I try to highlight as many of my local breweries as I can because they are so good to us here in Muskoka. This brewery, Muskoka Brewery, has been making locals happy for over 20 years. And lately, they have doubled down with the beer experimentation. This Brut IPA is made with Cabernet Sauvignon must (or juice). Then fermented to give us a hybrid beer that shares qualities with the sparkling Brut IPA style and a rosé wine. Let's try it out. Onto our beer... Pours light amber with a pink tinge. The head is off white with tiny tight bubbles. The aroma is quite light somewhere between wine and cider. The first sip is very light in body with a slight cider note. Effervescent with hints of red or rose wine. Honey and rose petals mix with fresh berries and light citrus. Aeration gives us a little alcohol note, with bubbles on the tongue and fresh berry.
Cost: 5/6 PASS Colour: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL Beer Style: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL Re-Order: 5/6 PASS Experience: 5/6 PASS Christmas Cheer 5/6 PASS Final Thoughts: A few breweries have been trying out this hybrid beer style and... meh... mixed results. done well it is delicious and refreshing, done poorly it is #drainaward worthy. This one is closer to the positive side but still a little meh. It's good... it's just not exciting, and a new hybrid style should be. Then again I am still looking for a good Brut IPA... the ones I have had are very meh. This one... I'll drink especially if you are paying. Cheers CJT Let's Stay "Social" Follow my adventures here
Another great local brewery to me is Lake of Bays. They are situated just a half an hour up the highway from us here at Pint Jockey Headquarters. This hefty high alcohol IPA fits nicely into our category of warming beers for the holidays so I thought I would give it a shot. Onto our beer... Pours a classic amber with a generous white fluffy head made up of small bubbles. The nose is grainy and toasty with hints of caramel and raw alcohol. The first sip is grain forward and roasted malt with dark caramel. Hops are green and herbal and take a minute or two to develop. Mouthfeel is a little thin. Aeration gives us toast and caramel, and bitter hops.
Cost: 5/6 PASS Colour: 5/6 PASS Beer Style: 4/6 PASS Re-Order: 5/6 PASS Experience: 5/6 PASS Christmas Cheer 5/6 PASS Final Thoughts: Just a little too thin on the mouthfeel for me. I know there is a lot of alcohol in there but I want a little more oomph when I drink my IPAs especially the double ones. Still an easy-drinking, excellent beer and certainly worthy of some time in your glass. Cheers CJT Let's Stay "Social" Follow my adventures here
I haven't done too many Flying Monkey's beers, and honestly, I don't know why that is. Their beers are more often than not quite good, and checking out the incredible boxes and stories on their packaging is as much as a treat as the beer itself. Tonight's beer is Aurora Heart a Flavoured milk stout loaded with chocolate and raspberries. Onto our beer... Pours a translucent dark chocolate brown with an off-tan head made of small bubbles. The aroma is deep and rich chocolate with hints of sweet milk. Raspberries smell fresh and ripe. The first sip is dessert in a glass. Framboise truffles filled with unctuous ganache. Chocolate syrup and whisky round out the major flavours. Aeration brings out the super-ripe raspberries and cream.
Fantastic beer! It really makes me think of a raspberry chocolate truffle. So much so I had to make some raspberry truffles for Christmas. Perfect for the holidays or Tuesdays... you should pick one up. Cheers CJT Let's Stay "Social" Follow my adventures here
Another beer by Whitewater makes the list this year. This sweet milk stout is loaded with peanut butter extract and a hit of lactose to emulate a chocolaty peanut butter milkshake. Let's see how they did. Onto our beer... Pours a dark brown almost black with a tan head made up of small bubbles. The aroma is Frangelico or toasted hazelnuts, with some roasted peanuts in the background. The first sip is all peanut butter cookie. Peanut extract is used in this beer and it is quite evident, as the peanut taste is syrupy, sweet and almost chemical. Wheat and oat malts give the beer it's cookie flavour while some lactose adds in a creamy "milkshake" feel. Aeration ramps up the peanut extract and reminds me of Halloween candy kisses (Molasses caramels) that everyone leaves right till the end because you are afraid they are going to rip your teeth out.
