The 2-4 Beers of Christmas 2019 Day: 9 Wild Bog Cranberry Sour

Beer # 509 Wild Bog Cranberry Sour 

Brewery: Whitewater Brewing Company


Type: Independent Microbrewery    Est.:  2015

Location: Forrester's Falls, Ontario, Canada

Beer Style: Flavoured Sour Ale

ABV: 6.0%      IBU: 5

Format: Aluminium Can  Size: 473 ml

Cost: $3.25 CAD     Purchased At: LCBO

whitewaterbrewingco

    @Whitewaterbrew

 Tonight's offering brings us back to Forrester's Falls on the Ottawa River, home of the best white water rafting in Ontario. This brewery was started by a couple of former rafting guides (The last time I was in Ottawa I went out with the same crew these guys used to work for... The rafting was amazing!) I've had a few beers by them and I think I have posted some on the blog. The Class IV IPA is pretty good, so I was looking forward to including this one in the #2-4BeersofChristmas.

Onto our beer...

Pours clear gold with the barest pinkish hue. the head is white and fluffy and made of small bubbles. Bright red fruit and cranberry dominate the nose. The first sip gives us fresh cranberry sauce with hints of cinnamon and clove. Aeration gives us sugar, hard candy, citrus candy, citric acid. Tastes like a cranberry sour key.

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:

This is a fun beer. The nice bright flavour would pair well with turkey. Maybe you could even use it to spice up your cranberry sauce. But the one thought that most stands out in my mind is that I want to add vodka or rum and make this an awesome Holiday Beer Cocktail.

Cheers!

CJT











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BEER NUMBER 500!

Beer # 500 Glory and Gold Bourbon Barrel Aged Cuvée Ale


Brewery: Nickle Brook Brewing Company


Type: Independent Brewery    Est.:  2005

Location: Burlington, Ontario, Canada

Beer Style: Fruited and spiced Cuvée Ale Bourbon Barrel-aged Sour Ale 

ABV: 9.5 %     IBU: 37

Format: Brown glass bottle waxed sealed crown cap  Size: 500 ml

Cost: $9.95 CAD     Purchased At: LCBO

nickelbrookbrewing      

    @NickelBrookBeer              

So we just passed the ninth anniversary of the Blog on November 8th, and coincidently I just hit my 500th beer post. So many things have changed since I started writing. The blog was originally intended to help me improve my writing and get me used to writing more often. I thought originally that I wanted to try 1000 beers because that sounded like an impressive number. I also thought it would take two to five years. Well, as I enter the 10th year of the blog I'm only halfway, and the blog is still evolving.

So over the coming months (and years) I will be fine-tuning and updating to keep the blog fresh and relevant. My goal is no longer 1000 beers, just a quest for knowledge and the desire to share it with you. Here's to many more milestones in the future.

Tonight's beer is Glory and Gold which is a fruited and spiced sour ale, that has been aged for 2 years in bourbon barrels. I figured "Gold" was the way to go for my 500th beer. 

Onto #500...

Pours a translucent medium chestnut colour with a firm off-tan head made up of small to tiny bubbles. The aroma is similar to a foeder beer, rich tangy, woody and hints of vanilla and spice. The first sip is very tart and tangy, with some caramel and vanilla. hints of dried fruit and wood. slight whiskey burn at the back of the throat. Aeration gives us some sweet tarts some malt and medicinal liquorice and horehound candy.

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:

This is a very interesting beer, there are lots of flavours going on. However, my overall impression is that this beer is not ready yet. This beer really needs to be laid down for at least 2 more years. it needs more aged to smooth out the complex flavours and create a more harmonious beer. I would buy a couple of these and put them away, and maybe one to drink now for comparison. 

Cheers

CJT

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Beer # 497 Dark Sky Reserve, Sawdust City

Beer # 497 Dark Sky Reserve

Collab with Taboo Resort in Support of Torrance Barrens Dark Sky Reserve

Brewery: Sawdust City Brewing Company


Type: Independent Brewery    Est.:  2014

Location: Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada

Beer Style: Sour ale with Adjuncts

ABV: 4.0%      IBU: ?

Format: Black Glass Bottle  Size: 750 ml

Cost: $19.95 CAD     Purchased At: The Brewery

sawdustcitybeer

    @sawdustcitybeer

Ok, I've sat on these notes for a bit but this was a very interesting beer so I am glad I got around to posting this. This came out during the summer when I was busy with the truck. So I wrote down some tasting notes and took some pictures and hopes I would finish this post before I forgot all about this beer. There is a place near Pint Jockey Headquarters called Torrance Barrens Dark Sky Reserve. it is an area set aside where there are minimal lights to facilitate sky watching at night. We have gone out for a few meteor showers and we have spent some time hiking there in the day. It is an amazing place full of wildlife, incredible geology, and foliage. If you are in the area please do try to visit. Just bring lots of water (it gets very hot in the summer) and do not leave any trash.

So the beer was conceived as a fundraiser and a way of bringing attention to the reserve, for I believe it was in danger of losing its Dark Sky reserve status. Local resort Taboo Muskoka and Sawdust City Brewery collaborated on this fruited sour. However, to make the beer stand out, they included two very unusual ingredients: activated charcoal, and gold flakes. Why? To simulate the gorgeous dark sky at night... more on that in the tasting notes. I didn't know this initially when I started to taste the beer, but you had to swirl the beer immediately after opening (gently) and before pouring. 

