RICHARD FINGERS AND THE HANDFULS: HOBO JUNGLE ~ SAWDUST CITY

This limited release is the 6th is Sawdust City’s Winewood Series. It is a blend of two different beer styles, both barrelled in Ontario red wine barrels, one for 20 months and the other for 24 months. The bottles are then bottle conditioned for an additional three months. Sampled on draught, the beer poured an opaque medium rusty red, with a modest off white head. The nose had tons of tart orchard fruit, cherry, with some subtle wood, earthiness, funk and vinous qualities. The taste reminded me of a Flander’s Red. It was lightly sour, with a vinous-vinegar notes, along with lots of fruit, a base of caramel malt, and subtle notes of oakiness and funk. THE finish has tannic tea like quality, the body was medium and the carbonation was on the soft side. This was very flavourful and quite drinkable.

9% from Gravenhurst, Ontario 22 IBU

Photo courtesy of Sawdust City

FIEBRE DE CALABAZA ~ SAWDUST CITY 

Fiebre De Calabaza is one crazy brew! It is a sour Bourbon barrel fermented oatmeal stout with Mexican spices and pumpkin on nitro. Sampled on draught at Sawdust City’s Annual tap takeover, this stout poured a deep mahogany brown-black with a generous pillowy beige head. The nose contains a plethora of smells: sour, spice, smoke, pumpkin, fruit, roasted malts, chocolate…. The taste is as complex. The beer’s first impression is that of a sour stout, with vinous dark fruit. This is followed by roasted malts, chocolate and cocoa and woody notes from the barrel aging and then finishes with heat from the Mexican spices and habanero at the back of your throat. The body is medium and the carbonation was average to light. There is a lot going on here, this is definitely a beer for the adventurous. Interesting but I could not have more than one.
6.5% from Gravenhurst, Ontario 35 IBU

THE PRINCESS WEARS GIRL PANTS ~ SAWDUST CITY BREWING

This princess is a hoppy Belgian inspired Golden Ale. Sampled on draught the beer pours a hazy light golden with a generous frothy white head. The head had both good retention and lacing. Lots of effervescence is visible. The aroma contains lots of tropical fruit (pineapple, mango) peach, citrus (lemon, orange, grapefruit) pine hops, grass, and spicy Belgian yeast. The flavour has complexity with waves of flavour. There is a spicy Belgian yeast , sweet malts and grains, tangy tropical and other fruits, grapefruit and lemon rind bitterness, a medium bitter hop kick and warming alcohol. The finish is bitter and drying, but still retaining some fruitiness. The mouthfeel is medium heavy and the carbonation is lively and prickly.This beer is an interesting mix of old world and new world host and flavours. Worth a purchase and a try.

9% from Gravenhurst, Ontario 35 IBU

HYGGE ~ SAWDUST CITY

Hygge is a limited edition season release from Sawdust City (to be released December 1st, 2016). It is a Belgian Tripel that has been kettle soured, fermented with a Belgian Monastery yeast strain and aged/conditioned over 600 lbs of black plums. Sampled on draught the beer poured a light cloudy orange with little head. Aroma is light and contains, spicy yeasts, plums, a touch of funk and alcohol. The flavour is not overly sour which allows the fruitiness to come through. Spicy Belgian yeasts are complemented by the plums and tartness. The alcohol was on the subtle side. The mouthfeel was on the thin side and the carbonation was rather flat. This is a tasty brew but would be better with more carbonation.
BTW Hygge is a Danish word meaning, loosely translated, cosy, warm atmosphere, enjoying the good things in life with those you care about.

