Visit to Herald Haus Brewing Company Stratford, Ontario October 15th 2019

 The second brewery stop on our whirlwind visit to Stratford was the Herald Haus Brewing Company. It opened in 2018 on the Market Square in what was once the Stratford Herald Newspaper Building. The Herald Building as it was called was renovated and reopened as a brewery by Daniel J Graver. Their selection of beers are named to evoke the history of Stratford and area. We had a light meal before the show as you can see to the right, and below, charcuterie and some vegetable samosas. The cheese and meat were all produced locally as were the pickles. The charcuterie went well with the beer and the samosas were quite good. The dipping sauce for the samosas was terrible and did not compliment them at all.

Sadly I noticed a theme for the evening: lack of attention to detail. From confusion with their beers, to mismatched flavour in their food, to an unbalanced charcuterie board (pickle heavy, cheeses too similar in flavour profile and only one sauce, mustard, no chutney). Beer lines tasted like they needed cleaning (beers seemed flat with little to no head). Herald Haus was one of the breweries I was looking forward to trying and sadly they did not live up to my expectation.

Let's move on to my notes for the evening.

Onto our beer:

Beer # 492: SMS (Summer Music Saison)Saison 19
Style: Saison ABV: 5.5%  IBU: 35

Pours light gold with a short white head. Spicy on the nose with hints of wheat and citrus.slightly tart with hints of bitter green medicinal hops

Final Thoughts: Slightly confused here. At the brewery this was listed as SSM Saison 19 as you can see on the board, left, but on their website, it is The Summer Music Saison 19. Untappd just calls it the Saison 19. Whatever it is an underwhelming wheat-based saison with muted flavours.

Beer # 493: 21 Haze East Coast IPA

Style: NEIPA ABV: 6.8%  IBU: ?

Not very hazy clear gold short head. Aroma is tart fruit and pine. Very hoppy. With spice and bitterness. Sweet almost syrupy.

Final Thoughts: Ok this beer made me grumpy. Billed as an "East Coast IPA" which is just another term for NEIPA or New England IPA This beer is crystal clear despite the requirement of a NEIPA being "Hazy" it is an indication of the biotransformation that happens when the hops meet the various NEIPA strains of yeast. This is also responsible for the "juicy, "peachy," and "tropical" flavours of a true NEIPA. I first thought they had given me the wrong beer, but the flavour profile was close-ish so I just assume its a bad form of this beer. Pro-tip, if you are going to include "Haze" in the name of your beer... make sure it is hazy in the glass. Avoid.

Beer # 494: Perth County Conspiracy 
Style: American IPA ABV: 5.0%  IBU: 60

Amber gold in colour with a thin head. Malt forward with spicy hops.some caramel and biscuit.

Final Thoughts: This beer is named after a local Stratford area acid-folk band by the same name ( I've linked some music of theirs below). Seemingly based off of a West Coast IPA with spicy malt-forward notes. Really unimpressive.

Beer # 495: G.T.R. Rusty Rail Red 
Style: American Red Ale ABV: 4.3%  IBU: 26

Warm and malty with sweet hints of caramel and toast. Like a muscular Kilkenny. Nice Irish red style.

Final Thoughts: This beer was named after the Grand Trunk Railway which ran through Stratford. This is significant because Thomas Edison worked for the GTR as a telegraph operator as a teen. He ran away back to the States after he got called to the Head Office in Toronto to be fired for nearly causing a train wreck. This was hands down the best beer of the night but even here, confusion reigns. Listed as a 5.5% American Amber Ale on Untappd, The website lists it at a 4.3% English Style red. It drinks like a Kilkenny so I would call it an Irish Red and the alcohol feels closer to the 5.5% mark. Worth the visit at least.

Beer # 496: H2 Golden Ale
Style: Golden ale ABV: 4.7 %  IBU: 15

Gold in colour with very little head. Gateway beer... commercial golden style. Wet dog and mild hops, some malt, light rainwater. 

Final Thoughts: Very commercial. Tastes like Labatt 50 or Molson Golden. Worst beer of the evening.

Overall Thoughts: Wow, I think this brewery needs time to grow up a bit. There is a lot of confusion with their styles and flavour profiles. A lot of the beer is just meh, or average at best. I would like to see them do better I will have to revisit them sometime in the future.

