Beer # 399 Clothing Hoptional Session IPA

Brewery: New Ontario Brewing Company


Type: Independent Microbrewery    Est.:  2015

Location: North Bay, Ontario, Canada

Beer Style: Session IPA

ABV: 5.1 %      IBU: 40

Format: Aluminium Can  Size: 473 ml

Cost: $2.95 CAD     Purchased At: LCBO

newontariobrewing

    @NewOntarioBrew

Another beer from my mini Near North Ontario brewery trip and stop 2 from the day New Ontario Brewing Company is located in my other hometown North Bay. I went to College here and have great memories of this place. I still try to make it up regularly to go fishing with my college friend and adopted brother, Jack.

Let's try this one out.

Pours a clear honey amber with an off-white head made up of small bubbles. Aroma is peachy with pineapple, pine, light florals and hints of guava. The first sip is malty with a good hit of pine/spruce. Mild caramel with good hits of sweet tropical fruit. Tangy green hops round out the finish. Aeration gives us a warming sensation from the 5.1 % ABV (a little high for a session, but we are not complaining) Aeration also pumps the malt profile making it more bready, like toast with jam. Slight hints of honey round out the 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


Final Thoughts:

It's a great fruit bomb, easy drinking, and very enjoyable.

CJT

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Beer # 367 First World Problems Stewart Brewing

Beer #367 First World Problems Belgian IPA

Stewart Brewing Company

Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Independent Microbrewery
Established: 2004
Belgian IPA
6.2 % ABV IBU: 80
330 ml Brown Glass Bottle
$3.85 (Canadian) At the LCBO

Twitter: @StewartBrewing

I admit it. I bought this beer for the label. The Lichtenstein inspired cartoon caught my eye even before the clever name and witty "I ordered Sourdough, and they brought me brioche..." punchline. So naturally, this beer had to come home with me. It wasn't until I got it home that I discovered it was from Scotland, and a Belgian inspired IPA. Stewart Brewing is an award-winning craft brewery in the heart of frenetic and cosmopolitan Edinburgh. It's a wonderfully big welcoming city very friendly and ready to party at the drop of a hat. I learned valuable lessons about drinking while I was in Edinburgh and actually how to pronounce Edinburgh and not sound like a tool. Locals pronounce it ED-in-BURR... only foreigners pronounces it Ed-in-Boro or Ed-in BURG. I also admit it is easier to pronounce after a pint or two or 14 in my case.

Onto our beer tonight...

Pours a cloudy honey amber with a scattered thin head made up of various bubbles. Nose is sweet with nuts and toffee, clover honey flowers and some dried fruit. First sip is warming, with dried fruit and cooked pineapple. Hints of bright green hops. Slightly syrupy, reminiscent of a late harvest wine, leaves a sticky lips sensation. Fresh and bright with lingering hints of spice at the end. Aeration gives us a pump of alcohol as the full height of the 6.2% ABV stands up. Finishes warm toasty notes,  hints of treacle and caramel.

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:

Very good IPA from Scotland. Well balanced and full of subtle little flavours. One you should give a try while you can.
Cheers

CJT

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Beer # 298 Fat Tug India Pale Ale Driftwood Brewery

#298 Fat Tug India Pale Ale

Driftwood Brewery

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Independent Microbrewery Established: 2008
India Pale Ale
7.0 % ABV IBU: 80
650 ml Brown Glass Bottle
$6.00 (Canadian) At the LCBO

Twitter: @Driftwoodbeer

It has been a while since I did a BC brewery and I feel bad about that. Not only are we doing amazing things with beer here in Ontario, The same is happening in BC. They have undergone the same rapid expansion of craft breweries, just like us. Maybe they started even sooner. Being as they are, close to Oregon where the feel for the West Coast Style of Beer seemingly originated. Driftwood Brewery is certainly one of the great breweries nestled in the middle of that rapid expansion. Founded in 2008 and delivering their first kegs in October of that year, owners Kevin and Jason have not looked back. They boast a stable of six core beers a few seasonals and over 20 speciality brews.

Tonight's beer is a flavourful India Pale ale rich in hoppy goodness, and tons of fruit.

Let's hop on the tug...

Pours a medium cloudy gold with an off white head, very fluffy made of small bubbles and a slight golden tinge.Aroma is very are with notes of rose water, lychee and other florals. First sip is warm and malty hints of caramel and spice touches of bitter greens spark through the middle while a mellow fruitiness takes over on the finish. Slightly sweet with deep malty profiles. Flashes of turbinado sugar and molasses entwined with a little licorice. Ripe melon and mango round out the flavours with some nutty hints and a touch of black tea. There is a definite roundness, and almost creaminess from being unfiltered that gives this beer a nice depth. Aeration warms up the nutty aromas with some vanilla, caramel, and macerated fruit.


