Would it surprise you to learn that I have only been to three Oktoberfest celebrations in my entire 50 years of existence?
And the first time doesn't count, because I was a kid, much too young to be drinking beer (although, I wouldn't be surprised if my father gave me a sip). My sisters and I were stuffed in the back seat of our car, as my parents drove us down to Whiteface Mountain, in the Finger Lakes district of New York State. We were part of the Porsche Club of Canada, part of a long line of these exotic German sports cars, and while my parents reminded me that we weren't crammed into our orange 912, my sisters and I remember the 911s, the 356 tubs, and the 914s in the convoy.
I remember the beer hall, in Wilmington, the polka music, the clinking steins, and the green, feathered hats. I don't remember how long we were there, I don't remember how we whiled away the hours, and I barely remember our late-night drive home. But that was my first Oktoberfest.
I almost spent my second Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, in 2009. Almost. I saw the fair grounds, saw the peaked, white tents of the festival grounds. I was about 2,500 feet above it, in a plane, on my final approach to the Munich airport.
My family and I had vacationed in Italy, having visited Rome, Tuscany, Pisa, and Venice. I had flown on points and, while we travelled from Ottawa to Rome together, my return flight was different from the rest of my family's. They flew from Rome, to Frankfurt, and then straight back to Ottawa. I, on the other hand, had to leave Rome shortly before them, to Munich, where I would catch a connecting flight to Frankfurt, where I would meet them and continue home, together.
My flight to Munich only allowed 20 minutes for my connection, which was crazy, but I thought that if Air Canada would allow it, it was possible. Only, my departure from Rome was 10 minutes late.
The plan with my family was simple: if they didn't see me in Frankfurt, they were to assume that I missed my Munich connection and continue home without me. I was an experienced traveller: I would find my way home.
Approaching Munich, I was panicking. I didn't want to miss my connection. I would be alone in a city I didn't know. Flying over the Oktoberfest grounds and realizing that I would be in Munich during a beer festival, my mood changed. There were worse things that could happen to me. I would be more than okay.
While we had flown over the Alps, the flight attendant had informed me that we would be disembarking the plane on a tarmac and boarding a bus that would take us to the same gate from where my connection flight would be leaving. All I had to do was get off the bus, go through the doors, climb the stairs, and make a 180-degree turn to be at my boarding gate.
I made my flight, with no waiting. Most of the passengers were boarding. Even my luggage made the connection.
But I was disappointed that I would be missing a truly authentic Oktoberfest.
My first Oktoberfest as an adult was only about three years ago. I was invited to be the official photographer at the festival in Barrhaven, and I was privileged to meet the one and only George Wendt (Norm, from Cheers!) and the very funny Shawn Majumder. The beer was great and was flowing freely for the photographer, and I had a great time over the two-and-a-half days.
On Saturday, I attended the Oktoberfest in Vankleek Hill, some 100 kilometres east of Ottawa. The event was hosted by craft brewery extraordinaire, Beau's. When I arrived, I knew it was going to be big but I didn't expect it to be as big as it was. Two stage areas, massive tents, halls, bleachers, skateboard park, and games areas. The music seemed to run non-stop, broken only by comedian-host, Elvira Kurt.
I cycled to the festival as part of the fundraiser for the United Way of Ottawa. Some 200 cyclers had signed up for the 100-km journey, but I doubt everybody participated. While we had mild temperatures and sunny skies, we faced an incessant 30-kph headwind that would often increase to 50 kph, gusting to nearly 60.
I don't like to cycle in the wind. I would much rather have rain than wind. At Carlsbad Springs, at the 25-km mark or so, I found the ride a challenge. Passing through Cheney, I was no longer having fun. I was cycling with a beer friend, Katy, and I was thinking that when we reached the halfway point, at Bourget, if Katy wanted to continue, I would. My wife was meeting us at the rest area, where she had decided she would start the ride, and the three of us would slog it through to the end. But if Katy wanted to stop, I would stop.
