Block Three

There's a new brewery in St. Jacobs called Block Three and, well, it's pretty fantastic.

Admittedly, I've only had one beer there, the King Street Saison. It was quite tasty. I am eager to try the Sugar Bush Brown.

But, here is the problem (and I hate to say there is a problem). They keep running out of beer!

They do make things in small batches, which is part of the problem. They're in a tourist town and there's lots of interest in craft beer, so it's not a surprise people are checking them out.

I can't wait for them to expand so they don't run out anymore!

Still, if you're in St. Jacobs, you'll want to stop by (if they're open) and pick up a little something (if you can).

Mill Street's new beer hall

Jeff and I met up with some friends at Mill Street's new beer hall in the Distillery District in Toronto.

It was meh.

The food was still the same, the beer the usual Mill Street offerings.

I ordered the coffee porter bierschnaps, knowing full well what I was trying, but the waiter was a bit condescending, asking if I really knew what I was ordering.

When it arrived, I'll admit it, it was strong. Too strong for me. I remembered Jeff talking about schnapps in Germany and how it was delicious and smooth. I thought this would be similar.

Now, Jeff also likes Scotch, which I do not, so perhaps our opinions of "delicious and smooth" differ wildly.

But after Jeff tried it, even he said it wasn't even close to anything he'd had in Germany. He did, however, purchase a bottle of the Tankhouse bierschnaps, which has been in our freezer ever since.

(He saw me blogging so he went to try some. He said it wasn't as "offensive" as the coffee porter one I had, but it still "smells like dirty tequila ... the smell is just bad. Why would you ever drink this instead of scotch?" Then as he finished it, he said, "Blech, yeah, that's not good." So, not a homerun.)

If you like Mill Street, you'll probably enjoy the new beer hall (which is attached to their regular restaurant). And you'll probably try the bierschnaps because, hey, it's new and different and you should at least try it for yourself.

But for us, I think Mill Street will be an OK place to meet up with people if we happen to be at the Distillery District, but there are so many other places to get wonderful beer in Toronto, we won't make a trip specifically to go to Mill Street. And if we're there, we'll probably try to eat elsewhere.

BTW, if you haven't read it, check out this Toronto Star review of the beer hall (spoiler: it's not favourable). But Jeff tells me I should point out they have made some changes since that review.

BTW #2 - the new Mill Street website is awful.

Atlantic Bar Harbor Real Ale

My co-worker and friend Chris was recently on his honeymoon in Maine and when he returned, he brought back some Atlantic Bar Harbor Real Ale. And because I have given him a beer once or twice, he brought a bottle in for me.

At the risk of sounding like a teenager, "O.M.G."

This beer is fantastic. I really liked it. I said to Jeff that it was like having a pop - it was smooth and just great flavours. (Jeff said it was like a "wobbly pop.")

The brewery says this was their first beer in 1991 and they wanted to make it smooth and easy-drinking. Check.

They say there are nice caramel tones. Check.

They say they wanted a balance of hops and malt. Check.

This is a beer that, if I saw it on a draft list, I wouldn't even think - I'd just order it. I'd love to have this beer again! (I'm also itching to try their Cole Porter!)

Thanks, Chris!

He's gone and done it - Jeff is brewing at home

"Most work I've ever done for 9 beers."

On Wednesday night, Jeff bottled his first batch of home brew. Here's his take on the experience.

I've been meaning to start home brewing for some time. I’ve acquired various things for my home brewery – grain mill, mash tun, some burners – but I had yet to pull the trigger on actually brewing. Kate took away my excuses by buying me an all-grain home brew kit from Brooklyn Brew Shop. The kit promises to contain pretty much everything you need to make a 1 gallon batch in your kitchen. It was the last push I needed to get me to take the plunge. 

So after work, I came home and decided to start brewing in my kitchen.
I made sure to sanitize everything before I got started with the included sanitizer.
The problems started when it came time to sparge my mash. The kit had suggested that 1 pot would be fine, and a kitchen fine mesh strainer would be okay. I realized ahead of time, more than one pot was a necessity. I didn’t realize how inadequate a simple kitchen strainer was though. 

As I poured my grain and wort into my second pot with the strainer over top of it, I quickly overfilled the strainer. It was filled as high as it was deep. It was like a sphere of wet grain. Grain was spilling into the wort and I still had more grain left to dump.
I realized that this wasn’t going to work so I went downstairs to grab my mash tun – which was unassembled and completely oversized for a 1 gallon batch. I quickly put it together and got ready to rinse it out. Unfortunately I didn’t see that I had neglected to plug one of the outlets. So when I went to rinse, water went all over the floor. 

