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

Imperial Amber Nugget Nectar by Troegs Brothers

Have you ever called a beer "juicy?"

My husband has now.

During a trip to the U.S. for work, he picked up the Imperial Amber Nugget Nectar by Pennsylvania brewery, Troegs Brothers.

"My God, it's so juicy," he wrote to me in an email. "So deliciously hop juicy. And while it's 93 IBUs, I don't find it to be enamel-destroying. It is incredibly drinkable, in spite of the high bitterness and 7.5% alcohol. Seriously, I think after the first sip, I just kept thinking, 'I love you I love you I love you I love you.' Oh so damn good."

In a later email, Jeff admitted he was going to be very sad when that beer was done, then told me it was "a religious experience."

Whoa!

"Would it be wrong to have it for breakfast? Only because it's a work day," he said, jokingly (I think ... probably not).

The Nugget Nectar is a seasonal - only available in February and March.

"Man, did I get lucky," Jeff said.

Yes, yes you did, honey.

Beers while out and about

Jeff and I have been out and about in Guelph enjoying some pretty delicious beers lately.

Apocalypse Later Imperial Black IPA

From Great Lakes Brewery, Jeff had this beer at Baker Street Station in the can.

It was a nice black IPA, Jeff said - roasty and hoppy. (I forgot to get his comments during the actual tasting about a week ago, so he doesn't remember exactly what he loved - but he liked it).

Black Lager and a Pompous Ass

This was Jeff's first chance to try a beer from Silversmith Brewery in Niagara Falls and he had it while at OX - a restaurant we hadn't tried before, but which quickly won Jeff over with it's pretty good beer selection.

The Black Lager from Silversmith just got better the warmer it got. He liked it - the roasty-ness and the hazelnut were great. He would have had a second pint of it, except OX also had Pompous Ass Pale Ale from Great Lakes Brewery. That beer smelled really good and was sessionable, Jeff said.

The Matador

Matador Imperial IPA aged on Spanish cedar

From Flying Monkeys, Jeff had this one at the Woolwich Arrow (or just The Wooly). This is the brewery's 8th anniversary ale and we went to the pub on Friday night specifically to have this beer (plus I wanted some of the restaurant's delicious salt and pepper wings).

The cedar was subtle, Jeff said, but it added something to the beer. It didn't taste super boozey, despite being 11.4%.