Two Beers by Frank Brewing Co.

Frank Double Bill

I picked up a couple of cans from a brewery I had never heard of before when I was down in Stratford. I know many people enjoy travelling to see new sights and have new experiences... Sometimes I just like to go into the grocery stores and check out what foods are different. Yes, I am a nerdy chef...  This was the case with these two beers. If you don't know we have had beer sales in grocery stores in Ontario for just over a year now... Yes, I know our province is late to the party, other more civilised areas have been doing this for years. 

Frank Brewing is a microbrewery/Brewpub from Tecumseh, Ontario. Tecumseh is West of Windsor near the US Canada border and on the shores of Lake St. Claire the smallest and only  heart shaped lake in the Great Lakes chain. Lake St. Claire is most noted for its excellent muskellunge fishing. Let's see how well they do with beer.

Onto our double bill tasting...

Beer # 462 Frank: Bombshell Blonde

Brewery: Frank Brewing Company


Type: Independent Microbrewery/Brewpub    Est.:  2015

Location: Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada

Beer Style: Blonde Ale

ABV: 4.4%      IBU: 9

Format: Bottle  Size: 473 ml

Cost: $2.85 CAD     Purchased At: Food Basics (Stratford, Ontario)

Dun coloured gold with little to no head, flat and lifeless looking. Slight chemical, off nose. Musty flat. Watery, overwhelming taste of wet grain. Strangely, beer does not taste spoiled... just very bad.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


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


Final Thoughts

Just bad... Terrible beer. First #DrainAward of the year.


Beer # 463 Frank: Old Comrade Amber

Beer Style: Amber Ale

ABV: 4.7%      IBU: 21

Format: Bottle  Size: 473 ml

Cost: $3.05 CAD     Purchased At: Food Basics (Stratford, Ontario)

Pours a dark amber slightly translucent with a thin off-tan head made up of small bubbles. Sweet malt forward with light hints of wood and spice. First sip is malty and syrupy sweet with a fair amount of caramel. Dark and roasty with some molasses in the background. Aeration gives us brown sugar.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 

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

Final Thoughts

Much better than the first one but something is still just a bit off. I know ambers are a little on the sweet side but this one is too sweet. Although not a candidate for the #DrainAward... I'm having a hard time finishing it. If sweet beers are your thing go for this one... otherwise I might avoid it.


Final, Final Thoughts...

I'm not sold on Frank... Quite... er, frankly. I would need to see more beer from them and hopefully, they are just working through their new brewery troubles. Neither of these beers seemed to work and I'm not sure where to put the blame. Hopefully, I can revisit this brewery again later and they may have sorted this all out


Cheers

CJT

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Beer # 299 Pouch Envy Refined Fool Brewing Company

#299 Pouch Envy Australian Pale Ale

Refined Fool Brewing Company

Sarnia, Ontario, Canada
Independent Nanobrewery Established: 2014
Australian Pale Ale
5.0 % ABV IBU: 20
650 ml Brown Glass Bottle
$5.95 (Canadian) At the LCBO

Twitter: @refinedfool

Onto another new brewery for me. I do have to admit (and I'm a little embarrassed) I often will just grab a bottle I have never seen before as I cruise through the craft beer section of my local LCBO. This was one of those bottles. The name was familiar but didn't really ring any bells. I looked at the label briefly and noted the name and the fact it was an "Australian Pale Ale." Ah, Australian beer. Haven't done one in forever that will be great. I get it home and slide it into the Fridge of Fame, and that is when I realise that it's from Sarnia Ontario, Canada. In Fact Refined Fool is the first brewery in Sarnia in over 100 years. Ok even better. Refined Fool began operations in 2014 and according to their press release:

Refined Fool is a group of group of teachers, creatives, blue collars, entrepreneurs, musicians and pastors who care about beer, business, Sarnia and each other. They started by brewing at the corner of College Ave S and Davis St in January of last year with propane burners and frozen hoses and have since grown into the nano­brewery a few blocks away. 

Now tonight's beer is called an Australian Pale Ale. I had not heard of this style but I looked it up and it seems to only be a classification in Australia. It is characterised by a softer fruity hopstyle.

Let's see how this one does.