Fixed that and then transferred over (the now cooling for 20 minutes) grain. I poured in my wort and my sparge water. I went to open the effluent valve and nothing came out. Great. Stuck sparge. I closed back up the effluent valve and hoped that it was only the fitting on the exit side of the valve that was clogged. I removed that and reopened the valve. Out comes my wort. 

I noticed though as the wort was coming out of my mash tun, a lot more than zero grain was coming with it. So on the second pass, I used that kitchen strainer as a secondary filter on the wort. That seemed to work alright. 

Now it was on to the boil. The kit instructions had suggested a 6 qt pot to do the boil. I thought that was on the small side and was going to use an 8 qt pot. However once it started getting up to boil, I realized that the pot was not going to prevent boil over. I quickly found an even bigger pot and transferred the wort to there – now to get it back to boil. 

I’m guessing the cooling between the mash cook and the sparge isn’t going to help the beer and neither is the transfer between vessels during the boil. 

The hopping went down without issue. Finally, something was working. 

He built an immersion wort chiller.

The cold break after the boil though was a different story. I had a cooler full of ice to drop the boil pot into and hoped that would cool it quickly enough (would have been nice to have an immersion chiller). I went to add some water to the cooler to improve the heat transfer from the kettle and somehow that caused the plug on the cooler to open and now more water was on the floor. Cleaned that up and went back to chilling my wort. It wasn’t an ideal setup by any means – and it took almost 20 minutes to drop to under 70F. 

The big step was filling my fermenter. I had Kate help at this point because I knew juggling the carboy, the funnel, the strainer and the pot of soon-to-be-beer would be too much. Kate handled the funnel, strainer and carboy. I took the pot. I completely underestimated how much sludge from the hops would come pouring out. It quickly clogged the strainer and then the wort was spilling on to the floor. Huge mess. It leaves floors very sticky. After that it was just a matter of pitching my yeast and aerating the beer with some shakes of the carboy. 

Now the beer is sitting in my basement. Hopefully it’s cold enough – but not too cold. Hopefully it’s dark enough. Hopefully everything was properly sanitized. Hopefully the yeast is active and has plenty of sugars to eat. I guess I’ll find out soon enough if I made drinkable beer, or a gallon of drain pour. 

Still, it was fun. And I think I learned a lot of lessons for the next time.

Mad and Noisy Brewing's Hops and Bolts India Pale Lager

Part of Creemore Springs' Craft Beer Exploration, Mad and Noisy Brewing's Hops and Bolts India Pale Lager is described as a Czech twist on an English IPA.

Jeff said it poured a nice copper colour with a decent head that sticks around - leaving a 1 cm head until the end of the pint.

"The smell is definitely citrusy, but there's something else there as well - like, white wine<' Jeff said.

The hops are a different taste - there's almost more herbal hop notes, "I guess to reflect the lager side of things?"

There's bitterness and the finish is dry, "almost too astringent. It's interesting, but in an evening, I'd probably only have the one."

Shawinigan Handshake

Happy Canada Day, everyone!

Hopefully you're all enjoying a fantastic craft beer to celebrate. We were at a BBQ yesterday and I enjoyed a Grand River Tailset ginger ale, myself. So good.

Jeff was a sweetheart and bought me a beer recently because he knew I'd like the name.

Quebec brewery Le Trou du Diable has given us the Shawinigan Handshake - a wheat beer with former prime minister Jean Chretien on the label.

Jeff knows I've always liked Chretien. I can't really explain why, but I liked that he didn't take shit from anybody - including protesters.

The beer apparently got approval from Chretien himself (another reason to like him, even if you're not a Liberal), although the label on the brewer's website has him choking Don Cherry. The label I got has him choking the devil (perhaps to bring more attention to the brewery - which translates to the Devil's Hole).

Isaac Tremblay, co-owner of the brewery, told the Toronto Star it's not a political label.

"It's about having a great person from Shawinigan who always kept Shawinigan in his heart," Tremblay said. "Jean Chretien is also a person with a keen sense of humour and a person that is very fun to have a beer with."

Now, as for the beer - it unfortunately was not for me. I like my beers malty and this one was a touch too hoppy for me. That said - Jeff was a big fan of it and ended up drinking it. He said it tasted "like a Quebec beer," and he really liked it.

Black Oak 10 Bitter Years

Black Oak 10 Bitter Years Imperial IPA
8% abv.

On a few trips into Toronto, Jeff and I would stop at the Black Oak brewery to grab some beers and Jeff really liked the 10 Bitter Years Imperial IPA. But it's been a while.

"I haven't had this in a couple of years," Jeff said after cracking open a new bottle. "I was excited to see if it was as good as I remembered when I heard it was coming to the LCBO.

"It still has that punchy citrus hops in the smell with a hint of sweetness. The taste is great, tonnes of pine and citrus hops. The bitterness is in balance with the caramel sweetness of the malt," Jeff said.

