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.

&FLANDERS RED ~ EXCHANGE

Flanders Red is yet another in the exchange breweries delicious sours. Sampled on draught the beer poured a deep opaque coppery colour with a generous beige-white loose head. The nose was vinous and tart, with some subtle fruit. The taste was not as sour as expected, but rich none the less. Notes of tart orchard fruits, tannins and oak added complexity. The finish had an off dry oakiness. The body was medium and the carbonation was moderate. Quite a pleasant version of the this Traditional Belgian West Flanders ale.
7% from Niagara on the Lake, Ontario

& GRAND CRU ~ EXCHANGE BREWERY

 This brew is a biére de garde aged on Pearl Morisette Pinot Noir must. Sampled on draught in a tulip glass, the beer poured a slightly cloudy bright orange amber with a small bone coloured head. The head receded into a cap and collar leaving patchy lacing. There is lots of wine on the palette of this tart brew with some funky-bretty qualities too. The wine, tart fruitiness, subtle woodiness and slight funk work really well together. The body is on the light side and the carbonation was average. Quite delicious and not overdone.

7.5% from Niagara on the Lake, Ontario

Photo Courtesy of Exchange Brewery Instagram

#1 AMERICAN WHEAT ALE ~ EXCHANGE BREWERY

Sampled on draught this ‘American Wheat Ale’ poured a golden yellow with a small white head, which did not last very long. The nose is straight forward and simple has a touch of wheat and hop fruitiness. The taste contains notes of biscuits, orchard fruits with stones, citrus, resin, a touch of pepper and sweet wheat malts. The balance is quite nice with slight malty sweetness and resiny hop finish. The body is medium as is the carbonation, with a piney dry finish. The wheat flavour is very light. A very nice pleasant session beer.
5.1% from Niagara on the Lake, Ontario
Hops: Cascade and Mosaic

COUNTRY BUMPKIN ~ OAST HOUSE

Country Bumpkin is a seasonal offering from Niagara Last house featuring fresh pumpkin and acorn, butternut, and hubbard squash that have been roasted then mashed with the malt and a load of pumpkin pie spice that has been added in the boil. Sampled on draught the beer poured a fairly clear deep orangey amber with an average cream coloured head. The aroma was a pumpkin pie! - lots of baking spice (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves), pumpkin, and roasted malts. Taste follows as would b expected, spices up front, followed by pumpkin and then toasted malts giving it a crusty pumpkin pie impression. There is very little hop bitterness. The body was medium and the carbonation was average to soft. This is one of the nicer pumpkin beers I’ve had.

5.5% from Niagara on the Lake, Ontario 18 IBU

GRAMMA’S STRAWBERRY RHUBARB ALE ~ OAST HOUSE

I love the seasonal summer brews made with fresh Ontario fruits. Gramma’s Strawberry and Rhubarb ale was sampled on draught. The beer poured a hazy orangey apricot colour with a small frothy bone coloured head. The head receded quickly leaving a cap and some lacing. The nose was subtle and simple: light strawberry and fruits, and a bready graininess. Taste follows the nose. The strawberry and rhubarb are not too over powering neither are they too subtle. There is a lovely fruity flavour mid sip, beginning with sweet strawberries, followed by a little rhubarb tartness and mild biscuit yeasts. The flavour is fresh and quenching. The body s medium-light and the carbonation was moderate. Love this one for summer patios! Thanks Oast!

4.8% from Niagara on the Lake, Ontario

BLACK SOW’R STOUT ~ OAST HOUSE

This is a bit of a crazy and daring brew…I have never had anything quite like this before. This beer is a sour stout aged in red wine barrels! Sampled on draught the beer poured a very dark brown –black with almost no head. The nose had quite a lot of complexity: roasted malts, red wine, wood, tart acidity, and dark fruits. The taste is really busy with tons going on. The first sip was very sour – a really tart sour. Dark fruits, currants, raisins, chocolate, caramel, licorice and coffee then follow the sourness. The finish returns to tart. The sourness from the first sip fades a little and the complexity of flavours emerges as the beer warms. The carbonation is soft and the body is on the thin side. A very interesting and innovative brew, but I would not want more than one. I think I would like this more if accompanied by food, perhaps some creamy blue cheese or Brie.

