#CanadaMonthBeer Old Baldy Farmhouse Ale

# 237 Old Baldy Farmhouse Ale

Northwinds Brewhouse

Collingwood, Ontario, Canada

Independent Brewpub and Bottle Shop
Farmhouse Ale
IBU 24
3.5 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 650 ml
$6.19 (Canadian) At the brewery

Twitter: @Northwindsbeer

Another trip up to Collingwood tonight with some "Old Baldy" Farmhouse Ale, as we continue our spotlight on Canadian craft beers for the month of July.

Straight into the tasting tonight.

Pours a darker gold with a nice thick off-white head made of small bubbles. Nose is a robust malty and spicy mix with wheat and rye tones. Lot's of cloves, some cinnamon. First sip is rich malt with some woody notes Some deep roasted malt and some licorice. Aeration brings out some creaminess a light green hoppiness and a slightly bitter aftertaste.

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:  5/6 PASS

Final Thoughts:

A nice well flavoured beer. So far this is my favourite from Northwinds but I have three more to go... which I am looking forward to more and more.


Cheers


CJT



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#CanadaMonthBeer Three Stage XPA

# 236 Three Stage XPA

Northwinds Brewhouse

Collingwood, Ontario, Canada

Independent Brewpub and Bottle Shop
Extra Pale Ale
IBU 24
4.6 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 650 ml
$6.64 (Canadian) At the brewery

Twitter: @Northwindsbeer


We took a drive up to Collingwood to see the Scenic Caves (great trip if you have never been!) AND it just so happened that our drive took us by Northwinds Brewhouse. So I ran in a got a few bottle of their beer. I have tried one of their beers it was last year at OCB Week in Toronto and I recorded it in my Bar Volo Post. The Beer was Rooster Tail American Wheat. Not bad as far as I can remember. 

Tonight's offering is an extra pale ale Let's hop on our bike and try it.

Onto the first stage:

Pours a hazy darker gold colour with an off-white head made up of small bubbles. Aroma is creamy and grain heavy. First sip is sip is a warming spicy and slightly bitter mix of citrus and and a slight muskiness. Flavour is heady and earthy. A little closed at the beginning it starts to open up as it warms. Some malt sugars and a hint of caramel. Aeration gives us some smoky malt and a bit of bruleed sugar.


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:

A good solid little XPA. One that needs to warm up a touch to fully experience the flavours which change and develop as the beer has sat open. Looking forward to trying the other beers I bought at Northwinds (There are four more in the the "Fridge of Fame.")



Cheers


CJT



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#CanadaMonthBeer: Old Tomorrow Canadian Pale Ale

# 235 Canadian Pale Ale

Old Tomorrow
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Independent Contract Brewery
Pale Ale
IBU 25
4.9 % ABV Aluminium Can 473 ml
$2.95 (Canadian) At the LCBO

Twitter: @OldTomorrowbeer

Well July is the time we celebrate Canada up here in the great white North, While we will often give a nod to our southern neighbours who happen to celebrate their birthday on the same weekend, we here at the Pint Jockey Headquarters are going full Canuck the whole month of July. It is #CanadaMonth, and we picked Old Tomorrow for our inaugural #CanadaMonthBeer.

Old Tomorrow takes it's name from Sir John A. MacDonald, irascible Scot, persuasive orator, well know, drinker, fancier of trains, and sometime graffiti artist. Oh, he was also the driving force behind the formation of Canada, the building of our railroad, and our first Prime Minister. (Sometime during his campaign for Prime Minister he stayed in a private home in Walkerton Ontario where I used to live. The home is now a B&B and I stayed there one night and my room was the same room he had stayed in. He made sure everyone was aware of this fact by etching his name into the glass in the window. His signature is still there today.) Old Tomorrow was one of Sir John's many nicknames, politics of the time were far more interesting back then parties would give their candidates nicknames. (as would their opponents although they were less flattering) Since in that time there were no radio TV or Internet ads, and most of the exposure to a candidate was through the newspapers, a catchy nickname went a long way.

