Beer # 97 La Fin Du Monde

La Fin Du Monde (The End of the World)

Unibroue

Chambly, Quebec, Canada
Owned by Sleeman's Breweries, a subsidiary of Sapporo Breweries LTD, a
Strong Belgium Tripel (Golden Ale) 9.0 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 750 ml.
$7.75 (Canadian) At LCBO 
Twitter: @unibroue    @sleemanbeers 

Years ago my friends and I traveled to Quebec. It was our first trip out of province on our own. We stayed outside of Quebec City in a little town called St. Anne de Beaupre, in a motel that sat on the St. Lawrence. On our way back one night from the old city we stopped in the most French restaurant we could find... Pizza Hut. Well we were hungry and it was late, and the crowd was restless  So in horrible broken French we explained to the least bilingual server in all of Quebec that we wanted a local beer. The concept of local and craft beers in Canada was still a few years away... so after a few aborted attempts to serve us Molson Dry the server finally brought us the beer I am talking about tonight: La Fin Du Monde. Obviously we had never heard of it. And yes we were very intrigued. I could not tell you the point when I first decided I wanted to devote my spare time to learning as much about beer as humanly possible, but certainly this one moment was a giant NEON signpost on the road to that goal. The beer was unlike any other I had ever had. It had tremendous amounts of flavour, complexities, and nuances. It was alive... and it was my first "Real Craft Beer."

Sadly I haven't had the beer in  awhile as it was not readily available in Ontario. With the coming of the Mayan Apocalypse  Unibroue has had an advertising pitch out to toast the end of the world with La Fin Du Monde, so the beer is once again (happily) available.

Onto the Tasting:


Cloudy and light gold in colour. Enormous fluffy white head with lots of staying power.Toasty wheaty floral aroma with coriander, clove, and honey. Truly drinks like a champagne among beers. Warm roasty wheat sweet honey, coriander and clove. Effervescent on the tongue, dry and clean. The spices linger in the mouth like the aroma of holiday baking. Aeration gives a burst of spices clove allspice and cinnamon.


Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 

Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Re-Order:  6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Experience:  6/6 EXCEPTIONAL

Final Thoughts:

This beer is everything a Tripel should be. I can not say enough about it... but at this point I just want to settle in and savour the rest of the bottle...


Til the end of the world...

Cheers

CJT


Follow me on Twitter: @pintjockey
Like me on Facebook: Pint Jockey Online

Beer # 96 Nostradamus

Nostradamus 

Brasserie Caracole scrl

Flamignoul, Belgium
Independent
Strong Belgium Brunne (Brown Ale) 9.0 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 330 ml.
$3.40 (Canadian) At LCBO 


As today is the so called "Mayan Apocalypse"I decided to slip in two beers with the end of the world theme. The first one is named after the French apothecary and seer Michel de Nostredame. Born co-incidentally on this date December 21 1503 (we think, it's disputed it may be the 14th) Nostradamus (Latin spelling) was a biblical and historical scholar in his spare time. He became famous for writing the book "Les Propheties de M. Michel Nostramvs" or as it is better know "The Prophecies." In his book he wrote short ambiguous poems called quatrains that supposedly foretold the future by examining the past.


There were three volumes in total. and about 1000 quatrains. Of these only 942 survive, published in an omnibus collection after his death. The quatrains are divided up into series of 100 poems that make up a "century." Nostradamus scholars have intently studied these poems for a clue to the future. Often using the vague nature of the poems to explain events that have already happened. One quatrain supposedly predicted the rise of Hitler, and Europe at war. One predicted the fall of the Twin Towers in New York., several go on to predict coming wars and potentially the end of the world, the return of Christ, and the battle of Armageddon. The key one has to remember is Nostradamus was also heavily into astrology. in the 1500's Astrology was still considered a science. And, as with today, Astrological predictions are conveniently vague to allow for broad interpretations. If you take your horoscope and read it at the end of the day instead of the beginning  often your mind will bend the words of the horoscope to fit the events that have already happened, leaving you with that whoa! did that just happen? feeling. However if you read your horoscope at the beginning of the day, chances are you will draw other conclusions and allow your mind to miss the events of the day without any connection, because you have already decided what will happen. It is similar with Nostradamus' predictions, looking back we can connect the vague dots in our mind now that we know what happened, but as a prediction tool it is completely useless.

