Tooth and Nail

It seems that every couple of months, a new brewery opens up in Ottawa. And while I make every effort to get to all of them, it's not always easy. Some are off the beaten path. Others are nowhere near my route to and from work, or near places I tend to frequent.

Not so with our city's newest brew house. It's in Hintonburg, so it's not too far off from one of my routes to the office. It's also in a neighbourhood where I sometimes meet friends for Thursday Pints, and I think we should make this place one of our venues.

Tooth and Nail Brewing Company opened its doors just over a month ago, and already it's creating a buzz on the Ottawa beer scene. Located on Irving Avenue, just off of Wellington, the brewery has a long, inviting tasting bar, a few tables, and a friendly atmosphere. They are licensed to sell beer by the pint, as well as samplers.

You can also take some of their beer home, in cans. When I was there, last week, small cans of their stout and pilsner were available, plus they could fill and seal a monster can of their Belgian session ale, nearly one litre!

I decided to stay and try a sampler of all of their offerings: six 5-oz glasses. I took my time, enjoyed each in due course. I did swap the order of the last two ales—the stout and the IPA—and I'm glad I did. With the bold flavours and hops of the IPA, you want to drink it last.

Here, with a brief description, is each:

Housewarmer Multigrain Ale (5.1% ABV)

Appearance: pale straw.
Nose: wheat, like fresh-baked bread.
Palate: light body with a flavour that I can best describe as marshmallow. A good, clean finish.
Overall impression: this reminded me somewhat of Beau's Lug Tread, but with finer flavours. This ale is a collaboration with Beau's, so I did expect some influence from the Vankleek Hill brewery.
Beer O'Clock rating: 3

Stamina Belgian Session Ale (5.2% ABV)

Appearance: an unfiltered gold.
Nose: slight ginger spice and candied fruit.
Palate: more spice and alcohol but well-balanced.
Overall impression: this ale has a nice body that holds up well from start to finish. It was one of my favourite of the bunch (hence the monster can that I took home).
Beer O'Clock rating: 3.5

Vim & Vigor Unfiltered Pilsner (5.2% ABV)

Appearance: light gold.
Nose: I found no bouquet. It held its aroma close to its chest.
Palate: toasted hops and warm malt, with a good finish.
Overall impression: I'm not generally a fan of pilsners, but I did like this one. It's well-balanced with a good body and a nice finish. I would drink it again.
Beer O'Clock rating: 3

Tenacity Pale Ale (5.8% ABV)

Appearance: a clear, warm gold to amber.
Nose: grapefruit.
Palate: orange citrus and light hops, with a lightly bitter finish.
Overall impression: I felt somewhat disappointed by this pale ale. I anticipated great flavour with the grapefruit aroma and orange taste, but it seemed to fall away, with little hops. I wanted more on that front.
Beer O'Clock rating: 2.5

Fortitude Stout (5.3% ABV)

Appearance: brown with red highlights (similar to root beer).
Nose: coffee and cocoa.
Palate: dark chocolate and espresso, with toasted malt.
Overall impression: this is a very good stout—one that I could drink all night long. I brought four cans home but I fear that's not enough. This was my favourite pour of the lot.
Beer O'Clock rating: 4

Rabble Rouser IPA (6.8% ABV)

Appearance: a clear, deep gold.
Nose: this ale, like the Vim & Vigor, gave me no aromas.
Palate: burnt caramel and orange, with big hops and a lingering finish.
Overall impression: I'm glad I saved this IPA for last. With its bold, delicious flavours and long finish, I could taste this ale long after I finished the sampler. I was disappointed that it wasn't available in cans, because I would have liked to stock my cellar with it.
Beer O'Clock rating: 3.5

If this is how Tooth and Nail starts, I'm very excited to see how the brewers do once they get their groove and settle into the community. If you haven't been to see them, do yourself a favour and go. You can also follow them on Facebook.

Cheers!

Who Doesn't Like a Redhead on a Bicycle?

As the summer comes to a close, I reflect on the beer I enjoyed this season and will miss with a strong fondness.

As much as I love stouts and IPAs, sometimes I find them a little much on a really hot day. And while I tend to shy away from lighter-bodied beer, I couldn't help but be drawn to a few.

Surprisingly, my favourite beer of this summer was a Belgian-style witbier from a British Columbia brewery.

Central City Brewing Company, from Surrey, launched a summer six-pack sampler of three of the beers from its Red Racer series. Packaged in cans that feature a sultry, long-legged redhead who is riding a bicycle, it was hard not to be drawn to the beer.

Who doesn't like a redhead on a bicycle? But it's always what's inside that counts, and I was determined to discover the liquid in the can.

Red Racer White Ale (5% ABV)
Central City Brewing Co.
Surrey, BC
Beer O'Clock rating: 5

Appearance: a murky, lemon-yellow with a frothy-white head that settles down to a foamy cap.

Nose: candied citrus—lemon and blood orange.

Palate: fresh lemon and caramel with a creamy finish.

Overall opinion: this is the very definition of a summer beer. I drank many cans of this witbier over the summer, especially outdoors (on my front steps, at cottages). When I considered packing beer for my canoe vacation, this was the ale that I wanted to take.

It's a great cottage-party ale that will be missed when the summer is gone.

The Red Racer White Ale is not the only offering in Central City's summer pack. The other two samples are also worth examining.

Red Racer Pilsner (5% ABV)
Beer O'Clock rating: 3

Appearance: deep gold and crystal-clear, with a white foam head that settles to a thin cap.

Nose: malt and honey.

Palate: grassy hops that come to a light, clean finish.

Overall impression: somewhere along the road, I lost my taste for pilsners, but I found Red Racer's offering to be easy-drinking and well-balanced. Although it was always the last can that I pulled from the six-pack, I never pulled the can out with reluctance and I would easily drink it again. If you're a pilsner lover, you will love this beer.

Red Racer Pale Ale (5% ABV)
Beer O'Clock rating: 3.5

Appearance: deep apricot with a thick, creamy, off-white head.

Nose: honey dew and oranges.

Palate: orange and grapefruit; assertive, but not overbearing hops, and a nice malt finish.

Overall impression: this is a very pleasant pale ale that has a classic taste; that is, it's not crazy-bitter.

For someone who may want to ease into bold, bitter IPAs or APAs, without being scared off, this is the one pale ale that I would recommend for dipping your tongue into.

It's been a couple of weeks since I picked up a Red Racer Summer Sampler, and I'm hoping that the LCBO still has some. If it does, I recommend that you stock up: summer's almost over and it may be a while until we see that red-headed biker again.

Cheers!