5.5% from Niagara on the Lake, Ontario

OAST HOUSE ~ BIERE DE MARS 

SWEET'N SOW’R

A bottle of this at my local bar was my celebratory drink for starting summer holidays. The price is quite steep, so this was a once in a blue moon treat. The beer is one of Oast house’s bottle conditioned saisons. This one is a Biere de Mars, because traditionally this beer would be brewed in March to be ready for the farm hands in the summer. The bottle we enjoyed had been aging in the bottle since March 2015. Sampled for a 750mL caged and corked bottle, the beer poured a hazy orangey amber colour with plenty of creamy head, and lots of snap and crackle. The head left impressive lacing as it receded into a cap. The nose had lots of sherry, orchard fruits, especially peach, lemony citrus, Belgian yeasts, peppery spice, and tartness with a little astringency. The beer had a nice complexity and funky peach and other orchard fruits, melon, brown sugar, some herbals, slight sourness, and a hint of oak. Sweet fruits and mild caramel malts developed as the beer warmed. The sweet and sour were well balanced as was the dry mouthfeel at the end. The finish reminded me of champagne or cider. The carbonation was fairly lively and the body was medium. This a very approachable beer, lovely to sip on in the warm summer months, when you are feeling like a splurge.

5.5% from Niagara on the Lake, Ontario

SHINY APPLE PEACH CIDER ~ SMALL TALK CIDERY & VINEYARDS

I am not usually a cider person, but there have been lots of new offerings and cideries to try this year. Sampled on draught Shiny Apple Peach cider poured a very clear pale peachy colour. There were lots of green apples on the nose (made from 100% Ontario grown apples), with a touch of peach. The cider is more sweet than tart. The tartness of the apples, however, and the sweetness of the peaches meld to make a refreshing and smooth summer drink summer drink. The mouthfeel is a little syrupy due to the nature of peach nectar and the carbonation is on the soft side.

5% from Niagara on the Lake, Ontario

OUD BRUIN ~ EXCHANGE BREWERY

I think this new Brewery from Niagara on the Lake may be one to watch out for. I have really enjoyed both Belgian style offerings I have had thus far. The Oud Bruin is a Flanders style Brown ale, aged in red wine barrels. Sampled on draught it poured an opaque rich mahogany colour with a thin cream head. The nose had lots of red wine with black currants, balsamic vinegar, barrel oakiness, rich malts and sourness. The taste fills your mouth with complex flavours: red wine and touch of sweet balsamic, dark fruits, sherry, and rich sourness. The sourness is not overpowering and lends some complexity to the brew. The beer was made with Chilean malts and fermented in pearl Morrisette red wine barrels for five months with Brett and lactobacillus. The carbonation is quite soft and the body is on the cusp of medium and full. An impressive first sour from this brewery, in fact one of the best domestic examples of this style. Bravo Exchange.

6.5% from Niagara on the Lake 27 IBU

GOLDEN ALE ~ EXCHANGE BREWERY

This beer is a real treat – I look forward to more from this brewery. This golden ale is made in the style of Belgian Ale. It is brewed with Belgian house yeast and aged in French oak barrels with . Sampled on draught the beer poured a golden yellow with a white head, which left fabulous lacing. The nose was as complex as the taste with notes of white wine, slight sourness, light fruits, and a little funk. The taste had plenty of white wine (from being aged in Chardonnay barrels), Belgian yeasts, subtle fruitiness, vanilla, oak, hay and grassy hops. Beautifully complex and nicely balanced.

Hops: Cascade and Mosaic.
7.6% from Niagara on the Lake      33 IBU

EISBOCK ~ OAST HOUSE

Bocks are a traditional German dark lager, brewed since the 1700’s. There are several sub groups: maibock (a lighter and hoppier version), doppelbock (maltier and higher in alcohol) and Eisbock (the strongest of the group.) Eisbock was traditionally made by freezing doppelbock and removing the ice crystals, therefore making it a more concentrated in alcohol. Sampled on draught this beer poured a deep brown with coppery highlights. There was a small beige head that left a collar and nice lacing. The nose was quite mild, with hints of malts, fruit and alcohol. The taste was full of flavour and quite boozy, which lends itself to sipping. Dark fruit and rum soaked candied peel emerge first followed by coffee, dark chocolate, roasted malts, burnt sugar, Belgian yeast, and caramel. Some may find this too sweet, but on an unseasonably cold April night, this sipper was super.

10.1% from Niagara, Ontario
PHOTO: Courtesy of OAST instagram

BAVARIAN BREAKFAST WHEAT ~ SILVERSMITH BREWING

This German style hefeweizen/weissbeier is another solid beer from Silversmith Brewing. Sampled on draught the beer poured an unfiltered hazy golden colour with touches or amber. It had a long lasting white head and lots of carbonation. The nose contained the classic banana and clove with some citrusy orange and lemon, wheat and yeast. The taste is much as would be expected: wheat, clove, citrus and a touch of banana. Spicy yeasts finish the beer with a spicy finish and a hop bitterness. This is a well executed beer, made with all natural ingredients and is unpasteurized. I have not been disappointed by Silversmith Brewing yet, and this is a lovely example of the style.