La Brasserie Caracole is located in the province of Namur. The logo for the brewery is the snail, or a man wearing a metal helmet in the shape of a snail. The spiral shelled snail (Caracole) is the symbol of Namur and hence the name of the brewery.

Onto tonight's beer:

A slightly hazy light chestnut brown with a large fluffy light tan head made up of small bubbles. Head is very long lasting, leaving a slightly broken lacing on the glass. Aroma is very wheaty with mild banana, fresh fruit, and some clove. First sip is an incredibly light and bright fruity beer,with a tongue tingling effervescence. The high alcohol content is deceptive at first until you breath out and the alcohol heat warms your mouth.The finish is fresh grains floral hops, and a tinge of sour... not by any means unpleasant. Aeration gives us a rich caramel maltiness, oak notes, some vanilla and a hint of barrel aged whiskey.


Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 

Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Re-Order:  6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Experience:  6/6 EXCEPTIONAL

Final Thoughts:


The best brown ale I have ever had, and certainly one of the best Belgium beers I have ever had. Definitely a great way to toast the end of the world.

Cheers

CJT


Follow me on Twitter: @pintjockey
Like me on Facebook: Pint Jockey Online

Beer # 95 Ebulum Elderberry Black Ale

Ebulum

Heather Ale Company Williams Bros. Brewing Co.

Kellibank, Alloa, Scotland, UK
Independent
Fruit Flavoured Ale 5.0 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 330 ml.
$2.71 (Canadian) At LCBO $10.85 for a four pack

Twitter: @williamsbrewery

Third beer from the Historic Ales of Scotland pack. another Gruit Ale flavoured this time with Elderberries and Bog Myrtle. Elderberries are the fruit of the Sambucus plant, they grow in large flower-like clusters. The berries range in colour from red to purple to almost black, and grow in most temperate zones around the world. Elderberries have a long tradition with magic, especially earth magic. Druids and Witches (Wiccan) use the leaves, fruit, and bark in spells and ceremonies. And of course, if you have read the Harry Potter series, you will know that the most powerful wand ever made was made from an elder branch. The flower makes an excellent wine as does the fruit. The bark has vast untapped medicinal uses. A saying handed down to me from my maternal grandfather goes... "if you have an elderberry tree in you back yard; you do not need a doctor" (He lived to 86). Watchmakers used the pith of elderberry trees to clean their tools. and branches of the elderberry have been used as flutes, and spiles for collecting sap for maple syrup. Most commonly the berries are used to make syrup (elderberry cordial), or jam or are baked into pies. (sweet, delicious, yummy elderberry pies!) And of course the essential oil of the Sambucus... flavours the Italian liqueur Sambuca  The wood of the tree however has always played into folklore and superstition. If a crib was made of elder wood, the baby would die or amount to nothing. Wood from the tree could never be used with out asking the Elder Mother's permission, often in the form of this chant:

"Old girl, give me some of thy wood and I will give thee some of mine when I grow into a tree."

The recipe for this beer has it's origins in Wales, apparently introduced to Scotland by Welsh druids in the 9th century.

Onto the beer:

Very dark garnet and chestnut brown.Thin tan head made up of medium sized bubbles. The nose is like a porter, with dark roasty malts, and molasses, charred wood, and nutty notes. First sip gives us a rich syrupy sweet porter, notes of dark blue fruits, zippy and tangy. Finish is short with a sticky sugar feeling on the lips. Has a subtle port-like mouthfeel.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 

Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 5/6 PASS
Re-Order:  4/6 PASS
Experience:  5/6 PASS

Final Thoughts:

Very nice to taste elderberries in a beer. I loved elderberries as a kid, we used to eat them by the handful off the trees. The are loaded with anti-oxidents and vitamin C. But dear reader even I learn something every day. I learned today that raw elderberries can contain enough CYANIDE to seriously sicken you. Elderberries should only be consumed cooked. This was quite a shock to me considering I must have eaten enough raw elderberries to poison a small herd of elephants. No wonder I have a cast iron stomach...

Cheers

CJT


Follow me on Twitter: @pintjockey
Like me on Facebook: Pint Jockey Online

Beer # 94 Grozet

Grozet

Heather Ale Company Williams Bros. Brewing Co.