Music of The Perth County Conspiracy

First Album: The Perth County Conspiracy,
 Does Not Exist (1970)

Rare Self Pressed Album: Rumour (1973)

Cheers
CJT

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Visit to Jobsite Brewery Stratford, Ontario October 15th 2019

For the second year in a row, we have had the good fortune to get down and see a show at the Stratford Festival. This year was a fantastic performance of Little Shop of Horrors. It was directed by the stellar Donna Feore, whose rendition of "Rocky Horror Show" at last year's festival will go down as the greatest live theatre performance I have ever seen. Some of last year's cast returned. Steve Ross who hilariously portrayed The Criminologist in Rocky last year took up the mantle of Mr. Mushnik the stereotypical Jewish flowershop owner. And last year's star Dan Chameroy who earned his fishnets bringing Dr. Frank N. Furter to life last year played the execrable Dr. Orin Scrivello DDS.

I have had a tough time thinking about this play though. All good theatre should make us think and this musical sure has made me wonder about the message of the play and it's role in modern theatre aside from being a vehicle of nostalgia. Originally based off of 1960's Roger Corman B-movie flick, Little Shop grew into a tragic love story between, hapless Seymour and his unfortunate co-worker Audrey. Audrey is a downtrodden woman. She is in an abusive relationship with a sadist. She claims to have a checkered past where she worked in shady nightclubs wearing revealing clothing. The dialogue stops just short of her professing to take money for sexual favours. Seymour is an orphan who was taken in by Mushnik for a source of cheap labour. Seymour finds an unusual plant which brings success to the Skid Row Flowershop. However, the plant turns out to be a carnivorous alien bent on taking over the world to eat all humans. The only common thread is Exploitation... which granted, was Corman's bread and butter. Mushnik exploits Seymour, and later his customers, Seymour Exploits Audrey II (the plant) who in turn is exploiting him. Orin the Sadistic Dentist exploits Audrey in stomach-churning ways. I want to say there is a cautionary tale in here but there is no real lesson, There is no redemption. Everyone dies. Be greedy, or don't be greedy the plant will get you in the end. Even at the end, when Audrey sacrifices herself so the plant can live and Seymour can continue to be successful just feels wrong; re-inforcing that outdated notion that a woman has to give up everything for her man. Audrey dies feeling "purpose" because she believes Seymour deserves better.


The only thing I can think of here is we need this play, to see how far we have come... or maybe how far we still have to go. And perhaps to bawl your eyes out when the heart-wrenching song "Suddenly Seymour" comes on.

Now don't get me wrong I was riveted while I watched this play. The production, singing and choreography were all on point and the casting was perfect. Gabi Epstein who plays Audrey (the human) is making the most of her first season at the Festival by drawing out, plainly, every single emotion, and regret, and fear, and hope on Audrey's face. She blows away the audience with her emotional version of "Somewhere That's Green." 

Anyway, I'm getting away from myself. I'm not here to review Stratford (as much as I enjoyed it) I'm here to drink beer.



So before the show, the Queen of Pint Jockey Headquarters and I voyaged over to a brewery we heard about last year but ran out of time to visit. Jobsite Brewing Company has been open for just over a year and occupies an old lumberyard on the edge of downtown Stratford. They share their repurposed building with a great little distillery called Junction 56.   Their unassuming entrance advertises two things: Pizza and Craft Beer. Enough said. Started in 2017 by Dave Oldenburger and Phil Buhler who were working together in the construction business and decided to combine their love of creating buildings and beer. Jobsite was their result and the brewery has been chugging along since August 2018. When we were in Stratford last they had only been open for 2 weeks!

So the Queen and I picked up a couple of sample boards and tried them out. Here are the notes.




Beer # 484: 2x4 Cream Ale
Style: Cream Ale ABV: 4.8%  IBU: ?

Lightly cloudy straw colour with a thin white head clean nose with notes of citrus and grain.Smooth and light with notes of malt and a slight creaminess. Slight chemical finish.

Final Thoughts: Average cream ale, a little watery. 

Beer # 485: Handyman Harvest Wet Hop Pale Ale
Style: Wet Hop Pale Ale ABV: 4.5% IBU:  30

Amber gold in colour with a light, off-white head. Aromas of pine and citrus and tropical fruit. First sip is bright green hops moving into a spicy west coast pale ale. Good malt representation a little ashy on the finish.

Final Thoughts: Average wet hop pale ale. Good hop choices and character but falls down on the Pale Ale aspect there is a disconnect in the flavour profile as it moves from the bright hops to the malt flavours.

Beer # 486: Impact IPA

Style: India Pale Ale ABV: 6.9% IBU:  ?

Golden orange in colour with a creamy off white head. Pine and citrus on the nose and mildly grain forward. First sip is balanced and sweet with pine and juicy fruit. One of the more mellow and smooth IPAS I've had. Not spectacular, but very enjoyable.

Final Thoughts: This is a different flavour profile for an IPA that I have tried. It's a little more muted and balanced. The hops don't try to rip your face off. I wouldn't class it as a favourite, but it is very interesting and worthy of more study.

