The 2-4 Beers of Christmas Day 5:Maple and Thistle Rye Red Ale

Beer # 395 Maple and Thistle Rye Ale

Brewery: Innis and Gunn Brewing Company


Type: Independent Brewery    Est.:  2003

Location: Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

Beer Style: Flavoured Rye Red Ale

ABV: 5.9%      IBU: ?

Format: Brown Glass Bottle  Size: 500 ml

Cost: $9.95 CAD     Purchased At: LCBO

innisandgunnuk

    InnisandGunnUk

 For interesting beers, one can always look to Innis and Gunn. The Scottish brewers tend to play with their beers, specialising in ageing beers in barrels and attempting unusual combinations. Each year there brew a beer for Canada Day which usually includes Canadian ingredients or Canadian Whiskey Barrels. This year, as it was Canada's 150th anniversary of Confederation they brewed the Maple and Thistle Rye ale to celebrate Scotland and Canada's long friendship. The beer was brewed with malted Canadian rye and then aged for 150 days in 150 Canadian Oak casks. When maturation was complete they added maple syrup and Scottish thistle before bottling.



The result is a very rich rye beer with deep herbal notes and a touch of sweetness. I was trying to get this one done for #Canadabeermonth but it got overlooked, so I wanted to make sure it got the attention it needed in this special year for Canada.

Onto our beer.


Pours a dark chestnut with a generous tan head made up of small bubbles. Aroma is rye bread, sweet malt, some chestnut and hints of bitter greens. First sip gives us sweet honey/ maple syrup with notes of smoke. Rich rye bread and distinct herbaceousness. whisky is evident on the finish as is a light woodiness.Aeration brings out the taste of new oak, woody, whisky, malty, light caramel 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: 5/6 PASS
Christmas Cheer 5/6 PASS


Final Thoughts:

Innis and Gunn always makes a solid beer, and this one is no exception. Well rounded very drinkable. (Possibly better in the summer when it was released...) These may be finally sold out or my still be in select LCBOs... You may have to hunt a bit, but it is worth the search.

CJT

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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas Day 10: The Griffin Gastropub Maple Buttertart Ale

Beer # 258 Maple Buttertart Ale


Collaboration with The Griffin Gastropub, The Township of Midland and Sam Corbiel of Sawdust City Brewery

Sweetgrass Brewing Company
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Independent Brewery
Flavoured Altbier 5.0% ABV 
Aluminium Can 473 ml.
$3.25 (Canadian) At the LCBO

Twitter: @SweetgrassBeer


Tonight's beer was thought up at the Griffin Session Toronto this year where they asked communities to suggest a collaboration brew. The Township of Midland was the winning suggestion and hence we got the Maple Buttertart Beer. What could be more Canadian? We invented buttertarts and we certainly do know our beer. The beer was a collaboration between Sam Corbiel of Sawdust City, the Griffin Gastropub, and Sweetgrass Brewery which handled the actual brewing.

Let's try some buttertarts...

Pours a dark amber with an off-white head made of small bubbles. Aroma is strong with rum extract. First sip is slightly tart with a creamy mouthfeel. Slightly sticky, some caramel, sugars. Malt in the back ground. some vanilla. Aeration gives us some maple and a bitter aftertaste.


Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 



Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 3/6 SO-SO
Re-Order:  1/6 FAIL
Experience:  3/6 SO-SO
Christmas Cheer:  3/6 SO-SO

Final Thoughts:

I was so excited for this beer. I thought it was a great idea, however, the execution left something to be desired. The extracts used were way to powerful and detracted from the actual taste of the beer. Everything felt artificial. I was not really reminded of buttertarts, and the butter rum extract wiped out any notion of maple or vanilla in the background. I hope they do this beer again and this time use real maple syrup and real vanilla, perhaps some lactose to give a sweet creamy feeling. For now... avoid.

Cheers
CJT


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Beer # 116 Lake of Bays Spring Maple

Spring Maple Belgian Blonde Ale

Lake of Bays Brewing Company

Baysville, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Flavoured Belgian Style Blonde Ale 7.0% ABV Brown Glass Bottle 750 ml
$9.95 (Canadian) At LCBO 
Twitter: @LB_Brewing

Still one of my favourite new breweries in Ontario, Lake of Bays is tireless cranking out one good beer after another. Tonight I am looking at one of their regular seasonals which I have missed getting to in the past. Thankfully, the "Easter Bunny" hid this one away for me with a small pile of chocolates. And fortunately, the beer lasted longer than the chocolates so I have managed to sit down and write about it. I will also be posting two other beers from Lake of Bays. Two limited edition beers in their NHL Alumni series... so stay tuned for those next!

Anyway, onto our tasting:  

Honey coloured and clear with a short lived very light tan head made up of medium to small sized bubbles. Aroma is fresh maple syrup, honey and light grain scent. First sip gives up the wheaty wine, and alcohol of the Belgian blonde followed by a spike of sugar and then the maple syrup sets in. Lightly effervescent. Smokiness of the maple appears as the beer warms. Maple hinges on being too cloying. Aeration gives off a creaminess backed up by more maple woodsy smoke. Finish is tangy, and slightly chemical.