"I think it's incredibly drinkable and it's my favourite from Black Oak."

Taste Real - small, but good

Jeff and I took our 9-month-old out to Ignatius Jesuit Centre on the weekend for the Taste Real festival, which highlights local food. This year, they had beer! (Perhaps no coincidence, this was the first year we've gone to the Taste Real festival).

There were supposed to be five breweries, but only four showed up: Spearhead, Grand River, F&M and Wellington. (Neustadt, where were you guys? You were on the list!)

I got the three sample bracelet, Jeff got the seven sample one and away we went. My first stop was actually at Spirit Tree Cidery from Caledon. While not a beer, I must say, these folks make a mighty fine cider. Jeff had the pub-style one and I had the Apelager. It was so good.

"This could be dangerous," I said to Jeff.

"Not likely. It's only 3%," he told me.

Oh well - it was still very tasty and didn't at all taste like there was even 3% alcohol in it.

We popped over to Wellington where they had their collaboration brew with F&M, Happy Pappy. It was made, not surprisingly, for Father's Day. It's a golden ale and while I've not always been a fan of Wellington's one-offs, this collaboration was really quite good. I liked it a lot, Jeff said it was "OK." He would have preferred it if the beer had been colder (the keg was in the sun and it was hot on Sunday).

It wasn't overly hoppy (perhaps why I liked it), but as Jeff said, "there wasn't nothing there."

Happy Pappy

Tara getting me my Happy Pappy.

My third and final sample was from Grand River - they had a ginger ale. I really liked the Tailset Ginger Ale - definitely something I could see myself drinking on a patio, and it was particularly nice on a hot day. The guys said they used Verner's ginger ale as inspiration, rather than the sweeter Canada Dry.

Jeff also had the Irish Red Ale (yes, IRA) and he really liked it, saying there was a nice roastiness to it.

Jeff also made a stop at Spearhead to try their Moroccan Brown Ale. He wasn't super keen on the beer, but again, wondered if maybe it just wasn't served in the right conditions.

I was happy to see our local breweries out and I was also happy to see they had different beers than the usual ones. Hopefully next year this event can grow even more (at least the beer part).

Wellington Shangri-La IPA

Having not tried this beer, my reaction is: Cool label! (The label was designed by local illustrator Michael Byers.)

Another Wellington one-off (gotta say, we love that this local brewery is constantly trying new things!), Shangri-La IPA is an American-style India Pale Ale.

When Jeff poured it from the can, he said there wasn't much head.

"I get some tropical fruit, pine and floral/grass scents. The hop taste is there, but it's more muted than I would like - I was hoping for much juiciness. It finishes nicely with the malt balancing the bitterness, but still allowing the hops to linger," he said.

Mikkeller The Canadian Dream

When Jeff has to travel to Denmark for work, he will search out a Mikkeller beer. So when The Canadian Dream arrived in the LCBO, he had to get it.

(OK, let's be honest, it's a new-to-the-LCBO craft beer - he would have gotten it if it wasn't Mikkeller ...)

The pilsener is renamed depending on what country it's in - in Denmark it's the Danish Dream, in the U.S., it's the American Dream. Whether the recipe varies, we're not sure.

The LCBO says it's 5.5% abv., Beer Advocate says it's 4.6%.

"The smell and taste have a lot more in common with an American IPA than a Czech pilsener. It's super hop forward and I get more pine and citrus as opposed to grassy and spicy hops," Jeff said.

"It's not bad - but I much prefer Mikkeller's Draft Bear Imperial Pilsener. Unfortunately, I've never found it outside of Denmark."

Our leader bee

The above photo is of Jeff, his sister Alison and their dad, Rick. It was taken at an Ale Trail at the Woolwich Arms in Guelph a couple of years ago.

Rick died suddenly in April.

While a loss is never easy, this one was particularly difficult because no one saw it coming, and we're still not really sure what happened.

This year is Jeff's first Father's Day as a dad himself, but it will be a bitter sweet day given he won't get to celebrate with his own dad.

Rick loved the Ale Trail, in part because I think it gave him a way to connect with his son. He and I also tended to get quite drunk at these events, which was also fun.

We'll be thinking of our Leader Bee today.

We hope when you have a beer today, you'll have some fond memories of your own father to reflect on. And if you could, say a little cheers to Rick.

Happy Father's Day, and happy start to Ontario Craft Brewing Week.

Goose Island Sofie Belgian-Style Farmhouse Ale

When Jeff and I went to Chicago a few years ago, we stopped into Goose Island one evening and really enjoyed the selection of beers they had on tap. They were clearly a brewery that enjoyed experimenting.