Cost: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL Colour: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL Beer Style: 5/6 PASS Re-Order: 4/6 PASS Experience: 5/6 PASS Christmas Cheer 5/6 PASS Final Thoughts: It needed a bit more creaminess, and I wish there was a way they could have accomplished the flavour without extracts, but this beer is good. Takes a bit of a hit on the re-order scale because of the extract, but I certainly wouldn't turn this beer down if it was free. How do you feel about extracts? Are they cheating? or are you fine with them? I just don't appreciate the chemical taste. Try one and see for yourself. Cheers CJT Let's Stay "Social" Follow my adventures here
Another trip down to Goochland for Lickinghole's other Imperial stout Heir Apparent. This beer is spiced with cayenne and vanilla and shows strong chocolate and coffee notes from the beer, making this a fine interpretation of Mexican hot chocolate. Onto our beer... Pours translucent dark brown with a short tan head made of small bubbles. Sparks of red tinges and some sediment float in the glass. The aroma is dark, woody, smoky, and with major tones of molasses. Hints of brown sugar vanilla and dark caramel. The first sip gives us molasses brown sugar smoked chocolate vanilla and a spike of chilli and cinnamon at the end. Very woody and earthy. Reminiscent of Mexican chocolate. Aeration gives us notes of gingerbread.
Cost: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL Colour: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL Beer Style: 5/6 PASS Re-Order: 5/6 PASS Experience: 5/6 PASS Christmas Cheer 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL Final Thoughts: Tasty, warming, and spicy this beer is a great holiday sipper. When the temperature drops, hop into a glass of this stout and warm right up. Give this one a try if you like Mexican chocolate, it comes out around Christmas time every year. Cheers CJT Let's Stay "Social" Follow my adventures here
Ok so maybe this isn't a Christmas beer... however, picking it up at the local sure felt like Christmas to me. Before we get started we have to discuss something very important. Who is the Greatest Canadian Superhero? I'll give a list to choose from: Captain Canuck, Captain Canada, Aurora, Betty Barrett, Box, Centrix, Commander Steel, Diamond Lil, Fleur de Lys, Flex, Guardian, Iron Man (No not that Iron Man... the OTHER Iron Man) Major Maple Leaf, Northguard, Northstar, Puck, Radius, Sasquatch, Shaman, Snowbird, Talisman, Vindicator, Deadpool, or Wolverine... go on, think about it I'll wait... Nope... It's:
Mr. Canoehead Canada's Greatest Aluminum Crimefighter.
For the younger sports fans in the audience, way back many years ago, when there were only 3 channels on TV and you had to put the TV on channel 3 to play your VCR or your NES. There was a comedy sketch variety show called "Four on the Floor" (That's a reference to a manual transmission in a car for all you Millenials (or its also the beat rhythm for disco and electronic music for you music nerds) ). I can't remember if it aired Friday or Sunday night on CBC and I think it was on right before Kids in the Hall. (edit... I did some more research and The Frantics started out on CBC Radio in the 1970's and this is where Mr. Canoehead was born. The TV show came later in 1986, 2 years before the Kids in the Hall and is cited as an influence for them.)
The First Episode of Mr. Canoehead... Sorry about the Quality.
Four on the Floor starred the comedy troupe "The Frantics." Paul Chato, Rick Green, Dan Redican, and Peter Wildman made up the group, with Chato playing the titular superhero. It was a series of about 8 sketches where Mr. Canoehead was able to solve goofy crimes that required the use of a canoe stuck to someone's head. My favourite was when he disguised himself as a buffet to catch a thief stealing bacon bits (yes... you read that right...) Sadly "Four on the Floor" only lasted 13 episodes, however, if we can't have more Mr. Canoehead... at least we can drink this beer. Let's portage through this beer... Translucent reddish amber in colour with an off-tan head. The aroma is grassy, fresh, straw, hoppy, green, and floral. There are hints of sweetness on the nose. The first sip is a sweet beautiful explosion of flavours, sweet malt and hoppy brightness. The flavour is reminiscent of bold, fruity British ales, with amazing florals and stone fruits. Definitely hints of cherry, plum, and a greenhouse full of flowers. This is a beer I could drink over and over and not get tired of. Aeration is a burst of fruit and malty sweetness.
Cost: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL Colour: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL Beer Style: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL Re-Order: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL Experience: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL Christmas Cheer 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL Final Thoughts: This is by far the best red ale I have ever tried. One sip and I am sitting in a pub in England. The dry hopping gives the beer a fruity floral quality that makes this beer perfect. You actually have to slow yourself down when you are drinking this beer otherwise you will burn through the can way too fast. This could easily be one of my new favourite Ontario beers. Get this one as soon as you can.
So Paul Chato has a Vlog now and I was thrilled when this video popped up when I searched for the Mr. Canoehead Episodes. Here is Mr. Canoehead... drinking Mr. Canoehead. This was around the time of the launch of the beer and Sleeping Giant sent Mr. Chato a case of beer to try.
Cheers CJT Let's Stay "Social" Follow my adventures here
Colour: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