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:

A warm, fruity, and malty West Coast IPA with a good backbone and a nice alcohol level. I can imagine sitting down to one of these after a rough day at sea. Let out your inner sea captain to run down to your local and pick yourself out one of these.

Cheers

CJT

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Beer# 280 Hopsta La Vista IPA Longslice Brewery

#280 Hopsta La Vista

Longslice Brewery
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Contract Brewery
India Pale Ale 
6.5 % ABV IBU: 69
473 ml Aluminium Can
$2.90 at the LCBO

Twitter: @LongsliceBrews

Longslice brewery is a new one on me. I was initially attracted by the punny, bright packaging. Started by two brothers from Bracebridge, Jimmy and John Peat who started homebrewing in high school with their Dad... ( way cool Dad!) In 2013 Jimmy Peat took second place in the Toronto Beer Week Homebrew competition with a hybrid English Pale Ale/ American IPA. That beer would go on to become tonight's offering Hopsta La Vista. The Peat Brothers were joined by longtime friend Sebastian Lesch and on March 20 2014 Longslice Brewery was born. In 2015 Hopsta La Vista added another medal to the trophy cabinet taking home a Gold at the Ontario Brewing Awards.

They also have the most awesome retro 1990's style website that made me laugh when I saw it. Please check it out here.

Onto the tasting...

Pours a darker orange amber in colour with an off tan head made up of small bubbles.The nose is malty with a herbal hop and tea nose. First sip is strong and malty with notes of bitter greens black tea. A bit of a creamy mouthfeel. Spikes of pine and cedar with some leather in the background. The beer is viscous, almost oily and clings to the glass when swirled taking on almost a bubbly honey look cascading down the inside of the glass. Aeration gives us some malt and molasses with hints of dried fruit and very mild spice. Finish is bitter herbs and a slight marijuana feeling. 

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 5/6  PASS
Re-Order:  6/6  EXCEPTIONAL
Experience: 5/6 PASS

Final Thoughts:

A very good IPA Deep flavours, well constructed. Great mouthfeel, and well balanced. Definitely pick this one up, if you like full bodied IPAs this is the beer for you.

Cheers

CJT

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Beer # 277 Kungaroo IPA Boshkung Brewing Company

#277 Kungaroo IPA

Boshkung Brewing Company

Carnarvon, Ontario, Canada
Brewery
IPA 5.8 % ABV IBU: 40
32 oz Brown Glass Half Growler
$7.00 (Canadian) At the Brewery Saloon

Twitter: @Boshkungbrewing

Now, I've been wanting to try Boshkung Brewing beers for quite some time, however I've never had the opportunity to get over to Carnarvon to visit them. They are a small batch brewery and they are located next to Mirror Lake, and under a restaurant. They share a space with Rhubarb Restaurant, a well respected eatery in Haliburton. Boshkung (yes, pronounced exactly how it is spelled) is actually named after a nearby Lake and sports an overall outdoorsy, canoeing theme. Some of their beers names are plays on the name of the brewery, especially tonight's beer Kungaroo IPA (My other favourite is King Kung...)

Let's hop on over to tonight's tasting:

Pours a slightly cloudy off orange colour with hints of tan and red. The head is short and off white made up of a loose collection of small bubbles.The aroma is bright citrus and bitter herbs with some light caramel malt on the background. First sip is a bright and spicy citrus with a strong malt background. Hints of caramel and licorice, lots of green herbs. Plenty of warm citrusy orange notes. Aeration gives us lots of bitter green hopes with a spicy tart finish.



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

Final Thoughts:

A good serviceable IPA. I am partial to big juicy IPAs and this one tickles my fancy. A very simple brew not a lot of complexity, what you see is what you get. A good beer to introduce beer newbies to hoppier brews.

Cheers

CJT

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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas Day 20: Tree Brewing Hop Head Black India Pale Ale

Beer # 268 Hop Head Black India Pale Ale

Tree Brewing Company

Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
Independent Brewery
Black India Pale Ale 8.0 % ABV 
Brown Glass Bottle Can 650 ml
$6.25 (Canadian) At LCBO 

Twitter: @TreeBrewing

Tonight's offering we go back to British Columbia. This time to Kelowna, one of my favourite towns in the interior of the province. Situated on the southern end of Lake Okanagan, in the heart of BC wine country. We have been to Tree before, we sampled their Cutthroat West Coast Pale Ale, and found it to be a good beer. Let's see what they do with a black IPA. For those of you who have not heard of this style before, it is an American Pale ale style done with deeply malted barley.  alcohol range can be from 5% to 10% and this one clocks in at the higher side, at 8%.