So Jeff was happy to see the Sofie Belgian-Style Farmhouse Ale in the LCBO recently.

"It pours a nice straw colour. The smell is fairly typical for the style: Banana, lemon and clove, and pepper. For flavours, I get honey along with grass, as well as some of the same flavours that were in the aroma," he said.

He said there's also some "alcohol burn" even though the beer is only 6.5% abv., "but it's not overly distracting."

"It's a really great beer overall," he said.

"They suggest it can be cellared for up to three years. I have one bottle left and I'll try to age it for a while - but I don't think I'll be able to hold out for three years."

It's nice to know this brewery is still producing good, craft beer, considering it was purchased in 2011 by Anheuser-Busch. Andrew Goeler, Goose Island's CEO as of Jan. 1, told Crain's Chicago Business their parent company is "letting us do our own thing ... I'm not getting directives."

The Goose Island brewpub sign.

Mmmmmm.

Alexander Keith's Cascade Hop Ale

Jeff really should trust his gut instincts.

"When I heard Alexander Keith's was trying to make a hop-forward beer, I was ready to hate it," he said.

But he was "surprised" when he cracked open the can and got a "whiff of cascade hops."

"But that quickly faded to wet cardboard," Jeff said.

"There's no hop juiciness to this at all. There's some caramel that then leads to a bitterish finish. It's watery, although less offensive than their standard IPA.

"Buying this only proves you're a glutton for punishment."

He noted he's heard Keith's Hallertauer Hop Ale offering "is better ... marginally."

Beau's Beaver River I.P.Eh?

Jeff has liked some other recent offerings from Beau's, but the Beaver River I.P.Eh? More like, "Meh."

"A little disappointed with this one," he said. "While the copper colour and big rocky head looked great, there's not much of an aroma to speak of. On an American IPA, I expect a hoppy nose and what I get with this is a mild sweetness.

"Tastewise, there's a good caramel in there, but only some subdued citrus flavour - too bad. There's some bitterness but it's not overpowering - doesn't seem like 60 IBUs.

"I think the beer is just poorly labelled - it drinks rather well, but I don't think of a big, aggressive American IPA. I think it works better as a pale ale or APA, in spite of the higher IBUs."

Bellwoods Farmhouse Saison

Bellwoods Farmhouse Saison

Jeff bought two Bellwoods Farmhouse Saison so he could keep one in the cold cellar and he got to enjoy one the other night.

"Pours a hazy straw colour with a fluffy head that lingers. There's an aroma of mild banana, pepper, clove and grains. In the taste I get the lemon in addition to the smells. There's a nice sweetness balanced with a little sour note and bitterness," he said.

"Really refreshing, lively carbonated and delicious," he said.

Kensington Watermelon Wheat

Fruit Stand Watermelon Wheat, Kensington Brewing Company
4.5 abv., 13 IBUs

What's a long weekend without beer? No fun, that's what.

We had some people over for a BBQ last night and I dove into my summer go-to beer, a six-pack of McAuslan's Apricot Wheat. It's always a great summer beer, in my opinion.

But when I saw Baker Street Station in Guelph post a photo of their current line up of beers on Facebook, and there was a Watermelon Wheat beer from Kensington Brewing Co. on there, I told Jeff I was taking him to lunch!

I really liked this beer - it definitely had a watermelon flavour, but it wasn't overpowering in any way. It was just there and it was nice. I could see myself drinking this beer on the patio for hours.

Jeff agreed.

He noted the beer had a "big foamy head and tons of carbonation. Wheat and some lemon aroma. Tastewise, things are pretty mild. The watermelon is restrained - in my opinion a good thing - and the sweetness isn't overpower," he said. "A great summer patio beer."

I couldn't agree more. I hope everyone is able to at least get outside with a good beer this weekend and relax for a bit.

Cheers to Queen Victoria!

Church-Key Holy Smoke Peat Smoked Scotch Ale

Church-Key Holy Smoke
6.2 abv.
 

When Jeff had this as his first smoked beer at the Toronto Festival of Beer (he gave it three lightening bolts) and then again at the Wooly on tap, all he could think of was smoked sausages.

Now, this beer is available in the LCBO and it's definitely unique.

"So if this is your first smoked beer, prepare yourself for something different," he said of Church-Key's Holy Smoke Peat Smoked Scotch Ale.

"Peat smoke is definitely present in the aroma. It's a little more muted in taste, where it gives way to roasted grain. I also get some brinyness - sounds weird, but somehow works nicely."

He added, "I think this works better with a meal than as a sessionable beer - like with smoked salmon or old cheddar."

St. Feuillien Grand Cru

St. Feuillien Grand Cru
9.3 abv.

The brewery says this beer has "unforgettable character."

Err, not so sure Jeff would agree with that.