Kellibank, Alloa, Scotland, UK
Independent
Fruit Flavoured Wheat Beer 5.0 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 330 ml.
$2.71 (Canadian) At LCBO $10.85 for a four pack

Twitter: @williamsbrewery

Tonight's beer from the Historic Ales of Scotland pack is the Grozet. Claimed to be from a 16th Century Scots monk's recipe. The beer could technically be called a "Gruit Ale" (and possibly so could Beer # 93: "Froach" ) Gruit ales used various herbs and berries to bitter, or preserve beer before the use of hops was widely accepted. One of these herbs is Bog Myrtle, which makes it's appearance in this beer as it does in the previous. Other herbs included Henbane a toxin that often caused mild hallucinations... (hmmm Pint Jockey Brew Project idea?). However our ale tonight also contains hops, so it would be somewhere in between a gruit and a modern flavoured beer.

For more information on the Williams Bros. Brewing Co. please check out their website or look back at Beer # 93: Froach.

Onto tonight's historic brew:

Clear gold in colour with the slightest hint of green. Thin wispy white head made up of uneven sized bubbles. Cloudy and translucent. The nose is fruity and citrus, with gooseberies evident right away and the more subtle wheat notes beneath. As you get deeper into the nose the fruit is replaced with raw grain and hint of spice. First sip gives up some more gooseberry, more subtle than the nose. Very dry and wheaty some citrus, clean, crisp, slightly effervescent. Finish is short and clean with a lingering of grapes and gooseberries.


Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 

Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 5/6 PASS
Re-Order:  4/6 PASS
Experience:  5/6 PASS

Final Thoughts:


Being Welsh... I love gooseberries, and I miss them as they don't see their way to Canada often. Sadly, the ones I have had here are not the sweet-tart, bursting with flavour gooseberries of my youth. So this beer brings back some memories. Supposedly Shakespeare drank a version of this beer, so perhaps if I consumed more I would become more eloquent, and poetic. But perhaps, if his version of this beer had Henbane in it... that would explain a lot too.

Cheers

CJT


Follow me on Twitter: @pintjockey
Like me on Facebook: Pint Jockey Online

Beer # 93 Froach Heather Ale

Fraoch Heather Ale

Heather Ale Company Williams Bros. Brewing Co.

Kellibank, Alloa, Scotland, UK
Independent
Heather Ale 5.0 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 330 ml.
$2.71 (Canadian) At LCBO $10.85 for a four pack

Twitter: @williamsbrewery


I have wanted to try these beers for a while. They often pop up as a gift pack in the LCBO in winter as we near Christmas. I believe I may have tasted one of them a few years back at a trade show but I didn't take any notes and I don't quite remember, but it may very well have been this beer.

Erica (Spring Heather) Not Used in Brewing,
 but just as pretty.

Common Heather or Summer Heather
(Calluna vulgaris) Used in Brewing.

Bog Myrtle (Myrica gale)

Williams Bros. Brewery started life in a brew your own shop called "Glenbrew" in Glasgow. In 1988, a lady came into the family owned shop and requested assistance in producing a batch of "leanne froach" or heather beer from and old recipe that had been handed down to her. The owners helped her in exchange for a copy of the recipe and then began to experiment with it, and using it as the foundation for the beer we are tasting tonight (I hope the poor lady got some royalties or at least a few cases of beer!). When they had perfected their version, (using different malts and adding bog myrtle as well as heather) they brewed a 5 barrel test batch at brewery in Taynuilt, Argyle. The batch sold out almost immediately, and with heather being seasonal, they had to wait until the following year to brew again. This time they froze the heather to ensure continued brewing. The beer became very popular and the new found Heather Ale Ltd. began to eye expansion. over the years they added Alba a pine beer, Grozet a gooseberry beer, Kelpie, a seaweed beer, and Ebulum an elderberry beer. When the demand for they beer surpassed the capacity of the brewery in Taynuilt, they built a brewerin and occupied it for 6 years starting in 1998. In 2004 further expansion was required and they purchased the Forth Brewery in Kellibank, Alloa, and renamed their company William Bros. Brewing Co.

I will also post three more beers from this pack so stay tuned!

