YOUR BREWHOUSE OR MINE ~ MUSKOKA & BARRELHOUSE BREWING

“Your Brewhouse or Mine?” is a collaboration between Ontario’s Muskoka Brewery and California’s Barrelhouse Brewing. This beer is a tasty cranberry and clementine IPA. Sampled on draught the beer poured a clear golden colour with an average white head that left leggy lacing as it receded. The nose included grassy hops. Subtle fruits and a faint smell of soft crumbly cheese. The beer itself was a lovely IPA, not too hoppy, with a good citrus bite at the end. The fruit was very subtle, especially the cranberry, it did however, lend a faint sweetness. More of the fruitiness came out as the beer warmed. The carbonation was lively and the been had a medium body. A really pleasant IPA, I would have liked a little more presence from the fruit.

7% from Bracebridge, Ontario 50 IBU

CRANBERRY CIDER~ KW CRAFT CIDER

Sampled on draught. This cider is limited edition release from KW Craft Cider. All cranberries that were used were sourced in the Muskoka area. The cider poured a pale yellow colour with lots of effervescence. The nose is full of intense green apples with a lighter but evident berry. It is simultaneously sweet and tart. The finish is dry and refreshing. Though the cranberries lend a subtle tartness, I would like to taste more of them instead of having them in the background.

6.3 % form Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario

PHOTO : KW CIDER INSTAGRAM

CRANBERRY HOLIDAY HEFEWEIZEN ~ BIG RIG

Sampled on Draught. This one-off beer poured a murky light straw yellow with an apricot hue. It had a sizeable off white head. which dissipated to a cap and left lacy lace. It taste like summer to me. The nose and the taste were very typical of a hefeweizen … lots of banana, and clove and perhaps vanilla. The beer is not ‘cranberry-y” but the berries add a very subtle tartness and hint of fruit and give it a clean fruity finish. Sweet, light, refreshing.

5.5 % Kanata, Ontario 12 IBU

MUSKOKA CRANBERRY MEAD ~ TRAFALGAR

Trafalgar brewery and distillery have been working on a series that explores different terroirs of Southern Ontario. This is the third in their series. A ‘terroir’ is the combination of an areas climate, geology and flora. Since different areas have different terroirs, they produce different tasting honeys, which are fermented to make the mead. This mead uses wildflower honey and cranberries from the Muskoka region.
Sampled from a caged and corked bottle. The mead poured a deep, slightly murky cherry red colour with a near white head, which left no traces of lacing. The nose contained honey sweetens, cranberry juice, and a touch of booziness. The taste was primarily tart cranberries with restrained honey sweetness, with other fruits and malt in the background. The tartness almost had a sour candy quality to it – almost giving it a sweet and sour quality. The finish was astringent, not unlike wine. After the initial head dissipated the mead had very little carbonation. I found this quite flavourful and refreshing but simple. Worth a try.

8.5% from Oakville, Ontario

WINTERBEARD ~ MUSKOKA

Double Chocolate Cranberry Stout.  Made with chocolate malts, dark chocolate and fresh local cranberries.  

Pours very dark brown, almost black with red highlights.  Nose is very chocolatey, with subtle cranberry.  The creamy beer introduces as chocolate with the tart cranberries singing in the finish.  Very smooth and velvety - a winter gem! (Only available between November and February)

 8% from Granvenhurst, Ontario   25 IBU
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