Beer # 487: Wrong Nail Amber Ale
Style: American Amber Ale ABV: 5.4% IBU:  ?

Medium-dark amber colour with an off white head. Aroma is sweet and malty. Warming notes of toasted sugars and molasses smooth creamy finish. Aeration gives us toasty bread and brown sugar.

Final Thoughts: Sweet, malty, and balanced. One of the best ambers I've had in a while. The flavour profiled is "nailed" just like the eponymous "wrong nail," building a smooth sippable amber.

Beer # 488: Honey I'm home Hazlenut Hop Honey Brown
Style: Flavoured Honey Brown Ale ABV: 5.2% IBU: 20

Dark chestnut in colour with an off white head. Aroma is Frangelico maple and hazelnut. First sip doubles down on the Frangelico and adds a mild coffee and chocolate.Finish is sweet with a hint of chemical... possibly it is the hazelnut extract.

Final Thoughts: I hate extracts in beer. They are really chemical and off-putting. The last thing I want in a beer taste is the memory of the time I snuck into my Mom's baking cupboard and tasted the artificial hazelnut extract. Blech.

Beer # 489: Big pour stout.
Style: American Stout ABV: 5.8% IBU: ?

Dark chocolate brown with an off tan head dark roast coffee on the first sip with TONS of smoke. Bacon and wood smoke finish is campfire and cocoa powder.

Final Thoughts:  Excellent stout. Dry, light-bodied, smokey, and chocolately. One of the highlights of this visit.




Cider # 11: Hammer Bent Red Cider (Guest Tap)
Cidery: Twin Pines Cider House Location: Thedford, Ontario, Canada
Style: Traditional Cider ABV: 6.8% IBU: 0

Clear gold in colour with little head Aroma is freshly crushed apples fruity tart and dry.clean and crisp with a natural malic acid finish. Great dry cider.

Final Thoughts:  Fantastic dry cider. It reminds me of old Magner's Aged Cider before they messed around with it for mass commercial distribution.

Beer # 490: Weisse Ankle Wheat Ale
Style: Wheat Beer ABV: 5.0% IBU: ?

Light gold in colour with a skiff of white head. Deep cuts of banana and clove. Standard wheat beer.

Final Thoughts: Very average. Needs more character.

Beer # 491: Confection Connection Raspberry Lime Milkshake IPA

Collab: TWB Cooperative Brewing Location: Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Style: Flavoured Milkshake IPA ABV: 7.8% IBU: ?

Orangey red with a light white head. The aroma is cream cheese/cheesecake. Raspberry dominates the middle with a light citrus hum. The effect with the lactose is pure cheesecake creaminess and sweetness. The finish is lime zest.

Final Thoughts: Now this was interesting! It tasted like you blended up a raspberry lime cheesecake with a nice IPA and served it like a milkshake. I really haven't found many Milkshake IPAs I have liked but I did like this one we ended up trying this one twice because the Queen and I both enjoyed it.

Jobsite Social                                      TWB Co-op Social
 jobsitebrewing                              twbcoop

    N/A                                              @twbcoop

Cheers
CJT

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Beer # 483 Black Raspberry Thunder Milkshake IPA

Beer # 483 Black Raspberry Thunder Milkshake IPA

Brewery: Muskoka Brewing Company


Type: Independent Microbrewery    Est.:  1996

Location: Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada 

Beer Style: Flavoured Milkshake IPA

ABV: 6.0%      IBU: 18

Format: Aluminium Can  Size: 473 ml

Cost: $3.65 CAD     Purchased At: Sobey's

muskokabrewery

    @muskokabrewery

Tonight's offering is the second collaboration between Muskoka Brewery and Kawartha Dairy. The brewery created a beer inspired by one of Kawartha Dairy's ice cream flavours. Last yeas was a salted caramel truffle and this year was the ever-popular Black Raspberry Thunder. Created in a milkshake IPA style, in case you don't know, this quite popular style is an IPA that has added lactose in the ferment. The yeast eats this sugar as well as the maltose and leaves a creamy slightly sweet taste in the final beer. I may do another post about it later because the science is quite interesting. As a similar fermentation style is used in the making of some wine (Malo-Lactic Fermentation).  Into this mix is added black raspberry and chocolate and you have an ice cream inspired beer.

So... I like ice cream, I like beer.... let's see how well they go together.

Onto my milkshake IPA brings all the blogs to the yard...

