I almost had a panic attack, last night.
I was starting up my computer, ready to sit down and write this post, when the unthinkable happened: I couldn't find my notebook.
It's a simple notebook, with a hard, brown cover. The inside pages are blank, unlined. The only thing in this book are the notes that I have taken with the beers that I have consumed, with the intention of reviewing them. Everything that has been written for the past year in this blog is contained within the opening pages.
And I misplaced the book.
I ran around the house, looking in every place that I would possibly put this book, without success. And I was freaking out: sure, I could write future reviews in any old book, but I had reviews in this book that I haven't yet published.
And today's review was important.
I found the book, eventually, near the computer, tucked behind the monitor. I must have tucked it there earlier, when I was working from home, with my office laptop stacked on my personal one, and I had made room for office notes.
I'm so glad that I found these notes, because recreating them would have meant that I would have to replace the beer that I had consumed and start from scratch. Not that that would have been so bad: I could easily drink this beer again.
But it was just over a year ago that I first reviewed this Ottawa brewery, and now that these brewers have just surpassed their one-year anniversary in Ottawa, I wanted to pay tribute to them again.
With Bicycle Craft Brewery's first anniversary, I have seen Fariborz Behzadi and his wife, Laura, grow this excellent brew house to the success that it is today, with their five mainstay brews and their countless seasonals and one-offs. While I was sorry to miss their anniversary party, I was lucky enough to try five recent seasonals.
All of them were excellent: two of them, Isidore's Harvest Ale and Pumpkin Spice Ale, I enjoyed last year and was keen to have them again. The Pumpkin Spice Ale is the best in the city, and is the only pumpkin ale that I'm going to drink this season (I've reviewed too many over the past couple of years and am pumpkinned out, except for this one).
One nice fruit ale that came out this season was Edgewood Avenue. I enjoyed it the day after my Thanksgiving feast, with a cold turkey sandwich, and it was a marriage made in heaven, with the nice malt and slightly tart fruit, mixed with the poultry and stuffing (yes, I put stuffing in my turkey sandwich!). Yum!
On The Lam was released at the anniversary party, and is a delicious IPA that does not overpower the bitter taste sensors, but provides a great balance of hops and citrus. It's an ale that I could drink all day long—a half-growler was not enough.
But my favourite of their seasonal ales is the one that I will focus on for this review, and now that I've found my notes, let's get to it.
City Hops (4.9% ABV)
Bicycle Craft Brewery
Ottawa ON
Appearance: dried apricot, with good effervescence; a creamy, off-white head that stays to a thick, solid cap.
Nose: mild, citrus hops; slightly herbal.
Palate: slightly tart with grassy notes that grow to fully bitter hops and a full finish.
Overall impression: this ale got better and better with each sip, and it started off great. It's an ale that needs to open up and when it does, it's brilliant.
I didn't need my notes to remember that this harvest ale needs to be snapped up while it's available (please say it's still available, Fariborz and Laura!).
Beer O'Clock rating: 4
Grab the other seasonals while they last, too, and wish the folks at Bicycle Craft a happy first anniversary, with many more ahead.
Cheers!
Patio season has been open for more than a month, now, and yet I have only been on a patio once. I'm still looking to put together a list of the best patios in Ottawa, so I had better get out there and start using them.
I have, however, sat on my front porch, enjoying the setting sun, watching the bees in the garden and the kids playing out in our circle. My porch is great: set back from the garage, I'm hidden from cars that approach our cul-de-sac but I have an unobstructed view of the houses and people in our quiet suburban circle. And I can watch the setting sun.
It was a comfortably cool evening on Tuesday and I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to try the latest seasonal by Ottawa craft brewers, Bicycle. It had been a couple of seasons since I dropped in on brewers Fariborz and Laura, and it was high time that I paid a visit.
I'm glad I did.
Recumbent Raspberry (4.6% ABV)
Bicycle Craft Brewery
Ottawa ON
Appearance: a murky peach-orange with good effervescence, considering it came in a growler; a foamy white heat that picks up a pinkish hue and settles to a dense lace.
Nose: lush raspberries, light malt, and a hint of candied fruit.
Palate: tart raspberries with a nice balance between the fruit and hops (19 IBU) and a slightly sour finish.
Overall impression: I used to not be a fan of wheat ales, but it is just such a witbier that is bringing me around on the style. Well-balanced, fresh fruit flavours (although, these raspberries came from California), and a lingering finish—though I don't really care for sour beer—make this a very nice summer ale.
And, while I detected some sourness at first, as I drank more, the sourness mellowed and came across as more like tart raspberry, which is what I wanted.
The raspberry is an absolutely authentic flavour, so much so that I could actually believe that I was eating raw, fresh-grown raspberries while sipping this refreshing ale. There is no sweetness to this beer, just intense raspberry flavour.
