ESB ~ COUNTY DURHAM BREWING COMPANY

Sampled on draught, this ESB poured a coppery orange with a white head, which left streaks of lacing. The mild aroma contained notes of plums, molasses, caramel, light malts, floral hops and a sweetness. The taste contains lots of biscuity malts, fruit (like plum perhaps), a little citrus and mild floral earthy hops. The beer was sweet and malty, and lacked some complexity. It had a thinner mouthfeel than I would have expected from an ESB and the carbonation is soft. A pleasant very drinkable but innocuous brew.

5% from Pickering, Ontario

CANADIAN PALE ALE ~ OLD TOMORROW BREWING

Sampled from a tin ‘Old Tomorrow’ is a CPA (Canadian Pale Ale – not as hoppy as its cousins in the States) with rye and uses both old and new world hops. It poured a slight hazy light copper colour with a large sudsy white head that with average retention and some light lacing. Crackers and biscuit malts were dominant on the nose but there were also notes of yeasty esters, light citrus and dry earthy hops. The taste was balanced with lots of cereal, light caramel malts, a smidgen of lemon citrus and rye spiciness. The finish is off dry with a little lingering aftertaste. The beer is closer to English Pale Ale than American pale ale – as what may be expected from a Canadian interpretation. The carbonation and the body were on the light side of medium. This beer is cheap and cheerful, a good sessionable brew to knock back with friends at a back yard BBQ.

4.9% from Toronto, Ontario

BLACK LAGER ~ SILVERSMITH

Sampled on draught this black lager or schwarzbier poured an opaque very dark brown (almost black) with an off white head. The head remained for a short while and then left moderate lacing. The nose was mild and contained dark roasted malts, a light sweetness and coffee. Roasted malts are dominant on the tongue but cacao, dark fruit, and earth hops are also present. The brew is not sweet and has a clean dry finish. The mouthfeel was medium bodied and slightly creamy, and the carbonation was moderate. I would certainly drink this brew again.

5% from Virgil, Ontario

PATERSBIER ~ BEAU’S

Patersbier is the next instalment of Beau’s Farm table series. This series are brewed true to the original style. Patersbier (Father’s Beer) is Belgian style ale, traditionally brewed by monks. The beer was originally made by monks, and is lower in alcohol that a dubbel or tripel. Sampled from a bottle the beer poured a hazy straw colour with a dense white head, which left nice lacing. The nose is light but does contain sweet malts, florals, light grains and fruit and some phenolic spice. The taste has honeyed malts followed by peppery yeasty notes, and subtle floral hop bitterness. The finish is crisp with a little dusty dryness. The beer is quite light bodied and carbonation is soft. Quite drinkable and pleasant, but not spectacular.
Malts: Pilsner, carafoam, acidulated (all organic)
Hops: Organic magnum, organic aramis
Yeast: Abbey Ale Yeast

4.7% from Vankleek Hill, Ontario 22 IBU

SMOKED HONEY ~ ROYAL CITY BREWING

Royal City is a new brewery to me, and I have been impressed with much of what they have to offer. This is a smoked ale; I see it as the love child of an English Brown and a German Rauchbier. Sampled from a bottle the beer poured a hazy deep mahogany with glimmers of garnet when held up to the light, with a bubbly tan head. The aroma contained light wood smoke, malts, honey and a little caramel. The taste begins with a little honey sweetness and ends with smoke, a little bitterness and a drying effect. Malts and a hint of nuttiness are found throughout. The smokiness (Beech wood was used) is not as potent as some rauchbiers I have tried, but the smoke builds as you sip and the honey coats your mouth. The beer is not as heavy as it looks like it may be, it is light bodied, and the tastes are not aggressive. An interesting offering from this brewery, worth a try.

5.5 % from Guelph, Ontario 25 IBU

DRY APPLE CIDER ~ POMMIES 

Pommies Dry Apple cider is made fro 100% Canadian heritage apples. Sampled from a tin, the cider poured an effervescent very pale yellow (with a hint of green) with lots of streaming carbonation. The light nose contains crisp green apples with a touch of tartness. The cider is on the sweet side of dry and is rather straightforward. Clean apple flavour dominates, but buried can be found very subtle hints of pear and grapes. The carbonation was average and the body was medium. This is a very accessible summer quencher.
5% from Caledon Ontario

MALEVOLENT ~ NICKEL BROOK

Malevolent is an Imperial Black IPA. Sampled from a tin the beer poured almost black with deep burgundy highlights. It had a large creamy dark mocha head, which lasted quite a while and left a good amount of lacing on the glass. Aromas contain coffee, piny resinous and citrus hops (Simcoe, Columbus and Centennial hops were used), roast malts, molasses, and perhaps there are some subtle fruits in there too. The taste is a wallop of piny and citrus hops followed by dark roasted malts. Notes of chocolate, dark roasted malts, coffee, chocolate and earth also are found in this brew. The finish is bitter and slightly drying. The alcohol is well hidden. The carbonation is average and the beer is full bodied and creamy. This is a bold but refined brew, there is lots going on, but the tastes don’t compete with each other. Most excellent.