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:


This is a good Belgian Blonde however there were a few things I didn't like about it. The use of maple extract (organic) maybe made the maple too intense. The sweetness was a little too sticky and cloying, which detracted from the delicious ale beneath it. I find maple a a hard row to hoe, when it is added to beer, it either works wonderfully well, especially if it is a supporting flavour; or, it will take over the beer and make it miss its mark. Sadly I think the second applies here. Don't get me wrong, this is still a very good beer and I think you should try it, and make up your mind for yourself (maybe with some pancakes.... mmmm pancakes).

Cheers

CJT


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Beer # 99 Flying Monkeys Treble Clef Series Beer # 2 City and Colour Imperial Maple Wheat

Imperial Maple Wheat

Flying Monkeys Brewing Company

Barrie, Ontario, CanadaIndependent
High Alcohol Flavoured Wheat 11.5 % ABV 
Brown Glass Bottle 750 ml.
$13.95 Canadian LCBO

Twitter: @flyingmonkeys

I honestly can believe it took me to Beer # 99 to do a Flying Monkey's Beer. I did, after all, live just down the street from them... The Flying Monkeys has as interesting a back story as I can imagine in the brewing industry. Founded in 2005 The Owners had picked the name Simcoe Steam which was a real brewery in Barrie in the late 1800's. However as the Licensing application was being completed it was discovered that the rights to the name Simcoe Steam were not available and the owners had to quickly decide a new name to prevent the licensing paperwork from being rejected. They decided on Robert Simpson, who just happened to be the first mayor of Barrie Ontario (1871- 1872), and the owner of Simcoe Steam Brewery. The original flagship beer was Confederation Ale. It was an expensive premium beer marketed as the longest aged beer in Canada (around 44 days if I remember correctly) I remember having it and I really enjoyed it. Flash forward 4 years. Peter Chiodo, Head brewer, made new beers he pushed to rename the brewery because, in his words "Being named after a a dead white guy isn't that interesting." So Flying Monkeys was born. In all honesty I have met most of the people responsible for this brew... and Flying Monkeys is a great fit for a name for them...

Today we are doing the Treble Clef Series Beer # 2. Treble clef is a collaboration between The Flying Monkeys and a prominent Canadian Musician. Last year they collaborated with The Bare Naked Ladies, this year Dallas Green of City and Colour and formerly of Alexis on Fire.

 The beer is an Imperial Maple Wheat That was flavoured with Local (to Barrie) maple syrup from Breedon's Farm in Alliston Ontario. It is also flavoured with Fair Trade organic Ugandan Bourbon vanilla beans (That's a mouthful).

Anyway... City and Colour is playing on the MP3... onto the tasting.

The colour is dark amber, like a fine maple syrup and almost as translucent and slightly cloudy. Head is brown and tan, very short lived and made up of very tiny bubbles.The scent is up front maple syrup and vanilla with underlying notes of chocolate, malt, and wood. The first sip is a little like porridge, wheaty, syrupy. and a slight note of background citrus. The lingering maple is a bit strong and tends to get a bit bitter on the finish. Woodsy vanilla is present throughout the attack. Hot alcohol taste, finishing in a super sweet almost cloying hum of maple. Aeration brings a whisky taste to the mouth with a touch of wet grain and eye watering alcohol!
Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 

Cost: 4/6 PASS

Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 5/6 PASS
Re-Order:  3/6 SO-SO
Experience:  4/6 PASS

Final Thoughts:

This is a good beer don't get me wrong. There is lot's going on in it. But it fell down in a few areas. Price was an issue. I understand the limited availability and the special ingredients, and the over the top packaging. However in the end you have to pay for it and drink it and feel good about your purchase. I felt there was a price to taste expectation gap that was not met. The Maple syrup was out of balance. It stomped all over the wheat of the beer and left me feeling over-sweetened and sticky at the end. Would I suggest you try this beer? Of course... please do. Just share it with a friend... over some dessert. It definitely needs a touch of food to offset the sugar

Cheers

CJT


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Beer # 57 Maple Bock

Maple Bock Lager

Trafalgar Ales and Meads, Oakville, Ontario, Canada (Independent)

Bock 6.5% ABV Brown Glass Bottle 650ml

 $4.55 (Canadian) At LCBO.


Last of my old notes... consider the inbox cleared. One more trip down the QEW to Oakville for an unfortunately less than stellar offering from a great brewery.

Very dark brown with a hint of red. Thin off-brown head that disperses quickly. Sweet, caramel maple nose, fudge like. First sip is smoky, watery, more maple sap than syrup. Strong almond extract flavour and the maple sugar taste is overpowering, tastes artificial. Light molasses in the finish. Syrupy mouthfeel. Aeration intensifies the almond extract.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional

                                                                                                               

Cost:  5/6  PASS

Colour:  5/6  PASS        

Beer Style:  3/6 SO-SO  

Re-Order:  1/6 FAIL   

Experience:   2/6  FAIL

Final Thoughts:

A rare miss for normally excellent Trafalgar. Too watery, sweet and full of unwanted flavours. 


Stay tuned for a week of new beer notes


Cheers
CJT