On to tonight's offering. Old Tomorrow calls it a Canadian Pale Ale. I'm fairly certain Sir John liked his whisky, but let's see if he would like his namesake beer.

Onto Tomorrow!

Pours a darker gold with an off-white head with hints of tan, made up of small bubbles. Aroma is a rich, deep, spicy, malt with lots of wood tones. First sip is a complex malty West Coast style pale ale. finish is light bitter herbs and some herbal hops. Aeration brings out the grains and the malt sugars.

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

Final Thoughts:


While not a bad beer at all I don't feel that it stands out very well from all of the pale ales and IPAs that are being made now. However, They have my attention, and I can't wait to try more

Cheers


CJT



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Sawdust City Collab Little Norway

# 235 Little Norway

Sawdust City Brewing Company
Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada

Independent Microbrewery
Pale Lager
IBU 25
4.5 % ABV Aluminium Can 473 ml
$2.50 (Canadian) At the brewery

Twitter: @sawdustcitybeer

Tonight's offering is the result of a collaboration between Sawdust City Brewing Co. and Norway's Arendals Bryggeri. The name Little Norway has a very historic meaning with Sawdust's hometown of Gravenhurst During the Second World War when Nazis had occupied Norway the King and the Government of Norway escaped to England and was running a resistance movement from London. They arranged for some planes to be "borrowed," in a Lend/lease agreement. and set up a training camp in Toronto at the Island Airport. When one of these planes crashed into the lake the residents of Toronto got nervous and the training camp was moved to the Muskoka airport just outside of Gravenhurst. From 1942-45 thousands of displaced Norwegians came to the airport nicknamed (you guessed it) Lille Norge, or Little Norway.

The beer was developed in the summer of 2013 When the  brewmaster of Sawdust journeyed to Norway and collaborated with Arendals Bryggeri. The beer was launched in Norway in 2014, and then Sawdust brewed their own batch with pure Muskoka water in 2015.


Onto the tasting...

Pours an apple-juice coloured light clear gold with a bright white head made up of small bubbles. The aroma is malty and heavy with European style lager hops (Saaz and Magnum). First sip is reminiscent of a Euro lager crossed with a west coast pale ale. Very malt forward with some slight sourness. Malt gives way to some lemon and orange zest and then to a bitter herbs and medicinal hop finish. As the beer warms the malts become more distinct and defined. The grain flavours deepen. Aeration brings out a very green and bitter herb flavour along with some smoky malt sugars.

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

Final Thoughts:

I am not a big lager drinker (anymore... anyway). I used to drink Labatt Blue in my younger, wilder days. However, my tastes have matured. These days I am far more comfortable with a ESB or an IPA in my hand. After drinking so many inky-black, barrel aged, high octane beers it is hard to come down to the lager level and be objective. The lager is a simple, clean, crisp beer. And in my mind it is a beer best suited for food, the acids and citrus aromas (not unlike a white wine) compliment something fatty (like sausages, hamburgers, chicken wings... etc) or hot (curry and the like). This beer took a little warming to fully open up, so unlike it's counterparts, (that are best served just above 0 degrees Celsius) let this beer warm to at least cellar temperature 8 to 10 degrees Celsius.  5 to 10 minutes on the counter out of the fridge would do nicely... your patience will be rewarded. And put the chicken wing down...

Cheers


CJT



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Ontario Craft Cider Week: Coffin Ridge Forbidden Artisanal Dry Cider

Cider # 10 Forbidden Artisanal Dry Cider

Coffin Ridge Winery

Annan, Ontario, Canada

Boutique Winery

All Natural Hard Apple Cider 
6.5 % ABV Aluminium Can 500 ml.

$2.95 (Canadian) At LCBO 

Twitter: @coffinridge

@ontcraftcider

Well it has finally arrived. Not only is summer here, but the beverage festivals begin. I am going to be a busy boy for the next few months. And first up on our list is the Ontario Craft Cider Week, sponsored by the Ontario Craft Cider Association (check them out... give them some love). Our first offering is a first for the blog. It is actually brewed at a winery. And a special winery to boot. Coffin Ridge is located in Annan Ontario. which is in between Meaford and Owen Sound and boasts some of the most northerly vineyards in Ontario. It is also the heart of Ontario apple country, which goes to explain the cider, and why we are here today. Coffin Ridge is a member of the Ontario Craft Cider Association and therefore the perfect beverage to kick off Cider Week.

