Earlier this week the Wooly tweeted that they were going to have a special joint venture beer from Guelph's F&M and Great Lakes in Toronto. There was only going to be a 20L keg so it wasn't going to last long. If I wanted to get a taste of this mystery beer, I was going to have be there on time.
When I got there, the tiny keg was tucked away in the corner and the bar manager Ben was pouring pints of the one off cask ale. He told me it was a blend of F&M's Blackened I.P.A. and Great Lakes' Devil's Pale Ale. I later found out it was also dry hopped.
The beer had little carbonation - as you'd expect from a cask ale. In contrast to Flying Monkeys' Netherworld, this was significantly hoppier. That was likely due to the fact that it was a black I.P.A. that was blended with an already reasonably hoppy pale ale. The hop taste from this was also different. The citra hops left a distinct taste in the back of my mouth. It was good when it was first poured - although a little unbalanced.
As the glass warmed up in my hand though, the coffee flavours from the the black I.P.A. became more pronounced - the beer went from a good beer to a great beer.
George, the brewer from F&M, also showed up. It was fun speaking with him about this beer and others he's working on. He had some good ideas that I hope he has a chance to follow up on.
There was also talk about turning this pin keg event into a monthly thing. I really hope that happens. I know Grand River has a beer club and Great Lakes has Project X - but those are a little hard to get to sometimes. I'm excited to see something equivalent happen locally. These kinds of events let you meet like minded beer lovers over interesting new brews.
If you have a chance to make it to an event near you, I highly recommend it.
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