EVENT HORIZEN ~ HALO

This interesting brew is a Stout with Sarsaparilla, one of the main flavours of root beer. Sampled on draught, the beer poured an opaque very dark ebony with a thin mocha beige head. The nose had notes of chocolate, sweet sarsaparilla, dark malts , and perhaps a bit of vanilla. Chocolate, caramel sweetness, herbal sarsaparilla, roasted malts and coffee round out the taste. It is like drinking a creamy root beer. I prefer this to the ‘hard’ root beers that I have sampled. I will admit, root beer is my guilty pleasure, so I really liked this one, but sparingly. It has a medium to full body, and average carbonation. This is a whimsical brew, recommended to root beer lovers.
Malts: Maris Otter, Flaked Barley, Roasted Barley, Chocolate, Flaked Oats, Crystal Dark, Black
Hops: Northern Brewer, Willamette
Yeast: London III Ale
6% from Toronto, Ontario 30 IBU

Photo courtesy of Halo Brewing

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