STONE  ROAD WHITE ALE ~ BENCH BREWING

Stone Road is a witbier made by Bench Brewing in Beamsville, Ontario. Sampled on draught the beer pours a slightly hazy golden yellow with a small white head. The aroma contained spice, banana, fruit with some funk. The taste has some fruity notes, along with some herbals, a touch of funky brett and a little spice. The body is light and the carbonation is average.
Kettle hops: Enigma
Malt: pale wheat malt, german pilsner malt

4.1% from Beamsville, Ontario 15 IBU

BEER 600!

COLLECTIVE ARTS ~ IPA PROJECT #1

This brew is the first in a series of IPA's each showcasing a different combination of hop flavours.This brew features Nelson Sauvin, Simcoe and Citra. The Nelson saurian given the beer tropical fruit flavours and aroma, the Simcoe gives it citrus/pine notes and city imparts a floral citrus flavours. Sampled from a tin, the beer poured a hazy golden amber gold with a good sized frothy head, which left some thick lace. There is lots of tropical fruit on the nose (papaya, mango, tangerine, grapefruit) as well as some resiny pine, earthiness, florals, white wine and crackery malts.The taste is quite hop forward, with a really nice hop complexity - all hops imparting a different flavour - floral, white wine, grapefruit, pine, earthiness. Tropical fruit flavours add a bit of sweetness . The body and carbonation are moderate and the finish has a lingering fruity bitterness. The 7% is quite hidden making this one very drinkable.

7.1% from Hamilton, Ontario

APRICOT ALE ~ BLACK CREEK BREWING

5% from Oakville/Toronto, Ontario

Black Creek’s Apricot Ale is brewed by Trafalgar under contract. Sampled from a 500 ml bottle the beer poured a slightly hazy rust-coppery orange hue with a small off-white creamy head that leaves some adequate lacing. The nose is very aromatic with a ton of apricot up front and fruit, sweetness and a touch of caramel malt in the background. The taste has lots of apricot as well - though not as much as the nose would suggest. Mid sip malts make an appearance, followed shortly by an earth-floral hop bitterness giving it a pleasant balance. The carbonation is on the soft side, the body is medium and the finish is dry. Overall a pleasant quaff.

IPA #2 ~ COLLECTIVE ARTS

7.1% from Hamilton, Ontario 80 IBU

Collective Arts IPA series showcases different combinations of hops, this one uses Mosaic, Simcoe and Waimea hops. Sampled from a tin, the beer pours a hazy golden orange colour with a large off white head,. The retention is quite long and leaves abundant spidery lace on the glass. The nose contains lots of tropical fruit (mango, pineapple, papaya, citrus), earthiness, florals, and resinous piney hops. This beautifully balanced brew also contains a plethora of tropical fruit flavours, followed by a wallop of citrus and piney hops with a lovely rich malt backbone. The carbonation is very active, the beer is full bodied and has a slightly creamy texture. The finish is dry with a slightly lingering bitterness. The beer is bold and has a lovely complexity. Really enjoyed this one! Recommended.
Hops: Mosaic, Simcoe, and Waimea
Malt: Pilsner, 2-Row, Oats, Flaked Oats, Flaked Wheat.

BUZZ ALDRIN ~ BARNSTORMER BREWING

Buzz Aldrin is part of Barnstormers sour series and was a seasonal release. The beer is flavoured with peach. Sampled on draught, the brew poured a slightly hazy golden yellow with a thin white head. The nose is very mild with a little sourness, a tiny bit of funk and very light peaches. The taste has a lingering sour, with a light but detectable tart peach taste. It is not as peachy as I would have expected. Not bad, a nice summer sour.

3.8% from Barrie, Ontario IBU 15

LENTEBOCK ~ KONINKLIJKE BRAND BIERBROUWERIJ

6.5% brewed in Wijlre, Limburg Netherlands

Lentebock, a helles bock, brewed under the Budweiser umbrella, is only available in the spring. Sampled on Draught in Amsterdam, the beer poured a clear coppery amber with a small white head, that receded quickly, and left scant lacing. The nose had sweet malts, Belgian yeast, caramel and cloves, with subtle fruit notes and floral and lemony hops. The flavours on the nose continue on the palate (bread, caramel, fruit, cloves, yeast), with floral lemony hops making their appearance at the finish. The aftertaste is slightly bitter, but also has traces of orchard fruit. The mouthfeel is smooth and creamy, the body is on the light side of medium and the carbonation was average. Quite a pleasant, drinkable beer after a long day of walking.

CANADIAN SHIELD BERRIES ~ KW CIDER

6.2% from Waterloo, Ontario

Canadian Shield is a cider made from the berries available growing on the Canadian Shield including: Blueberries, Cranberries, Currants, Raspberries and Strawberries. Sampled on draught this cider poured a clear beautiful rose colour with tawny hues. The nose contained a plethora of berry notes with the strawberries and raspberries at the forefront. The lovely refreshing flavour is both tart and sweet with a huge hit of berry goodness. There is a nice complexity as the tartness of some berries balance with the sweet juiciness of others. The finish is slightly tart, but there are no lingering aftertastes. A beautiful summer drink.

