Beer # 116 Lake of Bays Spring Maple

Spring Maple Belgian Blonde Ale

Lake of Bays Brewing Company

Baysville, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Flavoured Belgian Style Blonde Ale 7.0% ABV Brown Glass Bottle 750 ml
$9.95 (Canadian) At LCBO 
Twitter: @LB_Brewing

Still one of my favourite new breweries in Ontario, Lake of Bays is tireless cranking out one good beer after another. Tonight I am looking at one of their regular seasonals which I have missed getting to in the past. Thankfully, the "Easter Bunny" hid this one away for me with a small pile of chocolates. And fortunately, the beer lasted longer than the chocolates so I have managed to sit down and write about it. I will also be posting two other beers from Lake of Bays. Two limited edition beers in their NHL Alumni series... so stay tuned for those next!

Anyway, onto our tasting:  

Honey coloured and clear with a short lived very light tan head made up of medium to small sized bubbles. Aroma is fresh maple syrup, honey and light grain scent. First sip gives up the wheaty wine, and alcohol of the Belgian blonde followed by a spike of sugar and then the maple syrup sets in. Lightly effervescent. Smokiness of the maple appears as the beer warms. Maple hinges on being too cloying. Aeration gives off a creaminess backed up by more maple woodsy smoke. Finish is tangy, and slightly chemical.


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:


This is a good Belgian Blonde however there were a few things I didn't like about it. The use of maple extract (organic) maybe made the maple too intense. The sweetness was a little too sticky and cloying, which detracted from the delicious ale beneath it. I find maple a a hard row to hoe, when it is added to beer, it either works wonderfully well, especially if it is a supporting flavour; or, it will take over the beer and make it miss its mark. Sadly I think the second applies here. Don't get me wrong, this is still a very good beer and I think you should try it, and make up your mind for yourself (maybe with some pancakes.... mmmm pancakes).

Cheers

CJT


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Beer # 115 Great Lakes Brewery My Bitter Wife

My Bitter Wife

Great Lakes Brewing Company

Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Independent
India Pale Ale 7.0% ABV Brown Glass Bottle 650 ml
$5.95 (Canadian) At LCBO 
Twitter: @GreatLakesBeer


Down to Great Lakes again, Toronto's first Craft Brewery and winner of the 2013 Brewery of the year award. This brewery never fails to impress, and sadly their hard work is not always evident to the average Joe. Great Lakes specializes in experimentation. They play with their beer and do incredible things with it. Often you will only catch some of their beers by chance, at a festival, or a tap takeover. Or they may brew off a limited run of a regular beer with a strange ingredient, like raspberry or rhubarb, or Jagermeister (So not kidding I have tasting notes). 

Tonight's beer celebrates a very infamous person in the history of alcohol. As you can see by the picture on the front of the bottle there is an old crone of a woman clutching an axe. This beer is dedicated (facetiously, obviously) to the memory of Carrie Nation. Mrs. Nation was a staunch prohibitionist and was noted for taking an axe to barrels of beer and liquor and threatening government trying to coerce them into signing prohibition into law in the US. Eventually the prohibitionists won and the US signed the 18th amendment to the constitution and the country went "dry" for a number of years. Fortunately for Canada who was still producing alcohol at the time, it allowed us to "ahem" "export" our wares via legitimate businessmen such as Alphonse Gabriel Capone.

Enough with the history... onto the tasting...

Honey coloured, with the slightest hint of green to it. Thick fluffy white head mostly made up of very small bubbles. Aroma is pine tree and fruit with a back ground of roses and Turkish delight. First sip is bursting with ruby red grapefruit. Mouthfeel is creamy and silky with a touch of effervescence. The 7.0% alcohol is barely noticeable in this well balanced beer. Transition from attack to finish is very short and after taste is all green herbal hops. Aeration gives us an orange citrus candy taste.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 

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

Final Thoughts:
It was an absolute delight to drink this beer. Great Lakes is certainly setting the standard for what craft beer should taste like. The thing that surprised me the most was, that despite this being a "Hop Bomb," at 88 IBU, the beer was incredibly smooth, well rounded and very drinkable. The only downside is the fact that the 7.0 % alcohol sneaks up on you and knocks you out.... So this is a share with your friend or only have one per night beer. Please... don't ever drink and drive... Craft beer tastes best at home...

Cheers

CJT


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Beer # 114 Double Trouble Brewing Co. Fire in the Rye

Fire in the Rye

Double Trouble Brewing Co.

Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Unfiltered Rye Pale Ale 6.1% ABV Aluminum Can 473 ml
$2.95 (Canadian) At LCBO 
Twitter: @hopsandrobbers

This will be my third Claude and Nathan brew I have tried, sadly I believe it the first that has made it onto my blog, a fact that I will have to correct soon because Double Trouble makes good beer. Their flagship beer Hops and Robbers has been my goto summer beer here at Pint Jockey Headquarters for the past 2 years and is frequently the guest star at our BBQs (it makes an awesome beer butt chicken!!) Tonight's brew is a roasted RPA or Rye Pale Ale, Which is a relatively new style on the craft market that I am seriously getting behind. It is a great way for brewers to update an old standard and infuse more flavour into what would otherwise be just "another IPA." Claude and Nathan use a fire roasted rye malt and hop it exclusively with Centennial hops to produce a straightforward but very flavourful beer.

