The 2-4 Beers of Christmas 2019 Day: 20 Flight Plan Double IPA

Beer # 520 Flight Plan Double IPA

Brewery: Lake of Bays Brewing Company


Type: Independent Microbrewery    Est.:  2010

Location: Baysville, Ontario, Canada

Beer Style: Double India Pale Ale

ABV: 8.0 %      IBU: 84

Format: Aluminium Can  Size: 473 ml

Cost: $3.45 CAD     Purchased At: LCBO

lb_brewing

    @lb_brewing

Another great local brewery to me is Lake of Bays. They are situated just a half an hour up the highway from us here at Pint Jockey Headquarters. This hefty high alcohol IPA fits nicely into our category of warming beers for the holidays so I thought I would give it a shot.

Onto our beer...

Pours a classic amber with a generous white fluffy head made up of small bubbles. The nose is grainy and toasty with hints of caramel and raw alcohol. The first sip is grain forward and roasted malt with dark caramel. Hops are green and herbal and take a minute or two to develop. Mouthfeel is a little thin. Aeration gives us toast and caramel, and bitter hops.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 4/6 PASS
Re-Order:  5/6 PASS
Experience: 5/6 PASS
Christmas Cheer 5/6 PASS

Final Thoughts:

Just a little too thin on the mouthfeel for me. I know there is a lot of alcohol in there but I want a little more oomph when I drink my IPAs especially the double ones. Still an easy-drinking, excellent beer and certainly worthy of some time in your glass.

Cheers

CJT

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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas 2019 Day: 5 Ten Fidy Imperial Stout

Beer # 505 Ten Fidy Imperial Stout

Brewery: Oskar Blues Brewery


Type: Independent Brewery    Est.:  1997

Location: Longmont, Colorado, USA

Beer Style: Imperial Stout

ABV: 10.5%      IBU: 65

Format: Aluminium Can  Size: 355 ml

Cost: $2.95 CAD     Purchased At: LCBO

bobcaygeonbeer

    @bobcaygeonbeer

Tonight's beer is one of those beers whose name is whispered in reverence by the Beerluminati. It's right up there with Pliny the Elder and Heady Topper. Ten Fidy, named for its alcohol content, is one of the flagship seasonals by Colorado brewing company Oskar Blues. Super dark and unctuously malty with a good chocolate hit, Ten Fidy is eagerly sought out whenever it hits the shelves.

Oskar Blues started brewing in the basement of a restaurant in 1997 in Lyon Colorado. Since then they moved into Longmont Colorado, expanded into Austin Texas and Brevard North Carolina and a total of 5 locations. 

This is definitely one beer I have been looking forward to trying, so I don't want to wait any longer.

Let us dive in...

Pours a burnt black/brown, the exact colour of used motor oil. Head is pure suede with a rich tan colour to match. Bubbles are very tiny and effervescent. The aroma starts off with deeply roasted malt giving over to liquorice, smoke, chocolate, and coffee. First sip is more of a feeling than a taste. silky then unctuous, moving into sticky and slightly syrupy. Drinks like a sticky toffee pudding with massive amounts of dried fruit, brown sugar, creamy caramel, then bitter chocolate and finally some coffee to wash it down. Swirling the beer leaves a brown viscous stain that slowly creeps down the glass. aeration gives us some dark caramel bitter chocolate hints of espresso and Irish whisky.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


Cost: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Colour: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Beer Style: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Re-Order:  6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Experience: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Christmas Cheer 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL


Final Thoughts:

This beer lives up to its reputation. This is a massive, thick, viscous, malty, and delightful brew. I just want to sip on this beer for hours. This beer is perfect for that after turkey glow, once Christmas dinner is done. If you like huge, tasty stouts, and you see this beer on the shelf at your local liquor store, buy all that you can carry. Then thank me later...Merry Christmas.

Cheers

CJT

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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas 2019 Day: 4 Bring Out The Imp, Alchemy Brewing Company

Beer # 504 Bring Out The Imp

Brewery: AlchemyBrewing Company


Type: Independent Brewery    Est.:  2012

Location: Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

Beer Style: Barrel Aged, Flavoured, Double Oatmeal Stout

ABV: 10.5%      IBU: ?

