The 2-4 Beers of Christmas 2019 Day: 16 Mr Canoehead Dry Hopped Red Ale

Beer # 516 Mr. Canoehead Dry Hopped Red Ale

Brewery: Sleeping Giant Brewing Company


Type: Independent Microbrewery    Est.:  2012

Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada

Beer Style: American Red Ale

ABV: 5.1 %      IBU: 45

Format: Aluminium Can  Size: 473 ml

Cost: $3.15 CAD     Purchased At: LCBO

sgbco

    @sleepgiantbrew

Ok so maybe this isn't a Christmas beer... however, picking it up at the local sure felt like Christmas to me. Before we get started we have to discuss something very important. Who is the Greatest Canadian Superhero? I'll give a list to choose from:

Captain Canuck, Captain Canada, Aurora, Betty Barrett, Box, Centrix, Commander Steel, Diamond Lil, Fleur de Lys, Flex, Guardian, Iron Man (No not that Iron Man... the OTHER Iron Man) Major Maple Leaf, Northguard, Northstar, Puck, Radius, Sasquatch, Shaman, Snowbird, Talisman, Vindicator, Deadpool, or Wolverine...

go on, think about it I'll wait...

Nope...    It's:

Mr. Canoehead Canada's Greatest Aluminum Crimefighter. 

For the younger sports fans in the audience, way back many years ago, when there were only 3 channels on TV and you had to put the TV on channel 3 to play your VCR or your NES. There was a comedy sketch variety show called "Four on the Floor" (That's a reference to a manual transmission in a car for all you Millenials (or its also the beat rhythm for disco and electronic music for you music nerds) ). I can't remember if it aired Friday or Sunday night on CBC and I think it was on right before Kids in the Hall. (edit... I did some more research and The Frantics started out on CBC Radio in the 1970's and this is where Mr. Canoehead was born. The TV show came later in 1986, 2 years before the Kids in the Hall and is cited as an influence for them.)

The First Episode of Mr. Canoehead... Sorry about the Quality.

Four on the Floor starred the comedy troupe  "The Frantics." Paul Chato, Rick Green, Dan Redican, and Peter Wildman made up the group, with Chato playing the titular superhero. It was a series of about 8 sketches where Mr. Canoehead was able to solve goofy crimes that required the use of a canoe stuck to someone's head. My favourite was when he disguised himself as a buffet to catch a thief stealing bacon bits (yes... you read that right...) Sadly "Four on the Floor" only lasted 13 episodes, however, if we can't have more Mr. Canoehead... at least we can drink this beer.

Let's portage through this beer...

Translucent reddish amber in colour with an off-tan head. The aroma is grassy, fresh, straw, hoppy, green, and floral.  There are hints of sweetness on the nose. The first sip is a sweet beautiful explosion of flavours, sweet malt and hoppy brightness. The flavour is reminiscent of bold, fruity British ales, with amazing florals and stone fruits. Definitely hints of cherry, plum, and a greenhouse full of flowers. This is a beer I could drink over and over and not get tired of. Aeration is a burst of fruit and malty sweetness.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


Cost: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
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:

This is by far the best red ale I have ever tried. One sip and I am sitting in a pub in England. The dry hopping gives the beer a fruity floral quality that makes this beer perfect. You actually have to slow yourself down when you are drinking this beer otherwise you will burn through the can way too fast. This could easily be one of my new favourite Ontario beers. Get this one as soon as you can.

So Paul Chato has a Vlog now and I was thrilled when this video popped up when I searched for the Mr. Canoehead Episodes.

Here is Mr. Canoehead... drinking Mr. Canoehead. This was around the time of the launch of the beer and Sleeping Giant sent Mr. Chato a case of beer to try.


