DESTRUCTOR SERIES 3: WINTER BOCK ~ JUNCTION CRAFT

6.5% from The Junction, Toronto 30 IBU

This doppelbock is the third offering in Junction Craft’s Destructor Series. Sampled on draught the beer poured a fairly clear orange amber brown colour with a thin off white head. The nose contained caramel, some orchard fruits, subtle mineral notes and spice. This beer is quite malt forward with caramel and fruit first, followed by spice, a roasted grains, and grassy hops. The finish is off dry. The body was medium and the carbonation was average. Not spectacular but a very passable bock.

Photo Courtesy of Junction Craft website.

HOPPERCAR APA ~ JUNCTION CRAFT BREWING

Hoppercar American Pale Ale is actually Junction Conductors Ale that has been dry hopped. Sampled from a tin, the beer poured a clear deep coppery orange with an off white soapy head. The head stuck around before leaving good lacing around the glass. Aroma had come caramel, bready hops, yeast, subtle fruitiness and a variety of hops – pine, grass, floral, citrus. Nicely balanced in taste with caramel malts, soft fruit, biscuit grains, subtle earthiness and an assertive bitter finish. Junction Craft brewing has used five different malts in the brew (from Canada, Germany, France, and England) and also used five different hops (German, Czech and American west Coast). Junction Craft has also come up with a system they call the “hopback” that infuses flavour into the brew between the kettle and the fermenter. Cascade and German Tetnanger are used in the hopback process. The body was medium-plus and the carbonation was on into the moderate soft range. This needs to be a little assertive in the bitterness department to make this sessionable for me, but worth a try.
5.3 % from Toronto, Ontario

JUNCTION CRAFT BREWING ~ TRACKLAYER'S KÖLSCH

Poured from a bottle Tracklayer’s Kölsch poured a clear effervescent pale straw blonde with a good sized, lingering frothy white head. As the foam receded, nice lacing lined the glass. The aroma was somewhat grassy with notes of pale cereals, light florals, light malts (German Best Maltz) and some very subtle orchard fruit (pear and apple?). The flavour had lots of bready grainy malts along with grass and a light fruitiness. The finish is crisp and dry and had a lingering hop bitterness (Tetnanger hops). The body was average and the carbonation was moderate too. This beer is a little hoppier than those found in Köln, but a very nice example of the style.

5% from Toronto 48 IBU

JUNCTION CRAFT BREWING ~ OLYMPIA LOOPING RED WHEAT ALE

Sampled from a bottle, Olympia Looping is a red wheat ale made with Red X malt (known for producing red fiery coloured brews). The beer poured a hazy deep amber-red-rust colour with a generous off white sudsy foam, which left a nice cap and some lacing. The nose is mild with some bubble gum, banana, mild spice and orchard and stone fruits. Tastes much like you would expect from a wheat beer, with a pleasant dry slightly bitter finish. The brew contained lots of off sweet tangy fruity flavours as well, making this quite a refreshing summer sipper. The beer was on the medium side of light in body and the carbonation was slightly soft. A decent sessionable summer drink. BTW “Olympia Looping” is the name of the largest portable steel roller coaster in the world, complete with five loops.

5.2 % from Toronto, Ontario IBU 18

QUEEN OF TARTS ~ JUNCTION CRAFT BREWING

Queen of Tarts is a hefeweizen with raspberries. Sampled on draught, the beer poured a hazy pinky-peach red hue with a small pale peach head. There is lots of tart raspberry on the nose. The raspberry is present but not overpowering, though there is a subtle tartness, I would have liked to see this amped up a little. The raspberry flavour is not overpowering and there is grain and fruit on the back end, before a gentle hops. A refreshing summer sipper.

4.8 % from Toronto (Junction area), Toronto 10 IBU

WEST TORONTO WEIZEN ~ JUNCTION CRAFT BREWING

Sampled from a tin this hefeweizen poured a hazy golden straw colour with a good white head, which left some thin lacing. The nose had tonnes of banana and clove, with spice, lemony citrus and wheat. The flavour follows as expected, with lots of banana esters, fruitiness, spice and wheat. Subtle grassy hops finish it off. The beer was smooth, medium-light bodied, with soft carbonation. This is a pleasant example of the style, a good patio beer, but nothing spectacular.

5% from Toronto, Ontario 10 IBU

DARK MATTER BLACK IPA ~ JUNCTION CRAFT BREWING

This type of beer is a relatively new style, first recognized by the American Brewers Association in 2010. It has several monikers: India Black Ale, American Black Ale, or Cascadian Dark Ale. The name, Cascadian, is from the Republic of Cascadia a fantasy country that would include parts of Oregon, Washington State and British Columbia. It is dark like a porter but hoppy like an IPA. Sampled from a tin, this brew poured a dark brown with a beige head. The aroma has lots of roasted malts, a little nuttiness, and a piny hop. The beer itself was bitter but not overly so; there were lots of hops on the tail end and aftertaste. The beer starts with lots of roasted dark malts, with a touch of dark chocolate and toasted nuts. Piny hoppiness finishes it off. It took seven different types of barley and four hops to make this brew – Chinook, Cascade, Palisade and Tetnager) This brew was not as heavy as some other Black IPAs I have had, it had a medium body and soft carbonation. I would definitely revisit this one.

7% from Toronto, Ontario 70 IBU

BRAKEMAN’S SESSION ALE ~ JUNCTION

This Golden Ale was Sampled from a 473 mL tin. The beer poured a slightly opaque golden yellow colour with a good head. The head lasted several minutes then left good lacing on the glass. The nose was simple and contained a little citrus, grains and fragrant hops. The taste was surprisingly hoppy for Golden Ale. The brew was made with two malts and three hops (“Admiral”, “WGV” and “Super Galena) and ‘hopbacked’ with dry leaf Cascade and Super Galena hops. The beer is sharp right off the top, and bitterness dominated the taste. When chilled the hops had lots of pine and grapefruit flavour, but as it warmed the hops became more perfumy and floral. The malts also became more evident as the beer warmed and hinted at sweetness. The finish was dry and the hops lingered on the aftertaste. The carbonation was moderate and the mouthfeel was a little thin. The beer was simple and refreshing but it was a little too hoppy for me to be a session ale.

4.6% from Toronto, Ontario        40 IBU
Silver Medalist at the 2014 Canadian Brewing Awards

HUGHEY’S GOLDEN ALE ~ JUNCTION WITH ROBERY HUGHEY

Hughey’s Golden Ale is collaboration between Junction Brewery and Robert Hughey, beer writer and connoisseur. Sampled on draught on cask. This is an English style blonde ale. It poured a golden yellow with no head and little visible carbonation. The nose was mild but contained some mild malts and hops and an earthiness. My beer was flat, but had a creamy mouth feel. This beer is smooth and quaffable but I would have preferred something with a little more personality.

4.8% from Toronto, Ontario