Enough already... onto the tasting.

Dark amber to a light chestnut in colour with and off white, grey tinged head made up of medium sized bubbles. Aroma is very nutty especially almond, sweet and woodsy. First taste gives us roasted grain, and toasted bread, smoke, wood, transforming into a light floral middle with green hints of hay, alfalfa, and geraniums. The rye is very evident, very bready and sweet. The style is excellent giving me all I could ask for, from a pale ale. Alcohol is evident but not overwhelming. Aeration gives us a very clean crisp and light clover honey taste. The 60 IBU hums a little on the finish with a mild bitterness, just enough to clean up the taste buds ready for another sip.

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:

Very high marks to this beer. A wonderful well put together brew. Excellent flavour; another great summer sipper. Rush out and get one of these. I will definitely be trying this next time we BBQ chicken.

Cheers

CJT


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Beer # 113 Trou du Diable La Morsure

La Morsure 

Micro-Brasserie Le Trou Du Diable

Shawinigan, Quebec, Canada
Independent
Unfiltered APA 6.5% ABV Brown Glass Bottle 600 ml
$6.35 (Canadian) At LCBO 
Twitter: @troududiable

Named after a reputedly bottomless whirlpool on the Saint-Maurice River, Le Trou du Diable (the Devil's Hole) is  small brewery in the city of Shawinigan in the Province of Quebec. They first gained fame outside of their home province for naming one of their beers "The Shawinigan Handshake." Which, if you are not familiar with Canadian history, refers to an incident where former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien was being obstructed by a protester in Hull Quebec, he grabbed the man in a choke hold and threw him to the ground. Jean Chrétien was of course born and raised in Shawinigan. I am very happy to say I met the Prime Minister and shook the very big hand in question. ( and am very very glad it was never wrapped around my neck I can tell you!) Tonight's beer is, maybe not as steeped in history as that but it does have another unusual name. La Morsure, for those who don't speak French, translates as "The Bite."

Onto the tasting... allons-y!


Pale cloudy gold in colour with a large fluffy white head made up of small to medium sized bubbles. Cloudy with a touch of yeast sediment. Aroma is very green, lots of vegetation, herbs and light fruit essences, grape and apple. First sip is very light and smooth almost creamy. There is some sugar and a slight hint of caramel, but the malt is not the major player here. The yeast is the key in this beer. Just like a wine that has been left on the "lees" the leftover yeast in the bottle has softened the beer, making it smooth and creamy with a mouthfeel similar to a chardonnay that has undergone Malo-Lactic Fermentation. There is a light pine scent and mild herbaceous taste from the hops which balances out the creaminess of the yeast. Aeration tweaks the senses with grapefruit, a touch of pine, and a tingle of the high alcohol on the tongue.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 

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

Final Thoughts:

This is an excellent beer. Very unusual in that one does not often see an APA treated... with such reserve. Usually brewers try to cram so many different hops in and play with the steeping and boiling times to maximise intense hoppiness. Bold fruits and searing pine seem to be the way to go with the APA. However, here the the brewer has brought out the softer side of the APA. It is almost the demur feminine side of the beer.

Cheers

CJT


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Beer # 112 Niagara College Teaching Brewery Butler's Bitter

Butler's Bitter 

Niagara College Teaching Brewery

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada
Owned by Niagara College Learning Enterprises
Bitter Ale 4.4% ABV Brown Glass Bottle 650 ml
$7.75 (Canadian) At LCBO 
Twitter: @NCTBrewery 

This was my first chance to sample something from the Teaching brewery down in Niagara. Opened to meet the demands of a rapidly expanding craft beer market it teaches future brewmasters and brewthusiasts the fine art of brewing beer. Not much of their beer leaves the premises, or is otherwise destined for shows and competitions. This was the first time I had seen any in a bottle in the LCBO and I was sold immediately.

Onto the collegiate tasting.


Dark copper in colour with a large off-white head with hints of tan. Bubbles are medium to large and dissipate fairly quickly. Nose is very grainy with a slight hint of herbal hops. Herbal and medicinal hops are right up front in the first sip, some dark sugars molasses, and deeply toasted malt. Lot's of caramelisation. Very bready leaning from dark rye to pumpernickel. Overall very light and well balanced.  

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 

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

Final Thoughts:

The label says "English styled" bitter ale, however, I would say this is more of an North American interpretation of what a British bitter tastes like. this beer is more dark and brooding than it's English counterpart, well put together, very flavourful, but it lacks the fruity, floral, finesse of it's British cousin. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed this beer. I believe you will too... try it.

