UNDERCOVER BROTHER ~ BROTHERS AND BRIMSTONE BREWING

Undercover Brother is a collaboration between Ridgeway and Brothers brewing, it is a Golden Stout. It has a unique flavour and is definitely worth a try. The beer has been brewed with coffee, chai spice, lactose and chocolate. Sampled on draught the beer has an unfiltered golden blonde appearance with a small head. The nose contained hints of coffee, malts and chocolate and the UNEXPLAINABLE SMELL (I will mention later). I found this beer had really interesting flavours that morphed and changed as the pint disappeared. Chocolate and a rich earthiness were the first flavours I came across. Chai spice and caramel make an appearance, as does some tropical fruit near the end. The lactose lends a sweetness that lasts throughout. The finish is drying with hints of piny hops and warm tobacco. A truly unique brew, worth a try – and I have gone back for more.
6 % from Ridgeway, Ontario IBU 23

MYSTERY SMELL – Help – The finish of this beer has a unique taste. I have experienced this taste in a Black IPA and found it overpowering (and described as dusty garbage and rubber on second thought it may have a vegetable quality to it - possibly root vegetable like turnip?) This beer also contains hints of that flavour - what would a Golden stout and a Black IPA have in common? Any light anyone could share would be appreciated.

3RD ANNIVERSARY SAISON ~ LEFT FIELD

Left Field Brewery is celebrating their third anniversary with the release of two new beers, this saison and 1st & 3rd, a Berliner Weiss. This beer sampled from a bottle is a saison that has been dry hopped with New Zealand Nelson Sauvin hops. I enjoyed this beer, and though it uses French saison yeast, the flavour to me was not saison-y. The beer was too hoppy for a traditional saison and the ABV was 7.6%, far from a sessionable beer to be enjoyed by farmers. Sampled from a bottle the beer poured a golden colour with a white head. The nose contained some Belgian spice, citrus and floral-pine hops and subtle fruit (grape, berry). The hops packed a serious kick , the spice was very buried and the ABV gave it a definite booziness. The finish was dry and crisp. Quite a pleasant beer, but not quite what I expected. 
UPDATE: A revisit on draught - this beer seems to have mellowed a bit - on draught I did not find the hops as powerful as I first did in the bottle.  I am liking this one more and more!

7.6% from East Toronto, Ontario 45 IBU

PHOTO COURTESY of LEFT FIELD

BAVARIAN BREAKFAST WHEAT ~ SILVERSMITH BREWING

This German style hefeweizen/weissbeier is another solid beer from Silversmith Brewing. Sampled on draught the beer poured an unfiltered hazy golden colour with touches or amber. It had a long lasting white head and lots of carbonation. The nose contained the classic banana and clove with some citrusy orange and lemon, wheat and yeast. The taste is much as would be expected: wheat, clove, citrus and a touch of banana. Spicy yeasts finish the beer with a spicy finish and a hop bitterness. This is a well executed beer, made with all natural ingredients and is unpasteurized. I have not been disappointed by Silversmith Brewing yet, and this is a lovely example of the style.

5.2% from Niagara on the lake, Ontario 16 IBU

STRONG PATRICK ~ BEAU’S

Strong Patrick is Beau’s amped up (6.7% ABV) interpretation of Irish Red Ale. It is Number 18 in there “Wild Oats’ series. Red Ale’s are traditionally lightly hopped, well balanced with a toasted malt character. Sampled on draught, this beer poured a rich red coppery hue with a small cap of cream coloured head. The small head left good lacing as it fell. After brewing some of this beer was aged in whiskey barrels and the remixed with the original beer, this gives some lovely nuanced on the nose. The aroma had caramel, malts, dark fruit, and a subtle vanilla and sweet whiskey imparted from the barrel aging. The taste is malt forward, much as the nose would imply, but there are also notes of toast, roasted nuts and fruit with hints of the barrel aging. I found the body to be a medium-full and the carbonation to be medium low. The finish with dry with a beautiful light floral hop. I found this to be dangerous drinkable as the Alcohol is well hidden. A very pleasant brew, I look forward to having a few more.

6.7% from Vankleek Hills, Ontario 24 IBU

HOME GROWN SAISON ~ AMSTERDAM BREWING

Home Grown Saison is a new release from Amsterdam Brewing in Toronto, and their first of four in a series called “Farm House.” The Farm House series will use only Ontario wheat, yeasts and hops in their production, and highlight the flavours of Ontario grains. Sampled on draught, this beer poured a murky golden colour with a good head full of loose bubbles. The nose contains lots of bright citrusy lemon. Pepper, an earthiness, a little funk and light bread also made an appearance in the aroma. Lemony citrus dominated at first, followed by some peppery spice, then some tropical fruitiness, before the drying hop finish. Somewhere is the flavour melange is also a hint of sourness and a little funk, giving it a complexity of flavour. The carbonation was quite energetic, and the body was light. I think this beer is quite good and well executed.

