The 2-4 Beers of Christmas Days 17 & 18: The Light Side Vs The Dark Side.

A Long Time Ago, 

in a Pint Jockey Headquarters far away...

BEER WARS

The Froth Awakens: Episode I

It's Star Wars Day

Ok, I have to admit it I'm a huge nerd. Especially when it comes to Star Wars. I did a very big dance of joy when I heard that George Lucas had sold the franchise to Disney and that they had plans to begin releasing new movies. So for three years I have eagerly awaited this day, and although I have to wait a few more days before we go out to see the movie, I am so glad we have arrived at this day of nerdom. I have heard very positive things about the movie and can't wait til we go out and see it as a family.

So in honour of this day I decided to do a side by side tasting, Light versus Dark. Because when you think about it, beer is like the Force... there are light beers and dark beers, and after a few... you begin to believe you can move things with your mind.  Donning the Jedi Robes for the Light side tonight we have Muskoka Brewery's Winterweiss (get it? Weiss... White... Light side?) And warming up in the corner with their Force Chokes and Force Lightning Epic Brewing Company's Coffee and Fig Imperial Oatmeal Stout. (Imperial? yep... another pun).

It is time to bring balance to the Force... Let my taste buds awaken.

The Contenders

The Light Side 

Beer # 265 Winterweiss

Muskoka Brewery

Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada
Independent Microbrewery
Dunkelweiss 5.0% ABV 
Aluminum Can 473 ml.
$3.00 (Canadian) At LCBO


Twitter: @Muskokabrewery

Pours a deep chestnut with an off-tan head made up of small bubbles. Aroma is a spicy mix of clove and bananas with some caramel toward the back. First sip is super light bodied and very refreshing lovely clean wheat tones followed by spiced banana bread. Aeration gives us a yeasty fresh risen bread dough, Finish is light and malty with some gentle hop flavours.

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 standard dunkelweiss. Nothing out of the ordinary. Actually an almost textbook example.  Good flavour, light tasting, and easy drinking. A holiday must have if you can get one.


The Dark Side

Beer # 266 Epicurean Coffee and Fig Imperial Oatmeal Stout

Epic Brewing Company

Auckland, New Zealand
Independent Brewery
Flavoured Oatmeal Stout 8.0% ABV 
Brown Glass Bottle 750 ml.
$13.90 (Canadian) At LCBO 


Twitter: @EpicBeer


Pours an inky dark brown with a light tan head made up of small bubbles. Aroma is very darkly roasted malt with coffee and some smoke, also an underlying caramel sweetness, with some dried fruit. First sip the figs take over giving us a fairly light bodied and fruity ale.coffee and caramelised sugars follow and the the lips are left quite sticky from the sugars. Notes of char and darkly toasted bread mixed with a figgy jam. Aeration gives us some alcohol, whisky and cola notes. Finish is smoky and dry.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


Cost: 5/6 PASS
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:

Oh. Wow. This is an awesome beer. and I mean that in it's correct context this beer inspires awe. Deep, dark rich flavours, yet still very easy to drink. 






And the Verdict

Well, tonight the Dark Side wins, just edging out the home team Muskoka Brewery... Sorry guys... But you know those scrappy Rebels won't be down for long... 

Cheers 

CJT

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Beer # 196 Aporkalypse Now

Aporkalypse Now

HogsBack Brewing Company

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Flavoured Oatmeal Stout 5.4% ABV 
Brown Glass Bottle 660 ml.
$8.95 (Canadian) At the LCBO

Twitter: @HogsBackBrewing

Finally. I have found a pork infused beer. I had been hoping to get my hands on one long before this, but at last, here it is. HogsBack Brewing and it's flagship beer the Vintage Lager were conceived (as most good ideas are) in a brew pub in Ottawa. The name was an off-handed suggestion but it was well received and as the friends looked into the history of their area HogsBack took on special meaning as it had ties to one of the founding settlers of Ottawa. Philemon Wright, who was Ottawa's first brewer and a builder who constructed a dam that aided in the building of the Rideau Canal, and the dam created what is now know as the HogsBack Falls.


Tonight's beer, one I have been waiting to try, is Aporkalypse Now. Of course you will immediately get the reference to the great Francis Ford Coppola epic war drama starring Marlon (STELLLLLA!) Brando and Ramon Estevez... (Better known as Martin Sheen... Charlie (Tiger-blood) Sheen's Dad). It also stars Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper, A young Laurence Fishburne, and fresh off of the Millennium Falcon... Harrison Ford. The label also bears a striking reference to that of the Miss Saigon musicals poster. As you can see, they both depict helicopters that appear to be painted with a brush and ink. However, on further examination... you can see that the helicopter on the beer label has been made to resemble a pig's head, with a snub nose, arching brow and one floppy ear.

Enough art appreciation... onto the beer.... I love the smell of bacon in the morning.



Pours a very dark brown with an off tan head made of of tiny bubbles. Nose is smoky, with notes of bacon and oats sweet malt and a bit of molasses. first sip is crispy bacon, rich oat malt some molasses and caramel some smoke and wood. As the beer warms the bacon flavour is enhanced. Very effervescent with a slight cola note. Aeration brings out tangy citrus and caramel along with the meaty goodness.



 Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 

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


Final Thoughts:

This is just what I expected in a bacon flavoured beer... Yet another reason to drink in the morning. Great flavour, well rounded, smoky, meaty, filling. Just fantastic by itself, or even better with some food... if you can work a way to get some nice maple syrup in there... better still.

