Beer # 199 Farmhouse IPA Shacklands Brewery

Farmhouse IPA

Shacklands Brewing Company
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Future Brewery (Brews and Bottles at Junction Craft Brewery)
Farmhouse Style IPA 7.3 % ABV 20oz Pint
$6.50 (Canadian) At the Sawdust City Brewery Saloon (Guest Tap)

Twitter: @Shacklands


Shacklands is a Nano/Future Brewery that currently shares space with Junction Craft Brewery. Named for the turn of the century suburbs of Toronto of hastily built shacks and homemade shelters that sprang up around the burgeoning city, Shacklands is helmed by Jason Tremblay. Jason is an avid homebrewer... and a stay at home Dad for 10 (YES TEN! if anyone needs a drink...) He began his professional brewing career with Bar Volo and the House Ales. He then joined Shacklands in late 2012 and helps to brew their stable of Belgian Inspired beers.

Onto the farm...

Pours a hazy gold colour with a slight orange hue. The white head is subtle and made up of tiny bubbles. The nose is grapefruit, blood orange, honey, green herbs and very mild spice. First sip is bright fresh grapefruit and mandarin. Light spice and a touch of weak black tea. Finish is slightly bitter orange zest and some toasted nuts. Aeration gives us light spice...  a hint of grain  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:

Cheers
A very light and fruity IPA with a touch of the belgian farmhouse beer style. Smooth drinking and delightfully crisp. I was very excited to try this and I was not disappointed. Looking forward to more Shacklands in my future.

CJT


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Beer # 159 Brakeman's Session Ale Junction Craft Brewery

Brakeman's Session Ale

Junction Craft Brewery

Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Golden Ale 5.3 % ABV Aluminum Can 473 ml.
$2.85 (Canadian) At the LCBO
Twitter: @Junction_Craft

I have only talked about Junction Craft Brewery when I was down in Toronto for OCB Week There I had the Cascadian Dark Ale at The Only Cafe. Junction Craft has been around since 2012 and is part of the mushrooming Craft Beer scene in Toronto and Ottawa that has taken place over the last 5 years. Suffice it to say I could almost name every brewery in this province before 2009 and I was pleasantly shocked to learn that the number of breweries and brewpubs in Ontario now top 200! Junction Craft owes it's Railway theme to the location of it's brewery. Opened in the so called "Junction" Area of Toronto which is loaded with rail yards and warehouses and the crossing point of two major rail lines. It is also next to the Stockyards area where cattle were brought in to be auctioned and sent for butchering. The rattle and clang of the train has echoed through the Junction for over 100 years. So this became a natural choice to name the brewery when the time arose. Other than that, I could not find much on the brewery on the web page, and I haven't yet been down to have a chat with someone there (Which I plan to correct sometime soon), so tonight we will have to let the Brakeman do the talking for us.

All aboard... onto the next tasting.

Off dark gold in colour with a short creamy white head made up of mostly tiny bubbles. Very light caramel malt on the nose with a light herbal hop. Toasty malt and molasses some hay, grains and grassiness and a touch of old leather. Slightly smoky with some hints of charcoal. Aeration gives us a fresh fruit and light herbal hops. Finish has a tart lingering bitterness. Complex yet refreshing. not forceful but gives you enough to contemplate.

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:

It's a sneaky little beer. When one thinks of golden ales there is such a wide range of products out there that go from stellar to shabby. When I first sniffed it it didn't seem to have much going on... but it fooled me. A good complexity and a nice beer. Certainly worth having again. I would drink this all day at a BBQ. This is the third beer I have had from Junction Craft and I can assure you it will not be my last. 

Cheers


CJT



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