I love discovering new Ontario breweries. Take last night, for example: it was International IPA Day, and I found myself in Carleton Place, a small but beautiful town a half-hour or so west of Ottawa. After a photo shoot in a hot, abandoned factory, I needed to find a cool pub and have a cooler brew to celebrate this special day.
I found such a place at St. James Gate. And, not only did they have an IPA to help me with the celebration, but this IPA was from the very town I was in.
I'll have to review that ale, but not today.
No, today, I take a look at another discovery from a Kitchener brewer, whose cans of American Pale Ale found their way to my local LCBO shelves.
And this APA was not what I expected.
Harbinger American Pale Ale (5.5% ABV)
Descendants Beer & Beverage Company
Kitchener, ON
Appearance: a deep amber to copper, more in line with an amber ale; a creamy, beige head left a solid cap.
Nose: slight malts, but otherwise, closed. I expected some fresh hops, but found none reaching my nostrils.
Palate: hop-forward with solid malt balancing from the first mouthful, but as the ale went down past the tongue, the hops prevailed as the dominant flavour. There's also a burnt toffee-ness that coats the tongue. It drinks somewhere between an amber lager and a red ale.
Overall impression: this is not what I expected when I opened the can. A few hours before I tucked into this APA, I had a Kichessippi 1855 with lunch. The two were very much in the same class, where I would have initially thought that they would be very different.
I did enjoy this ale for the body and flavours that it offered. Expecting a pale ale, though, I would have been disappointed if that was all I really wanted. This ale is so much more that it seems to depart from its category.
If you're looking for a full-bodied amber or a lighter red, this will go just nicely. If you want an APA, beware.
Beer O'Clock rating: 2.5
Cheers!
Although spring is slow in taking hold, I am confident that it will be here soon, in full swing, and that means patio season.
And, in the coming weeks, I hope to compile a list of the best patios in the Ottawa area. My criteria is simple: the patio must have a great view, must have space for plenty of patrons, and—most importantly—the establishment must serve beer that is worthwhile: that is, there must be a reason to sit on the patio and stay.
If you know of a great patio in Ottawa, write to me at RossBrownfoot@live.com. Tell me where this patio is located and why you think it's worth visiting.
You know what would be a great beer to have on a patio? The beer that I reviewed this week, by an Ontario brewery that I didn't even hear of until a couple of months ago, nor really pay attention to until last week's Kingston Beer Festival.
They have my attention now.
Pale Ale (5.3% ABV)
Side Launch Brewing Company
Collingwood ON
Appearance: unfiltered, dried apricot, with a foamy head that's light beige with hints of orange. It pours well and settles to a thin cap.
Nose: candied orange and orange pekoe tea, with mild malts. I felt that the bouquet was only subtle and could use more aromas.
Palate: solid hops with mild grapefruit—it starts as a watery citrus that opens as you swish it in your mouth, and it ends in a nice balance of hops and malt, though the hops accumulate with subsequent sips. The finish is steady and strong without overpowering.
Overall impression: this is a good, well-rounded APA. While I would appreciate more in the nose, the flavour is a reliable constant, making for an ale that I could easily drink all night long.
Or during patio season, whenever that happens.
Beer O'Clock rating: 3
Cheers!
After such a disappointing foray into gluten-free beer, I was ready to give up on this style of alcoholic beverage. I was about to tell my friends and acquaintances, who were looking to get gluten out of their bevvies, to drink wine.
Wine is great: it comes in different styles, such as sparkling, fortified, or dessert. It uses different varieties of grapes, each with a unique flavour. It is made world-wide, and the terroir comes through in the end product.
And wine is gluten-free. Always has been, always will be.
But what kind of beer reviewer would I be if I gave up after only one can of gluten-free brew? (Note to Stacey, who called me an "expert." That was very kind of you, but I'm not a beer expert. I'm just a guy who has tried a shit-load of beer, who likes to share his experiences on this blog. But thank you.)
The other night, as I sat on my front steps, anticipating rain as thunder storms passed overhead, I tried three more gluten-free offerings from a brewery that was recommended to me a while back. I have purchased these beers on two occasions for folks who must avoid gluten, based on that recommendation, without trying the beer for myself.
Let's look at them now.
Glutenberg Blonde Ale (4.5% ABV)
Brasseurs Sans Gluten
Montréal, QC
Beer O'Clock rating: 2
Appearance: pale straw with a creamy, white head that retained a thin cap.
Nose: slightly malty, with grass, a light, honey melon, and a faint hint of ginger ale.
Palate: sour ginger and creamed corn. The ginger lingers at the back of the throat in the finish.
Overall impression: not bad. Again, I'm reminded of a light, generic ale: not a lot of character, not much flavour. However, on a hot summer's day, it would quench your thirst, but it had me craving more flavour, more body.
Add a lime to it, however, and you're good to go. You might have a gluten-free version of Corona.
The second gluten-free ale piqued my interest as I poured it.
Glutenberg American Pale Ale (5.5% ABV)
Beer O'Clock rating: 3
Appearance: copper, with light-brown highlights, and an off-white, foamy head that dissipates to a full lace.
Nose: dark honey or light toffee.
Palate: burnt toffee and butter, sour hops, and a lingering herbal finish that tasted more and more like oregano as I drank it. The alcohol also coats the tongue in the finish.