Pours a reddish-purple with a short creamy head with a pinkish hue. Aroma is piney and milky with hints of fresh fruit, berries and peaches. First sip is smooth and creamy with notes of chocolate and black cherry soda. The smooth creamy lactose mimics the feeling of an ice cream float. The beer is lightly effervescent aeration brings out some chocolate light sediment very fun.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


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


Final Thoughts:

So I've been having trouble with the Milkshake style. I have been finding it is just an excuse to stuff a lot of fruit into a beer and take advantage of a (possibly) flash in the pan style of beer which is popular right now. While it is fun and different I'm finding very few of them are interesting enough to drink more than once. While this one is a fun drink, I would be hard-pressed to ever want another.

Cheers
CJT

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Runination 2.0 Double IPA Stone Brewing

Beer # 482 Ruination 2.0 Double IPA

Brewery: Stone Brewing Company


Type: Independent Brewery    Est.:  1996

Location: Escondido, California, United States of America

Beer Style: Double India Pale Ale DIPA

ABV: 8.5%      IBU: 100

Format: Brown Glass Bottle  Size: 650 ml

Cost: $8.40 CAD     Purchased At: LCBO

stonebrewing

    @stonebrewing

The ninth-largest craft brewery in the USA, Stone Brewing was founded in San Diego California in 1996 by Greg Koch and Steve Wagner. Beer Advocate Magazine has named it the best brewery in the world twice. They are the brewers of the World Famous "Enjoy By..." series the most famous being their "Enjoy By 4-20" for obvious reasons. Tonight's beer is the new version of their Ruination Double IPA which was the first Double, West Coast IPA that was brewed year-round. The new version is packed with a huge 100 UBU's worth of hops and is left unfiltered for a pure taste.

Onto our ruination... 

pours a hazy medium gold with a short off-white head made up of small bubbles. Aroma is ripe with fruit, Lychee, peaches, hints of guava and passionfruit and a slight background of pine. First sip is attack of the killer hops! Wow, piney and bitter with hints of medicine and marijuana. Sweet fruit lingers through. The malts come out later with bready caramel notes. Long lingering citrus on the finish. A definite West Coast IPA. Aeration is all about the hops, very green, citrus deep sweet and spicy malt with hints of whiskey.

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


Final Thoughts:
This is a huge beer. If you are just starting out tasting craft beers... let this one sit for a bit. That being said if you like you beers stacked with hops, bursting with pine and citrus get this beer. It truly is a unique and wonderful West Coast IPA.


Cheers
CJT

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What's 10 Months Between Friends?

Yep.

10 Months.


It's been quite a while. There are excuses, there are reasons. Mostly I've been busy. This summer I ran a food truck which consumed ALL of the time I had... and I mean all. Like 6 days a week 12 to 14 hours a day. The only time I had left was dedicated to sleeping, and mugging down a beer or two without much thought. Things still happened. I got out to Funk Fest at Sawdust City again this year. 4th year running. I got to see Stephen Stanley's solo performance at the brewery as well. Also managed to hit a couple of trivia nights. Other than that it was Fish and Chips, Burgers, Tacos and a metric tonne of french fries. I've only recently been able to get all of the grease out of my pores. After the truck finished for the year I embarked on the renovation our kitchen here at Pint Jockey Headquarters. What was supposed to take 1 week has now taken over 2 weeks and I still have a number of small jobs to finish. It was one of those things where everything you touched took twice or three times longer than expected. Plus it came with several surprises like having to replace the toilet and the bathroom floor before I could finish fixing the plumbing in the kitchen. It is pretty much done now and completely usable so I figure I can afford some time to myself to pick up the blog again.

Halloween is fast approaching and we are knee-deep in pumpkin beer season. Fortunately, I haven't seen many around. I think we tried 2? when we went down to Stratford for our annual Festival trip (I'm spotlighting two new breweries in two new posts stay tuned!). One was by Big Rig out of Ottawa and tasted like Dr. Pepper. I really hate pumpkin beers... please breweries, stop making them or at least make them taste good.

Big news is coming! There is a major trip coming up for the Pint Jockey Household. I'm holding back details until all the tickets are bought and passports acquired but we are going somewhere cool in December(?) and I'm taking the blog along. That does throw a wrench into my 2-4 Beers of Christmas Blog Series which is my most popular set of posts each year, however, I have it covered! I am working hard behind the scenes right now to fill up all of those posts and set up a publishing schedule so they go out daily while I am away. I still hope to add posts from our trip but the Internet will be (very) spotty and I'm not taking the chance. If I can't get anything published on the trip, it will all post in January when we return, but The 2-4 Beers of Christmas will run on schedule. Plus I will keep daily posts going through Instagram so make sure to follow me and keep up with my adventures in December.

That about updates you sports fans... Sorry for the long blank stare from the Pint Jockey Pages but work, sadly, always comes before play. Hopefully, we can all settle into a nice groove here and taste some beers.

Stay tuned...

Cheers
CJT

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