Beer # 126 Twisted Spruce Highlander Brew Company

Twisted Spruce

Highlander Brew Company

South River, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Strong Spruce Beer 6.0 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 650 ml
$4.75 (Canadian) At LCBO 
Twitter: @HighlanderBrew

I used to go to College in North Bay Ontario. It is a military and railroad city on the edge of the far north in the province. It is rugged and gorgeous and I miss it every day. The air is fresh and the water is clean and the fishing is phenomenal. On the way to North Bay is a sleepy little town called South River. Not famous by any stretch of the imagination, but popular because it leads to the second busiest entrance to Algonquin Park; Ontario's most famous and beautiful Provincial Park. Not the location I would have ever expected a wonderful craft brewery to appear... but one did, oh yes, it did. Highlander Brew Co. was started in 2009 and headed by Brewmaster Brian Wilson (no relation to the Beach Boys...). Their first brew was a Scottish Ale (which is in the Fridge of Fame stay tuned!) and now they have a total of four brews. I first encountered them in 2013 on a trip to Sudbury, of all places, they were on tap at a favourite spot to hit for craft beer in the Big Nickel. I was excited to find the bottles in my Local LCBO just recently and couldn't wait to share them with you.

Enough already... on to the Highlander... (There can only be ONE!)

Honey in colour with a small off-white head made up of small bubbles. Aroma is dark roasted barley, molasses, and a light pine tree, herbal note. First sip is heavy malt, dark sugar, juniper, pine resin, tart, and green. Mouthfeel is creamy, and slightly thick. Menthol and camphor give and herbal, medicinal feel. Aeration accentuates the spruce, and the sugars. Finish is caramel with hints of blue spruce.



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:  5/6 PASS


Final Thoughts: 

Spruce beers are like chicken's teeth... incredibly hard to find. Yet, this country has a strong history of them dating back to the first settlers. It is complex and unusual, yet satisfying. This beer is a definite must try, especially if you have never had a spruce flavoured beer before. Stay tuned for two more from Highlander, coming up next

Cheers

CJT


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Beer # 125 Kissmeyer Nordic Pale Ale

Nordic Pale Ale

Beau's All Natural Brewing Company
Collaboration with Anders Kissmeyer and B-side Label

Vankleek Hill, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Flavoured APA 5.0 % ABV Brown Class Bottle 750 ml
$4.85 (Canadian) At LCBO 
Twitter: @Beausallnatural


Tonight's beer is an interesting Collaboration from Anders Kissmeyer and The good folks at Beau's All Natural. Anders is Described on the Beau's website as a "One man gypsy beer company" he previously worked with Nørrebro Bryghus, the innovative brewhouse in Copenhagen, Denmark. I have Tasted three of their beers here,

Yarrow

here, and here (The last one was my favourite). Prior to being a driving force in that brewery, Anders worked for Carlsberg as the quality control officer. He flew around the world ensuring that carlsberg beer in Uganda tasted like Carlsberg beer in Mexico. On a trip to the States he met Brooklyn Brewing Company's rock star brewmaster Garret Oliver and had his eyes opened to American style craft beer. He left Carlsberg to persue his dreams and ten years later it seems he still had more dreaming to do and has left Nørrebro Bryghus, to open Kissmeyer Beer. His Facebook page is here (mostly in Danish).

Tonight's beer has a lot of components... and I mean a lot. There are three different grain malts, 3 herbal additives and hops, maple syrup, rosehips, AND cranberries. Sweet Gale yarrow and heather make up the herbals. So this is going to be a complex beer, which is par for the course with Anders, as his beers from Nørrebro Bryghus were quite complex as well. So I look forward to trying this.

Sweet Gale

Enough already... onto the tasting.

Dusty gold in colour with a slight cloudiness to it. The fluffy white head is made up of medium sized bubbles. The aroma is herbal hops, citrus, and spicy. Notes of Dusty Miller (the flower), hay, and yarrow. Slight muskiness, earthy, weedy. Effervescent sweet and tart, Yarrow is prominent, followed by the sweetness of oats and the heady malty taste of dark rye bread. Light citrus and such a tiny hint of cranberries and ginger. As it warms you get the sweetness of rosehips and and a fruity, spicy finish. Aeration gives us a woodsy, outdoors, field at the edge of the woods smell, very vegetative and sweet. Finish is not unlike a bitter aperitif wine, cleansing, and refreshing.



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:

When I first read the ingredients list for this beer I was taken aback. Barley, rye, and oat malts, hops, wild sweet gale, maple syrup, cranberries, rosehips, yarrow, and heather flowers, all organic of course. It seemed to me to be an impossible task to make all of these ingredients work together. Regular readers will recognise some of these ingredients as we have discussed medieval beers before, namely Gruits, which is what I thought this beer was aiming for. However it was plain to see that they had merged a gruit style into an APA, and it actually worked. Pick this one up while it still is in stores.


