OAKTOBERFEST ~ BLACK OAK BREWING CO.

Oaktoberfest is a seasonal märzen and the only lager Black Oak makes. Sampled on draught the beer pours a slightly hazy rich copper topped with a generous frothy beige. As the head slowly receded it left lovely lacing before settling to a ring around the glass. The nose contained lots of lightly roasted malts, along with grains, cereal, orchard fruits, and caramel. More subtle notes of grass and nuts were also evident as the beer warmed. The taste was malt forward, with notes of caramel, with a spicy herbal grassy bitterness at the finish. The carbonation is medium, as is the body. This is a really nice example of the style. I look forward to having a few.
Märzen beers are made for Oktoberfest. The beer brewed for this occasion were traditionally lagers brewed in March and allowed to ferment slowly over the summer months.
5% from Etobicoke, Ontario

AMBER SOLACE ~ SMITHAVENS 

Smithaven’s has recently changed their name from Smithworks and in turn have renamed their Amber lager, or fest beir, Amber Solace. Sampled from a bottle the beer poured a slightly hazy rich coppery amber colour with a generous beige head that disappeared quickly. The nose is quite light with subtle notes of grains, light orchard fruits, caramel, grass and malt. The taste is much better than the nose would suggest. Grains, caramel, toasted malts, fruit give was to a gentle bitterness. The carbonation was average and the mouthfeel was medium bodied and slightly creamy. Not a ‘spectacular’ beer but quite a drinkable Vienna Lager.

5.5% from Peterborough, Ontario 20 IBU

MORALITÉ ~ DIEU DE CIEL! & THE ALCHEMIST BREWERY

Moralité is an IPA, created in collaboration between Quebec’s Dieu de Ciel! and Vermont’s, The Alchemist Brewery. Sampled on draught, the beer poured a slightly hazy golden amber with a generous frothy off white head, that left lots of lacing. The nose is bursting with hops and tropical fruit (pineapple, papaya, mango). Notes of resinous pine, citrus (lemon, orange and grapefruit), bready grains, caramel, earthiness, and yeast also make appearances. The flavour follows the complexity of the nose. Pine, grapefruit, caramel, fruitiness (citrus & tropical), floral, grass, combined with a slight sweetness swirl and party on my palette. The finish is somewhat dry with a lasting bitterness. The body is medium-full and the texture is creamy and smooth. The carbonation was on the soft side. It is rare that I have a beer from DDC that I don’t enjoy, this was no exception. Quite quaffable for such a high IBU and ABV. I loved the complex flavours and the balance between the bitterness, sweet fruitiness and the malts. Bravo!

6.9% from St. Jerome, Quebec & Waterbury, Vermont, USA 100 IBU
Hops: Simcoe, Citra and Centennial

COLLECTIVE PROJECT : SOUR PUMPKIN SAISON ~ COLLECTIVE ARTS

This sour pumpkin saison is Collective Arts second new offering this autumn. The beer is brewed with fresh roasted pumpkins (done in house) and the spices that go along with it. Sampled on draught the beer poured a cloudy coppery amber with a thin off white head that left almost no lacing as it receded. The nose had lots of tart sourness as well as more subtle smells of pumpkin, nutmeg and spice, pepper, citrus and fruity yeast. Quite different from other pumpkin beers, this one starts off with a sour start, followed by more saison flavours and subtle pumpkin pie. Lots of lemon, some tart orchard fruit, nutmeg and cinnamon, vegetal pumpkin, and grains also show up. The carbonation was average, the mouthfeel was medium-light, and the finish was slightly astringent and dry. A difficult beer to rate as it defies being categorized. I like a sour and this one was quite refreshing and restrained in its pumpkiny-ness.
5% from Hamilton, Ontario 8 IBU

COLLECTIVE PROJECT WET HOP WHEAT ALE ~ COLLECTIVE ARTS

This wet hopped wheat beer is a new offering from Collective Arts for the fall of 2016, and their very first wet hopped beer. It is brewed with only Canadian wheats, malts and hops. Sampled on draught, the beer poured a golden straw with a thin white head that reduced quickly to a cap. The nose was quite hoppy with notes of tropical fruit, especially mango, grass and grains. The flavours have a nice complexity, including: floral, tropical fruit, citrus, pungent hops, pine and grainy malt sweetness. The body is medium, as is the carbonation. The finish is crisp with a little lingering bitterness.