Format: Brown Glass Bottle  Size: 330 ml

Cost: $2.95 CAD     Purchased At: LCBO

 N/A

    @alchemybrewco

Day four of the #2-4BeersofChristmas brings me to a city that I loved when I visited it: Edinburgh. Despite one of the more epic hangovers of my early beer drinking career (Guinness hangovers suck... Yes I was drinking an Irish beer in a Scottish city, there were other beers too, hence the hangover) Edinburgh sticks out in my mind as a gorgeous historic city with a fun nightlife (see hangover earlier...) The craft beer movement really didn't start up until after I visited (I went for the whisky...) I would have loved to hit a few of the now famous Scottish craft brewers. Alchemy is one of the newer craft brewers in Edinburgh to gain attention. Started in 2012 they produce an interesting array of beers for all tastes. I had a tough time finding the website info for Alchemy as there are actually three (that I could find) Alchemy Brewing Companies. One is in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada, one in Seattle, Washington, USA, and the last in Edinburgh. Alchemy in Scotland doesn't have an Instagram account and the twitter accounts for all three are almost identical. This is a double oatmeal imperial stout that was flavoured with Licorice and then aged in Côtes du Rhône wine barrels.

Onto our tasting:

Pours a slightly murky dark chestnut brown with a hint of a red tint. Pours a short off-tan head made up of tiny bubbles. The aroma is a malty liquorice all-sorts. Boozy and oaky with hints of red wine. The first sip is slightly syrupy with hot flashes of alcohol, molasses, and liquorice root. Lips are left quite sticky even after a few sips. Hints of roasted caramel. Aeration gives us a boozy, anisette and whiskey mix. Warming up the beer takes on an oatmeal sweetness mixed with molasses reminding me of horse feed.

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:

This bottle actually took some age, I had bought it for a previous #2-4BeersofChristmas but didn't get around to it. I was not worried about the age as I was sure the high alcohol would protect it. I'm thinking that it even mellowed out a bit because I found the liquorice mild in comparison to the hefty malt flavours. Not really a fantastic beer but quite a decent one. I have checked and the beer is no longer being produced... so you will have to take my word for it.

Cheers

CJT

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BEER NUMBER 500!

Beer # 500 Glory and Gold Bourbon Barrel Aged Cuvée Ale


Brewery: Nickle Brook Brewing Company


Type: Independent Brewery    Est.:  2005

Location: Burlington, Ontario, Canada

Beer Style: Fruited and spiced Cuvée Ale Bourbon Barrel-aged Sour Ale 

ABV: 9.5 %     IBU: 37

Format: Brown glass bottle waxed sealed crown cap  Size: 500 ml

Cost: $9.95 CAD     Purchased At: LCBO

nickelbrookbrewing      

    @NickelBrookBeer              

So we just passed the ninth anniversary of the Blog on November 8th, and coincidently I just hit my 500th beer post. So many things have changed since I started writing. The blog was originally intended to help me improve my writing and get me used to writing more often. I thought originally that I wanted to try 1000 beers because that sounded like an impressive number. I also thought it would take two to five years. Well, as I enter the 10th year of the blog I'm only halfway, and the blog is still evolving.

So over the coming months (and years) I will be fine-tuning and updating to keep the blog fresh and relevant. My goal is no longer 1000 beers, just a quest for knowledge and the desire to share it with you. Here's to many more milestones in the future.

Tonight's beer is Glory and Gold which is a fruited and spiced sour ale, that has been aged for 2 years in bourbon barrels. I figured "Gold" was the way to go for my 500th beer. 

Onto #500...

Pours a translucent medium chestnut colour with a firm off-tan head made up of small to tiny bubbles. The aroma is similar to a foeder beer, rich tangy, woody and hints of vanilla and spice. The first sip is very tart and tangy, with some caramel and vanilla. hints of dried fruit and wood. slight whiskey burn at the back of the throat. Aeration gives us some sweet tarts some malt and medicinal liquorice and horehound candy.