Before we entered the Bourget town limits, it didn't matter to me whether Katy wanted to keep going. I was tired. I didn't enjoy the prospect of reaching Vankleek Hill and being too tired to enjoy the festival, or worse: too tired to want to drink.
And I hadn't had a beer since September 7.
I saw my wife, standing by the road, watching out for us. I waved. She smiled, relieved to see us. We were almost an hour later than we had anticipated, and she was afraid we had run into trouble.
"I'm done," said Katy. I sighed a big relief.
"Me, too," I said, and then to Lori, "tag: you're it." I told my wife that it was a hard ride, but that she could do it. She could do what Katy and I had done.
Katy and I threw our bikes into my van and we made the rest of our way to Vankleek Hill.
It was a great festival, though the wind still raged. Standing in the shade, unless you were packed in a tent with the other hundreds of party-goers, was chilling. But the beer was great and I was able to try a wide variety of ales. Here's what I had:
- Rumtopf Pale Ale (Beau's)—malty and flavourful, with nicely balanced hops, this was my first beer of the event and my first beer in almost a month. It went down nicely as a secondary recovery drink. Beer O'Clock rating: 3
- Farm Table Märzen (Beau's)—clean and light-bodied, it went well with fish and chips. Beer O'Clock rating: 2.5
- Return of the Mumme (Beau's)—this was my wife's choice, and she liked it so much that she stuck with it for the rest of the day. Easy-drinking and light in body. Beer O'Clock rating: 3
- Shawi Beach (Le Trou du Diable)—my favourite of the day, this west-coast IPA had beautiful tropical flavours with lush hops. If I had tried this ale first, I may have stuck to it for the rest of the day. Beer O'Clock rating: 4
- Achterbahn Dunkel (Junction Craft Brewing)—this was good dark lager but it didn't really stand out. My wife didn't enjoy her sip of it, and when I was halfway through it, I was looking forward to moving on. That said, I was looking forward to starting the Shawi Beach, which I ordered at the same time and had already sniffed. Beer O'Clock rating: 3
- One Ping Only (Beau's)—this Nordik porter was a great beer on which to end the day. Rich coffee flavours and not overpowering, I would love to give this ale a proper review sometime. Beer O'Clock rating: 3.5
One of the advantages of having the van in Vankleek Hill was that we wouldn't have to wait for the bus that Beau's had provided to get the cyclists home, and we could keep our bikes with us. I wasn't in a condition to drive, but my wife had only tried a couple of samples, and was more than fine.
Would I do the ride again? Maybe. At this time of year, the weather is a bit of a crap-shoot, and there's nothing worse than being cold, or wet, or, as it was this weekend, wind-swept. I would have to be better prepared.
Would I go to Beau's Oktoberfest again? Oh, yeah! Absolutely.
With only two Oktoberfest celebrations under my adult belt, I have more celebrating of the harvest season left in me.
Cheers!
When I first saw the bottle in the LCBO, I thought, great: Beau's has yet another brew out. I saw the shape of the 600ml bottle, the artwork, and the tag strung with rough twine around the neck, and threw two bottles into my shopping cart.
It's nice to see new offerings from the greater-Ottawa area's largest craft brewery. They are always experimenting, always trying something new. Yet, I find it hard to keep up with all of the brews that they put out. If I drank every new beer from the Vankleek Hill brewery, I doubt I would have time to try all the beer by all the other breweries, Beer O'Clock would become Beau's O'Clock.
I'm sure that the brewery would be fine with that, as long as I gave glowing reviews of everything I drank. But I don't like everything they brew, although I find that I like the majority of what hits the LCBO shelves or the taps around town.
I'm not, of course, going to be able to review every Beau's beer, and with this bottle, I'm not sure that I am reviewing Beau's, anyway.
