HARRY PORTER AND THE COMPLICATED COFFEE ORDER ~ GREAT LAKES BREWERY

6.5% from Toronto, Ontario 16 IBU

Another delicious riff on the Harry Porter brew. This porter features a small amount of Scotch Bonnet pepper, vanilla, cinnamon and Station Cold Brew coffee. The pour was an opaque black with glints of brown, with a mocha coloured head. The head settled into a cap leaving a ring around the glass. Aromas of chocolate, coffee, vanilla, and roasted malts abound. The flavour follows with rich coffee, chocolate and vanilla, a little heat is noted at the end from the Scotch Bonnet peppers, along with some woody notes. The finish has a low bitterness and is quite smooth. The body is medium as is the carbonation. A beautiful brew!

ICE HOLE PALE ALE ~ GREAT LAKES BREWERY

5% from Toronto Ontario 40 IBU

Ice Hole is an American Pale Ale is an part of the Project X series. What began as a brew for the staff of GLB has now become a release available from the liquor store and on draught at bars. Sampled on draught the beer pored a slightly hazy bright golden straw colour with a frothy white head. The nose had notes of lemon citrus, grass, pale malts, oregano? and dill (apparently from the Sorachi Ace hops). The taste follows with cereal grain, light malts and a bit of bitterness on the back end. The carbonation is on the soft side and the beer is medium-light in body. Quite drinkable, but not good enough to seek out.

ABBEY’S ADVICE (ABBEY SINGLE) ~ GREAT LAKES BREWERY

This is one of the brews in celebration of Great Lakes Brewery 30th anniversary. It is an Abbey single. Sampled on draught the beer poured an opaque coppery red with a generous beige head. The head had great retention before receding to a cap leaving some lacing. The aroma was comprised of sweet caramel, plums, apricot, and other orchard fruits, dried berries and dried fruit. The flavour had a lovely sweetness, perfect for an after dinner sipper. Flavours of caramel, orchard and dried fruits about, with some light spicy Belgian ale characteristics. The finish is clean, body was medium light and the carbonation was moderate. A lovely light Belgian style beer.

GREAT LAKES BREWERY ~ GRANDPA’S OL’ WHITE EGG NOG STOUT

This was my first time ever having a white stout. I had this seasonal offering on draught. The beer poured a slightly hazy pale golden amber colour with a lasting white creamy head, which left nice lacing. The stout smelled like…egg nog, with lots of nutmeg, vanilla, cinnamon, sweet malts and a touch of earthiness. The stout itself was quite sweet with lots of vanilla, nutmeg, and other Christmassy spices, a lactic quality and a soupçon of bourbon. The beer almost had a sweet soda like quality to it. The body was medium-full, the carbonation was low and quite fine, and the stout felt creamy on my palette. I liked this to start the evening but I would not want to drink more than one of them, as I think it would easily become cloying.

5% from Toronto, Ontario

CORNISH BREAKFAST ~ GREAT LAKES BREWERY

Cornish Breakfast is a cream ale with coffee on nitro, it is part of GLB’s Project X series. The beer is brewed with cold brewed coffee from Station Cold Brew. Sampled on draught the beer pours a reddish brown with a generous off white head. The nose has some coffee notes along with a notes reminiscent of an English mild. The flavour has a little sweetness along with some coffee notes , subtle nuttiness and a some light malts and very mild bitterness. This one fell flat for me; I found the mouthfeel to be too light bodied. The carbonation was somewhat flat too. A good idea, but needs more oomph.

4.2% from Etobicoke, Ontario

DEVIL'S PALE ALE ~ GREAT LAKES BREWERY

The Devil’s Pale was first released in 2016 (allegedly conceived on 6.6.06) on and was the first seasonal from Great Lake Brewery. I have seen it billed as a Pale Ale, and an India Brown Ale. It is brewed with 6 malts and 4 hops, and was advertised at the brewery as having been made with 666 kilograms of malt, 6.66 kilograms of hops, and boiled for 66.6 minutes. Sampled on draught the pour was a deep rich mahogany with an average thick tan coloured head, which settled into a ring around the glass and left beautiful sticky lacing. The aroma had a melange of resinous piney hops followed by rich malt body, caramel and molasses, dark bread and an earthiness. Hops are the first flavour, followed by heavy roasted malts the followed by a distinct bitterness. The malts have a layered richness with notes of caramel, cocoa, nuttiness and molasses as do the hops with notes of pine resin, grapefruit and a touch of other fruits. The beer is hoppy from the first whiff to the bitter lingering aftertaste, but is beautifully balanced. The mouthfeel was smooth but slightly oily too. The finish was crisp and dry with lingering bitterness and alcohol. The body was medium-full and the carbonation was moderate.
Highly recommended, this is a solid beer.

