When the weather starts to cool, as fall is in full swing, the last thing I want to drink is a light beer, like a wheat ale or saison. At this time of year, I prefer something full-bodied.
Mill Street has released an autumn sampler, which includes some of my favourite of their beers: Tankhouse Ale, Cobblestone Stout, and Vanilla Porter. It also includes an old English-styled ale, Distillery, and one of their oldest brews, the Organic Lager.
But one beer that comes in the six pack, a beer that I truly wish came in a six pack of its own, is a wonderful German-styled bock that is perfect for the season.
Weizenbock (7.5% ABV)
Mill Street Brewery
Toronto ON
Beer O'Clock rating: 4
Appearance: an unfiltered, murky toffee with a taupe head that settles almost immediately to a fine lace.
Nose: malt, yeast, and a distinct banana-walnut bread.
Palate: bananas, raisins, and burnt caramel, that come to a finish that leaves you feeling warm all over.
Overall impression: I love this beer. There is lots of body, lots of flavour, and is well-balanced. It drinks very well on its own or with a meal: the first time I tried this bock was at the last Brewmaster's Dinner at Mill Street, and it was perfectly paired with a roasted leg of lamb. But I've also enjoyed it with a beef burger too.
You can find Weizenbock in the latest Seasonal Sampler, available at the LCBO, or you can also get it on tap at the Mill Street Brew Pubs in Ottawa and Toronto. It's also available at select pubs that specialize in craft beers. Check your local watering hole: if it doesn't have it on tap, you're not going to the right places.
I find that the draft version of Weizenbock to be a bit creamier, and rate it at 4.5. But either on tap or in a bottle, it's a beer that's not to be missed.
Cheers!
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!
I don't often go on road trips with beer in mind: beer just comes along inevitably.
But this weekend, I went to New York City to spend some time with friends and to search for some good beer—beer that I typically can't find in Ottawa.
And I hit pay dirt. In the two-and-a-half days that I was away, I visited three craft breweries and sampled 15 different beers. That's not saying how many glasses of beer I drank: what happens in New York, stays in New York!
On my first night, I devoted my time to my friends, so even though we went to a restaurant and then to a basement pub, where the beer was aplenty, I only made mental notes of the ales I tried: no written notes.
Of the four beers I drank that night, one stood out: Racer 5 India Pale Ale, from California brewery, Bear Republic. It was a wonderfully citric and hoppy IPA, the kind that gets me remembering the taste days later, and craving more. I looked for it in the beer section of Whole Foods, but sadly I found none.
On Saturday, I had a couple of breweries in mind, and so my buddy, Stuart, and I ventured to one for lunch. I'll review that brew pub today: the other, I'll talk about in the next day or two.
The first brewery we hit was the Heartland Brewery, near Union Square (across from the market). This two-story establishment is only one of the seven locations for the pub. I'm not sure if all locations boast breweries, but the Union Square location certainly did. Originally, I had wanted to visit the South Street Seaport location, but according to their Web site, it's closed due to Hurricane Sandy.
Stu and I were seated on the upper level, which looked down towards the main-floor bar and the brewing facilities. The pub was smartly decorated and gave the feeling of a warm and inviting setting.
I ordered the six-glass sampler of their regular lineup, preferring to leave their seasonals and special beers for another visit (yes, I decided before I tried any of their beer that I would probably return). And, after trying the sampler and eating their food (the pumpkin and sage ravioli was incredible), I know I will be back.
Here's the lineup of samplers, in the recommended tasting order:
Harvest Wheat Beer (5.0 % ABV)
- Appearance: a slightly hazy, deep gold with a white, foamy head that slowly dissipated to a solid cap.
- Nose: closed, not much was offered (possibly, too cold?).
- Palate: definite oranges and grass, with a nice, delicately hopped finish.
- Overall impression: this was a great start to the tasting. This ale is light and fresh but has good, solid flavours.
- Beer O'Clock rating: 3
Cornhusker Lager (5.0 % ABV)
- Appearance: a clear version of the Indian River (the colour and the head).
- Nose: again, the aromas seemed closed, perhaps due to the cool temperature of the sample. Eventually, the bouquet released hints of citrus and grass.
- Palate: my mouth felt as though I had filled it with a Molson or Labatt product. Images of university campus beer halls filled my head as I struggled to swallow it. The finish left me with intense, grassy malts.
- Overall impression: I didn't like this one at all. After my first sip, I put the glass down and never touched it again.
- Beer O'Clock rating: 1.5
Indian River Light Ale (3.9 % ABV)
- Appearance: a cloudy, golden yellow with a white, lacy head. Served with a lemon wedge.
- Nose: creamy citrus.
- Palate: the initial flavours
are of a lemon creamcicle, with wheat on the tongue and light malts that
culminate in a short finish of cilantro.
- Overall impression: this was a
nice palate-cleansing beer that was nice to have at the midpoint of the
tasting, so that my taste buds could make way for the heavy-hitter
beers.
- Beer O'Clock rating: 2.5
Red Rooster Ale (5.5% ABV)
- Appearance: a murky toffee-brown with a light taupe head that dissipated to a fine lace.