Jeff said St. Feuillien's Grand Cru is "not a bad beer. But it's not mind-blowing, either."

The Belgian Strong Pale Ale "pours with an initially big and airy head that recedes into a fine ring over the golden beer," Jeff said.

The aromas are typical of a Belgian beer: Grainy, a little musky, lemon, coriander and pepper. The taste is bread/grain mixed with lemon, coriander and herbs. Jeff does note the "sweetness is balanced nicely."

Panil Barriquee Flanders Red Ale

Panil Barriquee Flanders Red Ale
8% abv.

This was an interesting beer - Panil Barriquee Flanders Red Ale.

I was hit by the fruity sweetness of the beer when Jeff handed it to me. I liked it, but also wondered if it wasn't a bit like ice wine - you really can't drink too much of it, and it's more like something to have with dessert.

Jeff agreed.

"It smells like sour cherries and balsamic vinegar - something people might not associate with beer. The taste is tart with cranberries, apple, balsamic vinegar and damp wood," Jeff said.

He said it's probably not for everyone, and there are times he'd pass on it.

"But then there are times when it's absolutely what I want," he said.

"I don't think I could drink more than a bottle, though, because the acidity would wreck my tongue."

Garrison Ass-Kicker IPA

Garrison Ass-Kicker IPA
6.7 abv., 60 IBUs

I was in Halifax recently on a personal matter, and I knew I'd have some time to waste on the day I was flying back, so I knew immediately I'd be going to Garrison.

(As a sidenote: Their pop is awesome. If you can stop by the brewery to get some, do it. I loved the root beer.)

Anyway, I picked up a few beers for Jeff to try - including this one that had an elastic band around the label, which alludes to just some of the problems they had getting this beer into the bottles (loose clamp, hop substitution), so of course the label would be an issue, too.

"There's a big marmalade aroma," Jeff said of the Garrison Ass-Kicker IPA. "That follows through in the taste: Orange peel and caramel, but not too sweet. And the finish is bitter enough for most hop lovers."

Despite the challenges Garrison's brewers faced getting this beer out, "it turned out pretty great in the end."

Ontario Craft Brewing Awards gala = awesome

Before Christmas, the Toronto Festival of Beer had some package deals for sale, and one of them included tickets to the festival, a subscription to Taps magazine, and tickets to the Ontario Craft Brewing Awards gala. I got this deal for Jeff because I thought it sounded like a neat experience.

I think Jeff was a little uncertain about the gala part, thinking it would be a formal sit down and we might feel out of place.

Thankfully, it wasn't like that at all.

We arrived at the Gladstone Hotel on April 30 and for Jeff, it was a bit like being at a rock concert. Except in this case, the brewers were the rockers and they were getting a drink at one of the four stations just as we were. Jeff (who may be a tad embarrassed I'm saying this) was a bit starstruck. He'd point people out he'd met during one of his stops at a brewery and I'd say, "Go say hi." He'd shake his head - he couldn't do that.

(If you're a fan of the TV show Parks and Recreation, there is one episode that centers around Ron Swanson going to an awards gala for woodworking. In it, Ron is downright giddy when he sees a man known for perfecting a certain technique, and when his girlfriend suggests he should go talk to the guy, Ron says he couldn't dream of it because the man must get bothered all the time. Then there's a shot of the man, standing alone, drinking a coffee. I felt like Jeff was a bit like Ron Swanson that night.)

Anyway, Jeff and I enjoyed three hours of beer samples, people watching and, eventually, Jeff worked up a little nerve (with the help of liquid courage) to talk to a few brewers. The food, in my mind, was OK, but not spectacular (there was a mystery meat lollipop at one station that may have been chicken?), but thankfully, no one was really there for the food.

The guys from Nickel Brook.

We got to see George from F&M Brewery here in Guelph take home a few awards (they're jumping on the Bandwagon, by the way, and are releasing an IPA finally). The hometown Wellington crew was also on hand.

Along with others in the crowd, we were a bit shocked that Labatt's Shock Top won in the Belgian Style Wheat Beer category.

It was also fun to see breweries we had never heard of before: Get Well, gluten-free brewer Snowman, and Big Rig.

This event turned out to be a lot of fun and I'd suggest any fans of craft beer in Ontario who can make it into Toronto midweek should consider going next year. It's a great event for people who just love beer.

And one observation Jeff made while we were there stuck out in my mind: There are so many awards galas where people are in competition with each other and view each other as the enemy. Not brewers. Jeff said instead, brewers are like musicians who just want to jam in each others' basements. They work together on collaborative beers and congratulate each other on wins. That was the most amazing thing to see - nearly everyone had this attitude that they are all friends with a similar passion: To brew amazing beer.

