Northern Maverick White IPA

Happy Halloween from the Stout Man!

Northern Maverick Brewing Co.'s White IPA is a 6% alcohol brew that blends witbier and India pale ale styles. My 500mL bottle contained a slightly hazy golden beer and poured with fluffy white suds.

Its nose was fruity, yeasty, and a little bit metallic. The flavour was considerably more bitter than I expected, with a range of taste notes spanning dank hops, citrus, a bit of floral perfume, and some tinniness.

This beer definitely held my interest from first sip to last, but I'm not sure that I loved it. To me, there were metallic elements that seemed to intrude on both the nose and flavour of the beer. On the plus side, there was enjoyable dryness to the finish, a nice crisp body,

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Gose-Zilla

Cooking dinner on a Tuesday evening, I delved into Gose-Zilla, a 4.7% salty sour from Northern Maverick Brewing Co. in Toronto. Sold in 500mL bottles featuring NM's polar bear mascot in an I ️ Tokyo shirt, the beer was dull gold and poured with a blanket of white head.

My nose caught a lot of subtle notes in this beer. While primarily sour and briny, I also noticed tart strawberry and cherry elements. As for flavour, this beer was way less tart than I expected, and displayed very little of a gose's characteristic salinity. While the flavour wasn't strictly up to style, I did enjoy notes of ripening fruit--berry and cherry again--as well as a sharp, quick finish that quenched my thirst admirably.

 

 

While not a strong exemplar of a gose, Gose-Zila still managed to be a pretty tasty little brew. Heightened tartness and a more detectable salt presence would have helped this ale. Still, for a very young brewery attempting a pretty finicky style, I think this stuff was pretty well executed and it's likely to improve in the future.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Heart of Tartness

From Toronto's newest brewery (at least as of September 2017), Northern Maverick Brewing Co., comes Heart of Tartness. HoT is a 5.2% alcohol dry hopped sour beer, brewed, according to the 500mL bottle, with oats to add balance.

The beer is a milky, pale yellow-gold number. It's crowned with a thick layer of pearly white head and has an aroma that vacillates between pungent brine and juicy fruit notes. The flavour is moderately tart, with some sour fruit elements--unripe peach and cranberry to this amateur aficionado--though the label promises pineapple, cherry, apricot, and orange. I can see where they're coming from with cherry, but the others elude me. The finish is quite dry and short, providing the beer with a nice crispness that cut right through a hot late-summer day to provide serious refreshment.

Heart of Tartness is a tame but thoroughly enjoyable sour ale. The strength is pretty good, there is depth of flavour, and it finishes with a commendable crispness. Perhaps not as sour as I'd have liked, nor as hop-focused, but this was a nice beer and I'll gladly revisit it before to long.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Northern Maverick Hefeweizen

When I uncapped a frosty 500mL bottle of hefeweizen from Toronto's Nothern Maverick Brewing Co., I was immediately struck by a waft of banana scent. Upon decanting my 500mL bottle of the 5% alcohol wheat beer, that initial impression was confirmed, and joined by some spice notes and a yeasty quality.

The beer was cloudy amber (a bit darker than I expected) with a thick fog of bright white head. Banana and orange were the executive flavour notes, over a mild yeast workforce. Hops were only barely evident as a slight crackle at the finish.

My first experience with a Northern Marverick brew, I found their Hefeweizen to be quite well executed, if not anything to garner effusive praise. The only shortcoming of this beer, described on the bottle as a "classic Bavarian hefeweizen", is an underwhelming mouthfeel. It was a bit thin and would have benefited from a bit of crispness. Still, on an unseasonably warm September day, this summery ale was a welcome bit of refreshment. I wouldn't have minded a second.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Northern Maverick Brewing Co.

It's a fact that when I moved into my current neighbourhood in Toronto in the summer of 2010, there were no easily walkable breweries. Zero. Zilch. Then, in 2011, I started this blog. As of September 2017, there are three walkable breweries, with a fourth slated to open later this year. Now, I'm not saying I'm solely responsible for this influx of craft beer to a once-overlooked, too hip for beer neighbourhood, but my blog and I have clearly been wildly influential. Right?

