The 2-4 Beers of Christmas 2018 Edition Day 19: Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Porter 2018 by Collective Arts

Beer # 478 Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Porter 2018 Edition

Brewery: Collective Arts Brewing

Type: Independent Microbrewery    Est.:  2013

Location: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Beer Style: Barrel Aged Imperial Porter

ABV: 11.5%      IBU: 38

Format: Brown Glass Bottle  Size: 500 ml

Cost: $14.25 CAD     Purchased At: LCBO

collectiveham

    @CollectiveBrew

After a short break, we are back to finish the Christmas beers... Apologies for the delay.

This beer choice was mainly the responsibility of The Queen of Pint Jockey Headquarters. She loves bunnies. And this beer features an art print of a bunny on it's label. (Not to mention she is a huge fan of big bold porters and stouts #keeper). Collective arts brews out of Hamilton Ontario and it focuses on new artists and musicians. Their can art is often young and undiscovered artists and each beer run will feature several different artists. This beer's artist was Kait Cooper An Illustrator and graphic designer from Montreal. The Beer actually included a print of the bunny Image which the Queen has claimed, so I have to frame it for her. Tonight's beer is a bourbon barrel aged Imperial porter. I seriously can get enough of these beers when they come out in the winter... so delicious. 

Onto our beer.

Pours a very dark brown almost black with a deep tan head made up of small bubbles. Nose is laced with whiskey, smoke leather, chocolate and fresh coffee. First sip is rummy and malty, with vanilla toffee, and liquorice.  Lips are left sticky, and tongue is quite warm from the alcohol. Malt, molasses, jammy fruit and an oaky creamy finish. Very reminiscent of sticky toffee pudding. As the beer warms brown sugar comes out near the finish. Aeration brings out some chocolate hints of toasted oats, and a long lingering sweet finish.

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 Cheer 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL


Final Thoughts:

I've had a few Collective Arts beers and for the most part, they are pretty good, but this one is great. Fantastically rich and smooth with all the right flavours one would expect from this style. A good hint of alcohol, perfect for warming up on these cold nights. Really good check this one out if you can. 

Cheers

CJT


 Let's Stay "Social" Follow my adventures here

   @pintjockey


The Pintjockey Online


pintjockey

And don't forget to "Friend" me on Untappd.

Happy Halloween and Beer # 288

#288 Collective Project Sour Pumpkin Saison

Collective Arts Brewing

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Independent Microbrewery
Farmhouse Ale 
5.0 % ABV 8 IBU
473 ml Aluminium Can
$3.45 (Canadian) At the LCBO

Twitter: @Collectivebrew

Steve from Minecraft

Well Halloween is drawing to a close the kids are on their way to bed and their candy is definitely in danger. But before I go and start thinning out the coffee crisps and rockets (so they don't eat too much junk...) I wanted to post a pumpkin beer for this special night. Halloween is one of my favourite holidays, it gives me an excuse to do some of the things I do best I.E.... eat too much candy and put strange things on my head. In fact most of my costumes revolve around putting something on my head and going from there. A few years ago I was Steve from Minecraft. Tonight I plonked a plastic Knight's helmet on my head that I found in the boy's bedroom.... and I thought... okay, we are doing this. and out the door I went helmet on head matching plastic sword and my pockets stuffed full of extra bags for my ... I mean... the boys' candy. Aside from that, Halloween is also the birthday of my Favourite Furball. Perriwinkle or "Perry" has been my constant writing companion and guest typo inserter in the blog since day one ( Perry, keyboards are not for kittens...) This year she turned 13 years old. And as you can see she is not opposed to putting strange things on her head either.

I thought there was one more coffee crisp in here...

So if you ever notice a typo on one of my posts keep in mind... it's probably because i was trying to type it with Perry in my lap and her tail up my nose or she decided to tap dance across the keyboard, yet again. I hope she will be here for many, many more typos. Happy Birthday Kitten.

I can't believe we ate the whole bag of candy...

 Which brings us to tonight's beer. This time of year the shelves get flooded with pumpkin beers. Pumpkin porters, ales, what have you. This is the first time I've seen a sour saison, done with a pumpkin flavour. I've consciously avoided pumpkin beers for a year or two because I am very tired of them and after a while they end up just running together and tasting muddy.

So I was intrigued when I saw this can. and I have been liking what has been happening in the sour beer scene lately. What the hell, let's give this one a shot. So we threw on a copy of "Sleepy Hollow" and tasted the sour pumpkin.


Enter the great pumpkin...

Pours a dirty gold with a short white head made up of small bubbles. Nose is sweet filled with light hints of pumpkin and spices and just a touch of sour. First sip is a fruity with good hits of cinnamon and clove. Touches of ginger and allspice bring up the rear. Pumpkin is evident but not overpowering, or sickly like many other pumpkin beers. The beer is very light and well balanced between the sweet, sour and spice. Very easy drinking aeration brings out some caramel notes and hints of vanilla, and a little of the malt that hides so well in the background.