9.5% from Burlington, Ontario 8o IBU

IRISH BOOT ~ WELLINGTON BREWERY

Sampled on draught, this Irish Red ale poured slightly hazy deep brown with copper highlights. It had almost no head and the carbonation was very soft, verging on flat. It had a robust nose full of malts, and fruity esters. The taste contained rich roasted malts and lots of orchard fruit, especially plums. The brew also contained notes of molasses and sweetness reminiscent of Belgian yeast. The finish was semi-clean with a lingering pleasant burnt bitterness and sweetness. This seems to be a one off, I can find no record of it in the net. A pleasant brew after along day.

5.6% from Guelph, Ontario

LAVENDER PEAR CIDER ~ SPIRIT TREE

Sampled on draught this semi-sweet cider poured a slightly hazy light golden yellow colour, with moderate streaming carbonation. The nose cont

ained lots of pear with subtle floral notes. The lavender was quite light in aroma. The taste is lovely and rich. There is lots of caramelized pear in the flavour, along with earthy lavender and spice. The lavender is evident but is not cloying or overdone. The cider finishes with a slight astringency. As the pint progressed the carbonation fell off and was on the light side. The mouth feel was slightly syrupy. There is lots of complexity in the finish as the taste lingers and stimulates taste buds in different areas of the palette. This would be lovely with a cheese plate. The cider seems to be a one-off; I hope they make this again! I really enjoyed this cider!

6% from Caledon, Ontario

BORD DU LAC SAISON ~ AMSTERDAM BREWERY

Bord Du Lac (edge of the lake en Français) is the second instalment in Amsterdam’s Farmhouse series (seasonal saison). Sampled on draught, the beer poured a clear golden colour with a small white head. The nose contained lots of citrus along with pepper, grains, and a subtle fruitiness. The flavour is quite dry with grassy, fruity notes along with subtle crackery grains, minerals and peppery spice. The hops are floral and give a moderate bitterness throughout. The body was medium and the carbonation was lively. The finish has a very drying feel. A simple saison, very drinkable but not my favourite. The brew used Pilsner malts, low alpha noble hops and Wallonian yeast.

6.2 % from Toronto, Ontario

PHOTO COURTESY : Amsterdam Brewery

MALUS-HUMULUS ~ CIDER GLB & WEST AVENUE CIDERY

Malus-Humulus is the collaboration effort with Great Lakes Brewery and West Avenue Cider. It is a cider that has been dry hopped with citra and mosaic hops. Sampled on draught, it pours a golden colour with lots of carbonation. The nose has fresh apples with good dose of piny and citrusy hops. The hops cut the sweetness of the cider, adding another layer of flavour, but not distracting from the apples. It begins sweet, followed by a little bitterness and finishes with tart acidity of the cider. This is quite delicious! The name of the collaborative beverage comes from the Latin names for hops (Humulus) and orchard apples (Malus).

6.9% Hamilton & Toronto, Ontario

Picture: West Avenue Instagram

FARMHOUSE CIDER ~ POMMIES

Pommies Farmhouse is a delicious dry cider made with saison yeast. The cider is made from only Ontario apples, using no concentrate. Sampled from a tin the cider poured a clear light yellow with a small white head that clears quickly. The mild nose contains lots of fresh tart apples, with a funky grassiness in the background. The flavour too, contains lots of tart green apples (and other orchard fruits) and farmhouse funkiness. The cider is smooth and refreshing while the finish is dry and crisp. The carbonation is lively and effervescent and the cider is medium bodied. Very easy drinking and quite delicious!

6% from Caledon, Ontario

SAISON ~ COLLINGWOOD BREWERY

Sampled from a tin poured a clear golden yellow with an average white head. The nose has notes of Belgian yeasts, clove, subtle tropical fruit, lemon and grassiness. The flavour follows the nose. There is lots of sweetness followed by a tart finish. Sweet yeasts, fruity esters and clove are the more dominant flavours. It is high in alcohol for a saison and reminds me a light to medium bodied Belgian Abbey beer, more than a saison. The carbonation is lively and the beer is refreshing. If the ABV were lower this would make a pleasant enough summer sipper.