The hops were grown in Collingwood at Clear Valley Farm, as freshness in this technique is important. Clear Valley is one of the first farms returning to growing and harvesting hops (they grow more than 70 varieties) in Ontario. The hops were used within hours of harvesting. All hops were added within the last five minutes of the boil.

Hops: Chinook, Pearle
Malts: 2-row, wheat, Briess, and cara malt
5% from Hamilton, Ontario 25 IBU

LOVE TRIANGLE ~ INDIE ALE HOUSE

Love Triangle is a three hop IPA from Indie Ale House in Toronto’s west end. Each time it is brewed a different combination of three hops are used. I believe this batch used Ahtanum, Cascade and Centennial hops. Sampled on draught this brewed poured a slightly cloudy golden yellow with a hint of orange. It had a very generous frothy white head with good retention before receding into a cap and leaving some lovely lacing. There ware lots of citrus (grapefruit and orange) and tropical fruit, along with a herbal quality and mild malts on the nose. The flavour is quite hoppy – impressive for the not so high ABV. Notes of tropical fruit, citric hops, a touch of resin and a subtle malt made up the flavour profile. The finish was dry and crisp, with a lingering astringent bitterness. The carbonation was lively, and it had an average body with a creamy mouthfeel. I am fast becoming a big fan of IPAs. Nice one Indie Ale house!

6 % from Toronto, Ontario 40 IBU

LIMBERLOST FARMHOUSE ALE ~ SAWDUST CITY BREWING

Limberlost Beer is a wild Ontario Farmhouse/saison. Much of this brew was can conditioned – which sold out almost immediately, only being sold at the brewery. I was lucky enough to sample from one of a very few kegs. The beer pours a cloudy bright golden orange with a small frothy white head that left some lacing. The nose has is a little tart with notes of brett-y funkiness, lemon, herbal notes, tart stone fruit, very subtle and straw. The flavour begins with a wash of tartness; notes of brett, light citrus, tart fruit, cereal grains, very subtle pepper and conifers follow. The tartness is not overpowering, and sweet grains become more apparent as the beer warms. The body is medium light, with a smooth texture and effervescent sparkling carbonation. It is a very interesting, drinkable and refreshing beer.
The beer is brewed with a strain of yeast harvested from the Muskoka area. Sawdust City brewer and Escapement yeast labs collected a variety of yeasts from the Limberlost Forest and wildlife Reserve (near Huntsville, Ontario). Samples were returned to the lab where much testing and brewing occurred to find an alcohol resistant, viable, reliable and tasty strand. Local hops were also used in this brew.
I really liked this one, and look forward to future brews. Recommended.
6.1% from Gravenhurst, Ontario 15 IBU

HERBE À DÉTOURNE ~ BRASSERIE  
DIEU DU CIEL!

This brew is a boozy Belgian tripel made with new world hops (citra). Sampled on draught this beer pours slighty opaque golden orange apricot with an average white head that left sticky lacing as it receded slowly. The nose has lots going on: stone fruit (peaches) tropical fruit (pineapple and mango), spice (pepper and clove), floral notes, candi sugar, citra hops and alcohol. The taste follows the smell, with lots of bitter citra hoppiness as a first impression. After the first impression, notes of tropical and stone fruit, Belgian yeast phenols and esters, and spice, abound. The finish is dry with a little lingering bitterness and a warming booziness. The bitterness next to the fruity sweetness make for interesting and complex flavour combinations. The body was medium with a slightly syrupy mouthfeel, and the carbonation was very gentle. I guess you could call this hybrid beer a new world tripel. Definitely worth a try – a really interesting complexity of flavour compliments and contrasts happening here.

10.2% from Montreal, Quebec 56 IBU

PALE ALE ~ SIDE LAUNCH

Side Launch’s Pale Ale advertises a balance between traditional British and modern American styles. Sampled on draught this brew pours slightly hazy amber with a generous frothy resilient bone white head, which left some very nice lacing. The nose has notes of caramel, floralsps. The taste is nicely balanced between sweet bready malts, hints of caramel and leafy bitter hops. Notes of tropical fruit, pine, citrusy hops are also evident. The body is light to medium and feels a little creamy on the palette, The carbonation was on the soft side. This beer is both flavourful and very quaffable. Highly sessionable and well crafted.