Onto tonight's brew:


Honey coloured with an off-white thin head made up of small bubbles. The nose is very earthy boggish, damp underbrush. First sip is a cavalcade of flavours. Heady florals, ginger, sweet, mildly citrus, spruce needles, and grains of paradise. This beer has a lot going on. The finish is very short, and I find I have to take multiple sips to tell what I am tasting. A very clean beer, only a slight drying of the mouth and the faintest hint of ginger is left after a sip. The malt is there, underneath, takes a few sips to feel it on the tongue. Aeration gives us pure flowers, like walking down a mountain side after the rain dragging your hands through the heather.


Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 

Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 5/6 PASS
Re-Order:  4/6 PASS
Experience:  5/6 PASS

Final Thoughts:

Commercially brewing historic beers, is an excellent way to preserve our brewing past. This beer style dates to 2000 BCE that's 3000 years of brewing tradition. Quite a lot of responsibility for one little bottle, but one it carries quite easily. It is a very good beer. I can't imagine it becoming a "regular beer" as it is very unusual. However, it would be great fun to pair it with food, such as a medieval dinner, or just plain BBQ. and I would certainly like to try to cook something with it... Scottish lamb perhaps? 


Cheers

CJT


Follow me on Twitter: @pintjockey
Like me on Facebook: Pint Jockey Online

Beer # 92 Castello Lager

Castello Lager

Birra Castello SpA

San Giorgio Di Nogaro, Italy
Independent
Lager 4.8 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 330 ml.
$1.95 (Canadian) At LCBO

Twitter: @birracastello (in Italian)


This beer I picked up on a whim as I had never seen it before and had not added an Italian beer to my list of hepatic accomplishments. I could not glean a lot from the website as most of it is in Italian by I managed to understand that this is a relatively new beer, founded in 1997 (Their slogan is "The Beer without a history"). Birra Castello purchased a large facility that had previously been producing, at separate times Birra Moretti, and Heineken Italy; they gutted and retooled it making it one of most modern brewing facilites in Italy. The company brews beer very scientifically, even on their website they list brewing calculations that mean very little to the average drinker. The water is drawn from four mountainside artesian wells and the highest quality ingredients are sourced from around Italy..

Avanti! On with the Tasting:

Light gold in colour. Thin white head that disappears rapidly. Nose is sweet and floral with traces of raw honey. First sip gives a strong indication of the corn content. The taste is even and balanced moving from corn to light or crystal malt, wet grain and a mild hay-like hop note in the finish. Aeration give us a woodiness and a little more of the herbaceous hop quality. No one flavour stands out. The product is simply a nice mild lager.


Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 

Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 5/6 PASS
Re-Order:  4/6 PASS
Experience:  4/6 PASS

Final Thoughts:

This beer is fine...Just fine. It doesn't stand out, it just does it's job. I imagine this is the average blue collar Italian's beer. It would go well with food, pizza especially, as it would not add a lot to the experience, nor detract from it.

Cheers
CJT


Follow me on Twitter: @pintjockey
Like me on Facebook: Pint Jockey Online

Beer # 91 Pumpkineater Imperial Pumpkin Ale

Pumpkineater Imperial Pumpkin Ale

Howe Sound Brewing

Squamish, British Columbia, Canada
Independent
Imperial Flavoured Ale 8.0 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 1000 ml.
$11.35 (Canadian) At LCBO

Twitter: @howesoundbeer



Okay the first thing you notice about this beer is the bottle... IT'S HUGE. It is a 1 Litre bottle or as it also says... 1 Quart 1.8 oz. Also it has two closures. First, is a standard pry-off crown cap; second, the beer has been fitted with a ceramic swing-top sealer presumably to store (hopefully for only a short period) any unfinished beer. (N.B. Keep in mind... this beer is 8% and there is 1 Litre. In layman's terms drinking one of these beers is EQUIVALENT to a SIX PACK of Coors Light... trust me... I did the math. Please share or consume responsibly, or avail yourself of the swing-top.) 