CJT


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Beer # 124 Cutthroat West Coast Ale Tree Brewing Company

Cutthroat West Coast Ale

Tree Brewing Company

Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
Independent
Pale Ale 5.0 % ABV Aluminium Can 500 ml
$2.75 (Canadian) At LCBO 
Twitter: @TreeBrewing

Tree Brewing started in 1996 in Kelowna one of the most beautiful regions of Canada that I have visited. President Tod Melnyk and brewmaster Dave Gokiert have been brewing high quality beers in the heart of B.C.Wine Country, for almost 20 years. I first Came across Tree Brewing when I was visiting Vancouver a number of years ago. I wanted to try it but the restaurant it was in would not just sell you a beer without buying food (crazy Vancouver Liquor laws) So this is actually the first chance I have had to sample a beer from this brewery. Oh and the Cutthroat that the name refers to is a trout that is a prized fish for fly fishing anglers. It is found in almost all of the rivers that are connected to the Pacific Ocean from Northern California to Alaska.

Cutthroat Trout

Onto the tasting... I know I have waited long enough...

Clear amber in colour with a fluffy white head made up of mostly small bubbles. Aroma is robust malt and herbal hops, molasses, and turbinado sugar. first sip is deep malty slightly bitter and hoppy. Sticky with some residual sugar. Citrus wood, and nuts.Aeration enhances the wood, earth tones and nuts. Finish is slightly astringent with lingering notes of grassy hops.


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: 
Sadly I was not as impressed as I hoped I would be. It is a good Pale ale with a fair amount of flavour but as good craft Pale ales go it sits about the average level with me. Structure and body is excellent good colour and composition, definitely a must try if you can get one.

Cheers

CJT


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Beer # 123 The Tom Green Beer! Beau's All Natural Brewing Company

The Tom Green Beer! Milk Stout

Beau's All Natural Brewing Company

Vankleek Hill, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Milk Stout 5.0 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 600 ml
$4.85 (Canadian) At LCBO 
Twitter: @Beausallnatural

Back to one of the hardest working breweries in all of Ontario. Beau's All Natural's brewing stable looks like a catalogue. They produce so many seasonals, one offs, and collaborations, I believe they must stay up nights trying to figure out how to stay up more nights so they can brew more beer. Tonight's beer is a type of collaboration, one that has gained a lot of popularity lately: The Celebrity Collab. Barrie's Flying Monkey's did it with the Bare Naked Ladies (Band) and City and Colour (Dallas Green's Band). Muskoka Brewery has an upcoming Collab with Dara Howell (Canadian Gold medal winning freestyle skier from Huntsville, Ontario) (P.S. it's called Snowy Howell and I will be tasting it as soon as I can get one in my hot little hands!! Stay tuned in June!) Anyway for my readers outside of Ontario who may be unfamiliar with Mr. Tom Green he is a stand up comedian, actor, director, and rap star most notable for his own TV show on MTV "the Tom Green Show," his short marriage to star Drew Barrymore, and a bout with testicular cancer which he had documented and shown on TV. He is also starring in the upcoming "Trailer Park Boys" movie sequel "Don't Legalize it." Which may or may not have something to do with Marijuana. For more information on his work go here.

Enough shock comedy already... onto the tasting:

Pours very dark brown with a slight hint of copper around the edges. The ample dark tan head is made up of small to large bubbles and is short lived. Aroma is is smoke, charcoal, wood, and chocolate malt.Initially sweet on the palate, notes of smoky chocolate rise up in the attack. Mouthfeel is creamy like chocolate milk. Sweetness gives way to smouldering chocolate, and dark malts with the tiniest hint of bitterness. Aeration is milky and sweet, finish is woody and slightly toasted.

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:

I have never been a Tom Green fan, or a fan of the Shock-Comedy Genre that he helped to create. In fact, the only way Freddie got Fingered, would ever be slipped into my Blu-ray player is if Tom Green himself was holding me at gunpoint, and even then it would require serious thought. However, I am, now, a fan of his namesake beer. The milk stout is an underutilised style in North America. It is sweet, refreshing, sustaining, satiating, an all around delicious beer. And this beer delivers on all points. I may never watch his movies, but I will drink this beer again... and so should you.

