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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The 2-4 Days of Christmas Day 6: Innis and Gunn Limited Edition Highland Ale

Beer # 254 Innis and Gunn Limited Edition Highland Ale

Innis and Gunn Brewery

Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Independent Brewery
Oak Aged Ale 7.4 % ABV 
Brown Glass Bottle 330 ml.
$5.95 (Canadian) At the LCBO

Twitter: @InnisandGunnCA


Another beer for the holidays. Innis and Gunn from Edinburgh is a great brewery for coming up with one shot and limited edition beers. This version has been aged with Highland Scotch whisky barrels.

Onto the tasting...

Pours an orange/amber, the colour of a nice honey. The head is off-white, short and made up of small to tiny bubbles. The aroma is very scotch-like. Notes of honey heather, spice, figs vanilla caramel and fresh baking. There are also woody notes, sharper than if it was aged in a barrel more like if chips were added.first sip is sweet and creamy. Honey is very present as is some toasty vanilla and bread. If we poured some maple syrup into this we could call it "French Toast" beer. Aeration gives us a nutty toasty fig and honey 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:  5/6 PASS

Final Thoughts:

Much of what you would come to expect from an Innis and Gunn beer. Toasty, smooth, slightly creamy. The scotch notes work well with the style of beer, and the overall beer is very good. Mind you, there is where I start to run into some problems. This taste almost exactly like every other Innis and Gunn beer. It's starting to become too hard to tell them apart. Perhaps it is time to take this beer in a new direction? Other than that the beer is definitely worth the price of admission.

CJT


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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas Day 5: Church Key Brewing Holy Smoke

Beer # 253 Holy Smoke

Church Key Brewing Company

Cambellford, Ontario, Canada
Microbrewery
Peat Smoked Scottish Ale 6.2% ABV 
Brown Glass Bottle 650ml
$5.95 (Canadian) At LCBO

Twitter: @ChurchKeyBeer




Church Key Brewing is another one of those stepping stone for me on my way to my craft beer education. I "discovered" them many years ago, not long after they opened in 2000. I was pouring wine for the Waupoos Winery (Prince Edward County) at the former Fiesta Buckhorn Food and Drink Festival which had been held in the Buckhorn community outside of Peterborough. It was there I ran into the then, fledgling brewery the first beers I had from them were the Northumberland Brown Ale and a speciality beer made with Rosemary and Ginger. It was this last beer that really sparked my interest in cooking with beer. I started to use it to make my pot roasts and then moved on to putting different beers in my soups and so on. I've run into them a few times since but being on the other side of the province from them it is hard to find their beers, other than the rare occasion I find one on tap in Toronto, at C'est What or Bar Volo. So when I found this gem at the LCBO I snapped it up and I present it to you here now.

Let the smoke clear...
Pours a very dark chestnut colour with a tan head made up of small bubbles.The aroma is peat smoke and scotch whiskey with a hint of oak barrels.some charcoal and leather. First sip is a smoky dark malt with hints of soft wood fires. Very woody with light fruit notes. Peaty whisky notes. Light bodied, hints of oats and caramel, with the slightest hint of vanilla. Aeration gives us darkly toasted bread.

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:

A very good smoked beer. very light despite the alcohol and the peat smoke. Best if served with food. I would love a nice juicy burger with double smoked bacon to go with this beer.

CJT


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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas Day 4: Midtfyns Bryghus Chili Triple

Beer # 252 Chili Tripel

Midtfyns Bryghus

Årslev, Denmark
Microbrewery
Flavoured Belgian Tripel Ale 9.2% ABV 
Brown Glass Bottle 500ml
$5.20 (Canadian) At LCBO

Twitter: @MidtfynsBryghus


Back again for the fourth instalment of my Christmas tasting series. Sadly I am a day behind posting this because I was out last night to our work Christmas Party. So I am catching up today with two posts. The first one is an interesting find from a microbrewery in Denmark. The beer is a chili infused Belgian tripel. Clocking in at a skull splitting 9.2% ABV, this beer has been voted the Best New Beer in Denmark ( 2009) and the Best Spiced Beer at the 2012 World Beer Awards. Midtfyns started brewing in 2005 in an old converted butcher shop. Initially they brewed two beers on licence from Scotland. Eventually they built a selection of beers and had to move into a larger facility, the current brewhouse in Årslev. They have received many accolade and are regarded as a driving force in the Danish craft beer scene.

Let's bring the heat...

Pours amber with a short head made of small, light tan bubbles. The nose is sweet and malty. The first sip is very sweet almost cloying. Very candy-like. It is obvious that sugar or malt extract was added to boost the alcohol content. A lot of the sugar is not fermented out leaving the beer tasting almost like a dessert wine. The heat creeps in on the background. It starts off like the burn from ginger beer and doesn't get much hotter. Aeration gives us chili powder, a little more burn in the throat, and some super sweet malt sugars. Lingering clove on the finish.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 4/6 PASS
Re-Order:  3/6  SO-SO
Experience:  4/6 PASS
Christmas Cheer:  5/6 PASS

Final Thoughts:

This beer was distressingly sweet, and not spicy enough for me; especially given how sweet the beer was. There was some nice flavour. Maybe if I was drinking it while eating something it wouldn't be so bad. Definitely worth a try though.