7% from Collingwood, Ontario 20 IBU

Photo courtesy : Collingwood Brewery instgram

WATERLOO 1815 ~ INNOCENTE

Waterloo 1815 was originally brewed or the anniversary of Napoleon’s defeat at the Battle of Waterloo.  Innocente has rereleased the rye saison again this year. The brew contains ingredients from the seven armies that defeated Napoleon. Sampled on draught the beer poured an opaque deep burnt orange colour with a sudsy yellowish-white head that had good retention. Both the colour and the taste had greater depth compared to a ‘regular’ saison. The nose contained toasted bread, some orange and other fruit flavours, yeasty spice, and a whiff of sulphur. Ribbons of streaming carbonation floated to the top. The taste contained spicy biscuity malts (the rye is noticeable), Belgian yeasts, lemon and pepper. The finish was mildly bitter and drying on the palette. A tasty brew.

5.7% from Waterloo, Ontario IBU: 20

ODYSSEY RUSTIC LAGER ~ STEAM WHISTLE PILOT SYSTEM WITH THE ONLY CAFÉ

I think this beer is terrific, but I am a little biased as I had a hand in brewing. This beer is a collaboration with The Only Café, Toronto and Steam Whistle Brewing. This beer was brewed at Steam Whistle Brewery at the Roundhouse, with Brew master Erica on their Pilot system – a small-scale tank that yields about 2 kegs. It is a Farmhouse ale with a lagered finish, and include small amounts of rooibos and blood orange & pink peppercorn teas, added at flameout. The brewing experience was a pleasure and most interesting. Sampled from a Growler the beer pours an unfiltered murky beige colour, with a small off white head. Up front you can taste the farmhouse grains, but the saaz and centennial hops give it a kick at the end, and the tea adds aromatics and a little astringency. Though there are many things happening in the beer, not one seems to overpower or compete with the other. It has a nice complexity but is still easy drinking.
5.4% from Toronto, Ontario

LOST CTAFT ~ REVIVALE KÖLSCH

Lost Craft Beer is a new brewery in Toronto, presently being brewed on contract by the Cool Brewing Company. Sampled from a tin, the beer poured a clear light golden yellow with a head of small white bubbles. The nose is very mild with hints of grains and yeast. The flavour is quite mellow and refreshing. It has light hops and grainy malts with a slight sweetness. The finish is smooth and the mouth feel is light bodied. A decent Kölsch and a good lawnmower beer on a hot day, but nothing really special. The beer is well branded and marketed. The matte finish white tin stands out at the liquor store and their slogan ‘4 for the 6’ gives a nod to TO.’s Drake. The founder, Shehan DeSilva’s, focus is to have the beer served at some of the cities trendiest nightclubs and restaurants.

4.8% from Toronto IBU 19

Picture courtesy: LOST CRAFT INSTAGRAM

FARM TABLE IPA - BEAU’S

This IPA is the latest in Beau’s farm table series. This series are brewed close to the classic style. This farm table was formerly known as Beaver River I.P. Eh? Sampled on draught the beer poured an unfiltered coppery golden with a good sized off white head. The aroma had lots of floral-piny hops, with light citrus, a grainy breadiness and a touch of caramel. The taste was fruity and bitter. It contained tropical fruit (orange and grapefruit), citrus, with biscuity malts, a wee bit of caramel and a resinous piny floral hop at the end. I found it to be hoppier than a British I.P.A. but less so then some of the aggressively hopped American I.P.A’s. (the beer was dry-hopped during brewing). This is a well-balanced beer; its assertive hops are beautifully balanced with the malt. The finish has a lingering bitterness. This beer is on the light side of medium bodied and is moderately carbonated. A very decent I.P.A.
6% from Van Kleek Hill, Ontario IBU 60

MALTS: Pale Ale, Munich, Carafoam, Caramel 20L, Caramel 60 (all organic)
HOPS: Magnum, Pacific Gem, Cascade (all organic)

