The 2-4 Beers of Christmas Day 3: 1 year (plus a few days) Aged 11/05 2016 Edition

Aged 11/05 Can Conditioned Sour Belgian Tripel

Collaboration with Nickel Brook Brewing Company

Brewery: Sawdust City Brewing Company

Type: Independent Microbrewery/Brewpub    Est.:  2012

Location: Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada

Beer Style: Belgian Sour Tripel

ABV: 11.05%      IBU: 

Format: Aluminum Can Size: 473 ml

Cost: $6.50 CAD     Purchased At: The Brewery

Nickel Brook Brewing Company


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

nickelbrookbrewing        sawdustcitybeer

    @NickelBrookBeer    @SawdustCityBeer


Ok, yes, I know... I was supposed to do this beer 6 months ago... Better late than never. So this can has sat in the Fridge of Fame for a little over 12 months. Long ago I would, like many others, would have thought this beer would be bad, and throw it out (or more likely drink it later into the night after I have already had a few. Yes. I have no shame.) However, I have come to realise under certain conditions, that bottle ageing (or can ageing in this case) is not only possible but very intriguing in its results. What beers can be aged? Well, that depends.Higher alcohol beers are good candidates, heavier styles like porters, quads, and the like fair very well. Anything bottle conditioned usually because they have active yeasts that keep the beer "alive" and continue to change the flavours over time. If you want to try ageing I may do a more in-depth article soon, but when in doubt... ask your local craft brewer. tell him or her you are interested in ageing some beers at home and could they make a few suggestions. I'm sure they will be happy to oblige.

Before we head onto our beer tonight I want to remind you about my notes for the beer way back in November of 2016:

Pours a cloudy gold colour with a fluffy white head made up  of small bubbles. Aroma is a warm sweet and sour nose with lots of yeasty bread, nuts, honey and fruit, with hints of grapes and wine. Alcohol is up front and warming. First sip is tart, but still slightly closed in flavour. Very bready, and nutty with hints of brandy. Aeration gives us a full and creamy mouthfeel with notes of spice, hints of black pepper and apricot.

The beer was a late release last November. While the beer is usually ready for November 5th, Sawdust was can conditioning it and it was not quite ready. So the cans came with a band on the top and you had to "pinkie swear" not to open until the 21st of November. I did mine around the 25th so the initial can conditioning was done. However, there is still active yeast in there working on the beer. So the band also advocated trying it again in 6 months. I did buy a second can to try in 6 months. However, I didn't get to it until now. Interestingly, the beer is still on sale in the brewery (I may have picked up another can to try next year!). 

Onto our beer.


The colour is still bright gold but it has taken on a slightly more cloudy appearance. The can nearly exploded when I opened it and the fluffy white head was MASSIVE. The nose is incredible with bright citrus notes, some breadiness, a little funk from the Brettanomyces and a small amount of nuttiness. First sip gives us a very smooth slightly funky beer. Definitely, still, wine-like taste although the grapiness is more muted. Hints of oak, light caramel, a little more woodsy, and earthy. The finish has a little black pepper and hints of liquorice. Aeration brings out the alcohol with a boom. My cheeks warmed right up! It also brings out hints of banana and clove. Interestingly the brett fades as the beer warms.

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: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Christmas Cheer 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL


Final Thoughts:

Phenomenal experience. Ageing this beer was a wonderful experiment and it is great to compare it to its younger self. There are a still a few of these left in the brewery. I would suggest grabbing at least two and trying one now and one maybe next year!


CJT

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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas: Day 1 Winding Road for 7 Km

Beer # 164 Winding Road for 7 Km Rye Saison

Sawdust City Brewing Company

Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Rye Saison Can Conditioned 7.0 % ABV Aluminium Can 473 ml.
$3.50 (Canadian) At the Brewery
Twitter: @SawdustCityBeer

Well today is my first post in my self-styled beer advent calendar, and I was excited to pick Winding Road for 7 Km as my first offering. Rye beers are quickly becoming a favourite with me. I love the different flavours brought about by this seriously underutilised grain. This beer is Sawdust City's newest offering, and it has been on sale (at the brewery only) since Friday. And as you can guess by the can's lack of clothing it is a limited run. There is some available in kegs at select locations (check you local craft beer hangouts) but this one is extra special. This is the first time a beer has been "Can Conditioned' in Ontario. (To the best of anyone's knowledge correct me if you think I'm wrong). Some of you may be familiar with bottle conditioning, which is a process whereby extra yeast is added to the bottle prior to being capped. Then the bottles are aged for a period of time at room temperature to allow the yeast to ferment the remaining sugars and give the beer an extra natural carbonation. Being inside the bottle the carbon dioxide has nowhere to go so it gets dissolved into the beer. This gives the end product a very fine almost mousse-like carbonation. Champagne undergoes a similar process (which is slightly more complex). The secondary fermentation also gives the beer a yeasty, bready, flavour, and "dries" the beer out a bit, leaving less residual sugars and making the beer more "refined."

This beer has undergone a similar process, only in place of the bottles, the extra yeast was sealed in the cans and the beer was left a room temperature for about 21 days.

Enough fermenting already, onto the tasting...


Pours a hazy gold colour with an enormous head that is off white with hints of brown. The big fluffy head has good staying power, starts out as small to medium sized bubble but slowly collapses into large open bubbles. When first cracked, the can gave off a wonderful aroma of apples. The nose is slightly boozy, a hint of baking spice, and some yeasty fresh risen bread. Yeast is on the first sip along with some nice rye bread. Some caramelisation and a little fresh grain and wheat. The mouthfeel is very bubbly, champagne-like, as the bubbles break across the tongue. There is a tart malic acid feel to the middle, somewhat appley and the finish is some medicinal hops. Aeration whips the beer up into a froth that fills the mouth leaving a distinct apple / pear taste and a good hit of the alcohol and a touch of minerals right at the end.

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:  6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Christmas Spirit 5/6 PASS


Final Thoughts:

Well the brochure says this beer was to be an autumn Saison but obviously it was a little late. But that's OK, we can wait for good beer. Delicious, refreshing, good flavour, and well rounded. Please pick one up if you can... If only for the experience of having the first can conditioned beer in Ontario.


Cheers And Beery Christmas


CJT


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