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!
I have always liked the beers that have come from Delaware brewery, Dogfish Head, and because they're not readily available in Ontario, I always keep my eyes open for the easy-to-recognize logo.
When I was on a recent trip to New York City, I was pleasantly surprised to see a wide selection of Dogfish Head beers at Eataly, in the Flatiron district. I saw my favourite 90-Minute IPA and the 60-Minute IPA, but I wanted to go with something different. A fella could go nuts, trying to find just the right beer to bring home, and I sought serenity in finding something unique.
I found it.
Namaste (4.8% ABV)
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Milton, DE, U.S.A.
Appearance: a pale golden, effervescent colour (like ginger ale) with a foamy, pure-white head that stays thick for most of the pour, settling to a solid cap.
Nose: hints of ginger, grass, and citrus.
Palate: herbal with slight citrus notes. A light body with a balanced, spiced finish. The bottle states that Namaste is brewed with orange slices, but the citrus is not distinct; there is lemongrass, coriander, and peppercorn, but the coriander is so subtle that I could not taste it and the peppercorn was not strong, either.
Overall impression: while this witbier has a fresh taste in the initial mouth feel, as the aftertaste lingers, the grassiness becomes reminiscent of lower-quality, mass-produced ales, like Molson Canadian. A tough criticism from me, who would rather drink a gallon-sized kale kefir smoothie than take a sip of a Molson product. I think that the lemongrass and coriander blend in a way that comes out simply as grass.
My impressions leave me at odds. I like Dogfish Head a lot, love their hoppy and interesting flavours. With Namaste, I enjoy the aromas and initial flavours, but I don't like the aftertaste and I'm not inclined to drink more than one bottle in a sitting. But I will drink the other bottles in my six pack, eventually.
Namaste was worth a try but, given the myriad offerings by this brewery, I think I would choose something else next time.
Beer O'Clock rating: 2.5
Namaste... err, 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!