BERLINER WEISSE ~ ROYAL CITY

Sampled on draught this Berliner, is quite sour. The beer poured a hazy very pale golden straw yellow, with a thin white head. The head lasted several minutes leaving a cap in its place. The smell was a bit odd; I can’t place my finger on it, but does contain lots of sourness, and crackery graininess. The palette is crisp and sharp. Very tart lemony lactic sourness dominates with a graininess and green apple in the background. The beer is light and refreshing, and well carbonated. The finish is somewhat crisp with a lingering acidic tartness. I don’t know how long Royal City has been around, but I have had three of their beers in the last year. So far I have liked what I had. This is an ‘okay’ Berliner once you get over the nose.
5% from Guelph, Ontario 15 IBU

HEINEKEN LAGER BEER

MACRO BREW ~ The local bar was giving out six packs as a prize, which how I ended up drinking Heineken – at least they were imported from Holland, not the ones made on licence in North America. Sampled from a bottle this Euro-lager poured a clear golden yellow with a thin white head. It was highly carbonated and the head left thin lacing around the top of the mug. The aroma is very mild as is the taste . There are faint grains and very mild unobtrusive floral hops. The flavour consisted of light grains, cereal, grass and pleasant noble hops. This is a really inoffensive beer that goes with a ton of foods and would be good for a backyard BBQ. Compared to Bud and Coors, I would pick this any day. Interestingly enough, Heineken was the first European import after prohibition was lifted in the US. Now the Heineken group owns numerous breweries around the world and is sold in more countries than any other beer. They produce well over 16 and a half billion litres of beer annually.

5% from Zoeterwoude, Holland Netherlands 19 IBU

STELLA ARTOIS ~ N.V. INTERBREW BELGIUM

A good friend has this theory about imported beers, the ones that are really popular in North America are the ones that the Europeans refuse to drink, so marketers tart up the image and try selling it In Canada and the U.S….he may be onto something. Stella Artois is marketed as a premium beer with lots of history, but the quality that may have contributed to its making is now gone. Stella is one of Anheuser-Busch InBev’s (the largest brewing multi-national) largest sellers. Stella Artois was originally launched at Christmas in 1926. By 1960 one hundred million litres was being produced and after the takeover in a new fully automated plant, in 2006 production was over a billion litres. (According to wiki). The beer poured a translucent yellow with a thin white head. The aroma was light grains, light hops and light malt. Taste is a little sweet with light hop bitterness and a slightly metallic taste. The beer was highly carbonated and had a light body. It is inoffensive and still better than many macro brew lagers. In the land of so many great beers, I don’t understand why anyone would choose this first.

5.0% Leuven, Belgium

A LITTLE BREAK.....

I have posted a beer a day for the last 320+ days. I usually have a backup of several reviews - I am now running out. I have been really sick, the past few weeks, so my next few posts will be scraping the proverbial bottom of the beer barrel. More reviews coming up as soon as I am back on my feet.

ST. BERNARDUS ABT 12 ~ BROUWERJI 

ST. BERNARDUS

St. Bernardus (a quadrupel) is another one of those rich special occasion Abbey Ales. The brewery maintains that it is brewed using the original recipe from the early days of the Trappist Monks of Westleteren licensing their beers to a made by a local brewery. Sampled from a corked bottle, the ale poured a translucent dark brown with a dense ivory coloured head. The head left impressive lacing and eventually settled into a cap. The sweet and complex aroma contained lots of dark fruit, rich malts, peppery yeast, alcohol, and hints of bubble gum and spice. The taste too contains lots of sweet ripe dark fruit along with sugary caramel. There is also a little tartness in the flavour along with beautiful malts, and a touch of spice, but no real hop presence. The flavour is full, robust and warming with a slightly syrupy mouthfeel and moderate carbonation.

10% Watou, Belgium 22 IBU

SPATEN MÜNCHEN ~ SPATEN-FRANZISKANER-BRÄU

Spaten, a helles lager, was sampled in from a tin. It poured crystal clear golden straw colour with a minimal white head. The retention was poor, but the head did leave some minimal lacing down the glass. The nose was mild but did contain bready and grassy malts, floral and peppery hops, sweet yeast and lemony citrus. The taste was crisp and clean. The hops were up front and the malts followed leaving no bitter aftertaste. The beer is a refreshing summertime drinking brew - nothing super special, but far from terrible.

5.2% München, Germany IBU 21

IPA ~ STONE BREWING

RED, WHITE & BREW ~ Sampled on draught, Stone IPA poured a slightly hazy amber golden colour with a soapy off white head. The head had great retention and left lots of lacing as it crawled down the glass. The aroma was hop heavy with piny and citrusy hops mixing with bright notes of orange and grapefruit, subtle cracker malt and an earthiness. The taste too was fairly hop heavy with piny hops dominating a more subtle malt backbone and an earthy grassiness. The flavour had some complexity as sweetness mixed with the bitterness. The carbonation was crisp and moderate and the body was medium to full-bodied. The beer was smooth and slightly sticky and the finish was dry and clean. An excellent offering, really enjoyed this one!