Onto our beer:

Pours a light cloudy yellow-green with a quite obvious particulate. Effervescent and active white head made up of tiny bubbles Aroma is bright lychee, pineapple, and grapefruit, very wine-like nose. First sip is tart and grapefruit. Very clean with a good hit of minerality. Halfway through I refilled my glass and noticed the beer turned a dark green-black. I swirled the bottle and poured again. The beer turned dark like a night sky with twinklings of gold flakes resembling stars. The taste changes to include a carbon hint.

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: 6/6 Exceptional



Final Thoughts: The most exciting thing about this beer was the experience of it, the fun discovery of the beer changing colour was thrilling. It was truly an "A-ha!" moment as all the pieces clicked in together. I tried to get the effect in the picture. if you look closely in the last photo you can see the tiny specs of gold that make up the twinkling stars in the night sky. Even though you are supposed to swirl this first I like the way I enjoyed this beer, because in a way you go from a beautiful sunny day in your glass to dusk, to midnight with all the stars around you. It tells you a story of how you can enjoy Torrance, from morning to night. The charcoal adds a touch of carbon to the taste but it is far from distracting from the bright sour fruit flavours of the beer. The gold is, of course, inert and adds nothing to the taste, but everything to the experience. I believe these are all sold now unless there are a few in the vault for next year. I hope they do this beer again because I would buy it to watch that transformation one more time.


Cheers
CJT

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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas 2018 Edition Day 14: Ebb and Flow by Muskoka Brewery

Beer # 473 Ebb and Flow

Brewery: Muskoka Brewery


Type: Independent Microbrewery    
Est.:  1995

Location: Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada

Beer Style: Session Sour Ale

ABV: 2.4%      IBU: 5

Format: Aluminium Can  Size: 473 ml

Cost: $3.15 CAD     Purchased At: The Beer Store

 muskokabrewery

    @MuskokaBrewery

Normally I stick to big bold beers for this series. However, Muskoka brewery just released this low alcohol session sour for the holidays. And the holidays are not always about heavy alcoholic, pass out in front of the fireplace beers. There are a lot of parties to go to. If someone wants to be a bit more responsible in the drinking choices; having a tasty lower alcohol beer like this on hand would be a nice choice.


Onto our beer...

pours a slightly hazy light gold Aroma is grassy, fruity, floral, pineapple, and grapefruit. First sip is mildly sour, with tropical fruit and hints of pine. Aeration brings out citrus lemon and tangerine and a hint of green grass.

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 turned out to be a nice light refreshing beer. It citrusy and clean with some nice tropicals in the background. This is a perfect beer for holiday parties you can easily have a few without getting out of control. Take a few to your next party, and don't drink and drive.

Cheers

CJT

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FUNKFEST 2017 Live Blog # 5

FUNKFEST 2017

Sawdust City Brewery

Gravenhurst, Ontario

Beers 350 to 357

Beer: Yalla Yalla

Yalla Yalla

Brewery: Half Hours on Earth
Location: Seaforth, Ontario, Canada

Style: Farmhouse
ABV: 6.6 %
Colour: Clear gold
Aroma: Woodsy biscuit 
Thoughts: Nutty warm delicious fruity and sour
Funk Factor: 6/6

Swoon

Beer: Swoon 

Brewery: Fairweather Brewing
Location: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Style: Blend of farmhouses
ABV: 6.5 %
Colour: Light, clear gold
Aroma: Citrus and acetic acid
Thoughts: Bright citrus acidic refreshing
Funk Factor: 5/6

Idaho 7, Dry Hopped Sour Kettle

Beer: Idaho 7 Dry Hopped Sour Kettle

Brewery: Fairweather Brewing
Location: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Style: Farmhouse
ABV: ?
Colour: Light gold
Aroma: Warm malty biscuit toast
Thoughts: Tart wheat biscuit and toast
Funk Factor: 5/6

Paradise Lost

Beer: Paradise Lost

Brewery: Blood Brothers Brewing
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Style: Farmhouse
ABV: 6.0 %
Colour: Cloudy gold
Aroma: Tart wheat and spice
Thoughts: Rubbery... chemical off flavours

Funk Factor: 0/6

Peach Sour with Brett

Beer: Peach Sour with Brett

Brewery: Rouge River Brewing Company
Location: Markham, Ontario, Canada

Style: Flavoured Saison
ABV: 5.0 %
Colour: Green gold
Aroma: Fruity wet dog
Thoughts: Dried fruit sweet bready
Funk Factor: 4/6

Forgot About Drei

Beer: Forgot about Drei 

Brewery: Rouge River Brewing Company
Location: Markham, Ontario, Canada

Style: Farmhouse 
ABV: 5.5% IBU 25
Colour: Cloudy Gold
Aroma: Sweet sour and piney
Thoughts: Herbal sour IPA like. Hoppy

Funk Factor: 4/6

Beer: Blumo

Blumo

Brewery: Burdock Brewery
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Style; Sour Saison with Pinot Noir grapes and blueberries
ABV: 8.0 % 
Colour: Cloudy purple
Aroma: Deep winey sour and blueberry
Thoughts: Very wine like sweet blueberry and grapey. Sour candy finish.
Funk Factor: 7/6 Exceptionally Funky

Beer: Almost Dusk

Almost Dusk

Brewery: Folly Brewing
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Style: American Wild Ale with  boysenberries
ABV: 8.0 %
Colour: Deep reddish purple
Aroma: Sweet tart aroma fresh berries
Thoughts: Fruity fruit punch flavours very flavourful and delicious
Funk Factor: 6/6