Visit to Jobsite Brewery Stratford, Ontario October 15th 2019

For the second year in a row, we have had the good fortune to get down and see a show at the Stratford Festival. This year was a fantastic performance of Little Shop of Horrors. It was directed by the stellar Donna Feore, whose rendition of "Rocky Horror Show" at last year's festival will go down as the greatest live theatre performance I have ever seen. Some of last year's cast returned. Steve Ross who hilariously portrayed The Criminologist in Rocky last year took up the mantle of Mr. Mushnik the stereotypical Jewish flowershop owner. And last year's star Dan Chameroy who earned his fishnets bringing Dr. Frank N. Furter to life last year played the execrable Dr. Orin Scrivello DDS.

I have had a tough time thinking about this play though. All good theatre should make us think and this musical sure has made me wonder about the message of the play and it's role in modern theatre aside from being a vehicle of nostalgia. Originally based off of 1960's Roger Corman B-movie flick, Little Shop grew into a tragic love story between, hapless Seymour and his unfortunate co-worker Audrey. Audrey is a downtrodden woman. She is in an abusive relationship with a sadist. She claims to have a checkered past where she worked in shady nightclubs wearing revealing clothing. The dialogue stops just short of her professing to take money for sexual favours. Seymour is an orphan who was taken in by Mushnik for a source of cheap labour. Seymour finds an unusual plant which brings success to the Skid Row Flowershop. However, the plant turns out to be a carnivorous alien bent on taking over the world to eat all humans. The only common thread is Exploitation... which granted, was Corman's bread and butter. Mushnik exploits Seymour, and later his customers, Seymour Exploits Audrey II (the plant) who in turn is exploiting him. Orin the Sadistic Dentist exploits Audrey in stomach-churning ways. I want to say there is a cautionary tale in here but there is no real lesson, There is no redemption. Everyone dies. Be greedy, or don't be greedy the plant will get you in the end. Even at the end, when Audrey sacrifices herself so the plant can live and Seymour can continue to be successful just feels wrong; re-inforcing that outdated notion that a woman has to give up everything for her man. Audrey dies feeling "purpose" because she believes Seymour deserves better.


The only thing I can think of here is we need this play, to see how far we have come... or maybe how far we still have to go. And perhaps to bawl your eyes out when the heart-wrenching song "Suddenly Seymour" comes on.

Now don't get me wrong I was riveted while I watched this play. The production, singing and choreography were all on point and the casting was perfect. Gabi Epstein who plays Audrey (the human) is making the most of her first season at the Festival by drawing out, plainly, every single emotion, and regret, and fear, and hope on Audrey's face. She blows away the audience with her emotional version of "Somewhere That's Green." 

Anyway, I'm getting away from myself. I'm not here to review Stratford (as much as I enjoyed it) I'm here to drink beer.



So before the show, the Queen of Pint Jockey Headquarters and I voyaged over to a brewery we heard about last year but ran out of time to visit. Jobsite Brewing Company has been open for just over a year and occupies an old lumberyard on the edge of downtown Stratford. They share their repurposed building with a great little distillery called Junction 56.   Their unassuming entrance advertises two things: Pizza and Craft Beer. Enough said. Started in 2017 by Dave Oldenburger and Phil Buhler who were working together in the construction business and decided to combine their love of creating buildings and beer. Jobsite was their result and the brewery has been chugging along since August 2018. When we were in Stratford last they had only been open for 2 weeks!

So the Queen and I picked up a couple of sample boards and tried them out. Here are the notes.




Beer # 484: 2x4 Cream Ale
Style: Cream Ale ABV: 4.8%  IBU: ?

Lightly cloudy straw colour with a thin white head clean nose with notes of citrus and grain.Smooth and light with notes of malt and a slight creaminess. Slight chemical finish.

Final Thoughts: Average cream ale, a little watery. 

Beer # 485: Handyman Harvest Wet Hop Pale Ale
Style: Wet Hop Pale Ale ABV: 4.5% IBU:  30

Amber gold in colour with a light, off-white head. Aromas of pine and citrus and tropical fruit. First sip is bright green hops moving into a spicy west coast pale ale. Good malt representation a little ashy on the finish.

Final Thoughts: Average wet hop pale ale. Good hop choices and character but falls down on the Pale Ale aspect there is a disconnect in the flavour profile as it moves from the bright hops to the malt flavours.

Beer # 486: Impact IPA

Style: India Pale Ale ABV: 6.9% IBU:  ?

