The 2-4 Beers of Christmas 2018 Edition Day 2: Bitter Waitress Black IPA by Shillow Beer

Beer # 459 Bitter Waitress Black IPA

Brewery: Shillow Beer Company


Type: Contract Brewery    Est.:  2014
Brewed at Common Good Brewing Company Scarborough, Ontario

Location: Ottawa/Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Beer Style: American Pale Ale

ABV: 6.5%      IBU: 86

Format: Aluminium Can  Size: 473 ml

Cost: $2.95 CAD     Purchased At: LCBO

shillowbeer

    @Shillowbeer

Our second beer of this #2-4BeersofChristmas Is a black IPA from Shillow Beer Company. Shillow is currently brewing their beer at Common Good Brewing in Scarborough but they are currently planning to build their brewery in Ottawa. Shillow brews most of it's beer to strict Kosher Standards. Brewing is supervised by the Kashrut Council of Canada (COR). Which is a fun coincidence because today is the start of Chanukah, the Jewish Festival of lights. 

Onto our beer...

Pours a very dark chestnut colour with an ample fluffy head made up of small to large bubbles. Aroma is malty hoppy and smoky. First sip is smooth smoky and chocolate. As the beer warms it smooths out, more hops come to the front hints of molasses and liquorice near the finish. Aeration brings out some woody chocolate and mild 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 5/6 PASS


Final Thoughts:

A good solid beer with lots of flavour. The smoky chocolate malt is quite good. The one thing I find funny is that although the IBU is 86, the hops are so very mild. They are there just muted. So it is hard to say this is an "IPA" without the signature hum of the hops. Do not get me wrong... I really like this beer and would drink it again and often. Go out and try one while it is here for the winter season.



L'chaim

CJT

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And I shall Hug him, and Squeeze him, and call him "George" Beer # 378

Beer # 378 George American Brown Ale 
Collaboration with: Sawdust City Brewing Company

Brewery: Big Rig Kitchen and Brewery

Type: Independent Microbrewery/Brewpub    Est.:  2012

Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Beer Style: American Pale Ale

ABV: 4.7%      IBU: 

Format: Draught  Size: 20 oz

Cost: $7.00 CAD     Purchased At: The Brewery

Sawdust City Brewing Company

Type: Independent Microbrewery Est.: 2012
Location: Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada

bigrigbrewery        sawdustcitybeer

    @BigRigBrewery    @SawdustCityBeer

Down at the brewery the other day, and they had this excellent collab with Big Rig Brewery out of Ottawa. I had to try it because of the name... "What do you want to call your beer?" "George." "Heh... Why not?" It made me think of that old Looney Tunes cartoon where the Abominable Snowman is looking for a pet bunny. Graciously provided by YouTube on the right here.

Let's try out "George."

Pours a rich mahogany, just slightly translucent that sparks ruby as the light shines through. Off-white head with hints of tan is made up of tiny bubbles and stands tall thick and creamy. Aroma is herbal and nutty with light hints of smoke and caramel. First sip caramel sweet with a nice hop bitterness to balance. Very fruity and nutty, light hints of smouldering malt with touches of bruleed sugar. Very open and airy, drinks on the lighter bodied side despite the intense flavours.
aeration gives us lots of nuts hints of green hop bitterness a touch of marijuana some molasses and dark roasted barley.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


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


Final Thoughts:

So tasty. A nice crushable brown ale. Well rounded flavours and a good balance. See if you can find this one... it is a limited run.

Cheers

CJT

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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas Day 3: Midnight Kissed My Cow Big Rig Brewery and Kitchen

Beer # 302 Midnight Kissed my cow

Brewery: Big Rig Brewery and Kitchen

Type: Independent Microbrewery and Brewpub     Est.: 2012

Location: Ottawa/Kanata, Ontario, Canada

Beer Style: Flavoured Milk Stout

ABV: 5.6%      IBU: 14

Format: Aluminium Can  Size: 473 ml

Cost: $2.95 CAD     Purchased At: LCBO

Twitter: @BigRigBrewery


Haven't had a Big Rig beer for quite some time and this one looked like a lot of fun in the store. I really do enjoy good labelling and beer is supposed to be about fun, so why have boring packaging? I love stouts especially complex ones. I really do enjoy sitting and letting a deep flavourful beer wash over my tongue and tell me a story through its flavours. Milk stouts a wonderful in the fact that they add another dimension to the brew. By the addition of lactose or milk sugar the brewer can achieve a roundness, a creaminess, a subtle sweetness, that complements the darker malts, roasted coffee, and chocolate notes. Needless to say I drink all of these I can while they are around.