7% from Gravenhurst, Ontario

Picture courtesy of Sawdust City Instagram

BLOOD OF CTHULHU (2016) ~ SAWDUST CITY BREWING

This season brew is a monster! Blood of Cthulhu has been rereleased for 2016 and is better than I remembered. The brew is an imperial stout that has been brewed with raspberries, cranberries and tart cherries, along with a ton of malt. Sampled from a pint on draught, this beer poured a deep ebony with a generous creamy dark tan head. The head had great retention and left beautiful lacing as it settled into a cap. The nose has lots of wasted and toasted malts, along with dark chocolate, and red berries. This beer was like a Black forest cake for adults, lots of chocolate and berry flavour, especially from the cherries. Mid palette the beer has a slightly acidic bite but finishes with a roasted bitterness and dark chocolate.. The body was medium full and the stout had a creamy thick mouthfeel. The carbonation was medium to soft. Be careful he 9% can creep up on you! A beautiful cold weather treat.

9.5% from Gravenhurst, Ontario

BASIL BEACH ~ SAWDUST CITY

Basil Beach is Sawdust City’s Golden Beach Pale ale brewed with fresh basil. It is a limited edition one-off. It was sampled on Sawdust City’s massive tap (25 taps and 5 kegs) takeover at the Only Cafe in Toronto. Sampled a pint, drawn from one of the kegs. The beer pours a hazy bright sunny gold with a small bubbly head. The nose contains citrusy lemon, grass, basil and floral hops. Taste follows as expected: citrusy and herbal hops, a little orchard, fruit, grass and a light basil, which became a little more pronounced as the beer warmed.The finish is a little astringent and bitter. The carbonation is active and lively.  

5% from Gravenhurst, Ontario IBU 25

WATER: pure Muskoka water
BARLEY /MALT: Canadian 2-row barley, wheat
HOPS: galaxy, mosaic, Sorachi ace, summit
YEAST California ale
OTHER: Basil

SÄGEMEHL STADT ~ SAWDUST CITY

It is that time of year again, days get shorter, nights get colder and beers get darker. Sägemehl Stadt is Sawdust City’s marzen/festbeir. Sampled on draught, the beer poured a clear dark amber, with a moderate blanket of cream coloured foam. The head didn’t stick around but did leave nice lacing as it receded. The nose had some floral and herbal notes along with malts, caramel, and toasted bread. The flavour is light with notes of caramel, toasted grain, tree fruit, mild nuttiness and light earthiness hop bitterness. This one is a little sweeter than others I have had, I would have preferred more leafy hop bitterness. Mouthfeel was on the thin side and the carbonation was lazy. Pleasant enough, bit just didn’t hit the mark for me.
5% from Gravenhurst, Ontario 30 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

WEST COAST SESSION LAGER ~ LOCAL SEVEN, SWEETGRASS

The West Coast Session Lager is Local 7’s 2016 offering. Each year a number of independent Toronto Bars (Wurst, Auld Spot, Only Cafe, Bar Hop, Bryden's, Bar Volo, C'est What?, Griffin Pub) come up with a beer that only those establishments will offer on draught, (Lemon verbena saison and gose have been delicious past offerings). Brew master Sam Corbeil (usually at Sawdust City) came up with the recipe and designed the beer for ‘drinkin’ not thinkin,’ and Sweetgrass Brewing brews the beer. This years offering is a well-hopped session lager, with a touch of lime. Sampled on draught the beer poured a very pale slightly hazy, yellowish gold with a dense moderate white head, that slowly recedes and leaves generous lacing. The aroma contains lime, light malts, hay and bread, and citrusy hops. The taste is bright, refreshing and nicely balanced. Flavours include tropical fruit, citrus, resin, straw, subdued florals with a touch of brewed and caramel, finished with a light bitterness. The finish is clean and dry, with a slight lingering citrus. Very refreshing, easily sessionable, delicious!

4.5% from Toronto, Ontario

HOPS: Idaho 7, Sorachi Ace, and Centennial

GATEWAY KOLSCH ~ SAWDUST CITY

This beer is a Kölsch styled beer (lagered-ale). This style originate in Koln Germany. Sawdust City ages their Kölsch a little longer than the style would call for, to mellow out the flavours and make this an easy drinking sessionale beer. I wonder if the “Gateway” in the name is the gateway to introduce people into craft beers. Sampled on draft this beer poured a clear light golden yellow with a puffy white head. The nose was very mild with hints of straw and citrus. Taste too was very mild. There was a pleasant crisp pilsner like quality, a little sweetness, a hint of noble hops and a crisp finish. The bitterness was very low, the body was light and the carbonation was medium high. This is a simple, very quaffable easy drinking summer beer.

