The 2-4 Beers of Christmas 2018 Edition Day 6: Cup and Saucer English Ale By Manitoulin Brewing

Beer # Cup and Saucer English Ale 

Brewery: Manitoulin Brewing Company


Type: Contract Brewery    Est.:  2015

Location: Little Current, Ontario, Canada

Beer Style: English Brown Ale

ABV: 5.0%      IBU: 33

Format: Aluminium Can  Size: 473 ml

Cost: $3.10 CAD     Purchased At: LCBO

 manitoulinbrewing

    @manitoulinbrew

Next up on our Christmas list is a beer from one of the places in Ontario I have always wanted to go to but haven't yet. Manitoulin Island. I'm a bit of a rock hound and I love finding fossils, and apparently, the shores of Manitoulin are covered in them. There also some wonderful historic sites and now there are a couple of Craft Breweries to further pique my interest. This English style brown ale is named after the famous "Cup and Saucer Trail" which is 12 Km of hiking trails over and along the Manitoulin section of the Niagara Escapement. The Escarpment for those who do not know is a ridge of ancient cliffs and rock that extend from wine country in Southern Ontario right up through Collingwood and Tobermory and Manitoulin Island. It is rich in diverse geology and fossils. Most of Ontario's ski hills are along the Escarpment and some of Ontario's finest wineries. 

While hiking the Escarpment today would not be a great idea, drinking the beer inspired by the trail certainly is.

Onto our beer...

Pours a translucent tea brown with an off-tan head made up of small bubbles. Aroma is sweet malt and nuts with underlying hints of cream. First sip is light bodied, fruity and malty with hints of brown sugar and molasses. Toasty, biscuit, light green hops are through the middle. Aeration brings some liquorice out of the malty 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: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Christmas Cheer 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL


Final Thoughts:

The was a delicious beer. I was truly sad when I finished it. Well balanced lots of flavour I could easily enjoy this any time of the year, and you should too.

CJT

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Yukon Gold English Pale Ale

Beer # 234 Yukon Gold

Yukon Brewing
Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada

Independent Microbrewery
English Pale Ale


5.0 % ABV Brown Glass bottle 650 ml
$6.90 (Canadian) At LCBO 

Twitter: @yukonbeer

The Yukon Brewing Company began  in 1997. The owners, Alan and Bob, who had both moved to the Yukon from Ontario, thought up their business plan on a canoe trip and the rest is history. When they first opened The company bore the name Chilkoot Brewing Company which was quickly changed due to a trademark issue. They re-branded as Cheechako Brewing company, but even that was changed again in 1999 to Yukon Brewing Company. In 2010 they dropped "company" and continue to this day with the name Yukon Brewing.

Tonight's offering is an English style Pale Ale. It contains 5 malts and is hopped with Saaz, Sterling, and UK Golding hops. The most striking thing about tonight's bottle could be the bottle itself.  The label is a piece of art designed by Ontario born, Batik artist Lynn Blakie . The bold yellow and deep blue colours of the label certainly do draw your eye in.

Enough art appreciation.... let's drink some liquid art.

Pours a light coppery gold with a thin off white head that disperses quickly. The aroma is earthy malts with some brown sugar slight caramel and the lightest hint of citrus. First sip is slightly sweet and malt forward. Light in body, very similar to an English mild ale. Hints of caramel, apples, earth tones. Finish is slightly hoppy, herbal and medicinal.


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:


I am quite happy with my first taste of the Yukon. This is a solid beer and a good flagship for the company. I can also see why it is the # 1 selling draft in all of the Yukon Territory (even outselling the Big Boys!) Is it very memorable?... no not quite, but I would definitely pick this over many, many other drafts that are out there. I look forward to trying the rest of their beers.

Cheers


CJT



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Beer # 131 County Durham Signature Ale

Signature Ale

Durham Brewing Company

Pickering, Ontario, Canada
Independent
English Style Pale Ale 5.0 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 500 ml
$3.95 (Canadian) At LCBO 
Twitter: N/A

Down to Durham County for a OCBWeek beer. Durham County is an unusual brewery, in that they don't do much social media. They have no website, and no twitter feed. They do have a page on the OCB website, which is here but otherwise they are pretty absent from the internet. I guess they prefer to let their beer do the talking... which is fine with me.  It isn't often I find their beer in bottles or cans so I was delighted to find this one at an LCBO down in Etobicoke. Mostly on encounters they beers on tap at local bars, especially C'est What  in Toronto, where they brew a line of beers just for them.

Enough already, onto the tasting...

Very dark gold in colour, almost light copper, with a fantastic beefy head made up of tiny off-white bubbles. Very long lasting with good lacing. Honey sweet nose with medicinal hops aroma light pine and camphor. Honey is there on the first sip as is caramel and tangy hops. Slightly piney, floral, herbaceous. The hops are very fresh and green. Aeration gives us an explosion of bright green and piney hops. finish is floral and caramel.


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:  5/6 PASS


Final Thoughts: 

Of all the beers that claim to be "British" or "English Style" this is the first one I have found that does indeed taste like a British beer. Light, floral and fresh, it is a delightful beer. Very thirst quenching, and a great beer to drink on it's own, or with some good BBQ.


Cheers

CJT


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