Howe Sound Brewing is located in Squamish B.C. just 45 minutes north of Vancouver on the staggeringly beautiful Sea to Sky Highway. Highway 99 Stretches from North Vancouver to Squamish skirting the coast before heading inland to Whistler and points beyond... almost to Kamloops. Squamish is named for the local Indigenous peoples descendants of the Coast Salish people who settled in the area to utilise it's long protected inlet for fishing  and transportation. Howe Sound, as it is now known, is a vast ocean inlet that features two large islands and several small ones. Squamish was founded as a lumber town and terminus of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway (Now part of Canadian National). In recent years as the major lumber and pulp mills have closed Squamish has found new life as a bedroom community for the many commuters from Vancouver, and the tourist industry owing to the incredible natural resources in the area. In fact Squamish is literally ringed with Provincial Parks. Garibaldi being the largest just to the East, Tantalus to the North (Tantalus means Hell in Geek) and My favourite, Tetrahedron Park to the West, which, ironically, is nowhere near the shape of a tetrahedron.

Howe Sound Brewing was founded in 1996 assisted by modern B.C. brewing pioneer John Mitchell, as a boutique hotel and brew pub. They have a strong eco mission to reduce their environmental impact, and strive to give back as much to the community as possible. and on top of this... they make fantastic beers... 

Let's Taste one...

Dusty dark orange and chestnut in colour, slightly cloudy like an unfiltered cider. Frothy off white to tan head made up of medium sized bubbles. Aroma is all pumpkin pie... cloves, cinnamon, vanilla, licorice, and of course roasted pumpkin. The alcohol is there, the beer makes no mistake and lets you know right away that it is 8% ABV. First sip and the beer asserts itself, a good quality strong ale that has been gently scented with pumpkin and spice. Typically dry of a strong ale, and not cloyingly sweet from the addition of the pumpkin, which often mars lower quality pumpkin beer. Balance is excellent and proceeds nicely from attack to finish through toasty malt notes and herbaceous hop notes. Hanging over the taste is the aroma of the pumpkin and spice like a lingering perfume in a room when the person has already left. The finish is dry and herbal. Aeration is an explosion of black tea and spices, reminiscent of homemade Chai.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional   

Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Re-Order:  5/6 PASS
Experience:  6/6 EXCEPTIONAL

Final Thoughts:

Simply brilliant, and honestly the best pumpkin beer I has tasted thus far. The key difference is brewing this beer in the imperial style. The higher alcohol content leaves less residual sugar, and also balances the sweetness of the pumpkin. The beer is very well crafted with a careful hand and was a joy to drink. I am looking forward to having more Howe Sound beers here in Ontario and if not I will certainly be making my way to Squamish as soon as possible.

P.S. I did consume the entire bottle, but I was safely parked on the couch here at Pint Jockey Headquarters. The Cat took away my keys and put me to bed... Please drink responsibly as we still have so much to talk about...

Cheers
CJT


Follow me on Twitter: @pintjockey
Like me on Facebook: Pint Jockey Online

Beer # 90 First Trax Brown Ale

First Trax Brown Ale

Fernie Brewing Company
Fernie, British Columbia, Canada
Independent
Brown Ale 5.0 % ABV Aluminum Can 355 ml.
$1.85 (Canadian) At BC Liquor Stores (12 pack for $22.25)

Twitter: @ferniebrewingco

Last of the four-fer beers from Fernie Brewing Company. As before I went into great detail about the City of Fernie in my previous post here. Feel free to go on over and read it. I'll wait....

Ok, now that you are back onto the tasting!

Go Ghostriders!!

The colour is dark chestnut with a fluffy light tan head made up of small bubbles. The aroma is very malty with some burnt notes molasses and demerara sugar, in the background is some leathery dried fruit and dark leafy notes. First sip is surprisingly light and refreshing, fruity and smoky like barbecued stone fruit. Evenly balanced from the attack to the finish the only detraction is a slight ashen flavour as the finish ramps up. Burnt sugar lingers on the tongue for quite some time. Aeration gives us a sense of spiciness, cloves and cinnamon.


Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional   

Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 5/6 PASS
Re-Order:  5/6 PASS
Experience:  5/6 PASS

Final Thoughts:

By far the best of the four Fernie Beers. I would certainly want to cook with this beer, a nice hearty pot roast or beef stew. Giving the right inclination I would even put it in the food.... So a warm Thank You to my friend who brought me these beers from B.C. I enjoyed tasting them very much. Next beer up we are staying in B.C., but we are picking ourselves up from the mountains and heading to the coast.... Squamish here we come!


