S'more Stout
Sawdust City Brewing Company
Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Flavoured Stout 5.6% 20 oz Draft 592 ml.
$6.50 (Canadian) At the brewery
Twitter: @SawdustCityBeer
Was very excited about this beer when I heard about it. Sawdust City does a good stout and when I thought of adding chocolate and marshmallow to it, well, the progression just seemed obvious. So my last taster for my on location this week was the lovely S'more Stout.
Fire up your roasting stick and get the graham crackers ready... Onto the tasting.
Pours a pitch dark brown/black with a tan head made up of tiny bubbles. Nose is primarily vanilla with some toasty wheaty, bready notes, and bitter chocolate. First sip is creamy vanilla, chocolate, toasty malt. Light creamy mouthfeel, with a hint of bitterness on the finish. One gets the effect of a creamy toasted marshmallow within the taste of the beer. Aeration is all about the vanilla with some light roasted malt at the finish.
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: 5/6 PASS
Final Thoughts:
An excellent stout, and a great augmentation. The marshmallow and the vanilla play very nicely with the chocolate and the roasted malt. Get out there and try this one... preferable in front of a fireplace, with some toasty marshmallows on the side.
Cheers
CJT
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White Stout with Chai
Collaboration
Brother's Brewing Company
No Website... Facebook them HERE
Pelham, Ontario, Canada
Independent
with
Barnstormer Brewing
Barrie, Ontario, Canada
Brewpub/Brewery
Flavoured White Stout 7.3 % ABV 20oz Pint
$6.25 (Canadian) At the Sawdust City Brewery Saloon (Guest Tap)
Twitter: @BrothersBrewery @BarnstormerBeer
While down at Sawdust City yesterday I managed to try a few beers on the "Guest Tap," and this was one. I has another beer by Brother's Brewing Citra Pale Az Down a few weeks ago, also on the guest tap at Sawdust. I enjoyed that beer immensely , so I was very happy to see this collaboration show up.
Onto the tasting...
Pours a hazy amber colour with an off white head made up of small bubbles. Chai spices are the forefront on the nose. Cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and tea. first sip is chocolaty, spicy, cinnamon and clove. Finish is angelica, with some smoky sumac. Aeration accentuates the tea and spice. with a hint of tasted caramel, and breadiness on the finish.
Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional
Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 5/6 PASS
Re-Order: 4/6 PASS
Experience: 5/6 PASS
Final Thoughts:
This was my first "White Stout," and I was not exactly sure what to expect. This was a light bodied but full flavoured beer, Seemingly as contradictory as it's name. The spice was well done I got the full impression of chai tea. While I enjoyed the beer it is a very different experience. I may have to try a few more to get a good understanding of them
Cheers
CJT
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Le Chandail de Skokie (Skokie's Sweater)
Sawdust City Brewing Company
Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Biere de Garde 8.5 %
10 oz Tulip Glass Draft (296 ml)
$6.00 (Canadian) At the brewery
Twitter: @SawdustCityBeer
Went down to the brewery today and they just started pouring this gem. Skokie is the Mascot of the Gravenhurst Winter Carnival Which takes place this year between February 20th and 22nd, and for this, the 45th anniversary of the Winter Carnival Sawdust City decided to brew a nice Biere de Garde to warm the winter bones.
As it was quite cold today I was more than happy to indulge in this refreshingly warming brew... Onto the tasting...
Pours a very dark amber with a thin off white head with a hint of grey. Aroma is a sweet and sour caramel, slightly woody and bready. First sip gives us rich roasted malt and tart, fresh hops. There is a lingering sourness, just prior to the hoppy finish along with a fresh fruity, citrus note. There is also a hint or orange or candied peel, reminiscent of, but not as sweet as marmalade. Aeration gives us a more malty licorice flavour and accentuates the tart sourness of the beer.
Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional
Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Beer Style: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Re-Order: 5/6 PASS
Experience: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Final Thoughts:
Delightful winter warmer. A very good biere de garde with good bones that I imagine would age very well. would love to put some aside and see how it tastes in 6 months, or a year from now.
Cheers
CJT
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Beer # 188
Nickel Brook Brewing Company
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Independent
Oak aged Pale Ale 5.8 % ABV Clear Glass Bottle 330 ml.
$3.25 (Canadian) At the LCBO
Twitter: @InnisandGunnCA
Back again to Innis and Gunn... The oak aged beer people. They age all of their beers in oak barrels. This one is aged in Scottish Oak.