**Sorry this took me so long to post - had to take the laptop into the shop.

Howe Sound Pothole Filler Imperial Stout

Howe Sound Pothole Filler Imperial Stout
9% abv., 65 IBUs

If you want a good stout on a cold night by the fire, this could be the beer for you.

B.C. brewery Howe Sound's Pothole Filler Imperial Stout, which I picked up for Jeff during a random trip to the LCBO, has "tonnes of roastiness, chocolate and molasses," Jeff said. "The taste continues the roasted flavours, chocolate, black cherry and tobacco, then finishes hop bitterness."

He said it pours an opaque black-brown with a bubbly tan head that sticks around.

"It's a full-bodied beer that coats your mouth," he said.

Be warned, though, this is a big bottle. You might not want to tackle it on a Thursday night.

Check out the brewery's website - if you're thinking of taking a trip to B.C., it might be worth staying at the inn at the brewery (or visiting the brewery at the inn ...).

Great Lakes Brewery Lube Job Baltic Porter

Great Lakes Brewery Lube Job Baltic Porter
9% abv. 65 IBUs

A Project X beer from Great Lakes Brewery, the Lube Job Baltic Porter pours pitch black - no light at all penetrated the glass.

"You get some pint in the smell, but it's dominated with roasted malt - and maybe a hint of chocolate. Lots of roasted malt, molasses and chocolate milk in the taste, and finishes with some pine to balance out the sweetness," Jeff said of this beer (which I picked him up - he's welcome).

"The body isn't too thin - it's kind of creamy. Overall, I like it," Jeff said.

8 Wired Brewing Co. HopWired IPA

8 Wired Brewing Co. HopWired IPA
7.3% abv., 70 IBUs

This New Zealand beer uses only local hops, giving it a unique smell and taste.

"The predominant smell and taste I get is passion fruit," Jeff said of HopWired IPA from 8 Wired Brewing Company. "It's rounded out with some other tropical fruit along with a balance of caramel sweetness. It's a great switch up from an American IPA."

But like the last beer, the Birrificio B.O.A. Bia IPA, Jeff was worried about the freshness of this one.

"Unfortunately the shipment the LCBO put on shelves only a few weeks ago has a bottling date of Dec. 11, 2012 - makes you wonder if it lost something over those 3.5 months since IPAs are always best when the hops are freshest."

Birrificio B.O.A. Bia IPA

This Italian beer recently made its way onto the LCBO store shelves, but given it was bottled back in November and Jeff just picked it up, he was a tad concerned about freshness, so he only bought one.

The website for B.O.A. says (according to Google Translate) that the beer is a union of Czech-German and American style IPAs.

Jeff noted the beer poured a nice bright orange colour, "although it looks muted next to the eye-popping label on the bottle."

He smelled citrus zest and honey, and the taste had both citrus hops (Cascade and Amarillo) and herbal notes (Saaz).

"The spicy herbal taste is a nice change. Plus there's the honey and some bread. I was really surprised by this beer," he said. "If it's this nice after five months, I can only guess at how good it would be fresh."

Maybe we need to take a trip to Rome, honey!

Bellwoods Grizzly Beer American Brown Ale

Bellwoods Grizzly Beer
6.3% abv.

Licorice was the downfall of this beer from Bellwoods - at least for Jeff.

Jeff notes this beer has a pine and grapefruit smell from the hops, but there's also dark fruit like plums and raisins.

The grapefruit returns in the taste, along with some caramel, and then there's the licorice.

"It's not my personal favourite - I think it's the licorice," Jeff says of Bellwoods' Grizzly Beer American Brown Ale.

When it comes to American brown ales, he'd suggest the Dogfish Head's Indian Brown Ale over this one.

We're heading west!

Later this year, Jeff and I are heading out to Alberta (Calgary and Banff, to be exact) for a wedding.

If anyone has any tips on brew pubs, breweries or must-pick-up beers from the store while we're out there, let us know! We'd love the input.

Neustadt Springs Brewery's Big Dog Porter

Neustadt Springs Brewery's Big Dog Beaujolais Porter
5.5% abv.

This is my personal favourite from a "hometown" brewery (I grew up in Hanover, just a few minutes from Neustadt).

But I'll let Jeff tell you about his thoughts on Neustadt Springs Brewery's Big Dog Beaujolais Porter.

"This beer pours a deep, deep ruby red - appropriate since it's blended with 3% Pelee Island red wine. There's a lot of berry fruit in the smell - raspberry I think, it has a slight tartness. The taste again has berries but with dark roasted and chocolate malts. There's also a slight tart/sourness in the finish which really helps balance the sweetness of the berry and chocolate flavours.