Cheers
CJT

Follow me on Twitter: @pintjockey

Like me on Facebook: Pint Jockey Online

Beer # 89 Buck Wild Ale

Buck Wild Ale

Fernie Brewing Company
Fernie, British Columbia, Canada
Independent
Golden Ale 5.0 % ABV Aluminum Can 355 ml.
$1.85 (Canadian) At BC Liquor Stores (12 pack for $22.25)

Twitter: @ferniebrewingco

Third and penultimate beer from The Fernie Brewing Company. One again I shall refer you to my other post on Fernie here, if you would like to know more about the town or brewery... Go Ghostriders!

Onto tonight's beverage:

Light gold with a slight cloudiness.Head is off white and fades quickly. Aroma is malthouse... with hints of hay and molasses. First sip is light building quickly into wheat and malt flavours, heavy on the malt sugars. More suited to food


Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional   

Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 4/6 PASS
Beer Style: 3/6 So-So
Re-Order:  3/6 So-So
Experience:  3/6 So-So

Final Thoughts:

Not really a good offering, and so far the bottom of the three... Sadly it has all the structure to be a good beer, I just find that the parts all do not work together, there is promise but no balance.

Cheers
CJT


Follow me on Twitter: @pintjockey
Like me on Facebook: Pint Jockey Online

Beer # 88 The Griz Pale Ale

The Griz Pale Ale

Fernie Brewing Company
Fernie, British Columbia, Canada
Independent
American Pale Ale 5.0 % ABV Aluminum Can 355 ml.
$1.85 (Canadian) At BC Liquor Stores (12 pack for $22.25)

Twitter: @ferniebrewingco


Back to BC after a small hiatus for technical issues, and second in our series on The Fernie Brewing Company. I won't rehash a long introduction for this beer as I have a number of beers to get through this week. But if your memory fades as mine often does please re-acquaint yourself with the small city of Fernie B.C. in my previous post here.

Go Ghostriders!

Onto the Beer...

Light gold to barely amber, off white head with a hint of grey. Aroma is piney and resinous with a slight earthiness to it. Lighter on hops that what is the norm for a American Pale Ale. The combination of hops competes in the mouth from light and flowery to harder and piney. They is an air of smoky ashen flavours in the finish, not unlike a campfire made with green wood. The body of the beer is quite light and airy with soft hints of citrus which sadly only poke out breifly to get mashed down by the harder hoppy elements. Aeration gives a softer herbaceous feel to the beer, almost like mountain underbrush and wild wintergreen.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional   

Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 3/6 So-So
Re-Order:  3/6 So-So
Experience:  3/6 So-So

Final Thoughts:

I love Pale ales, be them APA, IPA or English, a good hoppy Pale Ale usually gets my vote every time. Sadly this beer did not know what it wanted to be. The competing flavours of the hop destroyed any chance of the body of the beer shining through. I did however "feel" the mountains in this beer. I could smell the pines and the cedars, and the distant campfire. I think if they tinkered with this beer, and maybe gave it a little more hoppy backbone this could be a pure winner. 

Cheers
CJT

Follow me on Twitter: @pintjockey
Like me on Facebook: Pint Jockey Online

Welcome to My new Home

Welcome back dear reader.... I've missed you.

Check out the new address? Roomy isn't it? I much prefer the view here over the old place. Sit down stretch out let's chat...

Well if you came over here from the link at the old address glad you could make it... if you are here because you just found this site Welcome... you lucky devil...  As you can see not a lot has changed but it does take a while to set everything up so I do appologise for the long gap between posts, but I plan to remedy that situation right away. Not only do we have the remaining beers from Fernie to finish... I have been squirreling away a large number of beers in the Fridge of Fame that are just dying to be drunk... Plus this week will see the first post from the Pint Jockey Brewing Project... here's a hint: we are having a "Big Party" here at headquarters near the end of the month that has something to do with Mayans, and the product of the Brewing Project will be a centerpiece. Also I will have a special thematic post for later this month on a similar vein that I know my friend and fellow blogger Cody over at Cranky Beer Blog with be quite excited about, and it's one of my favourites too!