5.3% from Collingwood, Ontario  

35 IBU

100TH MERIDIAN ORGANIC AMBER LAGER ~ MILL STREET

100th Meridian is an amber lager made only with organic ingredients from west of the 100th meridian - (where the great plains begin). Beer always tastes better when you are at the ball game and the home team is winning in the post season (GO JAYS GO!) It was sampled at the ball park, so that means draught in a plastic cup. This beer poured a clear coppery amber colour with a white head that settled into a cap. The nose was quite mild, but notes of bready malts, fruity notes and earthy hay and leafy hops. Flavour had biscuit-bread notes, sweet grains and malts and caramel. The finish was clean and had a little leafy hop bitterness. The body was a little thin and the carbonation was soft. This beer is pretty standard, and very drinkable – a great ball-park beer!
5% from Toronto, Ontario 24 IBU
Hops: Bravo and Cascade

TATRA ~ GRUPA ŻYWIEC 

Tatra is a Euro Pale Lager made by Grupa Żywiec, a subsidiary of Heineken. Sampled from a tin, the beer poured clear golden amber with a thin head. The head left quickly leaving patches of lace. Nose is fairly mild with bready grains, light sweet malts, hay, and a tiny hint of lemon and very mild grassy hops. Flavour follows as expected: it tastes like a light Euro Lager. Sweet grains, pale malts, slight earthiness with a hint of hops. The finish is quick and has a strange sweetness about it. The alcohol is barely noticeable. The mouthfeel was fairly light and the carbonation was lively. Overall, I would prefer this to an American Macro; it had a little more backbone. The beer is drinkable, but it is very innocuous, and average.

5.5% from Żywiec, Śląskie Poland

SMITHHAVENS ~ DUNKELWEIZEN

Sampled from a bottle, this beer poured cloudy dark coppery amber with a generous beige head, which quickly reduced to a film, and left some scant lacing. The nose contained caramel, ripe stone fruit, some spice, grains and a slight vinous tart quality. The taste was lighter than expected with notes of caramel, malts, ripe fruit, clove, earthiness, subtle banana esters and a light sourness. The beer had grainy malty sweetness that was cut by the tartness. There was some lingering fruit in the aftertaste with no bitterness. The carbonation was gentle, and the body felt a little watery at time. I don’t know whether the slight sourness was intentional, I would like reserve judgment on this one, until I sample another. 

5.2% from Peterborough, Ontario IBU 12

ACROSS THE POND ENGLISH SPECIAL ALE ESB ~ HIGH PARK BREWERY

High Park Brewery is still relatively new (it started summer of 2015) and I believe still brewing under contract. Sampled on draught this beer poured a lovely clear coppery orange colour with a small off white head, which receded quickly. The nose had the qualities typical of an English bitter, with some English floral hops (and some notes of North American ones too), caramel, bread, and some subtle herbal and mineral notes. The taste follows, with caramel, grass, and toasted bread to begin, with a toasty herbal bitterness emerging mid sip. The body was medium and the carbonation was average. A lovely example of the style. I look forward to more brews from this brewery.

5.5% from Toronto, Ontario 42 IBU

FULL CITY COFFEE PORTER ~ FORKED RIVER BREWING

Sampled on draught, this porter on nitro poured a deep opaque brown black with a generous creamy beige head. The head had good staying power, before settling into a cap and leaving light lacing. The nose had notes of chocolate, lots of roasted coffee (from First Crack Coffee Company), toasted bread, subtle malts, earthiness and a light nuttiness. Flavour had tons of espresso, with black coffee/hop bitterness. More subtle notes of caramel, molasses, dark toasted malts, chocolate and an earthiness were also to be found. The brew was abounding with flavour. The carbonation was gentle, the mouthfeel as creamy and the finish was dry with no lasting aftertaste. I very nice flavourful porter, enjoyed when the leaves were turning and their was a slight chill in the air.