When I brought those two bottles home, I set them down in my cellar, next to the other Beau's bottles on my wine rack that now holds more beer than wine. It wasn't until I opened one of the bottles, poured it into my Beau's glass, began sipping it, and making notes, that I actually read the label.
And saw that there were two words below Gigantic: Brewing and Company. I try not to read any information that is written on a label or on any card that accompanies the bottle, because I don't want any tasting notes to interfere with my own.
I found that this beer was brewed by a Portland, Oregon, brewery. What a coincidence that they share a similar packaging to Beau's, I thought. And then I saw something on the label that got me scratching my head again: this beer was brewed in Vankleek Hill—the home of Beau's.
I had to finish my tasting notes before I delved further. So let's find out what went on, together, shall we?
La Formidable American Belgo IPA (6.9% ABV)
Gigantic Brewing Company, Portland OR
Brewed in Vankleek Hill ON
Appearance: not-quite-clear, amber-orange with an effervescence of steady, tiny pearls, and an off-white head that maintains a healthy cap.
Nose: orange citrus with hints of pine—almost as though you were standing in an Oregon forest. There's a wet earthiness about it.
Palate: pine resin and grapefruit, bitter hops, and an orange-rind finish.
Overall impression: I really like this beer and, if not for the formidable alcohol content (see what I did there?), I could drink this all afternoon. This is definitely something that I would enjoy on a hot day, under a shaded patio.
La Formidable is brewed under Beau's B-Side label, in which they share capacity with international brewers. Gigantic Brewing's brewmasters, Ben Love and Van Having, brought their recipe and brewed a batch of this delicious brew in Vankleek Hill, and the marketing folks from Beau's packaged it up and brought it to Ontario beer lovers.
La Formidable is... well... formidable!
Gigantic's brew is the second ale to run under the B-Side label. The first beer, Kissmeyer Beer's Nordic Pale Ale, was a tasty offering that I tried more than a year ago, but was also fooled into thinking that it was strictly a Beau's creation.
Maybe different bottles would help?
So, I accomplished two things in this tasting: I tried another brew that came out of Beau's brew house and I tried a beer from another brewery. I call that a win-win situation.
I don't know how long La Formidable is going to stay on store shelves, but stock up while you can.
Beer O'Clock rating: 4
Cheers!
In a world where so many craft breweries are trying to do so many things to their beer, it's nice to see complex flavours come together.
That cannot be said for many breweries. Fortunately, it can be said about the latest seasonal from Beau's.
Channel Ocho, the latest from the Vankeek Hill brewery's Wild Oats series blends spices, chocolate, and hot peppers into a Mexican-inspired concoction.
Channel Ocho (8.9% ABV)
Beau's All Natural Brewing Company
Vankleek Hill, ON
Beer O'Clock rating: 4.5
Appearance: dark-chocolate brown with red highlights, and a creamy, beige head that settles to a thin cap and stays most of the way down the glass.
Nose: chocolate, cinnamon, and cloves.
Palate: hot peppers (chipotle and sweet chili), chocolate, and spice, which start somewhat astringent in the first sips but grow complex as you swish the ale in your mouth. The finish is full and slightly boozy (not surprising, given the alcohol content), but is satisfyingly balanced, overall.
Overall impression: this is a serious strong, dark ale. It is complex beer without being overbearing. Though it is a strong beer, it does not overwhelm; there is no overkill in the flavours. The various ingredients marry well and make this an extremely enjoyable seasonal that I would gladly drink again.
I like a little zing in my life.
Channel Ocho is available at the brewery, at select pubs in the Ottawa area, and can also be obtained by Beau's BYBO service.
Cheers!
Is it a coincidence that after I open a bottle of beer that features a curling rink on its label that Canada wins the gold medal in both the men's and women's curling?
I think not.
And while I was looking forward to enjoying this vanilla porter from Canadian craft brewers, Beau's All Natural Brewing Company, I was in for a bronze medal.
It's a winner, but not the best. It's not what I remember it to be, that is.