Golden orange in colour with a creamy off white head. Pine and citrus on the nose and mildly grain forward. First sip is balanced and sweet with pine and juicy fruit. One of the more mellow and smooth IPAS I've had. Not spectacular, but very enjoyable.

Final Thoughts: This is a different flavour profile for an IPA that I have tried. It's a little more muted and balanced. The hops don't try to rip your face off. I wouldn't class it as a favourite, but it is very interesting and worthy of more study.

Beer # 487: Wrong Nail Amber Ale
Style: American Amber Ale ABV: 5.4% IBU:  ?

Medium-dark amber colour with an off white head. Aroma is sweet and malty. Warming notes of toasted sugars and molasses smooth creamy finish. Aeration gives us toasty bread and brown sugar.

Final Thoughts: Sweet, malty, and balanced. One of the best ambers I've had in a while. The flavour profiled is "nailed" just like the eponymous "wrong nail," building a smooth sippable amber.

Beer # 488: Honey I'm home Hazlenut Hop Honey Brown
Style: Flavoured Honey Brown Ale ABV: 5.2% IBU: 20

Dark chestnut in colour with an off white head. Aroma is Frangelico maple and hazelnut. First sip doubles down on the Frangelico and adds a mild coffee and chocolate.Finish is sweet with a hint of chemical... possibly it is the hazelnut extract.

Final Thoughts: I hate extracts in beer. They are really chemical and off-putting. The last thing I want in a beer taste is the memory of the time I snuck into my Mom's baking cupboard and tasted the artificial hazelnut extract. Blech.

Beer # 489: Big pour stout.
Style: American Stout ABV: 5.8% IBU: ?

Dark chocolate brown with an off tan head dark roast coffee on the first sip with TONS of smoke. Bacon and wood smoke finish is campfire and cocoa powder.

Final Thoughts:  Excellent stout. Dry, light-bodied, smokey, and chocolately. One of the highlights of this visit.




Cider # 11: Hammer Bent Red Cider (Guest Tap)
Cidery: Twin Pines Cider House Location: Thedford, Ontario, Canada
Style: Traditional Cider ABV: 6.8% IBU: 0

Clear gold in colour with little head Aroma is freshly crushed apples fruity tart and dry.clean and crisp with a natural malic acid finish. Great dry cider.

Final Thoughts:  Fantastic dry cider. It reminds me of old Magner's Aged Cider before they messed around with it for mass commercial distribution.

Beer # 490: Weisse Ankle Wheat Ale
Style: Wheat Beer ABV: 5.0% IBU: ?

Light gold in colour with a skiff of white head. Deep cuts of banana and clove. Standard wheat beer.

Final Thoughts: Very average. Needs more character.

Beer # 491: Confection Connection Raspberry Lime Milkshake IPA

Collab: TWB Cooperative Brewing Location: Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Style: Flavoured Milkshake IPA ABV: 7.8% IBU: ?

Orangey red with a light white head. The aroma is cream cheese/cheesecake. Raspberry dominates the middle with a light citrus hum. The effect with the lactose is pure cheesecake creaminess and sweetness. The finish is lime zest.

Final Thoughts: Now this was interesting! It tasted like you blended up a raspberry lime cheesecake with a nice IPA and served it like a milkshake. I really haven't found many Milkshake IPAs I have liked but I did like this one we ended up trying this one twice because the Queen and I both enjoyed it.

Jobsite Social                                      TWB Co-op Social
 jobsitebrewing                              twbcoop

    N/A                                              @twbcoop

Cheers
CJT

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Beer # 363 Anniversary Ale: Moosehead Breweries

Beer #363 Anniversary Ale

Moosehead Breweries

Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
Independent National brewery
Established: 1867 (As the Army Navy Brewery in Halifax, Nova Scotia)
Pale Ale
5.7 % ABV IBU: 38
473 ml Aluminium Can
$2.75 (Canadian) At LCBO

Twitter: @MooseheadLager


When one thinks of Moosehead, especially here in Ontario, one usually thinks of the lager, served in green bottles, often skunky, adored by many and reviled by almost as many. I'm in the latter category. I do not like Moosehead Lager. I use to work a Bar that had a 75-foot long bar along one wall with three complete bar stations. Once a Moosehead was cracked, I could smell it almost anywhere on that bar. However, this is not that beer... So I must try it. It is also important to note, that along with the #Canada150 celebrations this month Moosehead is also celebrating 150 years of operations. Started in 1867 just as the Articles of Confederation were being shopped around, by a woman: Susannah Oland. Now, this seems remarkable given the time and place, but we must remember that traditionally brewing beer was a job for a woman. In fact, the name "Brewster" is the only occupational name (eg. Smith, Baker, Cook) That was originally feminine. 