Hops: Magnum, Chinook & Centennial

6.9% from Escondido, California 77 IBU

IPA ~ LAGUNITAS

RED, WHITE & BREW ~ Sampled on draught, this beer poured a clear amber gold colour with lots of bone white head, that had good retention and then left some nice lacing. The somewhat muted nose contains toasted malts and piny citrus hops and some fruitiness in the back (both stone fruit and citrus). Flavours follow the nose; a nice balance between hops and malts. The beer has notes of citrus (orange and lemon) along with piny hops and a biscuity graininess. The carbonation was moderate and the body medium. IPA’s aren’t my go-to beer – I have had some mouth shredding hops that have left me unable to taste anything else, but this is a really pleasant, easy drinking IPA.

6.2 from Petaluna, California 46 IBU

BIG WAVE GOLDEN ALE ~ 

KONA BREWING COMPANY

RED, WHITE & BREW ~ This light bodied golden ale was sampled on draught. The beer poured a crystal clear golden yellow, with a white soapy head, that left traces of lacing. The nose contained notes of tropical fruit (mango and pineapple), some orchard fruits, lemon citrus with hints of caramel malts and piny hops. The taste too is very mild: sweet subtle notes of fruits, lemons and other citrus, subtle caramel malt and piny hops are most noticeable. The body is quite thin and then carbonation is lively. This is perfect beach beer on a super hot day – low in alcohol – innocuous - easy drinking – refreshing.
4.4 % Kailua, Kona, Hawaii IBU 21
Malts: Pale (Premium 2-Row), Caramel
Hops: Galaxy, Citra

AUDIBLE ALE ~ RED HOOK BREWERY

RED, WHITE & BREW ~ Sampled on draught Audible Ale, a pale ale, poured a slightly hazy golden amber with a frothy white head. The head left some lacing as it dissipated. The aroma had notes fruits and malty grains with a light citrus and subtle piny hop. Sweets malts and orange peel are up front, followed by citrusy and subtly piny hops. The body was medium-light and the carbonation was moderate. . I found the taste to be quite mild, thought the hops and malts blended smoothly and were well balanced. A nice summer brew, perfect for a BBQ, inoffensive and refreshing.
4.7% from Portsmouth, New Hampshire (or Woodinville, Washington) 24 IBU

TOASTED LAGER ~ BLUE POINT BREWING COMPANY 

(owned by Anheuser Busch)

RED, WHITE & BREW ~ Toasted Lager is Blue Points flagship beer and most popular brew. The brew was made with six different malts (English Pale, Crystal, Munich, Carapils, Wheat and Belgian Caravienna) in a direct fire brew kettle, which gives the beer its toasted flavour. Sampled on draught, this Vienna style lager poured a slightly hazy coppery amber colour with generous beige head, which left minimal lacing. The nose is quite muted with notes of bready malts, caramel and a bit of hops. The taste too is also very mild, with biscuit malts and a touch of caramel. There is some hop presence to balance the sweetness of the malts with a dry finish. The body is medium,as lively and refreshing. Though this has won many awards in Beer Awards and Cups, his is a simple brew. It is refreshing and would pair with many foods, but lacks any kind of complexity.

5.5 % Patchogue, New York 28 IBU

ARROGANT BASTARD ALE ~ ARROGANT BASTARD BREWING (STONE)

This was another really delicious brew from the RED, WHITE & BREW event at the Only Cafe in Toronto. Sampled on draught, this beer poured a reddish chestnut dark brown with a foamy beige head, which lasted. As the head receded, it left some spidery lacing. The bouquet was intense. Lots of hops were evident on the nose along with a dark caramel, chocolate, and subtler dark and tropical fruits, and a hop-earthiness. The taste is similar to the smell. This is beautifully balanced with the strong caramel malts playing off grapefruit citrus, floral hops. The finish long with bitter hops being followed by burnt sugar and caramel. The carbonation was moderate, the beer was on the full-bodied side of medium and the mouthfeel was a bit oily, and slick. This beer had a nice complexity and balance to it. Smooth and very tasty, I totally would buy this if spotted at the liquor store.
7.2 % Escondido, California