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