Cheers

CJT


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Beer # 111 St. Peter's G-Free

G-Free


St. Peter's Brewery

Bungay, Suffolk, England
Independent
Strong Ale 4.2% ABV Green Glass Bottle 500 ml
$4.00 (Canadian) At LCBO
Twitter: @StPetersBrewery

These days is seems as everyone is rushing to put out their own gluten free "beer." I put beer in quotation marks because, the definition of beer does not include sorghum in the accepted ingredients list, it is still a bit of an outlander. This will of course be changed in due course. I outlined in another Gluten free beer post some of the difficulties one American brewer had trying to produce a gluten free drink. Due to strict US law saying there must be a minimum percentage of barley in every beer produced in the US for it to be called beer. Read about how Lakefront Brewery's overcame these issues HERE. Until legislation changes most gluten free "beers" are still being labeled as "Alcoholic Beverages," and tonight's beer is no exception. Plus, once we are allowed to call this product a beer, there will need to be some guidelines on gluten free styles. and it may come down to ingredients (I.E. sorghum, grape must, fruit juices, teff, etc.) and other adjuncts. It will be a process. Then, there will be an inevitable diversification until we get stouts and lagers and Belgian trippels. Until then we have this smattering of gluten free beers.

St. Peter's is an English brewery with a difference. Founded in 1996 It is best known for its bottle shape... reminiscent of a 19th century bottle. The brewery has made s commitment to preserving the "old ways" of brewing beer. Working with flavours that have fallen out of favour, or regular use by brewers, and a few styles that haven't necessarily been seen lately. Tonight's beer was first 

introduced in August of 2007 and has won several medals and commendations around the world....

Enough background. .. let's get on with the (gluten free) tasting. 

 

Light gold in colour with a frothy white head of little substance comprised mainly of medium to large bubbles. Head disapears almost completely before first sip. Carbonation is high, bubbles cling to the side of the glass not unlike a carbonated soft drink. Aroma is sweet, apple, citrus, and hops. Light scent of flowers and herbs. First sip gives us jumbo citrus flavour, lots of orange, and zest. There is a light taste of green apple from the sorgham. Slight medicinal orange taste from the amarillo hops, and the aftertaste is bitter orange peel. Aeration brings out the green apple.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional

Cost: 6/5 PASS

Colour: 6/5 PASS

Beer Style: N/A 

Re-Order:  6/5 PASS

Experience:  6/5 PASS

Final Thoughts

Of all the Gluten free "Beer" (alcoholic beverages), this is by far the one that tastes most like beer. There is hops and good fruity flavour. However I do find it slightly out of balance, and the pithy bitter orange peel at the end can sometimes sour the taste. Good for gin, but not always a good match for beer. Still very high marks from a great brewery, please do try.

Cheers

CJT

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Beer # 110 Nøgne Ø Sunturnbrew Ale

Sunturnbrew Ale


Nøgne Ø

Grimstad, Norway
Independent
Strong Ale 11.0% ABV Brown Glass Bottle 500 ml
$7.70 (Canadian) At LCBO
Twitter: @NogneO

Back again to the land of Henrick Ibsen who's poems gave us the term Nøgne Ø, "Naked Island." and the name of tonight's brewery. We have been to Nøgne Ø, before when I did their Imperial Stout HERE. Sunturn refers to the ancient Norwegian belief that on the shortest day of the year (December 21) the sun "turns" and reverses direction in the sky. Here is where I got confused. The website says the beer is brewed on the sunturn, the aforementioned December 21. However, the brew date on my bottle says June 20, 2013. best before June 20 2018. Well I guess the summer solstice counts, as well. I am honestly very impressed with this beer tonight so instead of trying to do the thinking, I will let the beer do the talking.

Onto the Naked Island:

Very dark chestnut in colour with an enormous, long lasting light tan head, very frothy but made of small bubbles, with some larger ones on top. Aroma is very smoky, with some wood and coffee. First sip is an explosion of flavour which could probably be summed up as molasses, candy, and leather. Super rich and deep dark tones, lingering tastes of high alcohol. Balance is surprisingly clean for the amount of flavours going on. There is anise, molasses, turbinado sugar, vanilla, smoke, wood, leather, coffee, chocolate, and a little bitterness from deeply roasted malt. Bitterness is countered by a sweetness that creeps up on the backside of the taste. Aeration give bursts of alcohol, sandalwood, smoke and incense.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional

Cost: 4/6 PASS

Colour: 5/6 PASS

Beer Style: 5/6 PASS

Re-Order:  6/6 EXCEPTIONAL

Experience:  6/6 EXCEPTIONAL 

Final Thoughts

Wow. Wow. Wow. There is nothing small about this beer. It grabs you and says hello, and doesn't let you go until it's done with you. Every time I sip it I get another facet of it's personality. It is like a fine old wine freshly decanted and slowly giving up it's secrets to you. This is hands down the best beer I have had from Nøgne Ø. I look forward to when the sun turns again next year (whenever that is...).

Cheers

CJT

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