"This beer can be a little hard to find. My wife (that's me!) and I stop by the brewery frequently on the way to Hanover to visit family. You can usually find the Big Dog, 456 Marzen, Mill Gap Bitter and Texas Tea Honey Stout canned and in the fridge ready to take home. I know the brewery has also been working at opening a tasting room - making it even more of a reason to visit."

Bellwoods Belgian IPA

Bellwoods Belgian IPA
7.3% abv.

Our recent trip to Bellwoods in Toronto has produced another winner, and that ain't no joke. (Get it? Because it's April Fools' Day? Yeah, OK ... lame.)

Anyway ...

Jeff quite enjoyed the Belgian IPA he picked up, saying it had tonnes of tropical fruit smells from the hops, with some typical Belgian yeast smells.

Tastewise, there is a peppery spiciness from the yeast that goes with the grapefruit, mango and banana.

"It has a dry finish and enough bitterness to satisfy the hop seekers," Jeff said, calling it "another solid offering from Bellwoods."

Phillips Hop Circle IPA

Phillips Hop Circle IPA
6.5% abv.

This beer from Phillips Beer from Victoria, B.C., smells of mango, peach and tangerine - yum!

"The smells are echoed in the taste: Again, sweet tropical fruit flavours," Jeff said.

He said there is a "pleasing bitterness" that balances out the sweetness.

"I could see this beer as dangerous on summer patios - the 6.5% abv. will sneak up on you as you session this with some spicy grub."

From the website: "Let this otherworldly IPA abduct the hell out of your senses. The gravitational pull of Hop Circle will have you searching the galaxy for another close encounter of the thirst kind. Resistance is futile."

So ... this beer (or brewery) is the Borg?

Lakefront Bridge Burner Strong Ale

Lakefront Bridge Burner Strong Ale
8.5% abv., 30 IBUs

At first, Jeff was pleased to get a great citrus hop aroma off the Lakefront Bridge Burner Strong Ale, but it all went downhill from there.

"This beer is a mess," he said. "The taste is just not good."

He said there was lots of dark, dried fruit at the start - figs and plum - then, "I dunno, charcoal? But not smoke - just a charcoal taste. Maybe burnt sugar as well."

He added, "There's not much in the way of hop. No citrus, that's for sure. Maybe some mild pine. I will say the alcohol is well hidden."

Unfortunately, "This beer just isn't for me," he said.

Green Flash West Coast IPA

Green Flash West Coast IPA
7.3% abv., 95 IBUs

"If you don't love hops, you will not like this beer. Luckily, I do." - Jeff

This West Coast IPA from Green Flash Brewing Company in San Diego "is absolutely a hop bomb," Jeff said.

There is a tonne of grapefruit smell, and has a citrus and pine taste with a big bitter finish. The beer has Simcoe, Centennial, Cascade and Columbus hops.

The brewery notes the beer has won a number of awards at local fairs and beer festivals. This is also the beer they claim put them on the map as a specialty craft brewer (see the infographic below from their website).

The good news is you don't have to go far to get this beer if you live in Ontario - the LCBO carries it.

Wellington Brewery Terrestrial India Brown Ale

We love breweries that do one offs, and Wellington does about one a month.

Their Terrestrial India Brown Ale is one of them. Jeff's can was from the January batch, so it was a couple of months old. Maybe that's why this beer wasn't a hit for him.

"I'm not getting much of any aroma off this beer - I am a little stuffed up, but I think I'd be smelling something," he told me.

He said the beer has a dark rye/pumpernickel flavour.

"There's some dark sweetness and nuttiness to it, plus maybe some mild grapefruit. It also has a big, bitter finish. Personally, I like that, but I also like my coffee black and bitter," he said.

"I'd like to see a version of this with more aromatic and flavouring hops - I think it has the potential to be a really great beer."

Hop City's Big Mouth Pale Ale

It's not very often Jeff doesn't find some redeeming quality about a beer, but it does happen. Unfortunately for Hop City, it's with their Big Mouth Pale Ale.

I'll let him explain:

"I wasn't expecting much from this beer. But when I first opened the can to pour it into the glass, I got a whiff of some citrus hops. Could I have judged it too soon? I took a second sniff and it was gone. It didn't taste any better: It's overwhelmingly sweet to me. And it's not bready, or caramel - it tastes just syrupy sweet, like sugar. This beer isn't worth the 'craft' price.

"If you're looking for an American Pale Ale offering from Ontario, you're much better off with Flying Monkey's Hoptical Illusion - not overly hopped (good for the uninitiated) but still has hop aroma and hop flavour. Nickel Brook's Naughty Neighbour APA has also been great the handful of times I've had it. Thankfully it'll get wider distribution soon since it will be stocked at the LCBO and the Beer Store."

Roman Candle IPA from Bellwoods Brewery

If Jeff can get more of Bellwoods Brewery's Roman Candle IPA, I'm sure he will!

