Black Coal Stout Railway City

Beer # 223 Black Coal Stout

Railway City Brewery

St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada
Independent Microbrewery
Imperial IPA 
6.0 % ABV Aluminum Can 473 ml.
$3.15 (Canadian) At the LCBO

Twitter: @railwaycity

Down to St. Thomas again and Railway City. After not liking their first few brews I kept hoping I would find some beers that I would like... and I finally did with their Double Dead Elephant IIPA that came out this past summer. Now I must add this beer to the list. I believe this was originally a Christmas seasonal (as it has this slogan on the back of the can...).

But I found one in the local LCBO, It had only been available in gift packs around here before so I was happy to find a few singles.

Onto the coals...


Pours a deep dark chocolate brown with a dark tan head made up of small to medium bubbles. The aroma is earthy, woody, leather, chocolate, and dark malt. First sip is refreshingly light yet deeply malty. Notes of coffee, chocolate, cocoa powder, English toffee and light aromas of herbal hops. Aeration brings out a slight fruitiness, with some toast and a dark chocolate finish.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 

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

Final Thoughts:

A very nice seasonal and a great take on a nice light bodied stout. Very flavourful, and not overpowering. Makes me hope for some coal in my stocking next year!



Cheers


CJT



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Beer # 191 S'more Stout

S'more Stout

Sawdust City Brewing Company

Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Flavoured Stout 5.6% 20 oz Draft 592 ml.
$6.50 (Canadian) At the brewery

Twitter: @SawdustCityBeer

Was very excited about this beer when I heard about it. Sawdust City does a good stout and when I thought of adding chocolate and marshmallow to it, well, the progression just seemed obvious. So my last taster for my on location this week was the lovely S'more Stout.

Fire up your roasting stick and get the graham crackers ready... Onto the tasting.


Pours a pitch dark brown/black with a tan head made up of tiny bubbles. Nose is primarily vanilla with some toasty wheaty, bready notes, and bitter chocolate. First sip is creamy vanilla, chocolate, toasty malt. Light creamy mouthfeel, with a hint of bitterness on the finish. One gets the effect of a creamy toasted marshmallow within the taste of the beer. Aeration is all about the vanilla with some light roasted malt at the finish.

 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:

An excellent stout, and a great augmentation. The marshmallow and the vanilla play very nicely with the chocolate and the roasted malt. Get out there and try this one... preferable in front of a fireplace, with some toasty marshmallows on the side.

Cheers


CJT



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Beer # 189 Le Chandail de Skokie: Beer for the Gravenhurst Winter Carnival

Le Chandail de Skokie (Skokie's Sweater)

Sawdust City Brewing Company

Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Biere de Garde 8.5 % 
10 oz Tulip Glass Draft (296 ml)
$6.00 (Canadian) At the brewery

Twitter: @SawdustCityBeer

Went down to the brewery today and they just started pouring this gem. Skokie is the Mascot of the Gravenhurst Winter Carnival Which takes place this year between February 20th and 22nd, and for this, the 45th anniversary of the Winter Carnival Sawdust City decided to brew a nice Biere de Garde to warm the winter bones.

As it was quite cold today I was more than happy to indulge in this refreshingly warming brew... Onto the tasting...

Pours a very dark amber with a thin off white head with a hint of grey. Aroma is a sweet and sour caramel, slightly woody and bready. First sip gives us rich roasted malt and tart, fresh hops. There is a lingering sourness, just prior to the hoppy finish along with a fresh fruity, citrus note. There is also a hint or orange or candied peel, reminiscent of, but not as sweet as marmalade.  Aeration gives us a more malty licorice flavour and accentuates the tart sourness of the beer.

 Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 

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


Final Thoughts:

Delightful winter warmer. A very good biere de garde with good bones that I imagine would age very well. would love to put some aside and see how it tastes in 6 months, or a year from now.

Cheers


CJT



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Beer # 53 Summer Weiss Muskoka Cottage Brewery

Summer Weiss Vintage 2011

Muskoka Cottage Brewery, Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada (Independant)
Weiss Bier 5.0% ABV Brown Glass Bottle 750 ml
$5.95 (Canadian) at LCBO.

Well the weather outside is anything but summery. In fact it has rained snowed and hailed all at different points today. So it is a perfect Canadian spring day to taste a summer beer. I think that made sense. We visited Muskoka Cottage Brewery once before in our "Lucky 13" Post, where we did the Double Chocolate Cranberry Stout. So I won't go into a lot of detail about the Bracebridge brewery again. If this is the first time you have read my blog (first of all welcome!) you can click the above link and read up on the pretty town of Bracebridge and it tiny but industrious brewery.

On to summer...


Translucent and light gold somewhat cloudy. Off-white head made up of medium sized bubbles. The nose is all cloves with a hint of cinnamon and sweetness. The first taste is strong ripe bananas, spice becomes milder. There is a lingering sweetness on the palate that is reminiscent of a banana Popsicle. As it warms toasted bread comes to the surface. Light caramel. Aeration brings out the wheat.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional

                                                                                                               

Cost:  5/6  PASS

Colour:  5/6  PASS        

Beer Style:  6/6 EXEPTIONAL  

Re-Order:  5/6 PASS   

Experience:   5/6  PASS

Final Thoughts: 

Very enjoyable, with all the right moves. The beer style is textbook and I could have written my description out of a judging manual (don't worry... I actually think these big words up on my own...) I would put the beer toward a high pass, and I have to say I am enjoying the brewery's new seasonals, each seems to be better than the last.

Cheers
CJT