- Nose: once again, the nose offered little. I would suggest that the pub not serve its ales so cold.
- Palate: burnt caramel, rich malt, and hints of an espresso roast in the finish, which is nice but I found that it dropped off a little too quickly.
- Overall impression: this is a nice, rich, well-balanced ale that I could easily drink again.
- Beer O'Clock rating: 3
Indiana Pale Ale (5.9% ABV)
- Appearance: an unfiltered, deep gold.
- Nose: grapefruit rind and strong hops. This was better.
- Palate: tea-like tannins and intense hops, though not as intense as some Ontario IPAs like Mad Tom or Hoptical Illusion. And lots of grapefruit.
- Overall impression: this is a classic IPA. I'd drink this ale any day.
- Beer O'Clock rating: 3.5
Farmer Jon's Oatmeal Stout (6.0% ABV)
- Appearance: a clear mahogany brown with red highlights, and a taupe head that dissipated quickly.
- Nose: roasted malt, coffee, and a hint of chocolate.
- Palate: a creamy chocolate with coffee and a mild, malty finish that not only drops of quickly, but leaves a watery feeling in the mouth.
- Overall impression: while this is a beautiful stout, it could have been perfect if not for the watery finish. Typically, a beer will leave me wanting to taste more; this one left nothing behind. Still, I really enjoyed the intense flavours at the start and the aromas.
- Beer O'Clock rating: 4
This was a nice overall offering from Heartland. I really loved the stout and IPA, and the red was worth having another pint at a future visit. I would, however, suggest a change to the tasting order: instead of moving through the lineup from lightest to darkest colours, and lowest to highest alcohol content, I would recommend that Heartland place the IPA at the end. The flavours are so intense that they may have interfered with my tasting of the stout. An intense flavour should go last.
I'm definitely going to return to Heartland in the future, possibly trying out their other locations. If you're in NYC, give them a try for yourself.
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!
Ottawa has a new brew pub in town, and after giving them a chance to settle in, I paid them a visit.
The new pub is not a new brewery. Founded in 1986 in France, les 3 Brasseurs has expanded in Europe and has made its way to Québec and Ontario. It's newest location is at Bank and Sparks, in the 240 Sparks building.
My first experience with The 3 Brewers, as they are known to les anglophones, was last summer in Old Montreal. And, I have to admit, I left the brew pub less than satisfied. The beer was okay, the food was so-so, and the service was downright awful. I left the Rue St.Paul location thinking I would never try them again.
But here we are in Ottawa, and I decided to give them another chance. The location is great, with large, floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides of the pub, with some glass looking into the mall. The pub is spacious, clean, and takes up two floors. Copper kettles and fermentation tanks are in several locations and are exposed to the patrons. The main-floor bar, where I sat, is huge and offers 12 taps.
Although, when I was there, only six brews were available.
When I visited the Montreal brew pub, I tried only the brown. I remember it being good, but not extraordinary. It was on tap at the Ottawa pub, so I ordered the six samplers. I wanted to refresh my memory of the brown and compare it with the remaining five ales.
The sampler consisted of four regular beers: the Blond, Amber, White, and Brown. A beer of the month, a special brew for the new pub, a Wit-style ale aptly called 240 Sparks was the fifth offering, and the final beer was a seasonal called The Winter Warmer.
Each of the beers offered a unique taste to its style, but when it came down to it I found that I only liked one of the beers. Most of them rated a 2 on my scale. They weren't to my liking, but if you like that style you should try them out for yourself.
I didn't like the seasonal at all. The colour was a deep copper with hints of red. The nose was closed and offered little more than traces of wood. On first sip, I was immediately hit with the 9-percent alcohol, and then I detected what I could only describe as pine resin. The Winter Warmer finishes like medicine. My rating: 1.
But there was one ale that I truly enjoyed and even ordered a full pint, and then another half-pint.
The winner of the evening was the beer of the month, the 240 Sparks.
I enjoy unusual ales, and this one was definitely not your ordinary brew. With creamy orange, murky colour and a white head, you could look at my glass and believe I was drinking orange juice. Seriously. But this was not orange juice. The nose presented distinct notes of grapefruit and intense spruce. Grapefruit carried through in the mouth and blended with a good balance of hops and a nice, lingering finish. The alcohol (6% ABV) did not come through in the flavours, which makes me think that this would be a dangerous beverage on a hot summer day. It made me long for patio season (especially since I was there on a frigid winter's night).
My rating for 240 Sparks: 4 out of 5. I hope they bring this beer back, because January is almost over.
While I didn't eat during my stay, my friend ordered the fish and chips, which smelled great and was endorsed by my buddy. Another gentleman ordered a cheeseburger with crispy, fried onions, and it made my mouth drool. The unnamed eater gave it his thumbs up.
And apart from the manager, who was initially surly with me (I asked permission before I came behind the bar to photograph the taps!), the service was prompt and friendly.
So I will return to The 3 Brewers. Check them out for yourselves, and make sure you get some of the beer of the month before it's gone.