BALL’S FALLS ~ BENCH BREWING

4.5% from Beamsville, Ontario 30 IBU

Ball’s Fall is a session IPA. It is names after a historic waterfall in the Twenty Mile Valley. Sampled on draught the beer poured a clear pale golden colour with a lasting generous thick head, which left nice lacing. The nose is fresh and contained notes of lemony and grapefruit citrus, toasted cereal grain, tropical fruit and peaches. The taste is clean with , cereal grains, citrus notes and some subtle fruity sweetness. The finish has a citrus and a little pine hop bitterness. The body is medium-light and the carbonation is lively. There is quite a lot of flavour for a low alcohol beer. Very sessional and rather tasty.

BROWN PLUS ~ BLACK BELLOWS

7% from Collingwood, Ontario 

23 IBU

Brown Plus is a Belgian Dubbel that has been soured and aged in a Collingwood Whiskey barrel. The beer pours a hazy light brown colour. Fruit, malts, sweetness and tart sourness are found on the nose. The taste features notes of tart dark cherries and other fruits, a touch of oak, a little coffee and a moderate malt backbone. The melange of flavours almost give it a sweet and sour quality. The barrel ageing enhances the flavour and lends a little complexity. The finish is clean and the body is moderate-light. The lightness makes this easy drinking, despite the warming alcohol. Worth a try.

RED DRAGON ~ COUNTY DURHAM BREWING

Red Dragon is an Irish Style Red Ale. Sampled on draught the beer poured a light brown-copper colour with an off-white head. The head lasted a good log time leaving some nice lacing as it receded. The nose was very malt forward with notes of caramel, chocolate, biscuits, light fruitiness and some grassy British hops. Notes Caramel malts, some fruit and berries, slight lemoniness, chocolate, sweet grains and delicate grassy hops dance on your tastebuds. This is a rich beautiful balanced, smooth beer. The body is medium-full, the carbonation is medium-soft and the mouthfeel is creamy and lush. A very flavourful brew for low ABV, making it quite sessionable. A lovely brew from start to finish.

4.7% from Pickering, Ontario 

 35 IBU

PARADISE LOST: WHITE LIES ~ BLOOD BROTHERS

6% from Toronto, Ontario

White Lies is one in the Paradise Lost series. It is a golden ale brewed with Sauvignon Blanc grapes and dry hopped with Nelson Sauvin. Sampled on draught the beer poured a fairly clear golden straw colour with a small foamy white head. The nose had a sour quality with, vines notes, fruit, lemony citrus and light grains. The tart flavour, also had some white wine like qualities, with a touch of lemon, and a little cereal graininess. The carbonation was moderate and the body of the brew was almost medium and the finish was dry and tart. Quite refreshing and easy to drink.

GOLD STAR ~ INDIE ALE HOUSE

5% from Toronto, Ontario IBU <10

Gold Star is a lovely saison from Indie Ale House. Sampled on draught it pours a slightly hazy golden hue with a small white head, that left some scant lacing . The nose had some funky brett notes along with citrus, light pepper, biscuity malts, straw and floral hops. The taste also has notes of funk, pepper, spice, light fruity esters, lemon, hops and a grassiness. The brett is not over done and leaves a pleasant taste. The finish is off dry and moderately bitter, the mouthfeel is clean, the body is moderate and the carbonation is on the soft side. A very peasant brew, not overly done, with a slightly sour refreshing quality.

FULL ORCHARD FARMHOUSE IPA ~ OAST HOUSE

6.1 % from Niagara on the Lake    70 IBU

Full orchard is a Farmhouse IPA, fermented with Brett and then barrel aged for one month. Sampled on draught it poured a Hazy golden orange with a small white head that quickly dissipated. The nose contained grapefruit and lemony citrus, tropical fruits, stone fruits and a light spice. The beer did not taste anything close to the 70 IBUs it boasts, though it did have a distinct happiness and bitterness. The flavour also included lots of tropical fruit and stone fruit, providing a great contrast and balance to the bitterness of the hops, and the funky brettiness. The body and carbonation were average. IPA’s are not my ‘go to’ beer usually but this one had some complexity and though it was a little astringent at times, I did enjoy the brew.

KESTRAL IN A COALMINE ~ WELLINGTON BREWERY

75 IBU 

6.5% from Guelph, Ontario

Sampled on draught, Kestral in a Coalmine is a Belgian IPA. The brew combines the juicy hop forwardness of an American IPA with the spicy qualities of Belgian yeasts. The beer poured a cloudy yellow gold with a moderate off white head.
Belgian IPA. The aroma contained spicy Belgian yeast notes, with citrus, floral and resinous hops. The flavour had some notes of Belgian yeasts along with big juicy hops, a moderate malt backbone, citrus and other tropical fruits and some white pepper spice. This is not usually a style that I would gravitate to, but I thoroughly enjoyed this. The brew also merited 3rd place at the Great Ontario-Hopped Craft Beer Competition.