And that's a very good thing.
I enjoyed drinking this beer, and enjoyed it all the more that I was having it outdoors, on my porch, with my cat for company.
Beer O'Clock rating: 3.5
Now that we're in the right season for drinking outdoors, do yourself a favour: pick up a growler of Recumbent Raspberries, sit out on your patio or front steps, and enjoy.
Cheers!
Ottawa's beer scene is thriving: sometimes, it's hard to keep count.
To date, I've counted about 18 breweries in the Ottawa region, from Pembroke in the west to Vankleek Hill in the east and from Gatineau to Merrickville—north to south, respectively.
It's a good thing we craft-beer lovers are so darned thirsty. There still seems to be plenty of room on our palates.
Enter the latest brewery to hit Ottawa, and I have two reasons to love them: one, they make good beer; two, the brewery is owned by cycling enthusiasts.
Bicycle Craft Brewery (12-850 Industrial Avenue) has been open for only two weeks, and seems to have both wheels firmly on the ground. Owners Fariborz Behzadi and his wife, Laura, took their love of travel to explore the world of craft beer, and they recently moved to Ottawa to make the capital richer with the knowledge that they gained.
The brewery currently offers four staples and two seasonals. While I visited their brewery a day early of their latest seasonal, a pumpkin ale, I did have the opportunity to try everything else. Some, I loved, others I liked. One, I did not care for.
Here's a quick rundown of my findings:
Isodore's Harvest Ale (4.9% ABV, 42 IBU)
I loved the richness of aroma on the nose and the balance of hops and malt in the body. This is a great autumn ale and my only regret is that I didn't leave the brewery with a growler of the stuff. It was my second-favourite beer that the brewery offers.
My Beer O'Clock rating: 4
Belle River Blonde (4.7% ABV, 22 IBU)
This is a light and refreshing ale, and while I myself don't care for this style of beer, I have to say that I appreciated it for what it was. If you like blonde ales, this is definitely one to try.
My Beer O'Clock rating: 3
Base Camp Oatmeal Porter (5.1% ABV, 30 IBU)
I liked this porter so much I brought some home to give a proper review, so let's do it:
Appearance: dark walnut to black, with red highlights and a creamy taupe head.
Nose: rich espresso coffee and tobacco.
Palate: dark-roasted coffee and cedar, with a higher bitterness than the IBUs would suggest. It all mellows in a medium-bodied finish.
Overall impression: while I don't get the relationship between this porter's name and cycling (sounds like a name that I'd associate with mountain climbing or hiking), I do get the easy-drinkingness (new word) of this porter. The flavours come off immediately as bold but then mellow out to an intensity that I associate with a classic porter—that is, not overpowering. This is a great ale.
My Beer O'Clock rating: 3.5
Abyss Chocolate Stout (5.7% ABV, 31 IBU)
When I learned that this brewery's pumpkin ale wasn't available on the day that I planned to visit, I was tempted to go to the LCBO to pick up my weekend beer. But when I learned that they made a chocolate stout, I had a change of heart. Stouts are my favourite beer style: chocolate is an added bonus.
One of the things that I noticed straight away, when Fariborz poured me a sample, was that the stout appeared to be flat. Had the half-growler been open a long time, I asked? No, was the answer: this stout was made with little carbonation by design, Fariborz told me.
That was a shame. I found that the stout was not only flat in the glass, it felt lifeless in my mouth. While there were still good flavours of malt and chocolate, I feel that carbonation helps a stout feel creamier in the mouth, and I missed that in my sample.
I did not care for that design. Had the stout been infused with gas, I feel it had the potential to be so much better.
My Beer O'Clock rating: 2
Velocipede India Pale Ale (6% ABV, 70 IBU)
Of the brews that were available, this IPA, by far, was my favourite. Like the porter, I brought some home to conduct a full review (oh, what I do for my readers).
Appearance: an unfiltered, deep caramel, with a creamy beige head that had an orange tint.
Nose: orange citrus and lush hops.
Palate: creamy orange, almost like a Creamsicle from my childhood, but without any sweetness. There is rich fruit with intense hops that balance beautifully. There is bitterness without having that teabag feeling on the roof of your mouth. The long finish is incredibly satisfying.
Overall impression: this IPA is a definite keeper and should be Bicycle Craft Brewery's flagship ale. As a direct appeal to Fariborz and Laura—change nothing about this beer: it's a gem.
My Beer O'Clock rating: 5
Bicycle Craft Brewery is a welcome addition to the Ottawa brewing community. For myself, I especially like that they are well-situated (not exactly in my end of town, but not much of a detour from my commute between work and home). I am excited to try the pumpkin ale and I look forward to watching Fariborz and Laura grow their business.
Cheers!