5.5% from London, Ontario 32 IBU

THREE STAGE XPA ~ NORTHWINDS

Sampled on draught, this extra pale ale poured a clear golden-amber colour, with a generous white head. The head was persistent and left stunning lacing as it receded into a cap. The smell has a beautiful combination of tropical fruit and citrus, biscuity pale malt, a touch of caramel with pine and grass notes at the finish. The taste has lots of tropical fruit (mango), citrus fruit (tangerine, grapefruit and lemon) earthy malt, and a lovely piny-grassy hop. The finish was semi-dry finish with a little lingering bitterness. It is medium bodied with slightly soft I really lovely example of the style. Well balanced and very sessionable.

4.6% from Collingwood, Ontario 24 IBU

MOJO~FORKED RIVER

Mojo is an American Style Wheat beer with rhubarb and citra hops. Sampled on draught the beer poured a very slightly hazy light golden yellow with a moderate white head that did not linger very long, but did settle into a cap while leaving wisps of lacing on the glass. The nose contained some wheaty grains, bright citrus, citra hops and suggestions of tropical fruit and subtle rhubarb. The beer was quite easy to drink and easily quaffable. The beer begins with a little graininess – a nice crackery base, followed by citrus and tropical fruit, with a slight tartness (I am assuming from the rhubarb) and citra hops finish it off. The finish was crisp and dry, the carbonation was average, the body was light (but not thin), and the mouthfeel was silky smooth. I would have liked a little more rhubarb presence but this mild yet flavourful ale would be a great session summer sipper.

4.5% from London, Ontario 23 IBU

ALPHA BOMB ~ BIG RIG

Alpha Bomb is an unfiltered IPA made with three types of hops and additionally dry-hopped twice. Sampled on draught, this beer poured a hazy coppery colour with a lasting frothy white head, that left good lacing as it receded. The nose has lots of piny and citrus hops with notes of grapefruit, florals, tropical fruit with a malty caramel backbone. So far very nicely balanced. The flavour is not a taste-bud shredding hop explosion, but rather a nice balance of hops and sweet malts. Lots of pine, resin, grapefruit and orange in the hops and a light malty sweetness balance the brew. The finish is moderately bitter…but not too much. The beer had a medium body, with average carbonation and a slick texture. IPA’s aren’t my go-to beer, but I enjoyed not having a palette shedding hop experience and the balance of their smooth and refreshing brew.

6.6% from Ottawa, Ontario 87 IBU

ROYAL CITY ~ BELGIAN BROWN

Well done Royal City!  This is difficult to compare to their Belgian counterparts, because usually the Belgian Oud Bruin, has been aged and in the bottle for quite a while at the time of consumption.  It would be interesting to see what this lovely brew does when aged.  Sampled on draught the beer pours slightly hazy reddish brown with a modest cream head that quickly dissipated into thin cap.  The nose contained some vinous notes, dark fruit and ripe berries, and light vinegar sourness.  The flavour has a plethora of flavours, beginning with a little sour vinous/balsamic vinegar notes, with lots of fruit, dark fruitcake, a touch of molasses and toasty sweet malts.  The beer was full flavoured, medium in body and soft in carbonation.  I quite enjoyed this one – good job Royal City!

7.5% from Guelph, Ontario

photo courtesy of Royal City Twitter

OVER THE BORDER PORTER ~ BRIMSTONE BREWING X COMMUNITY BEER WORKS

Over the Border Porter is collaboration between Brimstone on the Ontario side and Community Beer Works from the New York side. Sampled on draught, the beer poured a dark cola colour with a small off white head. Brimstone brought their maple syrup and Community Beer Works contributed plumwood-smoked malts from New York Craft Malt. Both brewed simultaneously from their side of the border. The nose had lots of roasted toasty malts, molasses, hints of maple, burnt crust, with a touch of smoke. The flavour followed much as expected, lots of rich roasted malts. A touch of smoke and some maple sweetness complement the hops at the back end. Both the smoke and the maple were done in moderation – well done! The body was on the full side of medium, and the carbonation was moderate. A very delicious autumn offering, just in time for Thanksgiving.