Finally This is the last post of the 2-4 Beers of Christmas. I have a few Pint Jockey Adventures posts coming up for you and then we return to our regularly schedule beer blogs.
Onto the Tasting:
Pours a bronze-gold colour with an off white head made up of small bubbles. Aroma is smoky and meaty with some light toasty grain. First sip is rich and sweet like fresh maple sap before it is turned into syrup. Woody, with some light smoke, a hint of caramel and vanilla, but very clean. Very delicate flavour. Aeration brings out some citrus and a hint more caramel/maple.
Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional
Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 4/6 PASS
Re-Order: 4/6 PASS
Experience: 4/6 PASS
Christmas Spirit 4/6 PASS
Final Thoughts:
Certainly one of the lightest and most refreshing of the Innis and Gunn beers. But to me it is lacking something... not sure what. a little too thin, perhaps.
Cheers And Beery Christmas
CJT
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Beer # 186 White Session
Beer # 187 Red Session
Collaboration with "The Local 7*
Sweetgrass Brewing Company
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Barrel Aged, Flavoured Belgian Saison 7.5%
ABV Brown Glass Bottle 750 ml.
$19.95 (for both)(Canadian) At the LCBO
Twitter: @SweetgrassBeer
If you are a regular follower of my blog you will remember I spent the day in Toronto for OCB Week this past June.The Ontario Craft Brewers Week is a celebration of some of the most dazzling brewers in our province. It begins each Father's Day weekend (well... Dads like beer...) with The Session Toronto. I was hoping to make it down for this one but work schedules intervened and I went slightly later in the week. Session is sort of like fight club for brewers... There is only one rule... there are no rules. And you SHOULD talk about Session... So it's not like Fight Club... but somehow I wanted to use that analogy. Brewers are encouraged to bring out the inner artist and paint a pallete of beer. (Ok that's a slightly better analogy). Brewers try to "One Up" each other in a friendly (hehe check out what I did) kind of way. Sweetgrass Brewery and the so called "Local 7" a group of craft beer bars that included The Only Cafe, The Griffin Gastropub, Bar Volo, Wvrst, C'est What, The Auld Spot, Barhop, and Bryden's (kind of like the Group of 7 But Craft Beer Bars... instead of painters) all collaborated on a brew... or two. The result was a Lemon Verbena, and Raspberry flavoured Belgian Saison, that was split into two batches, and one was aged in chardonnay barrels (White), and one Cabernet Sauvignon Barrels (Red). Each was aged for ten months and the result was released in December of 2014 to the LCBO. Sadly, I have been sitting on these bottles because of my cold... I was hoping to get this post out sooner. I am quite certain that all of the bottles of these are gone. So if you didn't get to try these beers... sorry... email or twitter @sweetgrassbeer and maybe they will make more (if we are really, really good...)
Well I have a Litre and a half of beer on my desk... Onto the tasting...
White
Colour is a slightly hazy clear gold with a bright white head made of small bubbles. Aroma is woody and grapey. Definitely a white wine nose. Hints of green floral citrus from the lemon verbena. Oaky vanilla and light caramel. First sip gives us a lot of chardonnay qualities, grapey, oaky and citrus. Hints of malo-lactic fermentation, creamy, buttery, vanilla and caramel. The elements of the Belgian style saison are deep within, under the chardonnay window dressing. Aeration brings out the beer, a bready, citrus clean Belgian saison.
Red
Colour is almost Identical to the white in every way, except that I would say this is slightly lighter in colour. (Strangely). Nose is very mossy, woody, like a autumn walk through the woods. Oaky, smoky, and dark red wine. First sip is very oaky, and sweet, lots of caramel and vanilla. Tastes not unlike a heavily oaked chardonnay more than a Cabernet sauvignon. Slightly more effervescent than it's white counterpart. Fresh cut oak overwhelms the beer a bit. Aeration gives us sweet smoky oak, some breadiness, a touch more caramel and a lingering vanilla.
Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional
White Red
Cost: 5/6 PASS Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL Beer Style: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Re-Order: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL Re-Order: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Experience: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL Experience: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Christmas Spirit 5/6 PASS Christmas Spirit 5/6 PASS
Final Thoughts:
Two most excellent beers and two excellent examples of how a barrel can change the way a beverage tastes. So much happens inside those little wooden envelopes... so much so that scientists haven't even figured out all of the processes, and chemical interactions. It is one area though where we don't need TOO much science... just let your tongue be the experimenter. Enjoy the reaction of all the woody elements that lend so much to these beers.
