Beer # 291 Naughty Otter Lager Gananoque Brewing Company

#291 Naughty Otter Lager

Gananoque Brewing Company

Gananoque, Ontario, Canada
Microbrewery   Established 2011
Lager
5.2 % ABV IBU: 24
473 ml Aluminium Can
$2.90 (Canadian) At the LCBO

Twitter: @GanBrewingCo

Well this is my first beer from this brewery; and as I used to live out near this town when I heard about a brewery opening there I got a little excited. Gananoque is a smallish town just North-East of the city of  Kingston (Home of the Tragically Hip, The Headstones, The Kingston Frontenacs, Former capital of "The Province of Canada" (prior to Confederation), and one of the disputed locations of the first Hockey Game. When I lived out that way it was known for its Casino, however, it is rich in history and the arts. Gananoque is a aboriginal name It's true spelling and meaning is disputed. Wikipedia says that the modern spelling means "Town of Two Rivers," but that can not be right as "town" is not a common aboriginal word, especially since the name for the area predates European contact. Aboriginal names usually used "place" or words that roughly mean "settlement," or "gathering." The first European recorded instance of the name is from 1783 from a survey of the Ottawa River it was recorded "Gananocoue" which is a close approximation of the modern pronunciation of "Gan-in-OCK-way." The meaning of that name is either "meadow rising up from a river" or "water pouring over rocks." It as also been translated as "up where hunters go," "to a deer," "place of good health,"and simply "rendezvous." No one is sure who first named it as the area was occupied at various times by the Huron, the Iroquois, and others, each had their own specific name for it.  Eastern Ontario people just call just the "Gan;" and people at the brewery are just fine with it if you do too.

In 2008 Bruce Davis was sitting in a bar in the "Gan" listening to people complain there was no local beers. It was at the beginning of the craft beer explosion in Ontario, Kingston had its Kingston Brewing Company, Beau's was nearby, Ottawa already had quite a few breweries, but people wanted something for themselves. Three years later (and I'm assuming after a lot of hard work and sleepless nights...) Bruce turned the key and opened the "Gan's" first modern Microbrewery. The first beer out of the brewhouse was tonight's beer. Naughty Otter. Bruce funded his brewery with a early form of crowdsourcing (way before it was cool...) individuals or businesses would make a "short term loan" to the brewery which funded the ingredients and batch costs, then when the batch sold, the money would be paid back with interest. Now, the brewery has grown and received new funding from investors and Bruce has moved to the Chairman position as the brewery continues to improve and expand.

Onto the beer...


Pours a darker gold colour with with a white head made up of small bubbles. Aroma is sweet caramel and citrus. First sip is crisp citrus with some malty characteristics. Strong mineral quality with zesty hints of spice. a light effervescence finishing with some black pepper. Aeration is bready and malty with, lingering hints of citrus and mineral.

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 am not a lager drinker. Period. I have matured in my tastes to where I need more flavour in my beer. I understand most lagers are just thirst quenchers and usually are not worth lingering over. But ever so rarely you come across a good one. One someone has taken time to build a flavourful brew. One that you would consider drinking again. It reminds me of Bow Valley Lager from the defunct Bow Valley Brewing company in Canmore Alberta. (I know I have whined about the tragic loss of this company before... and I will again...and again... it's my blog). This lager has flavour. Not massive over the top flavour but good tongue dancing flavour. If you like IPAs that slap you in the face with a pineapple wrapped in spruce needles, this will not satisfy you. It is, however, a good step up from those massively over-marketed, barrel-wash macro lagers. Bottom line is, I would be happy to drink this again, and I would recommend you to seek out this lager and try it for yourself. Just remember, if you can't say the name, just call it the "Gan," Bruce will be happy you did.



Cheers

CJT

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