"Smells of citrus and lots of it. A really bright tasting IPA - mango, grapefruit, and caramel with some pine in the finish. The hops are fresh and juicy," he said. "Not the most bitter IPA I've had - and that adds to the drinkability."



**Correction

Sometimes I make mistakes (I know, right?) and initially posted this one as being from Great Lakes. It is not. This beer is from the great people at Bellwoods. My bad! Sorry, all.

Bellwoods Monogamy Summit Pale Ale

Monogamy Summit Pale Ale,
Single Hop Pale Ale
6.4% ABV

"Super refreshing."

That's what Jeff called the Monogamy Summit Pale Ale from Bellwoods Brewery.

It's a beer devoted entirely to summit hops and he said opening the beer so soon after bottling meant the hops were so fresh.

"Great citrus and tropical fruit smell. Bitter pine hop taste with some grapefruit in there as well - malt takes a back seat in this one," he said of the beer.

Beau's Strong Patrick Irish Red Ale

Strong Patrick
Irish Red Ale
6.7% ABV

This seems like an appropriate review for today. I've seen a number of bars tweeting that they've got Strong Patrick from Beau's on tap this weekend.

Jeff said it's not a bad beer, but he also questions how they are charging $8 for it.

"The barrel aging isn't overpowering - something which I've noticed in barrel aged beers I've had recently," he said.

"Lots of bready and toffee sweetness from the malt and with a roasted finish. I get more of the barrel in the smell along with some of that toffee. But it tastes a touch on the watery side," he said, calling it an "inoffensive beer - no big, bold, unexpected flavours."

But still, "It might be a decent change up for the standard Irish red, Smithwick's, this St. Patrick's Day."

IPA heaven in the U.S.

Jeff had a work trip to the U.S. last week - Manassas, Virginia - and made sure to stop at a store called Total Wine, where he picked up a number of beers.

The cashier joked he was in for a "hoppy" evening given his beer selection.

I've already told you guys about his "religious experience" with the Imperial Amber Nugget Nectar from Troegs Brewing.

But of course he had more than just one beer while he was down there.

New Belgium's Rampant Imperial IPA

"I get pineapple, pine and lemon," Jeff wrote in an e-mail about this New Belgium Brewery beer. "It's a big letdown following the amazing Nugget Nectar. It's not bad - it's actually pretty good - but it's so far behind Nugget Nectar."

Bear Republic's Racer 5 IPA

This bottle-conditioned beer was "not bad," Jeff said.

"My pour ended up giving me yeast suspended throughout, which I don't mind. I think I got an older pack as the hops seem somewhat muted," he said.

This beer has won a few awards at the Great American Beer Festival, the brewery notes on its website.

Dogfish Head's Burton Baton Imperial IPA

This beer from Dogfish Head was the second best of the four he had, Jeff said.

It was a lot maltier than he was expecting, and he said the oak barrel came through nicely - woody and vanilla.

"I'm surprised at how sweet it is," Jeff said. "Not much bitterness either. It's really tasty, but the Imperial IPA label sets you up for expecting something else."

He added, "Also, how is this 10%? It is crazy well hidden. I could see someone drinking quite a few of these and then realizing, 'Oh no, I'm blitzed. Bah. Litzed.' Very dangerous."

Bellwoods Brewery - Witchshark

During a recent trip into Toronto to see my co-workers, Jeff and I made a side trip to Bellwoods Brewery.

We just wanted to hit up the retail store, which is good because the tasting bar was absolutely packed. It was a Sunday afternoon and Bellwoods was clearly the place to be. (A co-worker told me there are often line-ups outside the brewery before it opens.)

So Jeff picked up a few different beers, but the one he tried this weekend was Witchshark, an American-style double IPA that has hints of mango, grapefruit and pine.

It seemed to be love at first sniff - Jeff had just opened the bottle, hadn't even taken a sip yet, and he was already commenting on how awesome the beer was. He said it had a great citrus and floral nose, as well as a rocky head.

"Rocky head?" I asked.

"It's big bubbles," he replied, then maybe a tad exasperated with me, "It's what they call it." (Wifey learns something new every day.)

He said it had that "awesome copper-orange colour," a nice caramel start, and he could taste the piney hops.

"It's definitely imperial," he said, and I joked, "So you like it?"

"It's good, yeah," Jeff said. "I probably wouldn't have tonnes of it, but it's 9%, so you don't have to."

P.S.

Dear Bellwoods staff,

Thank you for letting me change our daughter in your washroom, even though we weren't in the tasting bar. I am terribly sorry for knocking over the growler of water at the front door with my diaper bag. I will be sure to bring my husband back to your brewery again so he can make up for it by buying more beer. Thanks! OBW