Let's try one now...

Pours an inky dark brown with a fluffy tan head made up of small bubbles. Aroma is fresh roasted coffee and chocolate and some minute hints of wood. First sip is very creamy, tastes like a milk chocolate bar. Body is quite light even with the creamy mouthfeel. Hints of fruity hops and some dried berries underlie the main coffee/chocolate extravaganza. The texture is soft and inviting like a good milk stout should be. Finish is coffee and chocolate with lingering notes of milk sugars and cream. Aeration brings out some raisin, some whiskey, tangy hops and touches of sour cream. The lips are left a little sticky. The final notes remind me of Vietnamese coffee with sweetened condensed milk.

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: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Christmas Cheer: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL

Final Thoughts:

This beer was almost a perfect score. I loved this beer. there was only one thing I felt detracted from the final tally. As the beer warmed I got a touch of sour cream, it snapped me out of my reverie and took away from the flavours. Other than that this beer is amazing, lovely mix of flavours, judicious use of cocoa and lactose. A good all around product that is perfect for a winter's night. Definitely a must have for this Christmas season, put one in your stocking while you still can.
Cheers

CJT

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Beer # 198 The Bottle Imp Russian Imperial Stout

The Bottle Imp Russian Imperial Stout
Pro-am Series # 9

Beau's All Natural Brewing Company

Vankleek Hill, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Flavoured Russian Imperial Stout 9.0 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 600 ml
$7.85 (Canadian) At LCBO 

Twitter: @Beausallnatural @bridgehead

Tonight we are travelling back up to Van Kleek Hill, near our nation's capital, to Beau's All Natural Brewing Company once again. Beau's really is one of the hardest working breweries in Ontario. Their list of beers, past and present is virtually unrivalled. Their list of collaborations is stunning. Their contributions to brewing in Ontario and Canada are unprecedented. The beer we are featuring tonight on this Robbie Burns Day 2015, is a Russian imperial stout flavoured with organic fair trade coffee sourced from Mexico and Ethiopia. "Wait..." you may ask... "What has a Russian imperial stout flavoured with organic fair trade coffee sourced from Mexico and Ethiopia got to do with a dead Scottish poet?"  It's all in the name...

In 1891 Scottish storyteller Robert Louis Stevenson (see what I did there?) wrote a short story entitled"The Bottle Imp." It was a cautionary tale about a cursed bottle that granted the holder all that he desired but came with a few restrictions. Once you had bought the bottle you could not sell it for more than you paid for it. You could not throw it away or give it away. If you died holding the bottle your soul would be dragged to hell for eternity. From there it turn into a tragic love story and tales of self sacrifice in the pursuit of true love. No spoilers... if you would like to read the story you can find it here at Project Gutenberg in Robert Louis Stevenson's collection of short stories "Island Night's Entertainment."

Back to the beer. This particular Bottle Imp... is actually an IMP... or IMPerial stout so it is 9.0% ABV. Best to share this with a friend or have some snacks while you are tasting it. The Imp is part of the Pro-Am series which is a collection of beers designed by homebrewers that are produced commercially by Beau's. The particular recipe was created by David Thompson, the winner of the 2012 Toronto Beer Week Homebrew Contest. Lastly the beer is infused with some delicious roasted fair trade organic shade grown coffee from Chiapas Mexico, and Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia. I love me some Ethiopian Coffee... it's my favourite coffee growing region. The coffee was provided by Bridgehead Coffee in Ottawa

Och... get on wit it... (My apologies to anyone Scottish). Onto our beer.

Pours a very dark brown with a fluffy tan head made up of small bubbles. The aroma is coffee with some dark malt sugars and caramels in the background. Some light floral notes with some nuttiness and fruit are also present. First sip is rich chocolate and espresso light fruity tones with some coffee ground bitterness underneath. As the beer warms figs and dried fruit come out on the palette as does some black licorice. Mouthfeel is very creamy, soft and supple. Alcohol is noticeable but not overwhelming. Aeration brings out a deeper creaminess, and the darker aspects of the coffee and malt. Finish is slightly astringent like black coffee and dark chocolate.


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, very good Russian imperial stout. Roasty, toasty, smooth, I could imagine myself whiling away the hours in the Russian Imperial court drinking this beer. The coffee is a lovely, and well balanced addition. The floral, fruity, chocolate notes really ground the beer, and balance out the higher alcohol. A great beer inspired by a great Scotsman's story, wrapping up a good Robbie Burns Day. What more could a simple farm boy ask for?
well... maybe another... and a bottle with that wishing imp in it...

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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