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:

This is a very interesting beer, there are lots of flavours going on. However, my overall impression is that this beer is not ready yet. This beer really needs to be laid down for at least 2 more years. it needs more aged to smooth out the complex flavours and create a more harmonious beer. I would buy a couple of these and put them away, and maybe one to drink now for comparison. 

Cheers

CJT

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Runination 2.0 Double IPA Stone Brewing

Beer # 482 Ruination 2.0 Double IPA

Brewery: Stone Brewing Company


Type: Independent Brewery    Est.:  1996

Location: Escondido, California, United States of America

Beer Style: Double India Pale Ale DIPA

ABV: 8.5%      IBU: 100

Format: Brown Glass Bottle  Size: 650 ml

Cost: $8.40 CAD     Purchased At: LCBO

stonebrewing

    @stonebrewing

The ninth-largest craft brewery in the USA, Stone Brewing was founded in San Diego California in 1996 by Greg Koch and Steve Wagner. Beer Advocate Magazine has named it the best brewery in the world twice. They are the brewers of the World Famous "Enjoy By..." series the most famous being their "Enjoy By 4-20" for obvious reasons. Tonight's beer is the new version of their Ruination Double IPA which was the first Double, West Coast IPA that was brewed year-round. The new version is packed with a huge 100 UBU's worth of hops and is left unfiltered for a pure taste.

Onto our ruination... 

pours a hazy medium gold with a short off-white head made up of small bubbles. Aroma is ripe with fruit, Lychee, peaches, hints of guava and passionfruit and a slight background of pine. First sip is attack of the killer hops! Wow, piney and bitter with hints of medicine and marijuana. Sweet fruit lingers through. The malts come out later with bready caramel notes. Long lingering citrus on the finish. A definite West Coast IPA. Aeration is all about the hops, very green, citrus deep sweet and spicy malt with hints of whiskey.

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 huge beer. If you are just starting out tasting craft beers... let this one sit for a bit. That being said if you like you beers stacked with hops, bursting with pine and citrus get this beer. It truly is a unique and wonderful West Coast IPA.


Cheers
CJT

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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas 2018 Edition Day 22: 11.05 2018 Edition by Sawdust City

Beer # 481 11.05 2018 Edition, Belgian Quad with Cherries Collaboration

Brewery: Sawdust City Brewing Company

Type: Independent Microbrewery Est.:  2014

Location: Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada

Brewery: Nickel Brook Brewing Company

Type: Independent Microbrewery   Est.: 1992
Location: Burlington, Ontario, Canada

Beer Style: Flavoured Belgian Quadrupel

ABV: 11.05%      IBU: 28

Format: Aluminium Can  Size: 473 ml

Cost: $6.95 CAD     Purchased At: The Brewery

sawdustcitybeer       nickelbrookbrewing

    @Sawdustcitybeer    @NickelBrookBeer

Well, it seems to be a Christmas Tradition that I talk about Sawdust City and Nickel Brook's yearly collaboration brew celebrating the shared birthdays of their two brewmasters. Sam Corbeil of Sawdust and Ryan Morrow of Nickel Brook were both born on November 5th so every year they select a new style of beer and brew it to 11.05 % ABV. The resulting beer is always an interesting experiment in producing great tasting high alcohol beers. This year they selected a Quad which is typically a higher alcohol beer, to begin with, and added cherries and oak spirals

Let's try this one out.


Pours a deep chestnut with an off-tan head made up of small bubbles. Nose is very oaky with hints of chocolate and cherry. Deep malt notes with earthy hints and a touch of mushroom. First sip is deeply roasted malt with a fair amount of sugar. Tart cherry comes in through the middle with hints of grenadine and cherry candy. Aeration gives off some raw wood and caramelised sugars.

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:

This year's edition was a good beer, but I had an issue with it and it took me a while to figure out what it was. It ended up being the "Oak Spirals." They left an interesting raw wood taste that, while it wasn't unpleasant it was very distracting to the overall flavour.

CJT

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