Overall impression: of the gluten-free beers that I've tried so far, this was the best. It tasted the closest to conventional beer. This APA is made with quinoa, which would make my wife happy (she likes to feed it to me all the time), and displays the most body of the GF beer I've had.
The third choice was also promising.
Glutenberg Belgian Double (6.5% ABV)
Beer O'Clock rating: 3
Appearance: copper-red with a light beige head that dissipates to a thin lace.
Nose: cherry, backed by a chemical and candied aroma.
Palate: sharp apple and tart cherry that comes to a clean finish and lingering alcohol.
Overall impression: this Belgian-styled ale was by far the most flavourful of the bunch. There was quite a bit of body to this beer: had I not known that this was a gluten-free beer, I would not have guessed it.
But as I drank more (I didn't pour any of these beers down the drain), the strong fruitiness started to remind me of wine that came from a bottle that had been opened for a couple of days. It wasn't necessarily bad, but it wasn't what I would expect from a beer.
But maybe that could be a good thing. If my gluten-avoiding friends don't want to stick to wine, would like to try a beer-like alcoholic beverage, this is somewhere in between.
On Friday, I'll review one final gluten-free beer and will give my overall impression.
Cheers!
A few friends have asked me, why don't I review gluten-free beer? There are plenty of people who have gluten allergies and others who are trying to reduce gluten intake for dietary reasons. So perhaps I could find a beer that doesn't contain gluten but tastes good.
I first accepted the challenge to find a good, gluten-free beer almost a year ago, when a friend, who has allergies, said she couldn't find a gluten-free beer that had any flavour. I was able to find her a beer, in Québec, and she later told me it "wasn't bad."
I never tried the beer myself.
A few months ago, an acquaintance also asked me about gluten-free beer, and had I tried any. I hadn't. Hadn't brought myself to trying what, to me, is the beer equivalent to decaffeinated coffee. That's not coffee: that's a hot coffee-like beverage.
Last week, when yet another friend asked me about gluten-free beer, I decided to pony up. To put my prejudice aside and judge this specialty beer myself.
Yesterday, I did just that.
But I made the tasting interesting, having the brew back-to-back with a beer—a true beer—by the same brewery.
I say "true" do describe a beer because one of the key components in beer is, in fact, gluten. Gluten is a protein composite that is found in grains: for beer, primarily wheat, barley, and rye. As a protein, it helps bind the molecules and helps give beer its body.
As its name suggests, it's a food agent that acts as glue. Without gluten, a beer can be astringent, without body. It can have a lifeless taste.
In theory, anyway.
But, to be fair, over the next few days, I will try some gluten-free beer and give my honest opinion of them.
To start, I chose a Burlington, Ontario, brewery, and I compared it with one of its regular, gluten-laden, ales. The brewery is Better Bitters Brewing Company, which operates under the name Nickel Brook.
About a year ago, I tried a draft of theirs, Naughty Neighbour. At the time, I really liked it. So when I discovered that it was recently made available in bottles, I had to pick some up and give it proper attention. But, because my main focus was the gluten-free beer by this brewery, I put the Naughty Neighbour aside until afterwards because I didn't want the taste of it to interfere with the gluten-free brew.
Gluten Free Alcoholic Beverage (5.8% ABV)
Nickel Brook
Burlington, ON
Beer O'Clock rating: 1.5
Appearance: deep straw with a white head that quickly dissipates to almost nothing, but retains a good effervescence.
Nose: light grass and honey melon.
Palate: bitter grass and sour hops. It lacks body. As I took more sips, the flavour made me think of what it would taste like if I sucked on rubber bands. The alcohol comes out in a watery finish, which is lengthy, though I wished it would end.
Overall impression: Nickel Brook got one thing right: they called this drink an "alcoholic beverage" and not a beer. Although, after the first sip, it reminded me of one of the big-brewery ales: grassy and sharp, with very little flavour. In that first sip, I thought, "okay, I see what they are aiming for, but it's not my cup of tea." I was prepared to give Nickel Brook credit for their attempt. I also thought, "it's not bad, but it's not great, either."
But after a few more sips, I wanted the taste to leave my mouth. I looked at my glass, knowing I couldn't finish, and so I did what I rarely do: this.
It was time to move on to the beer that I chose to compare the Gluten Free with.
Naughty Neighbour American Pale Ale (4.9% ABV)
Beer O'Clock rating: 3
Appearance: an unfiltered, bright gold, with a foamy white head that held a dense cap.
Nose: intense citrus—a honeyed orange with rich hops.
Palate: sour grass, orange and grapefruit rind, mixed with a peppered, black tea, and hops, all of which end in a medium finish.
Overall impression: my memory of this draft version is different, which makes me wonder if Nickel Brook created two versions of the Naughty Neighbour. I remember the colour being more orange and the flavour also containing more orange in the mouth. I also remember bolder hops: my memory made this neighbour to be very, very naughty. And nice.
So either this is not the same beer or I don't have the beer imprint memory that I pride myself on.
Nevertheless, this Naughty Neighbour was enjoyable and helped me get rid of the taste of the gluten-free, alcoholic beverage.
My search for a good gluten-free beer continues.
Cheers!