Let's try one now...

Pours a opaque dark chestnut brown Bright herbal hop nose with a rich malty aroma. Deep caramel and some char. First sip is smoky malt and molasses, with some green bitter hops. some rum and wood through the middle. Aeration gives us some warm alcohol, hints of coffee finish is bitter green hops with hints of marijuana on the 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 Cheer: 5/6 PASS

Final Thoughts:

It's a good beer. I certainly enjoyed drinking it. It is a nice IPA and the rich malt flavours do something nice for the beer. But, it is still fairly average. Do try it for yourself though.


Cheers

CJT

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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas Day 13: New Ontario Brewing IPA

Beer # 261 IPA

New Ontario Brewing Company

North Bay, Ontario, Canada
Independent Microbrewery
India Pale Ale 5.2 % 
IBU: 68
ABV Brown Glass Half Growler (Squeaker) 946 ml.
$6.00 (Canadian) At the Brewery

Twitter: @NewOntarioBrew


Last of my tastings from my trip to North Bay. I have been sitting on these notes for a while, so I figured it was time to use them. I found some very good beer in my adopted home town. I look forward go going up again in February and picking up some more for the blog. Hopefully there will actually be some ice in the bay for ice fishing, if not there is always the boat. We haven't sunk it in winter yet so there is always that. (Yes there is a story behind that statement, maybe if you are all good I shall relate it...)

Onto my last growler from North Bay...



Pours an orange/dark amber The head is a light tan made up of small to tiny bubbles. Aroma is quite malty with bright fruit with citrus and a light nuttiness. First sip is a rich deeply complex malt profile, in the west coast style. Nice toasty caramel. Aeration gives us a nice creamy nutty smooth taste, finish is dry and long with some medicinal hops.

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: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL

Final Thoughts:

A very good IPA. Very happy that this brewery is off to a good start and I am excited to see what they offer in the future.

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Beer # 115 Great Lakes Brewery My Bitter Wife

My Bitter Wife

Great Lakes Brewing Company

Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Independent
India Pale Ale 7.0% ABV Brown Glass Bottle 650 ml
$5.95 (Canadian) At LCBO 
Twitter: @GreatLakesBeer


Down to Great Lakes again, Toronto's first Craft Brewery and winner of the 2013 Brewery of the year award. This brewery never fails to impress, and sadly their hard work is not always evident to the average Joe. Great Lakes specializes in experimentation. They play with their beer and do incredible things with it. Often you will only catch some of their beers by chance, at a festival, or a tap takeover. Or they may brew off a limited run of a regular beer with a strange ingredient, like raspberry or rhubarb, or Jagermeister (So not kidding I have tasting notes). 

Tonight's beer celebrates a very infamous person in the history of alcohol. As you can see by the picture on the front of the bottle there is an old crone of a woman clutching an axe. This beer is dedicated (facetiously, obviously) to the memory of Carrie Nation. Mrs. Nation was a staunch prohibitionist and was noted for taking an axe to barrels of beer and liquor and threatening government trying to coerce them into signing prohibition into law in the US. Eventually the prohibitionists won and the US signed the 18th amendment to the constitution and the country went "dry" for a number of years. Fortunately for Canada who was still producing alcohol at the time, it allowed us to "ahem" "export" our wares via legitimate businessmen such as Alphonse Gabriel Capone.

Enough with the history... onto the tasting...

Honey coloured, with the slightest hint of green to it. Thick fluffy white head mostly made up of very small bubbles. Aroma is pine tree and fruit with a back ground of roses and Turkish delight. First sip is bursting with ruby red grapefruit. Mouthfeel is creamy and silky with a touch of effervescence. The 7.0% alcohol is barely noticeable in this well balanced beer. Transition from attack to finish is very short and after taste is all green herbal hops. Aeration gives us an orange citrus candy taste.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 

Cost: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Colour: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Beer Style: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Re-Order:  5/6 PASS
Experience:  6/6 EXCEPTIONAL

Final Thoughts:
It was an absolute delight to drink this beer. Great Lakes is certainly setting the standard for what craft beer should taste like. The thing that surprised me the most was, that despite this being a "Hop Bomb," at 88 IBU, the beer was incredibly smooth, well rounded and very drinkable. The only downside is the fact that the 7.0 % alcohol sneaks up on you and knocks you out.... So this is a share with your friend or only have one per night beer. Please... don't ever drink and drive... Craft beer tastes best at home...

