PIE WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS ~ BRIMSTONE BREWING

This saison, with a very long name is a collaboration between Brimstone Brewing Co. and Piskie Pie’s in St. Catherine’s. It is a one of limited edition brew. The saison was brewed using fresh pies in the mash and adding fresh strawberry and rhubarb in the secondary fermentation. Sampled on draught, the beer pours an opaque golden orange, with hints of pink. The nose contained biscuity grains, subtle strawberry and rhubarb. The delicious saison had lovely flavours. The biscuit malts mimicked a piecrust. The fruits were subtle but the sweet strawberry was perfectly complemented by tart rhubarb. The beer has a smooth, dry crisp finish with fruits lingering in the aftertaste. A most delicious brew – so good I had two and hope fully it will be on draught for a little longer.

5% from Ridgeway, Ontario 30 IBU

STRAWBERRY CIDER ~ KW CRAFT CIDER

Sampled on draught this cider poured a crystal clear delicate pale apricot colour, with no head – a very pretty cider! The nose contained bright tart green apples and jammy strawberries. The taste was exactly what was expected from the nose: tartness from the apples and sweet strawberry goodness. Though the base of the cider is dry apple cider, it is sweet. The sweetness is not enough to be cloying, and maintains a refreshing quality. Simple tasty and refreshing, especially is our unseasonably hot September.

6.7% from Waterloo, Ontario

GRAMMA’S STRAWBERRY RHUBARB ALE ~ OAST HOUSE

I love the seasonal summer brews made with fresh Ontario fruits. Gramma’s Strawberry and Rhubarb ale was sampled on draught. The beer poured a hazy orangey apricot colour with a small frothy bone coloured head. The head receded quickly leaving a cap and some lacing. The nose was subtle and simple: light strawberry and fruits, and a bready graininess. Taste follows the nose. The strawberry and rhubarb are not too over powering neither are they too subtle. There is a lovely fruity flavour mid sip, beginning with sweet strawberries, followed by a little rhubarb tartness and mild biscuit yeasts. The flavour is fresh and quenching. The body s medium-light and the carbonation was moderate. Love this one for summer patios! Thanks Oast!

4.8% from Niagara on the Lake, Ontario

CATALYST ~ WEST AVENUE CIDER

Yet another amazing Ontario Cider.  The cider community has really taken off this year and had produced some outstanding and creative ciders.  This little dangerous drink is no exception.  Catalyst is a barrel-fermented, dry hopped farmhouse cider with strawberry and elderflower.  Sampled on draught the cider pours a light golden colour with a pink blush.  The aroma contains fresh apples, berries, floral notes and mild hops.  The cider begins with sweet strawberries and subtle florals.  The sweet berry tastes like summer, and not artificial at all.  The cider, mid sip, loses its sweetness and becomes crisp and finishes with very mild hop bitterness.  I would not categorize the cider as sweet or as dry, but somewhere in between.  I could drink this all night, refreshing and tasty.

6.5% from Flamborough, Ontario

FRÜLI ~ BROUWERIJ HUYGHE

Früli is a Belgian Wheat beer (70%) with strawberries (30%). It is brewed in a 300-year-old brewery that has been in the De Laet family for 100 years. Barley malt and wheat are first heated in water using the ‘infusion mash method.’ The mixture is then boiled with coriander, hops and dried orange peels. Yeast is then added for a top fermentation. Strawberry juice is added for the second fermentation of ten days. The beer is then matured for another ten days before bottling.
The beer pours a slightly hazy pinkish-red, with a white head. It smells of fresh strawberries and not much else. The strawberry smell is not artificial or chemically, just fresh strawberries. The taste is much the same. Loads of fresh strawberry jam at the front with a little tartness at the end. This really doesn’t taste like beer at all. I’d have this as a dessert beer, but couldn’t commit to pints of it as it is very sweet.
4.1% from Melle (near Ghent), Belgium
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