6.66% from Toronto, Ontario

BODY DUBBEL (TANK TEN) ~ GREAT LAKES BREWERY

Sampled on draught, this Belgian Dubbel Ale poured a hazy orangey copper mahogany colour with a persistent off white head, that left great lacing. The nose contained dark fruits, plums, raisin, Belgian yeast, and brown sugar. The beer is sweet up front with notes of dark fruits (plus, figs, raisins), and spicy grains, molasses and caramel, followed by peppery phenolic yeast. The bitterness of the grassy hops if soft, the carbonation is moderate and the body is in the medium range. There is a nice dialogue between the sweetness and the malts, but the beer lacks complexity. At times it seems a little thin for a dubbel. Quite enjoyable and good, but not outstanding.

6.3% from Etobicoke Toronto, Ontario IBU 18

MALUS-HUMULUS ~ CIDER GLB & WEST AVENUE CIDERY

Malus-Humulus is the collaboration effort with Great Lakes Brewery and West Avenue Cider. It is a cider that has been dry hopped with citra and mosaic hops. Sampled on draught, it pours a golden colour with lots of carbonation. The nose has fresh apples with good dose of piny and citrusy hops. The hops cut the sweetness of the cider, adding another layer of flavour, but not distracting from the apples. It begins sweet, followed by a little bitterness and finishes with tart acidity of the cider. This is quite delicious! The name of the collaborative beverage comes from the Latin names for hops (Humulus) and orchard apples (Malus).

6.9% Hamilton & Toronto, Ontario

Picture: West Avenue Instagram

GREAT LAKES ~ WINTER ALE

A Winter Warmer sampled from a bottle. The beer poured a translucent medium beer brown with slight amber hues. It had a fingers height of head that left good lacing after it fell. There was lots of spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger) on the nose as well as caramel, dark fruits, and sweet malts. The beer began with sweet malty caramel and suggestions of orange, followed by dry spices (cinnamon, nutmeg), with a touch of honey. It finished fry with a pleasant earthy hop and warming ginger. It is well carbonated and the mouth feel is on the thinner side of medium. A pleasant offering from GLB, but these beers are like pumpkin ales to me, I want them as a treat not all the time. Worth checking out.

6.5 % from Toronto, Ontario

HARRY PORTER ~ GREAT LAKES BREWERY

Sampled on draught on nitro. This porter poured an opaque very dark brown, with deep ruby hues and had a beige head that lasted several minutes and left good lacing. As the head died down, it left some lacing around the glass. The nose had coffee, roasted malts, burnt caramel, hints of chocolate and earthy-woodsy hops. The taste is much like a traditional porter, with roasted malts, coffee, hints of chocolate, burnt sugar, and dried fruit with a pleasant amount of bittering earthy hops and a little sweetness on the finish. I found this brew medium bodied, moderately carbonated, and very satisfactorily flavourful.

6.2%  from Etobicoke, Ontario    18 IBU

2013 Gold Medal - Canadian Brewing Awards.

HEAVY PETTING ~ GREAT LAKES & NORTHWINDS BREWERIES

Heavy Petting is a collaboration brew; it is a rye saison with pepper and limes.   This batch was brewed at the Northwinds Brewery.  It pours a dark hazy amber with a white head.  It has a rich aroma, containing pepper, yeast, limes, ripe fruit and funk.  It tastes much as smells, a strong sweet malty fruitiness, with spice and florals, followed by lime, pepper and sorachi ace hops on the finish.  The finish is quite dry.  A beer with lots of complexities, I enjoyed the experience.

6% from Collingwood, Ontario

SAISON DU PUMP ~ GREAT LAKES BREWERY

Saison Du Pump is a pumpkin ale brewed with spice and Belgian Saison yeast.

Sampled on draught, it pours a hazy golden colour, with a tinge of orange.  It had a decent head, but the foam dissipated quickly.  Nose has lots of yeast, spice, a little malt and pumpkin.  The taste is very similar: lots of bready and yeast flavour with pumpkin, pumpkin spice (nutmeg and cloves) and a fall earthiness. A little sweetness mid drink and then finishes with a mild bitterness and a subtle spiciness.  An interesting marriage of two different styles and seasons - definitely worth a try.  A good unique beer.

5.2 %  from Etobicoke, Ontario

EZRA ~ GREAT LAKES BREWERY  & AMSTERDAM BREWERY

Now retired, Ezra was a saison, aged in cider barrels.  Both saison and ciders have farmhouse origins and compliment each other.  Reminiscent of a ‘snakebite’ this beer has wonderful flavours.  It begins with a slight lemon, and a wine flavour, going to tart apples and finishes with a dry tartness.  Very refreshing.

6.5% from Toronto, Ontario
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