Pours a dun gold colour with a massive white head made up of small and medium bubbles. Nose is a little  off. Some some flat chemical, and nutty notes. First sip gives us lots of nuts and some grassy clover. I keep getting a Labatt 50 or Molson Export feel about the beer. Mouthfeel is thin and watery. Flavours are muted and flat. There is nothing about this beer that says IPA. Aeration gives a herbal bitter green notes. like garden weeds or tansy.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 0/6  FAIL
Re-Order:  0/6  FAIL
Experience: 2/6 SO-SO


Final Thoughts:

This beer tastes nothing like an IPA or what an "Australian Pale Ale" is purportedly supposed to taste like. If this bottle was not fresh from the LCBO I would suspect light or age damage, but that is not the case. While there are no distinct off flavours I can't help wonder if this bottle left the brewery spoiled. I can not imagine a brew-master being happy calling this a pale ale of any sort. It however is the beer I received from the LCBO 4 days ago. It is the only product I can assess. It gets the no-so coveted #DrainAward. Avoid at all costs.

Cheers

CJT

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Beer # 285 Mongozo Premium Pilsner Gluten Free

Beer # 285 Mongozo Gluten Free

Mongozo BV

Melle Belguim
Independent
Gluten Free Pilsner 
5.0 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 330 ml.
$3.15 (Canadian) At LCBO 

Twitter: N/A

Lurr, Ruler of the Planet Omicron Persei 8
doesn't like this beer either

So I like to try and give a chance to gluten free beers even though I don't like them, and think they are just a marketing stunt trying to wedge open an unnecessary niche. But, this beer... Wow, this beer both confuses and infuriates me; Just like my friend Lurr of the Planet Omicron Persei 8. It starts life as a lager... with gluten, then they do something to it... (no doubt unspeakably horrible) and suddenly it has no gluten left. But actually... it may, as it comes with a WARNING, that this product MAY CONTAIN GLUTEN. To distract you from this fact, the product is certified Fair Trade, and Organic. Now to deepen the confusion this beer has won multiple gold medals at the world beer stage. Which either tells you there is no competition at the world stage for this crap; or these beers really ARE THAT BAD... I'll leave that distinction to you. But if it were me and I was Celiac and it came down to drinking this beer or gluten filled beer; I would take the regular beer every time. My stomach would not like it, but my taste buds would not believe I hated them.

As always, I am not a doctor... I just play one in chat rooms. If you suspect you have Celiac's disease PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, consult an Immunologist who has experience with the disease. Have your family physician recommend one, or go through one of the Celiac Websites:

Canada:  www.celiac.ca

USA:      www.celiac.org

UK         www.coeliac.org.uk

Remember Celiac's is an autoimmune disease akin to Lupus. It is not a weight loss programme, or a "cleansing diet." The concept of "gluten sensitivity" has been scientifically proven false. Please use with caution.

Onto the "beer" (if we can call it that...)

Pours a brassy gold colour with a flat skiff of a head made up of odd sized bubbles. The nose is wet dog and chemical. light hints of grain and citrus. First sip is flat and watery like soda that has been left open. Light grain, some bread, and touches of citrus. Hints of pepper on the end of the tongue. Overwhelming taste of soda water, touches of minerals. Aeration brings out some green hops.

 Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


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



Final Thoughts:


I cannot describe how much I hated this agglomeration of ingredients that made up something resembling an alcoholic beverage. This was pure trash in a bottle designed to separate the gullible from their money. This "beer" makes me long for something with more flavour... like Coor's Light.

I need a shower and to scrub my tongue off. I give this "beer" the un-coveted #DrainAward. Avoid this, like you would your crazy ex, wielding a chainsaw.

  
Cheers

CJT

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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas Day 19: Central City, Red Racer Gingerhead Stout

Beer # 267 Gingerhead Gingerbread Stout

Central City Brewing Company

Surrey, British Columbia
Independent Microbrewery
Flavoured Stout 6.0 % ABV 
Brown Glass Bottle 650 ml.
$5.95 (Canadian) At the LCBO

Twitter: @CentralCityBrew

Picking up another new brewery (new to me!) Tonight we head to Canada's West coast for Surrey's Central City Brewing Company. Tonight's offering is a gingerbread stout... perfect for my 2-4 Beers of Christmas List.

Let's give it a shot...

Pours a opaque black/brown with a light tan head made up of small bubbles. Aroma is vanilla, baking, molasses, and cinnamon. Taste is very malty  with hints of artificial vanilla. ginger is very light and cinnamon is deep in the background. Overly sweet with notes of coffee and char. Aeration is gives us some creaminess, stale ginger hints of chemical.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 4/6 PASS
Re-Order:  0/6  FAIL
Experience:  0/6 FAIL
Christmas Cheer: 0/6 FAIL

Final Thoughts:


This beer smells artificial, does not even resemble gingerbread and has a chemical aftertaste. In 5+ years I have been doing this Blog I have only been unable to finish and have poured out one other beer. This Beer became the second recipient of the #DrainAward. Avoid.

Cheers

CJT

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