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

CARDINAL ~ REVEL CIDER

This year seems to have a bumper crop of great ciders this one is no exception! Cardinal is a wild fermented cider using Cortland apples, with hibiscus and citra hops. The cider contains no added sugar – just the sweetness of the apples is all that’s needed. Sampled on draught the cider is the most beautiful rich reddish-coral blush. The nose has floral notes along with tart apples, hay, a bit of funk and hops. The cider has a full mouthfeel, with lots of fruit, sweet hibiscus, and flavours of berries and white wine. There is a lovely sour lambic tartness and subtle hops. Very refreshing, and flavourful!

6.9% from Hamilton, Ontario

HERITAGE FUNK ~ WEST AVENUE CIDER

Heritage Funk is a wild yeast fermented apple cider. It has been aged for a year. No Brett, sulphites were used and the cider is unpasteurized. It pours a light golden colour with fruit and a little sourness on the nose. There is a little bretty sourness; the apples are not strong, but smooth, tart and dry. A nice change, I would have this again.


6.5% from Hamilton, Ontario

PRICKLY CONKER ~ FLYING MONKEYS

Prickly Conker is another sour surprise from the Flying Monkeys Brewery. Known for hoppy beers and stellar one-offs, this is the second sour beer this year (C2C was the first). Sampled on draught, in a keg that had been aged for a few months. The beer poured a very murky medium brown with a moderate head that has a pink hue. There is lots of dark fruit and sourness in on the nose. The first sip of this I found very sour. The more I drank, the more I liked it, and the more I noticed the nuances that this beer contains. Currants, dates, prunes, orange peel gave this beer a taste that reminded me of a boozy Christmas pudding. Church wine, tart grapes, also figured in there somewhere. After the sourness from wild yeasts, there appeared a subtle chocolate malt sweetness that lingered on in the aftertaste. Most interesting!

8% from Barrie, Ontario

VERJUS SOUR ~ OAST HOUSE 

Verjus (or verjuice) is the acidic juice made by pressing unripe grapes, crab-apples or other unripe sour fruit. It dates to the middle ages where is was used as a condiment. This beer is brewed with Niagara Pinot Noir grape verjus (from Lepp farms), lending its sour notes. This is a naturally sour beer, created by the verjus, no lactobacillus was added. The brewery also used a specially propagated by Oast house. Sampled on draught this beer pour a hazy light yellow with a small bone coloured head. The nose has lots of sour notes, with some grains, and grapes and other tart fruits. The flavour is similar, pleasantly sour and tart with subtle grape and grains. The sourness is not overpowering but more like a gueze. The brew is smooth, with soft carbonation. I really liked this one and look forward to tasting some of the brew that has been set aside to age in wine barrels.

4.8% from Niagara 7 IBU