Cheers

CJT

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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas 2019 Day: 7 Skull Rock Stout

Beer # 507 Skull Rock Stout

Brewery: Sleeping Giant Brewing Company


Type: Independent Microbrewery    Est.:  2012

Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada

Beer Style: Oatmeal Stout

ABV: 5.1%      IBU: 30

Format: Aluminium Can  Size: 473 ml

Cost: $3.10 CAD     Purchased At: LCBO

sgbco

    @sleepgiantbrew

 Sleeping Giant Brewing Company is on my bucket list for brewery visits for two reasons A: they make good beer. B; They make good beer in Thunder Bay, Ontario. I have been through Thunder Bay, however, I have never stopped to look around (I was on the bus from Calgary headed to Toronto). It is a beautifully rugged city and I was to go just wander one day. There are amethyst mines, hiking trails, Group of 7 worthy scenery, and agate beach. I'm a real rock hound so that speaks to me a lot. Every time I see a Sleeping Giant beer I get a little excited because they are rare down here. (They maybe another coming up soon!). Tonight's offering is their Skull Rock Stout. It is made in the traditional stout way save for the addition of rolled oats into the mash to give it body.

Onto our beer...




Pours a murky chestnut brown with an aggressive head that is stratified with small medium and large bubbles. Head is creamy tan in colour. When I cracked the can there was a distinct smell of cinnamon. the aroma is whisky and oatmeal with hints of malt and molasses. The first sip is roasted malt freshly ground coffee, espresso and chocolate. The body is light and airy with hints of dusky dried fruit. There is some distant woodsmoke on the middle with a touch of ashes on the finish.  Aeration gives us some vanilla, rum, whiskey notes with touches of oak and caramel.

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:

This is a very good stout and one I would love to crack in front of a roaring fire. Especially if that fire was in a cabin on the shores of Lake Superior in a snowstorm. Very Christmassy, and quite tasty.

CJT

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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas Day 16: Northern Logger, Sleeping Giant

Beer # 314 Northern Logger

Brewery: Sleeping Giant Brewing Company

Type: Independent Microbrewery     Est.: 2012

Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada

Beer Style: Golden Ale

ABV: 4.9%      IBU: 17

Format: Aluminium Can  Size:  473 ml

Cost: $2.90 CAD     Purchased At: LCBO

Twitter: @Sleepgiantbrew


I have been following Sleeping Giant brewery for quite some time. I was interested in them because when they opened there was not much going on in the craft beer scene farther North than Sudbury or North Bay. To get some prospective (because even Ontarians forget how big this province is sometimes) I live in Muskoka which is about 3 to 4 hours drive to the US border with New York State. Toronto is a scant 2 hours away. North Bay is 2 hours North, Sudbury a healthy 3 hours. Thunder bay is 13 hours drive. That's a solid non-stop 13 hours of driving. Over 1200 kilometres. And that is only two thirds of the way to the Manitoba/Ontario Border. which is another 6 or so hours further up the highway. Now, the Far North, as we in the South like to call it, is starting to come alive with breweries, there is Lake of the Woods in Kenora (almost at the Manitoba Border), there are breweries opening or planned in Sault Ste Marie: Outspoken, and Soo Falls. Compass Brewery is opening in Timmins. Still nothing like down here in the southern third of the province... but they are catching up.

Back to Sleeping Giant. As I said it is in Thunder Bay which is an historic logging and mining town. It is quite famous among us rock hounds for being the source of some of the most beautiful amethysts in Ontario. There are pick you own amethyst parks in Thunder Bay, Reasons why I want to go back... well that and BEER! Thunder Bay is also famous as it was a base for many of the CPR Painters and The Group of Seven as they painted Northern Ontario. Lake Superior was a favourite subject for many of Canada's earliest and most famous painters. Sleeping Giant takes its name from a provincial park that has a most unusual land formation. The sleeping Giant rock formation is a collection of mesas and sills that when viewed from a certain angle resemble a giant lying on his back, sleeping.

The cliffs are some of the tallest in Ontario reaching 250 metres (820 feet) in height. The torso is the high point standing an impressive 563 metres (1847 feet) 10 metres taller than the CN Tower.

Onto our beer for tonight...

Pours a deep, clear, gold  with a short off-white head made up of small bubbles. Aroma is slightly lemon, biscutty, hint of nuts and a little dried fruit. Breadiness continues on the first sip , warm nutty and toasty. Strong mineral quality. Aeration brings out some deeper hops flavours, some bitter greens and hints of almonds.

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:

Lovely little beer. I did however pick up some tinny notes from the can, I would prefer to try this again on draught. Perhaps I do need to make that trip back up to Thunder Bay after all. They also have a Pale ale in cans here at the LCBO, I will try and get that for the New Year. I look forward to trying more of their brews, preferably in the sight of its namesake giant.

Cheers

CJT

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