5.2% from Niagara on the lake, Ontario 16 IBU

ROASTED WALNUT BOURBON AGED PORTER ~ OAST HOUSE

When I walked into my local, the Bartender, ran over and told me I couldn’t order until I had tried this one. She remembered that I liked my porters and this was a new addition to the taps. Sampled on draught, this porter was one boozy treat! The beer poured very dark brown with a small off white head. There was tons of bourbon on the nose, along with roasted malts, subtle nuttiness, vanilla and coffee. The taste was incredibly full flavoured and rich. Chocolate, coffee, and dark fruit give way to a subtle nuttiness, barrel oakiness, and caramel sweetness mid sip. The malt backbone emerges into a hoppy finish followed by an aftertaste of bourbon. The bitterness is perfect in this porter and compliments the vanilla and bourbon notes. Thought this porter is already high in alcohol (7.2%) I think it tastes even boozier. The walnuts this porter was made with are all from the Niagara on the Lake region and were toasted in house.

7.2 % from Niagara on the Lake, Ontario

PHOTO : OAST HOUSE INSTAGRAM

PITCHFORK PORTER ~ NIAGARA OAST HOUSE

Sampled on Draught, this porter poured a opaque dark brown, with coppery highlights and a medium sized creamy beige head. Caramel, coffee, dried fruit, dark chocolate, and slightly burned toast were all on the nose. The hops were very light in both aroma and taste. The beer tasted, as one would expect from the nose, with a very mild dry bitterness at the end, blended with roasted malts. The body was average to thin, but was quite flavourful. A straight forward modest porter. Would have this again.

5.3% from Niagara, Ontario

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

ROASTED CHESTNUT BROWN ALE ~ OAST HOUSE

Sampled on Draught. This Brown Ale is quite mild all around. The beer poured and dark straw colour with orangey undertones. The nose is mild with malts and a touch of tropical fruit. The beer was fairly light on the palette. Lots of malts provided the backbone, but I got little chestnut in the flavour. It was sweet like an English mild, with a wee bit of hop bitterness at the end. Not bad, but I think I would have preferred it to have more guts.

5% from Niagara, Ontario

VERJUS SOUR ~ OAST HOUSE 

Verjus (or verjuice) is the acidic juice made by pressing unripe grapes, crab-apples or other unripe sour fruit. It dates to the middle ages where is was used as a condiment. This beer is brewed with Niagara Pinot Noir grape verjus (from Lepp farms), lending its sour notes. This is a naturally sour beer, created by the verjus, no lactobacillus was added. The brewery also used a specially propagated by Oast house. Sampled on draught this beer pour a hazy light yellow with a small bone coloured head. The nose has lots of sour notes, with some grains, and grapes and other tart fruits. The flavour is similar, pleasantly sour and tart with subtle grape and grains. The sourness is not overpowering but more like a gueze. The brew is smooth, with soft carbonation. I really liked this one and look forward to tasting some of the brew that has been set aside to age in wine barrels.

4.8% from Niagara 7 IBU

DAM BUSTER ~ SILVERSMITH

Dam Buster is marketed as a Rye English Pale Ale, but I think it is much more similar to a British Bitter.  The beer poured a beautiful deep golden rusty colour, with a creamy pale yellow head.  The nose had a huge malt backbone, with bready yeasts, some dark fruit and a little spice.  This is a robust beer that packs a lot of flavour!  The taste is quite malty, with a little berry tartness and a nuttiness.  There is lots of chocolate and burnt sugar in the roasted malts. Nicely bittered mild hop at the end.

Like ‘Hill 145”, another of Silversmith’s offerings, Dam Busters refers to a World War II Battle that involved Canadian soldiers.  The attack involved bombing German dams in the Ruhr and Eder Valleys, with a new type of ‘bouncing bomb.’  Thirteen killed in the bombing efforts belonged to the Royal Canadian Air Force.

5% from Niagara on the Lake, Ontario

HILL 145 ~ SILVERSMITH BREWERY

Hill 145 is a Golden Ale (sometimes known as American Blonde Ale).  Pours a coppery gold colour with a white foamy head.  Aroma is a light maltiness, a subtle rye and some floral notes.  Flavour begins with malty sweetness and finishes clean and crisp, with some rye flavour.  It is a remarkably full-bodied for a beer that is only 4%.  Lovely malty session beer.

4% from Niagara on the Lake, Ontario 

15  IBU  -beer 93-

The name is a reference to a Vimy Ridge Battle.  More than 15, 000 Canadian Infantry marched towards Germans at the front at Vimy.  With incredible discipline and bravery the Canadians continued to move forward in heavy fire and forced the surrender of German machine-gun nests and protective dugouts.  Hill 145 is the highest hill and the site of the present day Vimy Monument.  The hill was overtaken in a frontal bayonet charge versus German Machine guns.