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.