Canada has a long history of brewing. Basically, as soon as the Europeans set foot in the new world... somebody looked around for something to malt and brew. The first commercial brewer in Canada was reputed to be Louis Prud'Homme who set up a small brewery in Montreal in about 1650 (prior to this beer was brewed at home). There have been many breweries since then but only a few remain in operation. Molson (1786), Carling (1818), Alexander Keith's (1820), Labbat (1847), and twenty years later The Army Navy Brewery, which grew to be Moosehead. However, of those names... Carling was bought by Molson which in turn merged with Coors of The United States. Labbat bought Keith's brewery and then was in turn purchased by Belgian company InterBrew which merged with Brazillian Company Ambev which merged with Anhueser-Busch which merged with SAB MIller to make the enormous zombie beer conglomerate Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (UGH!). That leaves Moosehead. Moosehead is still owned by Susanah's grandchildren. For six generations the Oland family have owned and operated Moosehead breweries making it the only wholly independent National Brewery left in Canada. 

To celebrate, they brewed a beer... Let's try it.

Pours a cloudy medium to dark gold with a massive off white head made up of small to medium bubbles. Aroma is very malt forward with some strong hints of caramel, and molasses. A little grassy and hoppy right near the end. The first sip gives us classic Brittish Pale Ale stylings with a sweet fruity maltiness. Medium bodied malt gives way to a nice warm caramel, vanilla with a hint of molasses on the finish. Aeration is biscuity and bready with hints of wine.

 Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


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

Final Thoughts:

This was a good pale ale. Not a standout, but drinkable. I would have expected something a bit more spectacular for a sesquicentennial anniversary. But it is still far better than their lager in my opinion.


Cheers

CJT

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Beer # 296 Why So Sirius? Sextant Craft Brewery

#296 Why So Sirius? Pale Ale

Sextant Craft Brewery

Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Contract Brewery Brews at: ?
Established: 2015
Pale Ale
4.8 % ABV IBU: 33
473 ml Aluminium Can
$2.95 (Canadian) At the LCBO

Twitter: @SextantBeer


Another new brewery to me, Sextant is a currently a contract brewery in Toronto, Ontario. I was unable to find where they are brewing from but I did find that they are in the process of building their own brewery, so I am sure I will have more details at a later date when I get to try some more of their beers. 

Ok. I admit, I'm a pun junkie, and a pushover for a good label and this ticks both boxes when it piqued my interest in the LCBO. From a marketing standpoint I like this beer. It has an innocuous name but it immediately will give you another image... (Sex sells) The X in the name is emphasised and the gentle curve is supposed to remind you of a sextant, see below, but the careful layout of the X divides the name in two tickling the funny bone of every 12 year old boy inside us and making us giggle when we see the word sex. Like it or not beer is still predominately marketed towards men. Thankfully with so many women brewers entering the market and a huge growth in female craft beer drinkers, that fact may soon be out of date. Ok, subliminal marketing techniques aside, what is a sextant? It is an historic and invaluable nautical tool used by sailors prior to the invention of GPS. To this day most sailors are still required to take training in it's use in the event of systems failures and you would be hard pressed to find an ocean going vessel that does not still carry one. It's use is straight forward, but requires some complex calculations. One first takes a sighting of the Sun during the day or Polaris (The North Star) during the night and then by use of a mirror on the swing arm of the sextant, one lines up the sun with the horizon. This gives a reading in degrees on the arc at the base of the sextant with which, one can calculate the latitude and longitude of a ship at sea. The arc is actually where the sextant gets its name the arc contain sixty degrees or 1/6th of a circle, Latin for 1/6th is "sextans."

Back to the brewery, Dave Wingfelder and his wife Cindy Eveline loved to travel, and they loved beer. So as the symbol of this union they chose the sextant to guide them into the beer business. Their first beer brewed was Sextant Pale ale, This eventually became tonight's beer a light, lower alcohol, easy drinking pale ale.

Let's navigate over to the glass, and try one out.



Pours a pale gold with a short lived off-white head made of small bubbles. Aroma is predominately Lychee with some citrus light vanilla caramel, and a hint of wine grapes. Attack is very light and fruity not unlike a Vidal or a Gewurztraminer wine. Slightly sour with a medley of tropical fruit. Light breadiness and caramel on the finish. Aeration gives us some toasty, malty, nutty with a winey floral finish.

 Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


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

Experience: 5/6 PASS

Final Thoughts:

Sirusly good beer... Ok, punning aside I really enjoyed this beer the fruit and the wine notes make it exciting. it is bright and vibrant and a welcome edition to the pale ale scene in Canada. Pull out your sextant and navigate over to your local LCBO to give this beer a try. I look forward to more great beers from them.

Cheers

CJT

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Beers # 286 and 287 The Terrior Project Sawdust City Brewery

The Terroir Project Pale Ale

Sawdust City Brewing Company

Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada
Independent Microbrewery
Wet Hopped Pale Ale Tillsonburg and Nottawa Chinook hops
5.4 % ABV 20 IBU
10 oz Half Pint Glass
$3.75 (Canadian) At the brewery

Twitter: @sawdustcitybeer

Popped into the local brewery recently to try out their new wet hop beer. Last year they did a similar brew where they went and picked the hops in the morning drove back to the brewery and made the beer with the fresh green hops. Hops are usually processed, they are dried and come in pellet form. However, since the proliferation of craft breweries, hops farms have had to keep pace, and are springing up everywhere. Since hops do grow almost anywhere, and they are similar to grapes ( as in they take on a flavour profile specific to the soil they are grown in) Sawdust wanted to experiment and see how much hop terrior can affect the beer it is used in.

Enter the "Terrior Project." Sawdust brewed a batch of a standard pale ale and then split it in half and hopped it with Chinook hops purchased from two different hop farms. The first was Tillsonburg. It is a farming town, famous for tobbacco, The second is Nottawa, which is a small community south of Collingwood The famous shipbuilding town on the shores of Lake Huron. The area here is noted for farming and limestone quarries. So how do the beers differ? Is there a more mineral quality in the beer from Nottawa? or is there more fruity character?
 

Let's find out.

Onto our beers for tonight.

Tillsonburg on the left Nottawa on the Right

From the first pour the beers look identical, but do they taste identical?

Beer # 286 Tillsonburg
The colour is a honey gold with a light skiff of head made up of white bubbles. The aroma is fruity with hints of grapefruit and papaya. Pine is evident right at the end. First sip is aromatic green hops some light caramel malt and a hint of bitterness. Mineral notes dominate the middle with some resinous pine. Aeration gives us more caramel, pine and fresh greenery.

Beer # 287 Nottawa

The colour is an almost identical honey gold with a light skiff of head made up of slightly off-white bubbles. The aroma while still fruity has stronger pine notes with hints of herbal bitter greens. The first sip gives us lots of fresh pine and resin. Sweet caramel malt and hints of bitterness at the back of the throat. Aeration gives us more pine with some hints of tansy.


Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 

                          Tilsonburg                       Nottawa         

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


Final Thoughts:

Quite frankly, I was impressed that I would find a substantial enough taste difference between the two beers. Keep in mind these beers are identical: same grain, same water, same yeast, same process, and same weight of hops. The only difference, at all, is the fact the hops were grown in two different soils. Both beers are excellent. I enjoyed them almost equally. but the strong fruitiness of the Tillsonburg just ever so slightly tipped the balance. Tillsonburg was my favourite. However... the only way you will know, is to try them for yourself. And I urge you to do so. I hope more breweries do this in the future as this was a delightful experiment.
CJT


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Beer # 282 Downhill Pale Ale Collingwood Brewery

#282 Downhill Pale Ale

Collingwood Brewery

Collingwood, Ontario, Canada
Independent Microbrewery
Pale Ale 
5.4 % ABV 33 IBU
473 ml Aluminium Can
$2.85 (Canadian) At the Beer Store

Twitter: @CollingwoodBeer

Back to Collingwood and the Collingwood brewery tonight. I picked these cans up on a trip to Sudbury, which is oddly further away from me than Collingwood is. Tonight's offering is a Pale Ale, and while just about every brewery around does a Pale Ale, few do them well. I have been impressed as of late as the quality of Pales and IPA and APAs are increasing overall. More and more breweries are coming up with their own take on the style that both honours it and improves upon it.

Ok let's go downhill!

Pours a cloudy golden/amber colour with an off-whitehead composed of small bubbles. Aroma is honey and tropical fruit with a light floral background.The first sip is mildly spicy light caramel malt and a touch of wood. This is followed by a complex hop profile with spices, bitter herbs, some grassiness, and some strong florals. Finish is lychee with some tobacco and hints of marijuana. Aeration gives us a little nuts, caramel, and grains.

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:


Another solid Pale Ale with a nice layered flavour profile. good complexity with goo floral and fruitiness. Pick one of these up.

Cheers

CJT

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