CJT


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Beer # 122 Arch Brewing Dinner Jacket O'Red IPA

Dinner Jacket O'Red IPA

Arch Brewing Company

Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Independent
IPA 6.3% ABV Aluminium Can 473 ml
$2.85 (Canadian) At LCBO 
Twitter: @ArchBrewingCo

Tonight we are trying a new beer that I just came across from a new brewery I hadn't heard of yet. Arch Brewing Company is a contract brewery that utilises the facilities at  the Wellington Brewery in Guelph Ontario. Run by husband and wife team Sue and Bill King, who brew with the jet setting brewmaster to the stars Paul Dickey; who has worked with craft brewing Icons such as Dennison's, Black Oak, Mill Street, Kensington's, and Claude and Nathan's Double Trouble Brewing (where he formulated a Pint Jockey Fav: Hops and Robbers). Most Recently he created the debut beer for Sue and Bill: Dinner Jacket O'Red IPA. The O in O'Red stands for oatmeal. and I must admit this is the first time I have seen it in an IPA.

Enough backstory... onto the tasting:

Dark amber to light chestnut in colour with a small off-white head made up of small bubbles. Aroma is light malt, some sugar, and a touch of bread. First sip is roasty and malty, very light, slightly thin but still refreshing. Drinks similarly to an English Bitter ale. Caramel and brown sugar through the middle, finishing is a hoppy, green, bitter finish. Despite being 6.3 % ABV the feeling of the beer is very light. Aeration gives us sweet caramel, taffy and light malt.

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:

A very good brew and a wonderful first offering from Arch. Hopefully we will see more from them in the future.
Cheers

CJT


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Beer # 121 Nøgne Ø Saison

Saison


Nøgne Ø

Grimstad, Norway
Independent
Saison 6.5% ABV Brown Glass Bottle 500 ml
$5.90 (Canadian) At LCBO
Twitter: @NogneO

Another trip over to Norway and the "Naked Island" (Translation of Nøgne O) I have had this one in the fridge for a while so I am trying to clear up a backlog of tastings. I have done two other beers from this brewery... They can be found here and here. Definitely worth a read if you have the time.

Anyway onto clearing out the fridge...

Light gold in colour and slightly cloudy. Small off white head made of small bubbles and not very long lasting. Aroma is cloves, citrus, and some banana. Taste is wheaty and fresh with a little coriander. Bready notes with some citrus on the finish. Aeration enhances the cloves coriander and banana with a touch of bitterness on the finish.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 

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


Final Thoughts:

An average beer with not a lot going on. Both the wheat and barley are evident, yet do not do a lot to excite the palate. Strictly worth buying for the novelty of drinking Norwegian beer, but not much else.


Cheers

CJT


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Beer # 120 Ninkasi Vanilla Oatis

Vanilla Oatis Vanilla Oatmeal Stout

Ninkasi Brewing Company

Eugene, Oregan, USA
Independent
Flavoured Oatmeal Stout 7.2% ABV Brown Glass Bottle 650 ml
$4.75 (Canadian) At BC Liquor Stores
Twitter: @NinkasiBrewing

Spring cleaning time here at Pint Jockey Headquarters. This beer has been languishing in the "Fridge of Fame" for a couple of months with a few other gems I had almost forgotten about. But this week I hope to clear some of the backlog as there are a whole slew of new beers hitting shelves for the summer and I am eager to wrap my tastebuds around them. I had earlier done the partner to this beer here the Ninkasi Believer Double Red Ale, which is excellent I urge you to read about it, and I was saving this one for a special occasion; then it slipped my mind. So finally I present to you the second beer from Eugene, Oregon.

Onto the tasting.

Dark chocolate brown almost black with a deep tan head that is quite large but made up of small to medium sized bubbles. Nose is very earthy with cedar vegetation, moss, pencil shavings and a hint of oaky vanilla. First sip is a swirling complex celebration of the darker malts. Body is slightly sweet and very smooth due to the oatmeal. Smoke and oak is more evident on the first taste, Vanilla plays second fiddle but is definately heard in the crowd. finish is Vanilla caramel and a pinch of citrus. Aeration gives us a hint of the 7.2 percent alcohol, and a creamy lemon finish.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 

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


Final Thoughts:
Truly a wonderful beer from Ninkasi. I only wish more were alvailable for purchase in Ontario. The complexity is key. I actually found myself comparing this beer to a good red wine. If you are able please run out and try this beer.
Cheers

CJT


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Beer # 119 Lake of Bays Top Shelf

Top Shelf Classic Lager
Official Beer of the NHL Alumni Association 

Lake of Bays Brewing Company

Baysville, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Golden Lager 4.5% ABV Aluminum Can 473 ml
$2.45 (Canadian) At LCBO 
Twitter: @LB_brewing @NHLAlumni


While we wait for the third edition of the NHL Alumni Signature Series beer to drop in a month or two we have one more from the boys in Baysville. A craft Golden Lager this time that has been adopted as the official beer of the NHL Alumni Association. What goes better with hockey than beer? Hockey, beer, and helping others, that's what. A portion of the proceeds from every can of Top Shelf sold goes to support the activities of the NHL Alumni Association.  For those of you who do not know what the NHL Alumni Association does here is their Mission Statement from their website:

The NHL Alumni Association is a not for profit organization that brings together former NHL players with the following mission: 

- Assist in youth hockey initiatives, involve former NHL players in support and participate in raising funds for charitable causes that enhance the quality of life for our youth. 