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:

Well quite frankly I am surprised. Not just a good pumpkin beer but one I would look forward to drinking again. Nothing is overpowering, or in your face about it. It is not just a mish-mash of over-sweet pumpkin and way too much baking spice. The sour counteracts the sweetness and the spice is balanced just right. You get a little malt at the end to remind you this is a beer and all is well. Get this one while you can. However, I imagine this one will make a return visit next year.... Hmmm, I wonder if it pairs well with stolen candy...


Happy Halloween &

Cheers

CJT

Follow me on Twitter: @pintjockey
Like me on Facebook: Pint Jockey Online

And don't forget to "Friend" me on Untappd.

Saint of Circumstance Collective Arts Brewing

Beer # 217 Saint of Circumstance

Collective Arts Brewing

Bracebridge and Burlington, Ontario, Canada
Hamilton, Ontario
Flavoured Blonde Ale 
4.7 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 355 ml.
$2.33 (Canadian) At LCBO ($13.95 for a six pack)

Twitter: @CollectiveBrew

The next beer by Collective Arts Brewing, who is currently opening their bricks and mortar brewery in Hamilton. They have been very busy not only bringing out this beer but there is a sessionable IPA as well which I am hoping to get my hands on soon. Like it's predecessor  Rhyme & Reason, this beer features labels that celebrate art and music. I also believe that the name itself refers to the Grateful Dead song of the same name.

Onto our tasting:


Some sediment in the bottle I had to store it upright for a day or two. Light cloudiness on the beer but a bright crisp clean aroma. Colour is clear gold with a giant white head made up of small to medium bubbles. Aroma is lemon, citrus, and lychee. First sip is very fruit salad-ish. Bananas lemon, lychee, guava and passionfruit. Light backbone of grains especially wheat. A hint of sourness on the middle, and finishes with some orange zest. A lighter crisp clean zesty sessionable ale, and  nice example of a blonde as well. Not quite a fruit bomb but there is plenty of fruit present for those inclined that way. Aeration gives up some nice medicinal hops in the background with a deeper barley malt giving us some earthy, caramel aromas.

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:

Very light and refreshing a well thought out blonde ale worthy of it's companion beer.Save this one for the patio this summer. you will want to savour it.

P.S. I have just been trying out www.julyu.com It's a new social media platform for those who enjoy fine alcoholic beverages, like you dear reader. Come and hang out with some like minded individuals. Sign up now and be sure to friend me!

Cheers

CJT


Follow me on Twitter: @pintjockey
Like me on Facebook: Pint Jockey Online

And don't forget to "Friend" me on Untappd.

Beer # 147 Rhyme & Reason Collective Arts Brewing

Rhyme & Reason

Collective Arts Brewing

Bracebridge and Burlington, Ontario, Canada
Brewery Collaboration?
Extra Pale Ale 5.7 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 355 ml.
$2.33 (Canadian) At LCBO ($13.95 for a six pack)
Twitter: @CollectiveBrew

Now this is a beer I have tried before. We had it recently at a BBQ where we used it for some "Beer Butt Chicken," to rave reviews.  So I had to save one and post about it. Collective Arts is as their name suggests is collecting artists. Each bottle features a random piece of artwork or independent band of some note. More information about the labels can be found by downloading and using "Blippar" an image recognition app for your phone or by simply searching for the label on the company's website here.

Other than their commitment to new artists, there is not a lot of information on the brewery other than their cryptic location. They say they are from Bracebridge and Burlington, Ontario. Which we here at Pint Jockey Headquarter know there are two fairly well known, and very excellent breweries in those two locations. We will not discuss who they are, their names are only a google search away... Instead, we will concentrate on their beer. And what a beer it is. 

Onto the artful tasting. 


Dark gold with a small off-white head made up of small bubbles. Head disperses fairly quickly. Nose is sweet, honey, dates, pine aromas. First sip is tangy bittersweet orange and lemon followed by a piney hop zing. Some caremelised citrus and orange peel oil. Some light breadiness through the middle with that unmistakable Simcoe hop herbal piney finish. Some sugar candy sweetness thrown into the mix along with some citrus pith bitterness. Aeration gives us grilled oranges.

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

Final Thoughts:

Very good indeed. This is another beer that has to head to the top of the list as a good summer sipper. Crisp, juicy, refreshing, and just bitter enough not to be too fruity. Get yourself into one of these and check out all the local and independent artists on the labels.


Cheers

CJT


Follow me on Twitter: @pintjockey
Like me on Facebook: Pint Jockey Online

And don't forget to "Friend" me on Untappd.