Beer # 390 11/05 2017 Edition Imperial Fruit Sour

Beer # 390 11/05 2017 Edition 
Collaboration with: Sawdust City Brewing Company

Brewery: Nickel Brook Brewing Company

Type: Independent Microbrewery/Brewpub    Est.:  2012

Location: Burlington, Ontario, Canada

Beer Style: Imperial Fruit Sour with Soursop

ABV: 11.05%      IBU: 

Format: Draught  Size: 14 oz

Cost: $6.80 CAD     Purchased At: The Brewery

Sawdust City Brewing Company

Type: Independent Microbrewery Est.: 2012
Location: Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada

nickelbrookbrewing        sawdustcitybeer

    @NickelBrookBeer    @SawdustCityBeer

Soursop

One of the more anticipated beers of the brewing year up here in Muskoka is the fun collaboration between Sawdust City in Gravenhurst and Nickel Brook Brewing in Burlington Ontario. The two Brewmasters Sam Corbiel (Sawdust), and Ryan Morrow (Nickel Brook) share a birthday, November 5 (get it? 11 05?) So every year they plan and brew a beer that has an alcohol content of 11.05% (yikes!) Every year is a different style and the actually brewing swaps back and forth between the two breweries. Which sadly sucks this time around due to our antiquated laws in Ontario. Because this year was Nickel Brook's turn to brew, cans of 11/05 were not available for purchase in Gravenhurst. We did, however, get a few kegs to be served in the Sawdust City Saloon. So in I went.

This year's brew is an Imperial Fruit Sour. It was flavoured with a fruit that is not too commonly know of in this area: soursop. While the fruit is native to the Americas, it is from the tropical regions and is not generally seen up this way, fresh, anyway. The prickly green outside hides a soft creamy interior with many small brown seeds. The flavour is reminiscent of strawberries and pineapple.

Onto our beer.

Pours a hazy light gold with tinges of green and a short off-white head made up of small bubbles. The aroma has grapey notes of wine, Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc. Plus a sweet and sour background with hints of green fruit and citrus. First sip is quite tart but smooth with lots of fruit and wine notes. Has a distinct champagne mouthfeel, slightly acidic with bready notes citrus and cheek pricking bubbles. sweet fruity background note of strawberry and banana come out as the beer warms. Lastly, hints of oak come completing the wine feel. Aeration gives us a touch of pineapple some creaminess and a little raisin.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


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


Final Thoughts:

Wow. This is certainly the best 11/05 that I have had. It is very easy drinking and it masks the high alcohol very well. This is not a beer you would want to pound back 3 or 4 of, at least if you want to see the next morning. I had the one and moseyed. Very flavourful, I can't wait to try next year's!

Cheers

CJT

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Muskoka Brewery's 20th Anniversary Event Saturday June 25th 2016

Ok. My summer has been super busy. I'm just sitting down now to clear up my notes for the blog and I have a few posts that I have started and not finished due to lack of time. Usually, I would just move on and put in fresh content but there are two posts I started that I do not want to disappear into the cyber ether. One was for Sawdust City's First annual "Funk Fest" which was an amazing day of beer and music, which I will get to a little later and the other was this post. Back in June I had the opportunity to attend The Muskoka Brewery's 20th Anniversary. They threw a party and invited a few hundred of their closest friends. It was a fantastic chance to try some interesting one-offs and some seasonal beers that were not going to make it into cans or venture much further than the tasting rooms of the breweries that made them. In attendance to help the Muskoka Brewery celebrate were friends from Sawdust City Brewing Company in Gravenhurst, Whitewater Brewing Company in Forrester's Falls, and Lake of Bays Brewing Company in Baysville. Here are my notes... as always... better late than never.


Time to Party Like it's 1996

The Beer-Story

Serious Bling

Started in June 1996 The Muskoka Cottage Brewery, as it was known then, on the corner or Taylor Road and River Road in downtown Bracebridge. Over the years it has grown and expanded from its tiny original location with its rabbit warren of tanks and equipment to its shiny new location on Muskoka Beach Road at the edge of town. Their beer portfolio has grown from just a few bottles to a large number of interesting and flavourful brews that have filled their Trophy room to the brim. 

It was also a special day for another reason. Muskoka Brewery was celebrating the fact that they had become the first Brewery in Canadian history to guarantee a Certified Living Wage to all of its employees. That means that any employee would earn enough money to comfortably pay all of their bills and achieve "a basic level of economic security above the poverty line." It is a fantastic commitment from the company and a great investment in the community that the brewery serves.

Onto our Beers of the Day...