- Assist former National Hockey League players in their transition to life after hockey. 

- Promote the great game of hockey and inspire today’s youth through positive images as guardians of the game.

Find out more about them and their events here: NHL Alumni Association. And please, buy their beer.

Onto the tasting:

Clear gold in colour with a slight off white head made of small bubbles. Aroma is fresh crystal malt, molasses, grainy, oaty, and hay. Very malt forward with the first sip. Roasted malt, caramel, turbinado sugar. Short finish, clean with a hint of molasses and licorice. Aeration brings out a warm, nutty, creamy taste.


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:

A very good beer by Lake of Bays, and a great example of a lager with actual flavour (almost shocking isn't it!). This is not your average Megabrew watered down, souless lagers. It can hold it's own on the flavour front with some great craft ales I have tasted. If you DO like those Megabrew watered down, souless lagers... This beer is not for you. But it's for a good cause... buy a case anyway, and give it to one of your friends who actually like beer... Like me.

Cheers

CJT


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Beer # 118 Lake of Bays Brewery Cujo Imperial Golden Ale

Cujo Curtis Joseph Golden Ale
NHL Alumni Signature Series

Join here: Signature Series Club

Lake of Bays Brewing Company

Baysville, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Imperial Golden Ale 8.0% ABV Brown Glass Bottle 750 ml
$11.95 (Canadian) At LCBO 
Twitter: @LB_brewing @NHLAlumni



The second beer in the Lake of Bays Signature Series pays tribute to one of the most hardworking men ever to don a hockey mask. Curtis Joseph, nicknamed "Cujo" after the ferocious dog from the Stephen King book of the same name, Is the winningest goalie in NHL history to never hoist a Stanley Cup. As fierce in the net as his namesake, Cujo played with The Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Detroit Red Wings, Phoenix Coyotes, St. Louis Blues, and the Calgary Flames; always sporting a version of the Snarling Dog  Mask, and his Jersey # 31. However, he is most remembered for his Tour of Duty between the pipes in Toronto, Not far from his hometown of Sharon, Ontario. Born in 1967 the year the Leafs Last won the cup, he was a fan favourite player, who never gave up despite the Leafs long time losing streak. When he chose to retire, he chose to do it in Toronto, wearing the Blue and White. His trophy case is not empty though. He won a silver medal in the IIHF in 1996, a gold at the Spengler Cup in 2007 and he netminded Team Canada to a Gold Medal in the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. So fittingly for our golden goalie, we have a golden ale. 

Onto the tasting:

Hony in colour with an off-white head made up of small bubbles and some decent lacing. The aroma is very mild, some light grain, wood, cheese and a slight sour mash fenentation. First sip is crisp, clean, and sweet followed by a nice green, herbal hops with a touch of bitterness. The alcohol kicks in right away and the aftertaste is not unlike a mild brandywine. Carmel develops on the finish, giving way to a hint of lemony citrus. Aeration enhances the sugars and caramels and brightens the citrus.

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:

A good sturdy beer worthy of representing a hockey legend. Get one while you still can.
Cheers

CJT


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Beer # 117 Lake of Bays Brewery China Wall

China Wall Johnny Bower Vienna Dark Lager
NHL Alumni Signature Series

Join here: Signature Series Club

Lake of Bays Brewing Company

Baysville, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Vienna Dark Lager 7.0% ABV Brown Glass Bottle 750 ml
$11.95 (Canadian) At LCBO 
Twitter: @LB_brewing @NHLAlumni

This is the first beer in the Lake of Bays, NHL Alumni Association Signature Series colaboration. This one comemorates the great Johnny Bower, the last Toronto Maple leaf goalie to loft the Stanley Cup in 1967 at the age of 43. Bower was a stand up goalie who was noted for never backing down; taking more than 200 stitches, mostly to the face, and losing more than his fair share of teeth. His unwaivering stance in net earned him the nickname The China Wall. An image of his battle scarred proto-hockey mask (merely a thin sheaf of fibreglass held together with leather straps) graces the front of the bottle.

Onto the tasting:

Dark chestnut in colour with hints of red. Fairly long lasting tan coloured head made up of medium sized bubbles, with good lacing. Dark malt, molasses, and pumpernickel bread on the nose. first sip gives us a dark, robust, malty-molasses, taste that is very grain driven with lingering hints of black licorice. Aeration gives us lively fruit, malt, turbinado sugar and a hint of creaminess.

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:
A very solid offering for a Vienna lager, and a good namesake for the best goalie the Toronto Maple Leafs ever saw. It is a full flavoured well rounded beer, and you should get one while they are still in stores.

Cheers

CJT


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