6% Toronto, Ontario 35 IBU

Malt: Red Fife wheat, six & two row malt, spelt
Hops: cascade hops
Yeasts: mixed Ontario strain

PHOTO : AMSTERDAM BREWING

CRANBERRY CIDER~ KW CRAFT CIDER

Sampled on draught. This cider is limited edition release from KW Craft Cider. All cranberries that were used were sourced in the Muskoka area. The cider poured a pale yellow colour with lots of effervescence. The nose is full of intense green apples with a lighter but evident berry. It is simultaneously sweet and tart. The finish is dry and refreshing. Though the cranberries lend a subtle tartness, I would like to taste more of them instead of having them in the background.

6.3 % form Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario

PHOTO : KW CIDER INSTAGRAM

1ST & 3RD ~ LEFT FIELD BREWING

Left Field Brewery is celebrating their third anniversary with the release of two beers: 1st and 3rd, a Berliner Weisse and an anniversary saison. I was quite excited to try both of these, as I have been impressed with many of Left Field’s brews. Sampled from a 650 mL bottle the beer poured an opaque light golden straw colour with a white head, which left a nice cap of the beer. The nose contained lots of cereal grains, lemon and a slight sulphur smell. The beer was not as sour and tart as I am used to in a Berliner, though the lactobacillus was evident. The palette had lots of dry cereal, wort, some bready yeastiness and citrusy lemon. As it warmed, there was a subtle sweetness that emerged. The flavour, which seemed very ‘young,’ grew on me during the second half of the bottle. Left Field has brewed this using a kettle-soured mash made from their house strain of lactobacillus and 50% wheat. Both Belgian and American yeasts were also used. This Berliner lacks some complexity, is not my favourite example of this style, but is not bad either.

4% from Toronto, Ontario 8 IBU

PHOTO: LEFT FIELD BREWERY

GATEWAY KOLSCH ~ SAWDUST CITY

This beer is a Kölsch styled beer (lagered-ale). This style originate in Koln Germany. Sawdust City ages their Kölsch a little longer than the style would call for, to mellow out the flavours and make this an easy drinking sessionale beer. I wonder if the “Gateway” in the name is the gateway to introduce people into craft beers. Sampled on draft this beer poured a clear light golden yellow with a puffy white head. The nose was very mild with hints of straw and citrus. Taste too was very mild. There was a pleasant crisp pilsner like quality, a little sweetness, a hint of noble hops and a crisp finish. The bitterness was very low, the body was light and the carbonation was medium high. This is a simple, very quaffable easy drinking summer beer.

WATER: Pure Muskoka Water
BARLEY/MALT: Canadian 2-row barley, wheat
HOPS: magnum, spalt
YEAST: California ale

20 IBU 5% from Gravenhurst, Ontario

FARM TABLE PILS ~ BEAU’S

This farm table pils in the third beer released in for Beau’s Fe’brew’ary 2016 and is another in their series of ‘farm table’ beers. The farm table series are meant to be sessionable and brewed true to their traditional style. This pils is brewed in the North German Style. Sampled on draught, this beer pours a golden straw colour, with a durable white frothy head. As the head dissipated it left some thin webby lacing. The aroma is mild with notes of bready grains and malts, pilsner hops, grass, and a light herbal notes. The flavour follows much of what the nose suggests: bready grains, grass, light hebalness and a crisp clean finish. The moderate hop bitterness is nicely balanced with subtle malt sweetness. This pils has a medium body and carbonation; it is easy drinking and refreshing. A nice example of the style,

4.9% from Vankleek Hills, Ontario 30 IBU

ROASTED WALNUT BOURBON AGED PORTER ~ OAST HOUSE

When I walked into my local, the Bartender, ran over and told me I couldn’t order until I had tried this one. She remembered that I liked my porters and this was a new addition to the taps. Sampled on draught, this porter was one boozy treat! The beer poured very dark brown with a small off white head. There was tons of bourbon on the nose, along with roasted malts, subtle nuttiness, vanilla and coffee. The taste was incredibly full flavoured and rich. Chocolate, coffee, and dark fruit give way to a subtle nuttiness, barrel oakiness, and caramel sweetness mid sip. The malt backbone emerges into a hoppy finish followed by an aftertaste of bourbon. The bitterness is perfect in this porter and compliments the vanilla and bourbon notes. Thought this porter is already high in alcohol (7.2%) I think it tastes even boozier. The walnuts this porter was made with are all from the Niagara on the Lake region and were toasted in house.

7.2 % from Niagara on the Lake, Ontario

PHOTO : OAST HOUSE INSTAGRAM