earthy oakiness, caramel, and ripe fruit. Near the end a sweet complexity picked up along with hop bitterness. This beer did not taste like 99 IBUs nor did it taste like it was almost 10% alcohol. The beer had a medium- full-bodied mouthfeel, moderate carbonation and a creamy texture. Over all, complex, well balanced, but a sipper for sure.

9.9% from Vankleek Hills 99 IBU
Malts: Pale Ale, Munich, Caraform, Caramunich ( all organic)
Hops: Cascade, Pacific Gem, Challenger, Centennial (All Organic)
Yeast: : Dry English Ale
Other: Organic cane sugar, local spring water

YULETIDE CHERRY PORTER ~ BARLEY DAYS BREWERY

Sampled on draught, this porter poured deep ruby-brown/black with a sizeable off white head. The head soon dissipated and left a ring. The nose contained toasted malts, a touch of chocolate and cherry. The cherries smelled real, not artificial or like cough syrup (Ontario cherries were used and the beer in unfiltered). The taste is quite sweet, with notes of caramel coffee, chocolate, roasted malts, and cherry of course. The cherry lend a fruity sweetness but also a hint of tartness as well. The finish is semi-dry with lingering sweet with no discernable bitterness. The body is on the thinner side and the carbonation is light. This was a pleasant enough beer, the flavours worked well together but I was expecting something a little less subtle and more robust.

5.5% from Picton, Ontario

CREEMORE SPRINGS PREMIUM LAGER ~ CREEMORE SPRINGS

Its been a very long time since I had a Creemore, I’d forgotten what a pleasant brew it is. Creemore along with, Sleeman and Upper Canada were amongst the first craft brews I ever tasted. The beer is inspired by Bohemian Pilsner, is made with Creemore Springs water, and is fire brewed. Sampled on draught, the beer poured a clear dark gold-amber with a one-finger head that lasted a good long time and then left a good amount of lacing. The nose contained bready cereal grains, sweet malts, caramel and subtle hop. The flavour matched the nose with grains, caramel, a little spice lots of sweet roasted malts, and a light floral bitterness. The beer had a clean taste, light to medium body and is well balanced. It does not taste anything like the mass produced lagers Molson’s, Moosehead and others offer. Long bought out by Molson-Coors, this small brewery doesn’t seem to be all that affected by its multinational ownership. Highly sessionable.

5% from Creemore, Ontario 24 IBU

Note: My very close friend’s Mother died this past week.  She was a woman who led a full long, healthy life full of love and adventure.  She was a world traveller, a mom and grandmother to many, and a lover of beer.  She was brewing her own, long before it was trendy, or the word ‘craft’ had even coined to describe beer.  To Betty, I raise my glass to you.

DOGBOLTER ~ AMSTERDAM

Sampled on draught, DogBolter is an American Brown Ale. It is only available at their Brew House, retail shops, and select bars. The beer was one of the first to be brewed at the original Amsterdam and Rotterdam Brew Houses in downtown Toronto in the 1990’s. The beer poured a dark Mahogany brown with ruby highlights with a medium sized creamy beige head. Dark roasted malts, molasses, piny hops, earth and cocoa make up a complex nose. The beer had a strong malty backbone, with notes of cocoa, earthiness, sweet dark roasted malts, and a touch of fruit and citrus. The finish was dry with a pleasant piny hop bitterness. The body was medium and the carbonation was moderate. I really liked the balance of the sweet and hoppy. Will look for this again.

6.2% from Toronto, Ontario 50 IBU

LES PORTES DE E’NFER ~ STACK

Sampled on draught Les Portes de E’nfer (trans. Doors of Hell) is a Bière de Garde. That type of beer roughly translates to ‘beer for keeping’ and is a strong pale ale. . It was traditionally brewed in the spring in the farmhouse and then aged. This one won the Gold at the Ontario Brewing awards in the Bière de Garde category and bronze at the Canadian Brewing Awards.
The beer poured a translucent deep golden amber colour, with little carbonation and no head. The beer smelled slightly boozy with notes of dried fruit, malt, grape, currants and some yeast esters. The taste was much milder than I was expecting from the nose, but tasted as expected. The beer was sweet with malts at its centre. There is lots of fruitiness, caramel, and molasses with very low bitterness. The 8% ABV is very well hidden and I found the mouthfeel quite light.

8% Sudbury, Ontario