Whitewater Brewing Company

Forrester's Falls, Ontario
@WhitewaterBrew

Chinook Me All Night Long

Chinook me all night long 

Session IPA
3.8 % ABV
50 IBU

Honey amber colour light caramel on the nose with hints of citrus. First sip is chinook hops dominated piney and citrus. Aeration  brings out some caramel and bitter greens. Very refreshing

Honey Badger Brown

Honey Badger Brown

Brown Ale

5 %  ABV
20 IBU

Dark amber  with a smoky and molasses nose. Lots of caramel. First sip is sweet and malty yet still light. Honey on the background with just a hint of bitter greens.  Aeration gives us espresso  and lots of sweet honey.

Lake of Bays Brewing Company

Baysville, Ontario
@LB_Brewing

The Daily Rind

The Daily Rind

Flavoured Session IPA with lemon zest
5.2 % ABV
50 IBU

Slightly cloudy Honey amber colour nose is light caramel with hints of lemon peel.  Very crisp and clean plenty of lemon zest... tart and zingy. some bitter greens on the finish. Aeration gives us more caramel and some sweet lemon curd.

Sawdust City Brewing Company

Summer Stache

Gravenhurst Ontario
@SawdustCityBeer

Summer 'Stache

Flavoured Berliner Weisse with Cranberries
3.5 % ABV

Bright red cranberry colour. Nose is very light red fruit first sip is very tart cranberry very clean bright and refreshing with a little wheat finish. Aeration brings out a citrus almost cranberry lemonade.

Muskoka Brewing Company

Ruff Draught

Bracebridge Ontario
@MuskokaBrewery

Ruff Draught

Tropical Blonde ale
5.0 % ABV
25 IBU

Light gold in colour nose is tropical fruit. First sip is pineapple with hints of wheat and banana and a hint of spice. Aeration pumps up the tropical fruit especially the banana

Cool as a Cuke

Flavoured Session American Pale Ale with Cucumber and lemon grass
4.7 % ABV

Cool as a Cuke

25 IBU

Colour is clear gold with hints of green. Nose is light grains and some caramel. First sip is bright refreshing  cucumber salad with hints of citrus. Aeration  gives us a hint of bitter greens more citrus and lots of sweet cool cuke.

Moonlight Kettle Series Muskoka Equinox

Flavoured American Pale wheat ale

Black cherry vanilla

4.6 %  ABV
20 IBU

Moonlight Kettle Series: Equinox

Slighty cloudy off gold nose is light and wheat with some vanilla. First sip gives us some background sweetness with cherries vanilla and banana... hmm I could make some ice cream with this. Tastes like a cherry soda. Aeration pumps up the vanilla and cherry with hints of lemon.

Longest Day

Oak Smoked ale

Piwo Grodziskie Oak Smoked Ale

3 % ABV
25 IBU

Moonlight Kettle Series: Longest Day

Rauch bier style. Smoked with oak. Very clear gold  with a strong campfire nose. Heavy oak smoke on the first sip tangy and zingy some citrus and very light caramel. Aeration is sweet smoke and Bbq.

Cross Border Citrus Porter

Collaboration with Ellicottville Brewery New York USA
@EBCwny

Cross Border Citrus Porter

4.5% ABV
33 IBU

Extremely dark chestnut nose is hoppy grapefruit and tropical fruit and strong citrus 
First sip makes me think of breakfast... strong coffee and grapefruit. Two different hints of bitterness bitter coffee and bitter grapefruit zest. Hints of chocolate and cocoa powder. 





Cheers

CJT

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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas: Day 18: Happy Birthday to me!

Beer # 182 Epiphany #1

Black Oak Brewing Company

Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Belgian Quadrupel 9.5 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 750 ml.
$7.95 (Canadian) At the LCBO

Twitter: @BlackOakBrewing

Happy Birthday to me. I can finally smell and taste again. I have had a wonderful Birthday here at Pint Jockey Headquarters and I am settling back into my tasting routine after a brief but nasty cold. So for the next couple of days I intend to finish the 2-4 Beers of Christmas List I started prior to becoming sick (apologies, I'll take more vitamins next time!). Then I have a few stellar beers that I got for Christmas that I have had to stare at forlornly, because I could not taste anything. They will be coming up at the end of this week.

Hopefully, for this year ahead I am going to be switching to a twice weekly posting.  So you can expect 2 beers per week (at least) from me. I will also be doing special postings and I am planning a few trips through the year so expect The Pint Jockey to be on the road quite a bit.

Ok, without further ado... Onto Black Oak Brewing's Cherry wood aged Quadrapel... Epiphany #1 (get it Epiphany, January 6th, my Birthday... It all comes together!) Onto the tasting...