So please if you follow me on Google Reader  update your link to this new address so you may continue to receive my beer soaked wisdom and ramblings My Twitter is unchanged @pintjockey Facebook too The Pint Jockey Online My new email is pintjockey@gmail.com ( I will endeavor to answer all e-mails) and of course Google+ and Untappd

Anyway... Welcome back... it's time to get to work

Cheers
CJT

Beer # 87 Rocky Mountain Genuine Lager

Rocky Mountain Genuine Lager

Fernie Brewing Company
Fernie, British Columbia, Canada
Independent
Lager 5.0 % ABV Aluminum Can 355 ml.
$1.85 (Canadian) At BC Liquor Stores (12 pack for $22.25)

Twitter: @ferniebrewingco

Well I'm back and breaking the silence with a four-parter for you. This summer I had the fortune to acquire four beers from a brewery that I had only read about and was quite excited to try. They are from B.C. and yes they were brought "illegally" into the province . It astounds me that in this day and age there is still laws on the books that prevent the movement of alcohol across provincial borders. Granted, the only time I have heard of the law being enforced was when certain bar owners were purchasing beer in one province and carting it over to another to avoid taxes. This summer we saw laws governing the sale of wine across inter-provincial borders struck down so isn't it about time we do the same for our beers? Our craft brewers need our help! Write your MP. (for a great story on the topic read the Cranky Beer Blogger's post on the topic here) #freemyhops.

Onto Fernie!

Fernie B.C is a small city of about 5,000 people in the South-eastern tip of the province.
Home to one of Canada's largest ski resorts and the only city in Canada fully surrounded by the Rocky Mountains, Fernie also plays host to a hockey team with the coolest name ever: The Fernie Ghostriders. Fernie is also home to The Fernie Brewing Company. Opened in 2003, the small brewery has grown so fast in it's 9 years that it has already had to build larger facilities. They also added a bottling line in 2010 to start producing bottle in the new micro-brew norm size of 650 ml.


Here is the first of four:

Clear gold with a thin white head, with medium sized bubbles. Citrus, metallic, and herbal hops with a touch of roasted malt. Slightly sour citrus and malty. A typical American lager. Not a lot of flavour but certainly more that the major labels. Aftertaste is metallic and caramel malt.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional   

Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 5/6 PASS
Re-Order:  4/6 PASS
Experience:  5/6 PASS

Final Thoughts:

Crisp and clean, yet suffers greatly from being put in a can. I would prefer to drink this on tap in a pub a mile or so away from the brewery, I feel it would taste much better. Lagers have really taken a hit lately, everyone is trying to water them down and make them like the majors: Blue, Bud, Coors, almost flavourless, and... if I may say it... unoffensive. Which is just wrong on so many levels. A good flavourful lager is a wonderful thing. At least this beer shows some backbone, a hit of flavour. I would look forward to trying this again if it comes to Ontario in a bottle or if I take a trip through the Crow's Nest Pass, and visit Fernie... and maybe take in a Ghostriders game.



Cheers
CJT

Follow me on Twitter: @pintjockey
Like me on Facebook: Pint Jockey Online

Ale to the Chief

Presidential Homebrew

Well I know this isn't exactly news anymore, but I couldn't let it pass without posting these up on the blog. It makes me giggle that so many people petitioned under the US Freedom of Information act to get President Obama's secret homebrew recipes. Well here ya go folks... two very impressive recipes from the most powerful beer fridge in the world. I give them credit for using the White House's own honey, but a lot of the other ingredients sound very British! Kent Goldings hops? Fuggles? Windsor and Nottingham Yeast? Mr. President... surely you should be shopping local!

It is said that this is the first beer to ever be produced in the White House, and through exhaustive research I have confirmed this to be true... ( well maybe not exhaustive... I did check out Wikipedia though.) So if you are a homebrewer, and want to drink like a president... here are the recipes. 

 

Beer # 86 Nickel Brook Green Apple Pilsner

Nickel Brook Green Apple Pilsener


Better Bitters, The Nickel Brook Brewing Company
Burlington, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Flavoured Pilsner 4.0 % ABV Aluminum Can 473 ml.
$2.75 (Canadian) At The LCBO


Twitter: @nickelbrookbeer


Well this is the last of my Shandy posts, after this I return to my regular beer soaked ramblings. I will however, continue in the fruit and spice genre as this year there seems to be a plethora of fruit based beers. Let's just say in the next week there is raspberry, blueberry, ginger, and spice on my horizon ( and by extension your horizon too Dear  Reader ).