CJT


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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas Day 3: Bush Pilot Pengo Pally

Beer # 251 Pengo Pally

Bush Pilot Brewing Company

Hastings County, Ontario, Canada
Contract Brewery
Flavoured Farm House Saison Ale 6.5% ABV 
Brown Glass Bottle 750ml
$9.95(Canadian) At LCBO

Twitter: @BushPilotBeers

Tonight's offering from my tickle trunk of holiday treats, is a beer I have been very excited to try. Nomadic brewers, Bush Pilot Brewing Company, brewed this spiced Farmhouse with the aid of Nickel Brook Brewing Company and especially Brewmaster Ryan Morrow. Crowberries and Labarador Tea were harvested from Nunavik in Quebec, and then used to flavour this brew.

The name is of particular interest. Pengo Pally is the Inuktitut term for "I miss you." and it is this phrase that was painted on the plane of the first Inuvik Bush Pilot Johnny May. Johnny was the subject of a 2014 film called "The Wings of Johnny May" (Download here)
Born in Kangiqsualujjuaq on Ungava bay, a simple Inuvik boy decided to become a pilot at age six, a decision that lead to a life of adventure. He painted Pengo Pally on his plane to remind him of his wife who he often spent days and weeks away from flying all over the province. He spent years of his life ferrying people and supplies to the remote Inuktitut communities, including a small boy who was having heart failure. He and a nurse were flying the boy to a hospital when the nurse grew too tired to continually apply heart massage to keep the boy alive, Johnny asked her to prop the boy up against the co-pilot's seat and performed the heart massage himself... WHILE HE WAS STILL FLYING! He is a true Canadian Hero and worthy of a substantial brew in his honour.

Let's taste that now...


Pours a slightly cloudy off gold with a white head made up of small bubbles. Aroma is toasty, orange, citrus, green, herbal, and floral. First sip is toasty with biscuits and wheat. Some coriander, tea and citrus. Fruity, with some hints of licorice. Hints of menthol, The herbs numb the lips and tongue, but in the most pleasant ways. The medicinal herbs are offset by a bright hop flavours and toasty bread notes. Aeration gives us spikes of bitter herbs some more menthol and toasted wheat. Finish is a pleasant, clean, and bitter hum that slowly disperses into the background.


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:  6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Christmas Cheer:  5/6 PASS

Final Thoughts:

Wow. A brilliant beer. Such a lovely balance of arctic herbs and toasty wheat.this is certainly one of the best Farmhouse Ales I've had this year. A little late in the year for it though... I would have preferred to sip this on a patio or maybe on the edge of a lake with a fishing rod in my hand... Well I guess there is always next year.

CJT


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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas Day 2 Stack Brewing Smoke N' Oak

Beer # 250 Smoke N' Oak

Stack Brewing Company

Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
Independent Microbrewery
Barrel Aged Smoked Ale 5.5% ABV 
Aluminum Can 473ml
$3.50 (Canadian) At The Brewery

Twitter: @Stackbrewing

Back for day 2 of the 2-4 Beers of Christmas. I have been sitting on this beer for a little while, from my last trip to Sudbury, but I think it is a perfect time to break it out. It is a barrel aged smoked red ale.



Let's get into it.

Pours a caramel/dark chestnut with a fairly thin, off-tan  head made of tiny bubbles. The nose is loaded with bacon, hickory, and dark rye bread. Light in body but there is plenty of caramel and roasted malt to keep you interested. Certainly one of the lightest smoked beers I have tried. It just makes me crave bacon. Very fruity with hints of vanilla and bubblegum. Aeration gives us a slightly creamy feeling with lots of fruit and caramel, and a light campfire.

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:

Quite a good beer, light fruity and still smoky. I would love to eat this with a nice deli sandwich or I would love to marinate some meat with it with some nice smoked paprika.CJT


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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas Day 1: Sawdust City's Winewood Series # 2 Foma

Beer # 247 FOMA

Sawdust City Brewing Company

Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada
Independent Microbrewery
Barrel Aged Flavoured blend of Session and Berliner Weiss 
4.2 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 750 ml
$13.95 (Canadian) At the brewery

Twitter: @sawdustcitybeer


The first beer of our 2-4 Days of Christmas is another Sawdust City offering Just like last year we started with Sawdust's Winding Road for 7 KM. But this year we sample the second edition of their Barrel Aged Selections: The Winewood Series. Winewood is a street that is near the brewery and is of course a double entendre for the wooden wine barrels used in the ageing. This is a blend of two beers a Session and a berliner Weiss that have been barrel aged and flavoured with peach, lemon zest and pink peppercorns.

Onto the tasting...

Pours a very light gold with a slight haze to it. Super fluffy white head made up of small to medium bubbles. The aroma is lemons and peppers with a hint of sour. First sip is light and fruity with a hint of sourness. Some citrus, grapefruit and a light woody caramel. Some breadiness with a light peach sweetness. Aeration gives us a citrus sweet roasted grain. Some bitterness and a touch of astringency, slightly unbalanced.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


Cost: 3/6 SO-SO
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 5/6 PASS
Re-Order:  4/6  PASS
Experience:  4/6 PASS
Christmas Cheer:  4/6 PASS

Final Thoughts:

I can't say I was as entranced with this beer as I was the first Winewood Series, the 1606. generally smooth overall and a nice flavour I would get a break of astringency every now and then which killed the flavour of the beer. otherwise it was a nice beer.
CJT


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