5.5 % from Ridgeway, Ontario and Buffalo, New York

photo: Brimstone Instagram

IMPOSTER SYNDROME ~ FOLLY

Imposter syndrome is a Farmhouse IPA. It has been hopped up with Comet and Sorachi Ace hops and brewed with Brettanomyces Claussenii (one of Folly’s own fermentation culture) Sampled on draught the beer poured a hazy light golden yellow, with a touch or coppery orange. It sported a generous white head with good retention before receding and leaving scant lacing. The nose contained some barnyard funk, sweet malts, bread, a slight tartness, lemon and grapefruit citrus, stone and tropical fruit, piny hops. The flavour contains crusty bread, bretty funk, subtle sweetness, peppery spice, orange rind, tropical fruit, and mild tartness. The finish has a lovely hop kick with notes of pine and grapefruit.  The beer is medium bodied with average carbonation. The finish is quite dry, but leaves little aftertaste. I really enjoyed the complexity of the fruit, hops and yeast in this one!
HOPS: German Magnum, American Sorachi Ace and Comet
YEAST: House Light Blend
MALTS: Pilsner, Munich I, Carafoam, Caramunich I, Carahell
6.2% from Toronto, Ontario IBU 35

ULLA! ~ FOLLY

A very interesting taste experience indeed. Ulla! is a black brett with raspberries. It is billed as part stout, part fruit beer, and part farmhouse. Sampled on draught, the beer poured a very dark brown, almost a black with a thin off-white head that dissipated to a cap. The nose had notes of tart raspberries, dark roasted malts, white pepper, subtle dark chocolate and a touch of funk. The beer has some complexity to it. It begins with tart raspberry followed by roasted malts, coffee and a chocolate, layered with some bretty sour, a touch of balsamic vinegar, and a very soft pepper. The body is medium, the finish is drying and tart, and the carbonation was moderate. This is quite a unique brew, quite quaffable; I have already been back for more.

5.6% from Toronto, Ontario

INTERLOPER ~ INDIE ALE HOUSE

Interloper was a collaboration brew, created for Toronto Beer Week 2016 - so it is a limited edition. It is a barrel aged and blended non-traditional saison/farmhouse ale. The brewery describes it as “a complex, a mixture of cultural influences and tastes, balancing a rich flavour while being approachable for everyone.” – just like Toronto. Sampled on draught the pour was a hazy golden colour with a moderate white head, with great staying power. The nose contained some barnyard funk, grains, pale malts, tropical fruits and touch of wood from barrelling. Flavour also had funk, tropical fruits, grains, citrus and a touch of wine and the barrel. A little bitterness at the end finished the deal. The body was moderate as was the carbonation. Too bad, this one isn’t going to linger, Yum!

6.1% from Toronto, Ontario

SWEETBACK’S ~ RAINHARD BREWING CO.

Sweetback’s is sweet milk stout that was awarded a Gold at the Ontario Brewing Awards 2016. Milk stouts (aka sweet stouts) got their name from the use of lactose in the brew (lactose is an unfermentable sugar). Sampled on draught they brew poured a, opaque black with hints of deep brown and a moderate beige head. The head had good retention before receding into a thick foamy cap and leaving nice lacing. The nose has notes of roasted malts, coffee, lactic sweetness and a touch of chocolate and smokiness. The taste was quite mild and sweet. There were notes of coffee, roasted malts and chocolate, complemented by creamy lactic sweetness. The mouthfeel was medium and creamy and the carbonation was soft. This was very approachable, nicely balanced milk stout. Not overly complex, but a lovely way to end an evening.
5.25% from Toronto, Ontario 25 IBU

PINK PEPPERCORN SAISON ~ BIG RIG

I went for dinner at a great Italian place on Roncesvalles, food was great but the waitress knew nothing (not even the name) of the rotating taps.  She tried to list a few and told us that they were serving a ‘nut saison,’ intrigued several of us ordered the brew.   Poking around the next day, I could not find the beer anywhere, so sent a little message to Big Rig the brewery, who promptly got back to me, saying that I had imbibed their pink peppercorn beer.  The pink peppercorn is related to the cashew - who knew?  So they must put a nut warning on the beer in case of nut allergies – clearly confusing the waitress.

Sampled on draught the saison poured an opaque golden colour with a moderate white head.  It had a bright orchard fruit nose with a little sharpness from the pepper and a faint nuttiness. The favour was primarily orchard fruit, citrus, grains, light hops and the faintest bit of pepper on the back end.  The carbonation was moderate, the body was medium light and the finish was crisp and slightly off-dry.  I wish there was a little more of the pepper, but a nice light saison none-the-less.

6.1% from Ottawa, Ontario