Beer # 498 Zodiak IPA

Beer # 498 Zodiak by Omnipollo

Brewery: Brunswick Bierworks


Type: Partner Brewery    Est.:  2018

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Beer Style: India Pale Ale

ABV: 6.2 %      IBU: 65

Format: Aluminium Can  Size: 473 ml

Cost: $3.95 CAD     Purchased At: LCBO

brunswickbierworks         omnipollo

    @brunswickbier               @Omnipollo

 So this beer is a recipe from Swedish brewery Omnipollo brewed under a partnership with Toronto based contract brewer Brunswick Beirworks. It's listed as an IPA and is brightly hopped with a combo of simcoe, citra, and centennial hops. It's brewed with a combination of barley, wheat and oats which explains the range of flavours and sweetness. But other than that, there is not a lot of information on it. There isn't even much on Omnipollo which is a Stockholm Sweden Company founded in 2010 by Henok Fentie and Karl Grandin. So I guess they want the beer to speak for itself... Well, I found it does have a fair bit to say.


So onto our beer:

Pours a hazy yellow/green with an off white head made up of small bubbles. The nose starts off with tropical fruit and pineapple aromas which are backed up by a little resinous pine. The hop flavours switch spots in the first sip allowing the pine out first followed by a caramel sweetness and grilled pineapple. Some honey, passionfruit, hints of guava and kiwi. Hop flavours are very bright and green, the beer practically dances across your tongue. Very smooth, pleasantly hoppy and mildly sweet, the beer is very balanced and begs you to take another sip.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


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


Final Thoughts:

This beer is a lovely interpretation of the IPA style. It isn't "too hoppy" although there is a solid 65 IBUs in this beer. It isn't "too malty," or "too fruity" It has a little bit of everything. I'm not shy about my hops.. I can enjoy a face-melting over-hopped IPA any day, but it's hard to find fault with something that shows all the best aspects of a style in good moderation. This would be a fantastic day-to-day sipper, and a monster hit at your next patio party or sports-related function (such sporstsing, much points, very wow!). Try this out you will not be disappointed.


CJT

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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas Day 19: Bryggmästarens

Beer # 316 Bryggmästarens 

Brewery: Åbro Bryggeri

Type: Independant National brewery     Est.: 1856

Location: Vimmerby, Sweden

Beer Style: Pale Lager

ABV: 5.7%      IBU: ?

Format: Aluminum Can  Size: 500 ml

Cost: $2.35 CAD     Purchased At: LCBO

Twitter: @AbroBryggeri (In Swedish)

I'm not a huge lager fan, but it seems everywhere you turn today craft breweries are putting their spin on the style. Initially, I imagine they wanted to distance themselves from the Macro breweries, who brewed almost exclusively watered down pilsners and lagers specially designed to have as much flavour removed from them as possible. Beers that are meant to be drunk frost-bitten cold as quickly as possible. Now I think that craft breweries are brewing them to lure new customers away from the large labels. Reel them in on a lager and then sell them the Quadruple IPA, single varietal hop picked by virgins under a full moon. Don't worry I'm not getting cynical, I already drank the kool-aid... I love my weird beers, actually the crazier the story behind the beer the more I need it. But I can definitely understand the need for a gateway for the large portion of beer consumers, who are use to nothing more than alcoholic water. For some of us that gateway was a progression over time, an internal, flavourful journey, for a lot of people I see at the breweries, it's "Give me something that tastes like Bud..." But I fear not, the movement back to good beer is gaining momentum and speed. I see a lot more people, I would have never expected to be in a craft brewery, trying them out

Tonight's beer is a lager from Sweden. Scandinavia, and Europe are kind of the exception when it comes to Lagers. While there are still a lot of lagers that are brewed specifically to be alcohol deliver systems, They do take pride and care in their bottom fermented beverages, unlike the Macros do here in North America. There you can still find small batch, hand crafted Lagers.

Let's Try one...

Pours a rich golden colour with a short white head made ups of small bubbles. Aroma is sweet and grainy with hints of mineral and citrus. First sip just us some deeper malt complexity with a good sweetness. Bready and yeasty notes dominate with a nice dry mineral finish. Aeration is more of the same bread yeast mineral and citrus.

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:

For a European lager, this was quite good, bright crisp and mineral. You could tell the beer was made from good water. Not just de-chlorinated tap water. Still lagers are not going to be my favourite, but I could certainly drink this one again. Give it a shot.

Cheers

CJT

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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas Day 7: Sigtuna Brygghus Midvinterblot

Beer # 255 Midvinterblot

Sigtuna Brygghus

Sigtuna, Sweden
Microbrewery
Imperial Porter 8.0% ABV 
Brown Glass Bottle 330ml
$3.70 (Canadian) At LCBO

Twitter: @SigtunaBr


So today for my 7th instalment of this year's 2-4 Beers of Christmas I actually get to try my very first Swedish beer. It's been awhile since I have crossed a new country off of my list. I looked them up online, and while there is a great website for the brewers Sigtuna, the information is in Swedish, and Google translate does not like Swedish. What I did get is that Sigtuna was formed in 2005. They drew inspiration from the craft beers of New York and Boston. The required a large investment to expand the brewery in 2011 and have grown their sales over 600%. They brew 3 core brands and numerous seasonal some of which have won awards.

Translated by Google

Bork, Bork, Bork...

Onto the tasting.

Pours and extremely dark brown to almost black with a short tan head made up of small to medium bubbles. Head disperses quickly. Aroma is an earthy chocolate coffee and leather. Notes of clay and minerals. There is some oaty sweetness. A little smoke and ashes on the first sip with some wood notes, burnt sugar, and tobacco. You feel the alcohol in your nose as you breathe out. Some vanilla and caramel too. Light in body but long on taste. Some molasses and figs. Aeration gives us molasses a slight rum flavour and some raisins on the finish.

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 the kind of Christmas beer I have been looking forward to. Rich and flavourful, yet still light bodied. A good beer to try and happy this was my first from Sweden

CJT


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