I first tried this porter about a year ago, at the 2013 WinterBrewed festival. That year, the event was held on Sparks Street in downtown Ottawa, and the festival ran over one of the coldest weekends of the season. Patrons of the festival huddled around outdoor heaters and fire pits while vendors struggled with hair dryers to thaw their frozen tap lines. As the photographer of the event, I had to constantly swap the battery from my camera, warming the cold battery under my arm while the other tried to maintain its charge.
When I visited the Beau's kiosk, not far from its ice bar, I was pleased to find their vanilla porter flowing. I remember the taste and marvelling at the fresh vanilla flavour. As it was frigid outdoors and the porter was colder than it should have been, I could hold the liquid in my mouth and draw out the flavours as it warmed.
I loved it.
Flash forward to today, when I opened a bottle of this ale, which had been sitting in my basement since the Christmas holidays. After the 2014 WinterBrewed, I was ready to try this porter that had warmed my heart a year earlier.
Burnt Rock Vanilla Porter (4.9% ABV)
Beau's All Natural Brewing Company
Vankleek Hill, ON
Beer O'Clock rating: 3
Appearance: deep brown to black, with a foamy, taupe head that settles to a thin cap.
Nose: dark-roasted espresso and full malts, with hints of dark chocolate.
Palate: burnt vanilla and oak, with a dash of clove. There is a light, almost watery finish.
Overall impression: I don't know if the recipe has changed since last year's batch, but I don't remember the finish dropping off as sharply, and I found it disappointing to have such a strong start, with its robust aroma and initial mouth feel. This porter starts high and ends on a bit of a low.
But it's still a great porter, worthy of a try. It can still be found at the brewery, and some LCBO stores may still have the festival four pack on their shelves. Shop around.
Cheers!
I've never really cared for Tom Green.
Of the few times that I saw him on TV, I never once laughed. I thought his comedy to be more along the lines of obnoxious behaviour rather than humourous antics.
So, when I heard that the Ottawa native had collaborated with Beau's to create a beer, I was initially dismissive. That is, until I heard that the beer was a milk stout.
I love milk stouts.
And, because I have a fondness for the weird one-offs of this Vankleek Hill brewery, I knew I had to give it a try. To give Tom Green a fair shake.
The Tom Green Beer! (5% ABV)
Beau's All Natural Brewing Company
Vankleek Hill ON
Beer O'Clock rating: 4
Appearance: dark walnut with a deep beige head that vanishes within a minute of being poured.
Nose: chocolate, coffee, and a slight hint of cedar.
Palate: semi-sweet chocolate, medium-roast coffee, and a mild finish.
Overall impression: this is a great milk stout with a good balance of chocolate and coffee. The body is light, which makes this stout extremely easy to drink.
As a milk stout, however, I would have liked to have experienced more body and robustness: possibly, a higher alcohol content may have helped. If you are familiar with the milk stout that is produced by Charlevoix (La Vache Folle), you'll know what I mean.
Beau's never ceases to surprise me with how they are willing to go out on a limb to produce some ales that are out of the ordinary. Bringing Tom Green into the mix raised my opinion of our local comedian: I now take him a little more seriously (I don't know how that helps his comedy, but for me there's nothing funny about beer).
It was good to see Tom promote the beer and give a shout out to Beau's last week on the Jimmy Fallon show.
Stock up on this great beer while you can.
Cheers!
Talk about going out with a bang.
I pulled the final bottle from my Best of Beau's Mix Pack (yes, I can name it now that I've had them all). Last night, the beer with the biggest flavour, highest ABV and IBUs passed over my lips, into my mouth, around my tongue, and down my throat.
When I put it that way, it sounds disgusting.
But this beer was far from that.
Screamin' Beaver Oak-Aged Double IPA (9.9% ABV)
Beau's All Natural Brewing Company
Vankleek Hill, ON
Beer O'Clock rating: 3.5
Appearance: deep copper-amber with a creamy beige head that slowly dissipates.