WATER: Pure Muskoka Water
BARLEY/MALT: Canadian 2-row barley, wheat
HOPS: magnum, spalt
YEAST: California ale

20 IBU 5% from Gravenhurst, Ontario

I, THE MOUNTAIN AND THE LEPRECHAUN FLUTE ~ SAWDUST CITY

This brew is a collaboration with folk rockers “I the Mountain” and Sawdust City Brewery. It is a Red IPA or India Red Ale, released for a limited time to celebrate spring. Unlike many red ales that can be more malt forward, this one hollers hops. Sampled on draught, the beer poured a beautiful slightly murky red colour, with a sizeable fluffy off-white head. The nose has a variety of dank hops – lemon peel, pine, and orange. The beer is quite hop forward but also has evidence of biscuit-bready malts. First sips had lots of citrus, especially orange. The middle remained hoppy but also had a sweet maltiness to it. The finish was dry with more pine resin and grapefruit. The beer was brewed with six different malts and Summit, Mosaic, and Nelson Sauvin hops. The 7% ABU helps to hide the bitterness of the 70 IBU’s this beer contains. I know many of you are, but I’m not one for mouth shredding hops, I do however really like this beer!

7.4% from Gravenhurst, Ontario     70 IBU

OR THOUGHTS ON GOOD & EVIL ~ SAWDUST CITY

Sampled on draught, this brew is a dark winter saison. The beer poured a deep brown with garnet highlights and an off white head that left lacing. The nose contained caramel, dried fruit, fruity esters, spice and roasted barley. The flavour had a complexity. At first it was caramel and burnt sugar, rich malts and a touch of wood. A light sweet chocolate, spice and dried fruit were more predominant as the beer warmed. The beer gave a warming boozy feeling. The finish still contained strong sweet malts and fruit but also had a mild hop bitterness (hopped with Amarillo). The beer was medium to full bodied with lively carbonation. This beer reminded me some Belgian Ales, but hinted at ‘saison-ness’ as well. Very drinkable for 8%. A Delicious winter brew!
Barley & Malt: Pilsner, Munich II, carafe II special, wheat, Demerara sugar
Hops: Amarillo
Yeast: Belgian Saison

15 IBU

BEERS II MEN ~ SAWDUST CITY & NORTHWINDS

Beers II Men is a one-off Belgian Pale ale, brewed with peaches and Earl Grey Tea. Sampled on draught, the beer poured a light amber or dark golden colour. Both the peaches and the tea were subtle. I could taste the tannins in the tea, which lent a little astringency, but complimented the faint sweetness of the peaches. The beer has crisp bitter hoppy finish. I enjoyed this one but would have liked the peach flavour to shine through just a little bit more.

4.8% from Gravenhurst, Ontario 30 IBU

OL’ WOODY ~ SAWDUST CITY

Ol’ Woody is an Altbier, it was sampled on draught. According to the wiki, Altbier (German for 'old beer') is a style of beer originating in Germany. It was first brewed in the historical region of Westphalia and is a speciality of the city of Düsseldorf. Its name comes from its production using the technique of top fermentation, an older method than bottom fermentation characteristic of other lager styles of beer.”
The beer pours a deep copper mahogany red with a thin off white head. The nose contained lots of sweet toasted bready malts and caramel, with some herbal/floral hops notes. The taste was much the same, caramel, roasted malts, bread, a touch of earthiness and a hop bitterness to balance. The carbonation was moderate and the finish was crisp. I really enjoyed this beer, the taste was big and the finale was a nicely restrained and balanced.