Oh no... The bottle is empty... the horror... the horror.
Cheers


CJT


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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas: Day 19: The Poet

Beer # 183 The Poet Oatmeal Stout

New Holland Brewing Company

Holland, Michigan, United States of America
Independent
Oatmeal Stout Ale 5.2 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 355 ml.
$2.33 (Canadian) At the LCBO

Twitter: @NewHollandBrew

 Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;
    But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token,
    And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, “Lenore?”
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, “Lenore!”—
            Merely this and nothing more.

The Raven -- Edgar Allen Poe  1845

 Years ago I got a copy of Poems, Chiefly Narrative, well, I still have it. But in its pages I first began to enjoy poetry. One of those poems was, of course, The Raven. A dark brooding, twisted tale of a man haunted by ( choose one: Grief, guilty conscience, mental illness, alcohol, drugs, disease, loneliness... etc.) whose fears manifest in the form of a raven that speaks but one word: `Nevermore.`  Poe leaves us to fill in the blanks, Why is the raven there? Who does he represent? What has the hero done? (so many questions). A good beer should be like a good poem. A little thought provoking, a good topic of conversation, and a leave you with desire for more.

Tonight's beer does not specifically invoke the name of Edgar Allen Poe or the Raven, but a cheeky raven is silhouetted against a full moon on the label, leaving us to draw our own conclusions... just like Poe's poem.

Enough literary devices... onto the tasting...

Pours a hazy chocolate brown with a generous tan head made up of small bubbles. Aroma is caramel, toasted grains, rich chocolate, cedar, and pencil shavings. The first sip is a rich but soft tasting beer. slightly effervescent on the tongue. the oats are dominant... with  lots of toasty grain notes caramel chocolate and a sweet woody finish.Aeration gives us an earthy, caramel, licorice flavour.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 



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


Final Thoughts:

A very standard oatmeal stout. While good it does nothing special to attract attention.

Cheers And Beery Christmas


CJT


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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas: Day 13 Cadillac Graveyard Oatmeal Stout

Beer # 177 Cadillac Graveyard

Flying Monkeys

Barrie, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Oatmeal Stout 6.4 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 750 ml.
$8.95 (Canadian) At the Brewery Only

Twitter: @Flying Monkeys


I was lucky enough to be in Barrie the day this was released (Saturday the 13th of December) and happier that it fit the theme of the 2-4 Beers of Christmas. We have been down to Flying Monkeys before... notably for the City and Colour Collaboration for the Treble Clef Series. This beer is called a "brewery edition" so I assume it will only be available at the brewery, and judging  by the crowd there yesterday, it won't be there for long. Weighing in at 6.4% I wouldn't quite call this an Imperial stout, but it is a higher alcohol beer, and in a 750 ml Bottle so I would suggest you finding a friend to share this with. 

Release the Flying Monkeys!


Chocolate brown in colour with a light tan head made up of small bubbles. Aroma starts with dark chocolate and changes to strong coffee. First sip gives us bittersweet chocolate oats, bruleed sugar, and switches to dark roast coffee or espresso for the finish. Body is quite light and refreshing. The herbal notes at the end remind me of italian seasoning. basil, oregano, hint of rosemary (makes me crave pizza for some reason!). There is a lingering nuttiness about the finish, fresh toasted hazelnut or pine nuts, and a slight bitterness. Aeration shows us this beers "light and airy" side, despite the beer being big and full of flavour is is still very light in texture. It softens and gives us some caramel and  some nuts.


Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 

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


Final Thoughts:

The label suggests that this beer is inspired by the Bruce Springsteen song "Cadillac Ranch" and like its inspiration this beer is very smooth, long, and black. It is a nice easy sipper, one that doesn't require a lot of thought. I definitely would recommend it with pizza, lasagna or even by itself. 

Cheers And Beery Christmas


CJT


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Beer # 120 Ninkasi Vanilla Oatis

Vanilla Oatis Vanilla Oatmeal Stout

Ninkasi Brewing Company

Eugene, Oregan, USA
Independent
Flavoured Oatmeal Stout 7.2% ABV Brown Glass Bottle 650 ml
$4.75 (Canadian) At BC Liquor Stores
Twitter: @NinkasiBrewing

Spring cleaning time here at Pint Jockey Headquarters. This beer has been languishing in the "Fridge of Fame" for a couple of months with a few other gems I had almost forgotten about. But this week I hope to clear some of the backlog as there are a whole slew of new beers hitting shelves for the summer and I am eager to wrap my tastebuds around them. I had earlier done the partner to this beer here the Ninkasi Believer Double Red Ale, which is excellent I urge you to read about it, and I was saving this one for a special occasion; then it slipped my mind. So finally I present to you the second beer from Eugene, Oregon.

Onto the tasting.

Dark chocolate brown almost black with a deep tan head that is quite large but made up of small to medium sized bubbles. Nose is very earthy with cedar vegetation, moss, pencil shavings and a hint of oaky vanilla. First sip is a swirling complex celebration of the darker malts. Body is slightly sweet and very smooth due to the oatmeal. Smoke and oak is more evident on the first taste, Vanilla plays second fiddle but is definately heard in the crowd. finish is Vanilla caramel and a pinch of citrus. Aeration gives us a hint of the 7.2 percent alcohol, and a creamy lemon finish.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 

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


Final Thoughts:
Truly a wonderful beer from Ninkasi. I only wish more were alvailable for purchase in Ontario. The complexity is key. I actually found myself comparing this beer to a good red wine. If you are able please run out and try this beer.
Cheers

CJT


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