Nose: toffee and oak.
Palate: bourbon, oak, toffee, heady alcohol, intense hops that end in a dark-roasted coffee finish.
Overall impression: at first, I was blown away by the overpowering alcohol flavours of the bourbon and hops (it's a whopping 99 IBUs!). I couldn't get around that intensity and I was tempted to do something I rarely and loathe to do: dump my glass into the sink.
However, as I sipped it, the beer opened up and the flavours mellowed and blended. The IPA still packed a punch but the blows got softer (with the alcohol level, maybe I was mellowing out?). The more I drank it, the more I liked it.
Screamin' Beaver, despite what Beau's says on its Web site, is not "incredibly drinkable." To say that is to assume that anyone can enjoy this ale. But make no mistake: this brew is for the serious connoisseur of extreme craft beer.
I liked this final bottle in my mix but I wouldn't serve it to just anybody. This is a beer-lovers beer. It's a special-occasion beer for a special kind of beer drinker.
If you're up to it, seek out this beer and have it as a special treat.
And now that I've finished the set, I can't help but ask myself: which of the four samples was my favourite? I'd have to say the first one that I had: Farm Table. Of the four, it was the most flavourful and the easiest to drink. It's the one that I could pull out on any occasion. While I liked the other three, Farm Table will end up as the most memorable.
When this mix pack becomes available again, treat yourself to some unique-tasting Eastern Ontario ales.
Cheers!
I'm into the final half of my holiday sampler from Beau's and it dawned on me that I've posted a review every day this week.
I don't have a drinking problem. I drink: no problem.
On any given evening, I enjoy a pint, maybe two. But I never drink to excess. I drink responsibly. As I once wrote on Twitter: I don't get drunk. I get fortified.
But I digress.
I had only one bottle of beer yesterday and I actually sipped it over a couple of hours. After all, it was a 600-ml bottle. It was another bottle from the holiday assortment of Beau's special releases. For the past three days, I've randomly grabbed from the gift pack that I bought before Christmas, and then promptly forgot about them, forgot what beers lay inside.
To read the review on the first bottle I pulled from the box, click here; for the second one, click here.
Here's the third bottle that I pulled from the pack:
Patio Saison (Belgian-style harvest ale; 6.3% ABV)
Beau's All Natural Brewing Company
Vankleek Hill, ON
Beer O'Clock rating: 3
Appearance: pale, murky caramel to a deep grapefruit juice colour, with a whitish, foamy head that lasted about an hour.
Nose: citrus and floral notes.
Palate: mild orange citrus, traces of black pepper and clove, with a short, dry finish.
Overall impression: I could see myself quaffing this ale on a hot summer's day after mowing the lawn. This ale, served cool, would go down nicely. As it's name suggests, it's great for patio season too.
I'm pleased to say that the label on this bottle was in great shape (the previous two labels were a bit of a dog's breakfast). But I didn't get the Santa cap on the sun (it's not on the label shown on Beau's Web page).
My opinion of Beau's is changing. I used to think of them as a hit-and-miss brewery. I liked about half of the beer I tried, but clearly I hadn't tried enough of their products. At WinterBrewed, I had some phenomenal beer, such as their Winterbrewed, Bog Father, Burnt Rock, and Strong Patrick. During their FeBREWary season, I loved Oiseau de Nuit and Dubbel Koyt.
And of the three beers I've had of this four-pack grab box, I've enjoyed them all.
Good on you, Beau's.
Cheers!
Yesterday, I wrote about how I decided to open a neglected holiday gift pack of Beau's, that it had been so long since I had looked at the four-pack that I couldn't remember what was in it, and that I was going to blindly pull out a bottle each night until it was gone.
You can read that post here. My tasting started off on a high.
