BEER SNOB ~ SHILLOW BEER CO.

“Beer Snob” is Shillow’s brewery second flagship beer. It is Belgian Rye Ale. Sampled on draught, it poured orangey amber with a good-sized white head, which left nice lacing. The aroma contained spicy rye, and a fruit, with floral hops and estery Belgian yeast. I really like the combination of the spice in the rye malts (It’s brewed with pale malt base with rye malt and a touch of Abbey malt) and complexity of the Belgian yeasts. The English floral hops provide a nice finish and complement the spiciness of the beer. The carbonation and body were both medium. A very pleasant beer, I will return to this one!
5.6% from Toronto, Ontario

RYE~IT PUNCH ~ BIG RIG

Rye-It Punch is a new seasonal offering from Big Rig Brewery. It is a Roggenbier, a traditional German style beer that contains a large amount of rye (roggen). It was a traditional Medieval Ale that are unfiltered, bottle or keg conditioned and are lightly hopped to allow for the rye spiciness to show through. Roggen biers lost popularity when rulers of the day decreed that certain grain only be used to bake with. The motive behind this was so that the poor would eat rather than imbibe. The Bavarian Purity law that states only Barley could be used in beers. Barley was not suitable for baking and more suitable for brewing. Rye became the grain for the masses and wheat, being expensive, was limited to only the rich.
Sampled on draught the beer poured a very murky golden orange with a generous cream head, that dissipated to a cap. The nose contained sour notes, along with grains, banana, cloves and spice, bubble gum and fruit. The taste was very similar to the nose with refreshing citrus, orchard fruit, spice, doughy grains, and slight sourness. The hefe yeast gives distinct notes of banana and clove; the rye spices things up and gives an earthy finish. The carbonation is fine and soft, and the body is medium-light.

4.5% from Ottawa, Ontario 

WATERLOO 1815 ~ INNOCENTE

Waterloo 1815 was originally brewed or the anniversary of Napoleon’s defeat at the Battle of Waterloo.  Innocente has rereleased the rye saison again this year. The brew contains ingredients from the seven armies that defeated Napoleon. Sampled on draught the beer poured an opaque deep burnt orange colour with a sudsy yellowish-white head that had good retention. Both the colour and the taste had greater depth compared to a ‘regular’ saison. The nose contained toasted bread, some orange and other fruit flavours, yeasty spice, and a whiff of sulphur. Ribbons of streaming carbonation floated to the top. The taste contained spicy biscuity malts (the rye is noticeable), Belgian yeasts, lemon and pepper. The finish was mildly bitter and drying on the palette. A tasty brew.

5.7% from Waterloo, Ontario IBU: 20

SAWDUST CITY ~ WINDING ROAD 

FOR 7 KM

Sampled on draught.  Winding Road for 7 km is a rye saison.  It pours a clear medium amber with a moderate white head.  The aroma contains citrus, especially orange, florals and spices.    It had wild notes to it and reminded me a bit of wine.  Taste is much the same florals and citrus, and citrus peel are in the forefront, but also contains saison yeast notes, rye, peppery spices and a refreshing sourness.  The finish was sweet.  I like the balance of the malts and yeast.  I would revisit this one. 

7% from Gravenhurst, Ontario

 

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

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