The 2-4 Beers of Christmas Day 11: Waterloo Roggenbier Applewood Smoked.

Beer # 259 Roggenbier

Waterloo Brewing Company 

Waterloo and Formosa, Ontario, Canada
Independent Brewery

Roggenbier, Applewood Smoke 5.3% ABV 
Aluminium Can 473 ml.

$2.75 (Canadian) At LCBO.

Twitter: @brickbrewery


Roggenbier means rye beer in German. I love rye beers and I was very intrigued by this one. Smoked beers, or Rauchbiers in German are also quite common so I was keen to try this beer that attempted to blend both styles.

Onto the smoke...

Pours a very dark chestnut with a tan head made up of small bubbles. Aroma is German rye bread with frying bacon. First sip fully delivers on the meaty promise of bacon in the nose. This beer tastes like breakfast to me! Hints of applewood smoke make me think of smoked English cheddar as well. Light in body but big on taste. Taste is slightly monochromatic though. The smoked rye certainly dominates the foreground of the taste. Unfortunately on the background of the taste I am picking up some chemicals, and creosote, some flavours that taste more like the chimney than the smoker. So I sadly believe that the rye, in this instance, has been over-smoked. Aeration gives us distant coal-fires, and wood-fire bread ovens. Finish is harsh bitter chemicals and carbonised wood.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 





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

Final Thoughts:

This beer started out with so much promise and then dropped the ball in a big way. The aroma and nuances of the first sip of the beer made me long for breakfast; then the middle and the finish reminded me of cleaning the wood stove pipes at the old Farmhouse I grew up in. Toss this one into the avoid list for now. I hope they re-release this with better smoked rye in it, because if they do it right, I would love this beer.


Cheers

CJT


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Beer # 63 Radlermass

Radlermass

Brick Brewing Company 
Waterloo and Formosa, Ontario, Canada (Independent)

Radlermass or Alsterwasser 4.8% ABV Tall Can 473 ml.

$2.75 (Canadian) At LCBO.


Today's beer is more of a beer flavoured drink that a beer itself. 
Radlermass or Alsterwasser as defined by the German Beer Institute, is a blend of Lager and a lemonade or lemon soda. In England this is know as a Shandy. The story is best told from the back of the Waterloo can below:


"After World War I, bicycle riding became popular in Germany. A local innkeeper opened his own watering hole and arranged for a bike trail through Munich to his alpine meadow, only to find some 13,000 cyclists had descended upon his establishment and almost depleted him of his fine beer. Quick thinking led him to mix a stock of lemon soda with his remaining beer and he called it Radlermass (Radler meaning cyclist and Mass means litre of beer in German), which became a wonderful refreshing summer drink."

Brick Brewing Company is Ontario's first craft brewery. Opened in 1984 by Jim Brickman, Brick has grown substantially, producing a number of award winning beers. Brick started the "Buck a Beer" war in 2004 with it's Laker series, and the annoying catchy jingle "...Make 'er a Laker, it's a buck a beer." They also purchased and revived the Formosa Brewing company From Molson Canada and in the process salvaged the Fromosa Springs beer label. They also played upon the Nostalgia of the Canadian Beer drinker by being one of a (very small) handful of brewers to bring back the Canadian icon the "stubby" beer bottle. (the only other breweries that spring to mind using stubbies are Heritage in Ottawa (now Kichesippi Brewing Co.) Full Sail, and Red Stripe. Brick Brought back the iconic 50's and 60's  beer Red Cap in stubbies in 2002 (N.B. Brick has returned to using industry standard long necks for Red Cap)


Onto Tonight's Tasting:


Light gold in colour, off-white head made of small bubbles, with a good duration. Aroma is ginger, lemon, some hops, and a slight breadiness. First sip is effervescent soda like, lemon and malt. Very clean, with a citrus tang finish. Aeration bring the lager taste to the front with some bitter hops.


Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional

                                                                                                               

Cost:  5/6  PASS

Colour:  5/6  PASS        

Beer Style:  5/6 PASS  

Re-Order:  3/6 SO-SO   

Experience:   5/6  PASS

Final Thoughts:
It is a delightful summer drink, but Shandy is what they give the kids in the UK, and I'm a big boy now! Ice cold on a patio, sure thing, just not my cup of tea today (or should I say glass of beer?) Very tasty though, glad I tried it.


Cheers
CJT