Last night, I once again reached into the box and grabbed a bottle without looking. Here's what came out:
Matt's Sleepy Time Belgian Imperial Stout (8% ABV)
Beau's All Natural Brewing Company
Vankleek Hill, ON
Beer O'Clock rating: 3
Appearance: besides the bottle, which had a mutilated label that was hard to read in some places (especially in places that had valuable information), the beer itself poured a dark brown with walnut highlights and a creamy, taupe head that followed the stout to the bottom of the glass.
Nose: dark chocolate, malt, with a touch of hops. At one point, I thought I smelled coconut, but that's just crazy talk.
Palate: walnuts, coffee, some bitter hops, and a cocoa finish.
Overall impression: lousy labelling aside, I liked this stout. It had great flavours and went down well. Despite the high alcohol content, this imperial stout was well balanced with the bitterness of the hops, the walnuts, and the cocoa.
Sadly, because this ale was the first of the brewery's Wild Oats series, only 1,000 bottles were made for its March 19, 2011 release. I'm surprised I even was able to get my hands on one in December, 2012, but it seems that the lads put some in this gift pack for a special release.
Oh well.
Hopefully, this brew will come out again, and if it does, grab some.
Cheers!
I'm still accumulating beer in my cellar faster than I'm drinking it, but I'm doing my best to change that situation.
Before Christmas, I bought a gift pack of Beau's ales. I'm not going to say what came in the box other than it was a four-pack of their 600ml bottles. Because, I've forgotten what came in the box.
Last night, I reached into the box without looking and pulled out the first bottle I could grab. I figured that over the next while, that is what I'm going to do until the box is empty.
Here's what I grabbed last night:
Farm Table Belgian Pale Ale (4.5% ABV)
Beau's All Natural Brewing Company
Vankleek Hill, ON
Beer O'Clock rating: 3.5
Appearance: a cloudy, creamy amber with a thick, lively, foamy, light-beige head that stayed through most of the way down to the bottom of the glass.
Nose: herbs, spice, and yeast, with faint traces of citrus.
Palate: light grapefruit, hops, and dough. There is a nice, mildly bitter finish, which is short; however, over the course of drinking, the flavour opened and the grapefruit became more pronounced, like fresh pink grapefruit.
Overall impression: the more I drank this ale, the more I liked it. This Belgian-styled pale ale is extremely easy to drink; it would be perfectly quaffable on a hot summer day, preferably on a patio. And at a light ABV rating, it would be easy to have a few.
I'm not sure if this ale is still available at the LCBO (I suspect not and haven't seen any since the holidays were over) but you can always check directly with Beau's. Their Web site lists several pubs throughout the province that offers this brew.
And one thing I have to say to Beau's: if you read this review, which I hope you do, I wish your labelling technique was better. The last few bottles I had came with torn, poorly affixed, crooked, bent, or loose labels. Just sayin'.
I guess it's inside that counts, right?
I can't wait to grab the next bottle from this mystery box.
Cheers!
Attention: residents of Ottawa and visitors.
If our city hosts a beer event—any beer event—and you want to go, do it early.
We Ottawans are a thirsty lot. We'll polish off the beer in good time and we'll go for the popular ones first.
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| A crowded Saturday |
It's fair to say that the first WinterBrewed Festival on Sparks Street was an overwhelming success. Despite the frigid temperatures—Sunday saw wind chills in the minus 20s—the mall and booths were packed. On Saturday, unexpected crowds saw lots of long lineups at the ticket booths. One of my friends, who I saw on Saturday evening, told me it took her 40 minutes to get through the line and she had purchased advanced tickets.
More ticket booths were put in place on Sunday and lines were shorter. And the only challenge that the cold seemed to bring was freezing beer lines. The cold did not keep the beer fans away.
 |
| Pork Of Yore |
There were some amazing foods and beers to try. Among my favourite dishes were the sausage from Pork of Yore and the ragout from Mill Street. And while I didn't try it, the Maple Floss (maple-flavoured candy floss) smelled extraordinary.
