The 2-4 Beers of Christmas 2019 Day: 8 Kveik Chocolate and Orange Muskoka Brewery

Beer # 508 Kveik Chocolate and Orange

Collaboration with Quidi Vidi Brewing Company


Brewery: Muskoka Brewing Company


Type: Independent Brewery    Est.:  1998

Location: Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada

Brewery: Quidi Vidi Brewing Company

Type: Independent Brewery    Est.:  1996

Location: Quidi Vidi St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada

Beer Style: Flavoured Farmhouse Ale

ABV: 8.0%      IBU: 30

Format: Brown Glass Bottle  Size: 750  ml

Cost: $10.95 CAD     Purchased At: The Brewery

muskokabrewery                quidividibeer

    @muskokabrewery             @QuidiVidiBeer

Tonight's offering is the Community Ventures Collaboration between Muskoka Brewery of Bracebridge Ontario and Quidi Vidi Brewing Company from just outside St. John's Newfoundland.  The beer is a flavoured Farmhouse ale with chocolate and orange. I was looking forward to this I thought chocolate and orange are great for the holidays... but sadly, something went wrong with this beer...

Onto our tasting...

Pours a medium-dark chestnut with an off-tan head Aroma is very medicinal with hints of molasses and old citrus. The overwhelming smell of polyphenols, especially when the beer is just poured. There is something just "off" about the taste of the beer. Chocolate is minimal and extremely bitter. Orange is very faint, tastes old, and is backed up by bitter green leaves. Aeration is stale orange juice.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


Cost: 2/6 SO-So
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 0/6 FAIL
Re-Order:  0/6 FAIL
Experience: 1/6 FAIL
Christmas Cheer 1/6 FAIL


Final Thoughts:

This beer skirted the edge of being a #DrainAward. There was something wrong with this beer, something did not go right at all. Very disappointing as I usually am a big fan of everything Muskoka brewery does. Well, they can't all be rockstars. Avoid.

Cheers

CJT

 

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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas 2018 Edition Day 10: Gold Star by Indie Alehouse

Beer # 469 Gold Star Farmhouse Ale

Brewery: Indie Alehouse


Type: Independent Brewpub/Microbrewery  Est.:  2012

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Beer Style: Belgian Farmhouse Ale

ABV: 5.0%      IBU: ?

Format: Draught  Size: 355 ml

Cost: $4.50 CAD     
Purchased At: Sawdust City Brewery Guest Tap

 indiealehouse

    @indiealehouse

Stopped into Sawdust to top up the #FridgeofFame for the last half of the #2-4BeersofChristmas as Sawdust seemed to be going into overkill with the new releases this season. While I was there, I noticed they had this little ditty on the guest tap list from Indie Alehouse and figured I had time for a half pint... as it was my day off.  So just a quick one for today, a nice sour Farmhouse Beer 

Onto our beer...

Pours a cloudy light gold with a fluffy white head made up of small to medium bubbles. Sweet light Brett nose with hints of citrus and wheat. First sip is very refreshing, with tart citrus and lemon zest. The middle is filled with malted wheat hints of baking spice, clove, a touch of banana and toast. Aeration brings out a light green hop and a hint of nuttiness.

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 Cheer 5/6 PASS


Final Thoughts:

I am really enjoying the uptick in sour beers in Ontario. Soured beer when done properly is delicious and refreshing. The Brettanomyces can bring a lot of flavour to the brew when done judiciously. This is one of those beers, soft and balanced with just enough sour to clean up the palate and leave you wanting another sip. A very good beer get one if you can.

CJT

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Two Beers by Half hours on Earth

Beer # 451 Affection

Brewery: Half Hours on Earth Brewery


Type: Independent Microbrewery    Est.:  2016

Location: Seaforth, Ontario, Canada

Beer Style: Aged Flavoured Farmhouse Ale

ABV: 7.0 %      IBU: ?

Format: Green Glass Bottle  Size: 375 ml

Cost: $12.00 CAD     Purchased At: The Brewery

halfhoursonearth

    @hhoebrewery

Two beers I brought back from Seaforth. The first one is an oak aged spelt farmhouse ale spiced with rosemary and sage. The second is a farmhouse saison blended with Revel Cider's Perry and aged in cider barrels. Onto our beer.

Cloudy light gold with a generous and slightly greyish off-white head made up of small bubbles. Aroma is tart and sour Brettanomyces with spicy notes of grain and toast. First sip is slightly sweet with strong grain notes. citrus and sage predominate with backgrounds of heady rosemary. Woody aromatic spices with hints of oak and vanilla.





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


Final Thoughts: richly complex beer with a lot going on. My first beer made from spelt. Hopefully not my last. This beer certainly nails home the reason why Half Hours is such a talked about brewery.



Beer # 452 Blueprint


Brewery: Half Hours on Earth Brewery


Type: Independent Microbrewery    Est.:  2016

Location: Bobcaygeon, Ontario, Canada

Beer Style: Farmhouse Saison aged in Cider barrels blended with Revel Perry

ABV: 4.5 %      IBU: ?