Nickel Brook is a fabulous little brewery in the grand metropolis of Burlington south of Toronto. I had the distinct fortune to visit them a few years back and enjoyed their family oriented business approach. The brewery started out as a brew on premises wine and beer shop. Eventually they added a full time brewery for commercial purposes. Still young and still growing, we are expecting great things from Nickel Brook. Tonight we are trying one of their flagship brands, the very brand that brought them to my attention in the first place: The Green Apple Pilsener.


Onto the tasting:



Colour is medium gold with an frothy off-white head made up of small bubbles. Distinct "Granny Smith" apple aroma the moment the can is cracked. Nose is sugar and hard apple candies, and lots of fresh apple cider. First sip reminds us this is a shandy. The intermingling of cider and rich malty pilsener hits us straight off. Apple candy carries through into the taste, as well as tart unfiltered cider. The beer notes are subtle yet still distinct, rich malt and mild hops, slightly medicinal. Finish alternates between candy apple and earthy beer tones. The beer is bright and effervescent. The can recommends serving with pork, and I think it would work well if you cooked with it.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional   


Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 5/6 PASS
Re-Order:  4/6 PASS
Experience:  5/6 PASS


Final Thoughts:


A very solid offering from the folks in Burlington, however I find it to be a bit of a novelty beer. I would use it in a beer pairing dinner, make a dessert out of it, or just generally cook with it. However, I would find difficulty in justifying buying more than one can of this. I would recommend it to anyone making the leap from "Ready to Drink" bottled cocktails, or coolers to beer. I am even pondering trying a beer based Appletini with it. Fear not, Nickel Brook has some other very amazing beers out there, and once I get my hands on some samples up this way, you will be the first to know. They have a rather good Organic I need to add, and of course I have already done the Nickel Brook Gluten Free. Keep up the great work guys.


Cheers
CJT

Follow me on Twitter: @pintjockey
Like me on Facebook: Pint Jockey Online

Beer # 85 Coors Light Iced Tea

Coors Light Iced Tea


Molson Coors Brewing Company
Denver, Colorado, USA
Montral, Quebec, Canada
Multinational
Flavoured Light Lager 4.0 % ABV Aluminum Can 355 ml.
Given as a sample can by Beer Rep. No Cost.


Twitter: @molsoncoors USA 
or @molsoncoorsCDA Canada


The dreaded Coors Light Iced Tea. or C.L.I.T. (#clit) as it has become known colloquially on Twitter. Never did I think the day would come that I would put electronic pen to electronic paper to string more than four words together about this beer. (is this a joke?) Actually I did tweet something similar, because the day I first saw anything for Coors Light Iced Tea was April Fool's Day. What has astounded me is the sheer amount of advertising that has gone into this product. As if to re-inforce the fact that Molson Coors invented a supply with no demand.

Sadly, onto the tasting:

Light gold in colour with a wispy white head that disappears quickly. Aroma is lemon, black tea, and slightly fruity. Lemon on the first taste, that dissolves into sour malt. distinct taste of lemon furniture polish, aftertaste is bitter, astringent, and stale black tea. Tastes like a poorly carbonated gingerale mixed with iced tea. Mouthfeel is sour, and flat.


Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional


Cost: N/A
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 0/6 FAIL
Re-Order:  0/6 FAIL
Experience:  0/6 FAIL


Final Thoughts:



This is the single most horrid beer I have put in my mouth, and I've had Steelback. I actually had to get a drink of water to wash the taste out of my mouth halfway through the tasting. This beer is a sad attempt at putting lipstick on a pig... Dress Coors Light up anyway you want, it will still be Coors Light. Perhaps if Molson Coors had spent the money they did on marketing this joke of a product into developing a beer that actually tasted good, the rest of us might be pleasantly surprised. Usually I say try a beer yourself even if I have said bad things about it, however, this time I shall warn you to avoid the product at all costs. In fact this beer is so bad I am going to do something I never do... pour the rest down the drain.

Cheers
CJT


Follow me on Twitter: @pintjockey
Like me on Facebook: Pint Jockey Online