Maple was not only in the candy floss, but also at a sugar shack and in beer. My favourite beer of the show was the St-Ambroise Érable, a maple ale from McAuslin. The colour of light maple syrup, this special ale held strong flavours of maple sugar without the overpowering sweetness. It was about as Canadian as you can get at this time of year.
To have some of it, though, you had to be at the festival on Saturday. By that evening, it was gone.
Other favourite brews of the festival include (in no particular order) the following:
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| Hot beer |
- from Muskoka Brewery—a cask-conditioned version of their Winter Beard Double-Chocolate Cranberry Stout; I even tried a hot version of this ale, which tasted like hot chocolate with a kick of rum.
- from Beau's All Natural Brewing Company—Dubbel Koyt Oatmeal Gruit, The Bog Father Imperial Gruit, Burnt Rock Vanilla Porter, and a black IPA whose name escapes me; I also had another hot beer, Butter Beer, which blended their Winterbrewed coffee ale with a concoction from the festival's president, J.P. Fournier. The result was a creamy beverage that tasted like a caramelized egg nog: delicious!
- from Cassel Brewery Company—a cask-conditioned IPA and their stout: wonderful.
- from HogsBack Brewing Company—the Aporkalypse Now Oatmeal Bacon Stout (which sold out on Saturday) and their Full Monty English Brown Ale.
- from Ashton Brewing Company—a beautiful coffee porter.
- from Spearhead Brewing Company—a Belgian stout that I will review when I get my hands on it again.
Am I missing anybody? Probably. As the event's official photographer, I wandered up and down the blocks of Sparks Street between Elgin and O'Connor for more than eight hours on Saturday and about five or six hours on Sunday. I passed all the tents and stopped at practically every single one. But I took no notes; I only locked the ones that blew me away in my head.
J.P. can feel proud that he did Ottawa proud with this Winterlude event. Ottawans can rest assured that their city has a seemingly insatiable love for craft beer.
A love that shows that it pays to get to an event early.
Just a friendly reminder: if any vendors are interested in using any of my photos, please contact me. The photos are my property and require permission to be used. Thanks.
Gruit: it sounds like "fruit" but with a G.
While the name might not sound pleasing to the hear, gruit is actually quite nice. It's a mixture of herbs that is added to beer to provide flavour and was used more commonly before hops were introduced to the beer-making process. Ivy, heather, juniper, and ginger are just some of the herbs that were traditionally added for flavouring.
A couple of weeks ago, I tried some Scottish ales that used such herbs, and they were delicious.
The first time I learned of and tried a gruit ale was more than a year ago, when I reviewed a wonderful brew called Bog Water from Beau's All Natural Brewing Company. I wasn't giving beer any ratings back then, but that gruit, which uses sweet gale, a wild bog myrtle, that grows naturally near the brewery, would have rated between 4 and 5 out of 5.
It was that good.
This year, for its feBREWary celebrations, Beau's started off with another gruit.
Oiseau de Nuit Pumpkin Gruit
Beau's All Natural Brewing Company
Vankleek Hill, ON
5.1% ABV
Beer O'Clock rating: 4/5
Colour: clear, deep apricot, copper; a white head that dissipates quickly
Nose: ginger, buckwheat honey, clove, light pumpkin
Taste: mild hops, light spice, light finish
Overall notes: this is an easy-drinking ale that I could sip all afternoon long. I had the pleasure of enjoying it on International Gruit Day, on Friday. I'm glad I didn't wait. But I would have liked to have tasted a little more body on this ale, a little more pumpkin. I loved Bog Water and I especially loved the Weiss O'Lantern Pumpkin Wheat Ale. I was hoping for a blend of the two: this fell slightly short.
Because Beau's is planning a series of one-offs for this month, get to a pub to try some of the Pumpkin Gruit before it's gone. Beau's Web site provides a list of establishments that carries these beers.
Cheers!
