Cleaning out the Cupboards

Back Again.... did you miss me?

After a long drawn out and somewhat tiresome summer (that dragged over into fall...) I return to my blog to hang my head in shame as I have not paid it much mind recently. This is actually a big month here at Pint Jockey Headquarters. Five years ago this Sunday (November 8th) is the fifth anniversary of my first post. Sadly I often miss my own anniversaries because of being busy at work... being a chef we start into Christmas parties right about now. However this year I plan on celebrating... with a beer or two and a few posts to boot. However, That being said I have to clear off my desktop and post a few beers I tasted but never managed to finish posting. So here is a a quick three teaser of some of the summer beers I tried to write about for you...

Beer # 240 Panache

Stack Brewing Company

Sudbury, Ontario, Canada

Independent Microbrewery

Twitter: @Stackbrewing

Cedar aged American Pale Ale 
4.5% ABV Aluminum Can 473 ml (16 oz).
$3.00 (Canadian) At The Brewery

Back again with another craft beer from Stack Brewing in Sudbury Ontario. Sadly when I picked these up I didn't get much information on them


Pours a slightly hazy dark gold with an off-tan head made up of tiny to small bubbles. Aroma is woody, mossy, grassy, and slightly fruity. Some pineapple is evident. First sip is very light, drinks like a session APA. some fruit, mostly tropical, pineapple and bitter orange. Cedar is an underscoring note light and refreshing on the back of the palate. Aeration warms up the cedar giving it a bit more of a sawdust smell, some resinous hops and a long finish of bitter orange peel.


Impression: A Solid 5/6 

Lovely little beer. Cedar works very well with beer, especially the APAs.









Beer # 241 1606 Winewood Series Barrel Aged Stout

Sawdust City Brewing Company
Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada

Independent Microbrewery

Barrel Aged Raspberry Stout
5.7 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 750 ml
$12.95 (Canadian) At the brewery

Twitter @SawdustCityBeer

pours a very dark brown with slight hints of red and chestnut. The head is dark tan and made of very fine bubbles. The Aroma is leather and wood, some cedar, red fruit, and slightly molasses sweet. First sip is smoky sweet with lots of oak, sweet berries, slightly tart, some cranberry. Some tobacco, raisins, and coacoa powder. Aerations gives us a slight whisky nose, with some grapey astringency. Mouthfeel is cream












Impression:   6/6 

Hands down this was the beer of the summer. After ageing for 10 months in wine barrels with the periodic addition of fresh raspberries, this beer was a flavour bomb, but very easy drinking. I could sit all night and slowly sip a pint of this.



Beer # 242 Revenge of the Ginger IPA

Double Trouble Brewing
Guelph, Ontario, Canada

Independent Microbrewery

Flavoured IPA (Australian Pale Ale)
6.2 % ABV Aluminum Can 473 ml
$3.00 (Canadian) At the LCBO

Twitter: @HopsandRobbers


Pours a red tinted clear amber with an off white head made up of small bubbles. Aroma is fresh ginger, or Jamaican Ginger beer, sharp and citrusy. Rich malt in the background. First sip starts out like a ginger beer, some zing which calms down into a malty robust IPA. Some elements of a red ale especially in the malt profile. Some caramelisation, some residual sugars. The gingerol gives a pleasant tingly mouth numbing feel, and the herbaceous hops lend a nice bitter green taste to counteract the heat of the ginger and the sweet of the malt. Aeration gives off a warmth that fills the body, there is some grassiness, and some hay. The finish is earthy, mineral, and slightly sticky on the lips.

Impression: 5/6

Not a beer I would drink often but a good flavour profile nonetheless. I would actually like to cook this this. It screams beer butt chicken to me...



























There you go... I am caught up again it is time to move forward. A new year dawns here at Headquarters let's see what new beers await.

Cheers
CJT

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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas: Day 12 French Press Vanilla Stout

Beer # 176 French Press Vanilla Stout

Double Trouble Brewing Company

Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Flavoured Stout 4.8 % ABV Aluminum Can 473 ml.
$2.95 (Canadian) At the LCBO

Twitter: @DT_Brewing


I was very happy to find this beer the other day.  I was thoroughly impressed with their Fire in the Rye and I was eager to blog more of their beers. As well, Hops and Robbers is a perennial favourite around Pint Jockey Headquarters come BBQ season (as it should be around your BBQ). I believe the picture of the charming gent on the can is Claude (of Claude and Nathan not sure if he is the "double" or the "trouble" though). But, he does know a good beer when he makes one. I have a feeling that there are some more good things coming down the pipe from these guys in Guelph and I look forward to trying them out too.

Onto the tasting...

Pours an intense dark brown/black with a light tan head made up of small bubbles. Aroma is vanilla bean latte. First sip shows us it is very light bodied stout, refreshing with strong notes of vanilla. Malt comes in gently afterwards followed swiftly by rich dark roast coffee. Whereas other stouts get most of their coffee flavour from the addition of coffee beans to the mix; this beer gets it from the special malting of the barley. While the coffee aroma and flavour is very present, it acts as a supporting player to the malt sugars and the vanilla, handing over just enough bitterness to prevent the beer from being too sweet. The beer tastes and feels like an upscale coffee shop in winter to me. So much so it makes me imagine candy canes and the aromas of peppermint without them actually being in the beer. Aeration gives off a brandy, or rum note
with a little creme brulee and caramel to finish.

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
Christmas Spirit 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL


Final Thoughts:

This has been one of my favourite beers so far for the 2-4 Beers of Christmas. It delivers on the advertised flavour, it is well balanced, light in body but great in flavour. Do try this one out while it is still on shelves.


Cheers And Beery Christmas


CJT


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Beer # 114 Double Trouble Brewing Co. Fire in the Rye

Fire in the Rye

Double Trouble Brewing Co.

Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Unfiltered Rye Pale Ale 6.1% ABV Aluminum Can 473 ml
$2.95 (Canadian) At LCBO 
Twitter: @hopsandrobbers

This will be my third Claude and Nathan brew I have tried, sadly I believe it the first that has made it onto my blog, a fact that I will have to correct soon because Double Trouble makes good beer. Their flagship beer Hops and Robbers has been my goto summer beer here at Pint Jockey Headquarters for the past 2 years and is frequently the guest star at our BBQs (it makes an awesome beer butt chicken!!) Tonight's brew is a roasted RPA or Rye Pale Ale, Which is a relatively new style on the craft market that I am seriously getting behind. It is a great way for brewers to update an old standard and infuse more flavour into what would otherwise be just "another IPA." Claude and Nathan use a fire roasted rye malt and hop it exclusively with Centennial hops to produce a straightforward but very flavourful beer.

Enough already... onto the tasting.

Dark amber to a light chestnut in colour with and off white, grey tinged head made up of medium sized bubbles. Aroma is very nutty especially almond, sweet and woodsy. First taste gives us roasted grain, and toasted bread, smoke, wood, transforming into a light floral middle with green hints of hay, alfalfa, and geraniums. The rye is very evident, very bready and sweet. The style is excellent giving me all I could ask for, from a pale ale. Alcohol is evident but not overwhelming. Aeration gives us a very clean crisp and light clover honey taste. The 60 IBU hums a little on the finish with a mild bitterness, just enough to clean up the taste buds ready for another sip.

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 high marks to this beer. A wonderful well put together brew. Excellent flavour; another great summer sipper. Rush out and get one of these. I will definitely be trying this next time we BBQ chicken.

Cheers

CJT


Follow me on Twitter: @pintjockey

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