5.3% from Gravenhurst, Ontario 35 IBU

SAWDUST CITY ~ LONE PINE

Lone Pine is a West Coast IPA. Sampled on draught. The beer poured a hazy golden straw colour with a good off white head and good retention. The nose had lots of pine and citrus from the aggressively hopped beer. Other citrus fruit and malts were in the distant background. The brew was packed with hoppy flavours. Plenty of hops lend a strong grapefruit and piney resin taste with a little sweetness from shy malts. The finish is crisp and dry with a lingering resiny bitter aftertaste. The carbonation was lively. A hoppy, but not overdone IPA. Quite enjoyable!

6.5% from Gravenhurst, Ontario  65 IBU

#8 ~ SAWDUST CITY 

#8 is an Imperial Schwartzbier. It is a Sawdust City one-off and was sampled on draught at the Sawdust City tap takeover at the Only Café in Toronto. The beer poured very dark brown. There was lots of dark roasted malt sweetness, as well as hints of chocolate. The finish had a hint of smoke. Nicely balanced and very drinkable.

8% from Gravenhurst, Ontario

GOLDEN BEACH ~ SAWDUST CITY 

Sampled on draught this beer pours sunshine yellow with a little cloudiness due to the fact it is unfiltered. The frothy head lasted and left some nice lacing. The beer is made from 50% wheat and appeared somewhat like a wit beer, but had more opacity. The nose was full of fruity hoppiness, with tropical fruit and citrus and pine in the back. The taste contains lots of fruitiness, with citrus and citrus peel, mild malt in the middle and resiny pine hoppiness at the end. This hopped up wheat beer left a crisp bitterness, but retained a little of the wheat sweetness. An excellent beer, with lots of complexity from the hops, very drinkable, I will be returning to this one!
4.5% from Gravenhurst, Ontario 25 IBU
Barley: Canadian 2 row barley, wheat
Hops: galaxy, mosaic, sorachi ace, summit
Yeast : California Ale

SAWDUST CITY ~ SEARCHING FOR LOMEZ BRAGGOT

Searching for Lomez Braggot is a one off braggot/mead brewed by James Benson. Sampled on draught, it poured a golden yellow. The beer clung to the sides of the glass. Honey was dominant on the nose, but there was also a lime citrus too. The taste was sour, like a Berliner, which was in sharp contrast to the nose. I believe the beer component of this mead was a wild ale or wild saison. The aftertaste was honey, with no trace of bitterness. The beverage was quite warming, but the alcohol seemed to be well hidden.
Braggot is a very old drink; it mentioned in the Canterbury Tales in the late 14th Century, even earlier records exist. Braggot is made by blending spices and herbs with mead (alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey and water) and beer. The braggot was created either at taverns or by the brewers.

8.5% from Gravenhurst, Ontario

BLOOD OF CTHULHU ~ SAWDUST CITY & BARHOP

Blood of Cthulhu is an imperial stout brewed with cherries, raspberries and cranberries and a ton of malts.  It is collaboration with Bar-Hop, initially it was intended as a one-off, but they have made it again this year.  Sampled on draught, the beer poured almost black with a substantial mocha head, which left lots of lacing.  Its nose contained notes of chocolate, berries and roasted malts.  The flavour had lots of dark chocolate, cranberries and dark cherries and hints of coffee and spice.  The sweetness of the berries finishes with dark chocolate and coffee bitterness.   The stout had a creamy texture and good carbonation.  Though it gives you a warming feeling the booze is well hidden.  A delicious treat for a cold winters night.

10% from Gravenhurst, Ontario

SAWDUST CITY ~ FOMA

Sampled on draught, FOMA is a blend of saison and Berliner Weisse, that has been aged in barrels.  The colour is a light yellow gold.  Lots of sour Berliner on the nose .  The taste is quite sour and tangy too.  Much more of the Berliner is evident then that of the saison.  There is a nice Brett funkiness to go along with a sour, and a little bit of sweet fruit and a touch of salt are evident.  This will only be available at the brewery store in a very limited run of 750mL bottles. 

4.2% from Gravenhurst, Ontario