Cheers

CJT


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Beer # 79 606 India Pale Ale

Paddock Wood 606 India Pale Ale

Paddock Wood Brewing Company
Saskatoon Saskatchewan, Canada
Independent
India Pale Ale 5.4% ABV Brown Glass Bottle 355 ml.
$2.25 ($13.50 6 pack) (Canadian) At The Beer Store.

Twitter: @paddock_wood

Paddock Wood Brewing company has one of those interesting bull-dogged determined to make this work stories. Brewer and Owner Steven Cavan was a lecturer in History and his wife a professor at the University of Saskatchewan. However there was no good craft beer to be had in Saskachewan in 1992, so Steven decided to brew his own. Problem number two arose when Steven could not find the ingredients he needed to make his english-style beers so he tried to import them. Upon discovering that the minimum shipment were far too large for just his own brewing habit, he decided to sell the excess through a mail order business. When a nearby grain company began taking away his business, he changed format again to make "homebrew kits." Demand spike for the homebrew kits and he expanded his facilities, until he came under the radar of the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Association. They determined he needed a liquor licence for what he was doing. So he decided to convert to a full brewery, but there were no licences for a small craft brewery, only brewpubs. So after some lobbying the SLGA changed it's rules allowing Paddock Wood to become Saskatchewan's first craft brewery in 2004.


Onto the tasting:

pours dark amber with a red tinge, head is frothy and off-white bubbles are Small and tight. Bright citrus and herbal hops on the nose along with a slight earthiness. The taste is all grain, deep, rich, malt, caramel. Herbal, hay and straw. giving over to a bright citrus burst of tropical fruit. Aeration brings out ripe tropical fruit and re-asserts the grain.


Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional   

Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 6/6Exceptional
Re-Order:  6/6 Exceptional
Experience:   6/6 Exceptional

Final Thoughts:

An excellent brew, high marks indeed! To me the taste profile is very reminiscent of Smashbomb by Flying Monkeys here in Ontario. This is definately a beer i will keep coming back to as long as the Beer Store stocks it.


Cheers
CJT

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Beer # 76 Jaipur IPA

Jaipur IPA


Thornbridge Brewery
Bakewell, England, U.K.
Independent
India Pale Ale, Unfiltered 5.9% ABV Brown Glass Bottle 500 ml.
$4.55 (Canadian) At LCBO.


Twitter: @thornbridge


Thornbridge is a young, but already, quite renowned brewery, that has received many awards in their short 7 year history. Started in 2005 on the grounds of Thornbridge Hall in Bakewell, Derbyshire. The brewery has been led by an erudite collaboration of no less than 8 people over the years (as some member have moved on to other projects). The brewers have a diverse history, from microbiologists to chefs, food technologists, brewers distillers, and a New Zealand Homebrewing Champion. From what seems a very chaotic mix of managers, comes a harmonious product. Thornbridge has been awarded over 130 brewing awards and distinctions, and as we will see tonight... they know what they doing. Since they have opened the sales have increased almost exponentially, requiring a move off of the old Hall brewing grounds to a larger purpose built facility, called the Riverside Brewery.


Enough history... onto the beer.


It pours a slightly cloudy, off clear gold. Head is fluffy and white made up of medium sized bubbles. Aroma is floral with hints of honey, lychee, and grapefruit. First sip gives us a burst of aromatic herbal hops, then slides through a sweet malt, and finishes with a tangy grapefruit. Finish is fairly short with a touch of hay and pricks of citrus. Aeration turns the grapefruit up to 11, and brings out a very mineral, flinty, stony flavour. Also present is some yeasty, bready character ( more than likely due to the sediment, as it is unfiltered.)



Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional   


Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 6/6Exceptional
Re-Order:  6/6 Exceptional
Experience:   6/6 Exceptional


Final Thoughts:

Very interesting, lovely little brew. Quite tasty and not what I would expect from a British Brewery, as it has more of an American craft IPA feel to it. Not a hop bomb, per se, but the hops are very present, and not shy. The balance of the hops is calculated and appreciated, leaving us with a flavourful and well rounded beer. I must note, that when I first brought the bottle home I did not read the label and stored it immediately on it's side in my wine cooler. When I initially took it out to taste, I noticed the sediment. Then I read the warning that the bottle had to be stored upright. Lesson learned, I actually left it for a few days in my refrigerator to completely settle, and I still see a fairly large mass of unfiltered yeast at the bottom of the bottle.(DO NOT FEAR THE SEDIMENT!!) I am not worried at all as sediment can be the sign of a very good beer. Leaving a beer unfiltered can often present us with some flavours that are lost during the filtering and pasteurization process, try it, you may like it.


Cheers


CJT


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