Pours a very dark chestnut colour with a light tan head made up of small bubbles. There is a distinct cherry aroma as the beer pours. Nose is fruity, cherry and sweet, with wood notes. First sip gives us some chocolate and cherry, but not as sweet as a cherry cordial. Earthy with some, sweet wood, a touch smoky and a good hint of caramel. Freshly sawn cherry wood keeps popping up, as does some toasty bread notes, some nuts, and the barest hint of molasses. Aeration gives us wood and caramel with sweet maraschino cherries on the end. The alcohol is not overpowering even though you do start to feel it after a few sips. The beer is very rounded, and smooth, and after the first glass a nice warm feeling sets into your chest.

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:  5/6 PASS
Christmas Spirit 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL


Final Thoughts:

This is the beer I have been waiting for on this list. This one feels the most like Christmas. It is warming, rich flavourful. Do try this if you can get your hands on it... I wish I could get some more bottles!

Cheers And Beery Christmas (And a Happy Birthday to me!!!)


CJT

P.S.  Did I mention It was my Birthday?

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Beer #156 11.05 2014 Triple IPA Sawdust City

11.05 2014 Triple IPA
Collaboration with  Nickel Brook Brewing Company

Sawdust City Brewery

Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Triple IPA IIIPA 11.05 % ABV Aluminum Can 473 ml.
$6.95 (Canadian) At the Brewery
Twitter: @SawdustCityBeer @NickelBrookBeer


Well anyone of UK descent like yours truly will know that November 5th is Guy Fawkes Night, or bonfire night. It is the night the English commemorate the Gunpowder Plot where a group of revolutionaries attempted to blow up the British Parliament when King James was coming to open the session in 1605, as can be told in the poem below:

The Fifth of November
English Folk Verse (c.1870)

Remember, remember!
The fifth of November,
The Gunpowder treason and plot;
I know of no reason
Why the Gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot!
Guy Fawkes and his companions
Did the scheme contrive,
To blow the King and Parliament
All up alive.
Threescore barrels, laid below,
To prove old England's overthrow.
But, by God's providence, him they catch,
With a dark lantern, lighting a match!
A stick and a stake
For King James's sake!
If you won't give me one,
I'll take two,
The better for me,
And the worse for you.
A rope, a rope, to hang the Pope,
A penn'orth of cheese to choke him,
A pint of beer to wash it down,
And a jolly good fire to burn him.
Holloa, boys! holloa, boys! make the bells ring!
Holloa, boys! holloa boys! God save the King!
Hip, hip, hooor-r-r-ray!

Anyone NOT of UK descent may still recognise the verse from the DC Comics movie "V for Vendetta" which shadows the Guy Fawkes storyline. And for anyone who is interested, Guy Fawkes was actually the first Fall Guy. He took the whole blame for the plot despite the fact he was merely guarding the gunpowder.

Closer to home. November 5th is the birthday of two brewers: Sam Corbeil of Sawdust City, and Ryan Morrow of Nickel Brook Beers. While being born 5 years and a hundred or so miles apart they have since decided to celebrate, jointly, each year by brewing a special beer entitled the "11.05." Last year was a barley wine and this year they have chosen a face melting triple IPA with a whopping 11.05 % ABV... (Hmmm I've heard that number before). And when I say face melting... I jest not. I was informed this morning as I picked up the very first two cans of this limited 2000 can run, that there was a total of 170 POUNDS of hops in this batch. As it was put so delicately on the website, that is the weight of an average man in hops.

Without further ado, Let us light our bonfires, and raise a glass of 11.05 to Sam and Ryan. Onto the Tasting.

Orangey-amber in colour slightly cloudy with a bright white head made of tiny bubbles. Bright citrus and pine, pineapple, and mango shot straight out of the can way before I even poured it. First sip is bright fruit juice pineapple. Pine, and menthol co me out in the middle. So. Much. Hops! This is not a hop bomb... it is a Hop Tactical Nuke. But while the hop flavours dominate the brew they do not overwhelm it. The fruit and pine balance themselves There is a sweetness on the finish with a little hard candy, cooked sugar flavour, and surprisingly a hint of candy cane. If we were not celebrating Guy Fawkes tonight... I would say this is a Christmas beer. Alcohol is present, warm and lingering (waiting to sneak up on me no doubt). I could easily drink this all winter. Aeration gives up a smack of alcohol that made my eyes water... kind of like snorting white lightning. In the background however there was some grilled pineapple and a hint of caramel.


 Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 

Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Beer Style: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Re-Order:  6/6 EXCEPTIONAL (Get it while you can and beg them to make more!)
Experience:  6/6 EXCEPTIONAL

Final Thoughts:


Wow.

Just Wow. This is a phenomenal beer. I am in awe of the fact that they stuffed so much hops in here and didn't turn the beer into a writhing bitter mess. Get it and try it if you can. It is at the brewery or on tap at several bars in downtown Toronto.


Cheers


CJT



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