Cheers And Beery Christmas
CJT
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Beer # 185 Game of Thrones Valar Morghulis
Brewery Ommegang
Cooperstown, New York, United States of America
Owned in Part by the Duvel Moortgat Brewery of Belgium
Belgian Dubbel 8.0 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 750 ml.
$9.95 (Canadian) At the LCBO
Twitter: @BreweryOmmegang
Okay, I admit it. I'm a nerd... and I should be watching Game of Thrones... but sadly I have not caught the bug... yet. Perhaps this beer will change my mind. If you have been living under a rock... on Mars... with your eyes closed... and fingers in your ears... going "Lalalalalalalalalalalalalalalala." You may have missed the phenomenon that is George R. R. (I'm jealous of J.R.R. Tolkien) Martin's Game of Thrones. The sexy book series that has taken HBO by storm (No... not True Blood... That's the OTHER sexy book series that has taken HBO by storm). From what I have gathered it is about a fictional quasi-medieval kingdom in Britain that is ruled by sex fiends and murderers... I'm just paraphrasing here. So I WAS very interested when I discovered this bottle in the LCBO of a limited Game of Thrones series from Brewery Ommegang. Now I had heard of Ommegang before and I have followed them on Twitter. But I had not delved deep into the mysteries of the brewery yet. The brewery was opened in the States by a family that shares in ownership of the great Duvel Moortgagat Brewery. Now Duvel is widely recognised as one of the finer commercial Belgian producers, and I was interested in seeing if that experience had transferred to their American brothers.
So, as I sit on my Iron Throne... I declare... That the Tasting is coming...
Pours a cloudy chestnut brown with a light tan head made of small bubbles. Nose is wheaty, nutty, licorice and sweet molasses. First sip is molasses and cloves. Toasted wheat, caramelised bananas and allspice. Finish is very earthy and mushroomy. Aeration gives us caramel and baking spices.
Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional
Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 4/6 PASS
Re-Order: 4/6 PASS
Experience: 4/6 PASS
Christmas Spirit 4/6 PASS
Final Thoughts:
Very simple, and straightforward. This IS a Belgian dubbel. The flavour profile is right on, and it is an excellent drink. Is it the best dubbel?... no. Is it a great dubbel?... possibly. But for a Belgian styled dubbel brewed in America... this is bang on. If you can get your hands on this bottle (it was the VERY last one in the store I bought it from) or any of the other Game of Thrones series... please do try them.
Cheers And Beery Christmas
CJT
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Beer # 184 Division by Zero
Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery
Barrie, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Imperial Nut Brown IPA 11.0 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 750 ml.
$8.83 (Canadian) At the Brewery
Twitter: @FlyingMonkeys
Another offering from the Flying Monkeys down in Barrie. I was slightly apprehensive about this beer when I was about to start. When I got it I have only read that it was an Imperial Nut Brown Ale. What I had missed was it that it was instead an Imperial Nut Brown IPA (yes words are important). So I was trying to wrap my head around what that would taste like, and I understood the reference to "Division by Zero." My brain puzzled itself into a black hole. So I figured the only way to tell for sure was to try it.
So before we rip a hole in the space time continuum and flip into an alternate reality; let's try the beer... Onto the tasting...
Pours a very dark chestnut brown with a light tan head made up of tiny bubbles. The aroma is very hoppy; if it were not for its colour, you would think you were about to drink an IPA. Fresh green hops, floral, slightly piney, but with a hint of caramel malt. There is a hint of iodine in the background. First sip is very nutty, caramel, and hoppy. Slight menthol and herbal hoppiness. Some citrus and honey in the middle finishing up with some clover and the heat of the alcohol. Aeration bursts out bitter orange and a nice IPA finish of lingering fruity hops.
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 Spirit 4/6 PASS
Final Thoughts:
Very interesting and a different experience. I would never have expected this to work, but it does in a very odd way. The sweet caramel nuttiness of the brown ale plays well with the citrusy, green hoppiness of the IPA. Kind of like peanut butter and celery. The thought is weird, but you love the taste. I am not sure if these are still available, it was a limited release, so if you can still find a bottle pick it up and try dividing by zero yourself.
Cheers And Beery Christmas
CJT
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