4X4 ~ STACK BREWING

10.5% from Sudbury, Ontario
4 x 4 is a Belgian style quad. It is rich in taste and high in alcohol. Sampled on draught the beer poured a fairly clear brown with ruby and amber highlights and a moderate light brown head. The head left lovely lacing as it receded down the sides of the glass into a cap and collar. The nose had lots of rich malts, caramel, fruit bread, and dried fruit, spice and some subtle yeast and molasses. The palette had notes of plums, dark fruit, treacle, estery banana bread, with subtle spice and yeast. The flavour is quite sweet, with a touch of bitterness at the finish, along with warming alcohol. The body is on the full side and the carbonation was soft. Overall, quite palatable but lacking in some complexity.

20 MILE FARMHOUSE ALE ~ BENCH BREWING

5.3% from Beamsville, Ontario 

 IBU 27

This Brew is named after Twenty Mile Creek that runs through Twenty Valley. Sampled on draught the beer poured a slightly hazy golden colour with a generous white head. The head had good retention and left some lacing as it disappeared. The nose contained some peppery spice, fruit, citrus, pale malts, yeast esters and a grassy earthiness. The taste follows the nose. There is lots of fruits, citrus, yeast notes, peppery spice and pale malts. The hops were a little amped up for a Farmhouse ale giving it a bitter but smooth and dry finish. The beer had medium carbonation and a fun flavoured medium body. Overall quite good, but I prefer my saisons to be a little less bitter.

Yeast: Old World Saison Blend
Kettle Hops : Ella & Enigma
Malts: Bohemium Pilsner, Canadian 2-row and wheat.

WINTER LAGER ~ WELLINGTON 

6.8% from Guelph, Ontario
This winter lager is a helles bock. Sampled on draught the beer poured a very lightly hazed deep golden-orange with a small white head. As the head dissipated, small wispy lacing remained on the glass. The aroma has notes of grainy malts, light caramel, subtle fruit, and earthiness and herbal earthy hops. The flavour followed as expected from the nose (bready malts, caramel, noble hops). The beer had a slightly warming booziness not the finish. The body was medium (on the heavier side) and the carbonation was moderate. Very pleasant.

PASS THE DUBBEL ~ STACK

8% from Sudbury, Ontario
This dubbed was to be had on draught at the Stack Tap take over. The brew was the winner of the 2017 Northern Ontario Microbrew Contest. The beer poured a hazy brown colour with a small off white head., which left some lacing as it receded. The nose was typical of a double with some bread malts, caramel , sweet Belgian yeasts, subtle fruit and an earthiness. The taste follows, again with bread malts, caramel, plums and fruit and candi sugar. The finish had low bitterness and a slight sweetness. Overall a nicely done example of the style.

CUPIDS WINGS HIBISCUS RED ALE ~ BARNSTORMER

6.9% from Barrie, Ontario 

 25 IBU

Cupid’s Wing was a special February Release from Barnstormer Brewing in Barrie. It is a red ale brewed with hibiscus. Sampled in draught the beer poured a rich brown colour with garnet hues and an off white head, which left streaky lacing as it receded. The nose had notes of molasses and malts, with aa subtle hibiscus floridness, coming through. There is lots going on here making the brew slightly muddled. Taste followed the nose: molasses, caramel, malts, red berries, a little tartness with an off dry very subtle floral hibiscus finish. Quite drinkable, just not stellar.

JELLYKING ~ BELLWOODS BREWERY

Jellyking is a citra dry hopped sour. The brew has been soured using a 5 strain house blend of lactobacillus. Sampled on draught the beer poured a hazy yellowy orange colour, with a small white head that a quickly settled into a ring. The nose was tart and sour containing notes of peach, apricot, lemony and grapefruit citrus, bready malts, a little funk and grassy floral hops. The taste was pleasantly sour with lots of stone fruit, lemon, grapefruit and earthy herbal-floral hops. The finish is low in bitterness with a crisp tartness. The beer was medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Very drinkable, quite pleasant.

5.6% from Toronto, Ontario

CHERRY CHOCOLATE STOUT ~ STACK

6.9% from Sudbury, Ontario

This stout is brewed with organic cocao nibs and cherries Sampled on draught this stour poured almost black with a generous beige head. The aroma had notes of dark chocolate, charred malts, and cherry. The flavour was slightly tart with lots of dark roasted malts, chocolate and cherry. The finish had a bitter charred quality to it. Unlike other chocolate fruit stouts, this one retains more of its stout qualities. The mouthfeel was medium and the carbonation was quite soft. Nicely balanced, not over done, very pleasant.