Enough small talk... Let's PRESS on (get it? Cider Press?)

Clear gold in colour with hints of green. Slight skiff of a carbonated head that disappears quite quickly. Aroma is apple pie, bready, with cinnamon and cloves, some citrus and a hint of ginger. Quite tart, yet with a smooth finish, very crisp dry and clean. Lingering taste of slightly green wild apples.Aeration gives us lots of bright lemon and tart green apples

 Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 

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



Final Thoughts:

This is what dry cider should taste like: Crisp, tart, full of good apple flavour... and grown in our backyards. This is a cider made by a winemaker and it shows. It is gentle and well balanced and drinks like a crisp summer white. This is an absolute must try and a great way to kick off Cider Week.

Cheers

CJT


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Yukon Gold English Pale Ale

Beer # 234 Yukon Gold

Yukon Brewing
Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada

Independent Microbrewery
English Pale Ale


5.0 % ABV Brown Glass bottle 650 ml
$6.90 (Canadian) At LCBO 

Twitter: @yukonbeer

The Yukon Brewing Company began  in 1997. The owners, Alan and Bob, who had both moved to the Yukon from Ontario, thought up their business plan on a canoe trip and the rest is history. When they first opened The company bore the name Chilkoot Brewing Company which was quickly changed due to a trademark issue. They re-branded as Cheechako Brewing company, but even that was changed again in 1999 to Yukon Brewing Company. In 2010 they dropped "company" and continue to this day with the name Yukon Brewing.

Tonight's offering is an English style Pale Ale. It contains 5 malts and is hopped with Saaz, Sterling, and UK Golding hops. The most striking thing about tonight's bottle could be the bottle itself.  The label is a piece of art designed by Ontario born, Batik artist Lynn Blakie . The bold yellow and deep blue colours of the label certainly do draw your eye in.

Enough art appreciation.... let's drink some liquid art.

Pours a light coppery gold with a thin off white head that disperses quickly. The aroma is earthy malts with some brown sugar slight caramel and the lightest hint of citrus. First sip is slightly sweet and malt forward. Light in body, very similar to an English mild ale. Hints of caramel, apples, earth tones. Finish is slightly hoppy, herbal and medicinal.


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

Final Thoughts:


I am quite happy with my first taste of the Yukon. This is a solid beer and a good flagship for the company. I can also see why it is the # 1 selling draft in all of the Yukon Territory (even outselling the Big Boys!) Is it very memorable?... no not quite, but I would definitely pick this over many, many other drafts that are out there. I look forward to trying the rest of their beers.

Cheers


CJT



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More Updates

In case you didn't guess. The title of yesterday's blog is a line from one of my favourite Cowboy Junkies songs:

This darn cold will not go away I still have a pretty beefy headache and a sore throat. However, I intend to soldier on. I have my tastebuds back and my nose is functioning adequately so I will continue with regular tastings. I did manage to get a bottle of Cheli's Barrel aged Pale Ale from Lake of Bays Brewery so look for that one, probably tomorrow night. Tonight I am dipping into a beer I have been dying to try. It comes from the Yukon!

Yukon is NORTH!

Next to the Icelandic beers, this will be one of the most Northerly Breweries I have tasted. And I think that only one of the Alaskan Breweries is more Northerly in North America. Other upcoming events here at Pint Jockey Headquarters: May 30th to June 6th is Ontario Craft Cider Week Which we will be celebrating by doing another week long spotlight on Craft Ciders (and maybe one or too not so craft ciders... we have to make fun of somebody...) And a week after that is the BIG EVENT in Toronto. OCB Week returns again launching on Father's Day weekend. I was hoping to get down to Session Toronto but my work schedule doesn't look promising. So I may be going down midweek again this year for the second Installment of my Live Blog OCB Week.

So stay tuned, lot's of good stuff coming down the pipe!

Cheers

CJT

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