Format: Green Glass Bottle  Size: 375 ml

Cost: $11.00 CAD     Purchased At: The Brewery

Pours a cloudy gold with a fuzzy white head that doesn't last long. Nose is full of brett sour and citrus hints of apple and pear. An interesting and smooth blend of cider and beer.Tart acidic apples and pears good hint of sweetness mellowed by the barrel ageing and the funk of brett. Hints of smoke and oak near the finish. Aeration brings out a cheek-puckering malic acid. It is very light in mouthfeel and such an easy drinking beer.







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


Final Thoughts: This is the sixth beer I've tasted from Half Hours, and the sixth beer I have been blown away by. Every beer is so light and airy, strong yet delicate. Full of flavour yet not exhausting. How they manage to balance everything is beyond me. I just hope they keep doing it! This beer, in particular, doesn't sound like it should work. Pear cider mixed with beer? Yes I know there are some pub concoctions using cider and Guinness etc. but This is a sour farmhouse it should work... But it does! I could drink this all day, and at 4.5 % ABV why not?


Cheers

CJT

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Beer # 360 Mellifera, Trou du Diable

Beer # 360: Mellifera

Trou du Diable

Shawinigan, Quebec Canada
Independent Microbrewery
Blonde Saison with Honey
ABV 5.0 %  
Brown Glass Bottle 600 ml.
$5.80 (Canadian) At the LCBO

Twitter @TrouduDiable

Down to Trou du Diable again, I was good to see them at FUNKFEST This year, I hope they can make that a regular occurrence. In that vein, we have another Sour Saison from them. This time fermented with honey added into the wort. I have to say, I was really drawn in by the label. The artwork is a scream. I love the play on the traditional "Our Lady of X" with the Sugar skull masks. She is correctly called: Notre Dame Des Luchadores,' (Our Lady of Crazy Mexican Wrestlers). And it does belie the beer you find in the bottle... irreverent and heavenly.

Onto our Tasting...

Pours a slightly cloudy, dark honey-gold, with a massive light-tan honey coloured head made up small to large bubbles. Bubbles grow rapidly in size and then dissipate. Nose is decidedly spicy, with biscuity wheat notes, good hints of yeast and fruity, floral honey. The first sip gives us some cheek pricking Brettanomyces.The attack starts us off with very refreshing acidic tones that slowly morph through the wheat notes and balances the subtle sweetness of the honey. Fruity hints of Honeycrisp apple, orange, and lemon. Aeration gives us sour lemon zest, tongue biting prickles of acid, hints of clove and tasty bread.

 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:

This is a fantastic sour. Easy drinking and refreshing. Great for the patio when it's sunny or inside when it's raining (more likely this year). Pick up one of Our Lady's if you can you will love it.


Cheers

CJT

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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

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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas Day 3: Bush Pilot Pengo Pally

Beer # 251 Pengo Pally

Bush Pilot Brewing Company

Hastings County, Ontario, Canada
Contract Brewery
Flavoured Farm House Saison Ale 6.5% ABV 
Brown Glass Bottle 750ml
$9.95(Canadian) At LCBO

Twitter: @BushPilotBeers

Tonight's offering from my tickle trunk of holiday treats, is a beer I have been very excited to try. Nomadic brewers, Bush Pilot Brewing Company, brewed this spiced Farmhouse with the aid of Nickel Brook Brewing Company and especially Brewmaster Ryan Morrow. Crowberries and Labarador Tea were harvested from Nunavik in Quebec, and then used to flavour this brew.

The name is of particular interest. Pengo Pally is the Inuktitut term for "I miss you." and it is this phrase that was painted on the plane of the first Inuvik Bush Pilot Johnny May. Johnny was the subject of a 2014 film called "The Wings of Johnny May" (Download here)
Born in Kangiqsualujjuaq on Ungava bay, a simple Inuvik boy decided to become a pilot at age six, a decision that lead to a life of adventure. He painted Pengo Pally on his plane to remind him of his wife who he often spent days and weeks away from flying all over the province. He spent years of his life ferrying people and supplies to the remote Inuktitut communities, including a small boy who was having heart failure. He and a nurse were flying the boy to a hospital when the nurse grew too tired to continually apply heart massage to keep the boy alive, Johnny asked her to prop the boy up against the co-pilot's seat and performed the heart massage himself... WHILE HE WAS STILL FLYING! He is a true Canadian Hero and worthy of a substantial brew in his honour.

Let's taste that now...


Pours a slightly cloudy off gold with a white head made up of small bubbles. Aroma is toasty, orange, citrus, green, herbal, and floral. First sip is toasty with biscuits and wheat. Some coriander, tea and citrus. Fruity, with some hints of licorice. Hints of menthol, The herbs numb the lips and tongue, but in the most pleasant ways. The medicinal herbs are offset by a bright hop flavours and toasty bread notes. Aeration gives us spikes of bitter herbs some more menthol and toasted wheat. Finish is a pleasant, clean, and bitter hum that slowly disperses into the background.


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:  5/6 PASS

Final Thoughts:

Wow. A brilliant beer. Such a lovely balance of arctic herbs and toasty wheat.this is certainly one of the best Farmhouse Ales I've had this year. A little late in the year for it though... I would have preferred to sip this on a patio or maybe on the edge of a lake with a fishing rod in my hand... Well I guess there is always next year.

CJT


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