The latest opening is Northern Maverick Brewing Co. Located in a lovely and open space on Bathurst Street with a patio and a full kitchen, NMBC seems like a place I'll be getting intimately familiar with over the next few months. Today, though, I just breezed on over to take a look at the bottle shop.

I was instantly greeted by two friendly and enthusiastic dudes who were eager to help. Playing dumb, I let them give me the rundown on the five beers that were on offer, they shared their wisdom. and I came home with four: a hefe, a white IPA, a gose, and a dry-hopped sour, all sold in 500mL bottles branded with a polar bear in aviator shades.

Stay tuned this week for my thoughts on the bulk of NMBC's initial offerings.

Aleyards Collaboration IPA

Aleyards Collaboration IPA is ... you guessed it ... a collaboration! It's a project worked up between the three breweries that make up Toronto's Aleyards Brewing District": Junction Craft Brewing, Shacklands Brewing Company, and Rainhard Brewing Company. The three nearby breweries (in the case of Shacklands and Rainhard, they're actually contiguous) on Symes Road combined to brew a 6.8% India pale ale in honour of the 2017 iteration of Toronto Beer Week.

The Aleyards Collab is a lightly carbonated and considerably hazy ale with a brushed gold hue and a fog of loose, white head. It has a resinous, citrus/evergreen scent and a flavour that feels comfortably balanced. There are some caramel malt notes and a finish meanders between sweet  tangerine and sticky hops.

Aleyards Collaboration Ale is definitely good beer--decent strength, nice flavour--nothing to complain about. It's not all that remarkable or memorable, except as a reminder that brewing, when done right, should be collaborative and community-based. My favourite brewers are the ones that enjoy and recommend ales from their "rivals" and support their "competitors" with advice and feedback as they are sought. The whole industry wins when micros offer a better product and sway drinkers from the macro dross, and a strong local community like the one in the Aleyards is to be commended.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Transatlantic Pale Ale

Transatlantic Pale Ale, another member of the "Pitch and Pray" series from Toronto's Godspeed Brewery seems to be their most "conventional" offering. My 355mL can, straight from the brewery's bottle shop, was a murky brown number with a thick but loose off-white head. The 5.2% brew had a had a curious nose--somewhat gastric, but not unpleasant, with some acidic notes atop a fruity base.

The flavour is malt-driven, with some dark fruit elements, built against a modest, dank bitterness and some metallic tang.

This was a hard ale to rate, given that it had a unique flavour and dark hue that set it apart from the glut of Ontario pale ales, but a unusual taste that wasn't at all crisp or refreshing. The maltiness made me think English-style, but it wasn't really that. A bit of an oddball ale, I nonetheless enjoyed Transatlantic Pale. Not session-friendly nor strong and surly, there was a lot to like and a lot to dwell on. Certainly a beer worth revisiting!

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Godspeed Stout

A member of the "Pitch and Pray" series from Toronto's Godspeed Brewery, Godspeed Stout came to me by way of the East-End brewery's newly opened bottle shop. Sold in 355mL cans, the beer packs a slightly light 4.7% alcohol. The stout is a more brown than black ale that poured with a loose but thick tan head.

G.S. had a subtle, but not at all non-existent aroma--cocoa and coffee, on top of a malty base. Compared to the mildness of the nose, I found the flavour to be compellingly rich, driven by java and dark chocolate notes, as well as a taste of leather. The back end even had some pretty respectable bitterness that belied the low alcohol percentage.

I gotta say, this stout caught me a little off guard. At 4.7%, I was expecting dry and smooth, but what I poured into my eager maw was full and rich. If the Godspeed Stout is a lodestone, Godspeed will be a brewery worth monitoring. It takes some skill to make a dark ale that flourishes at a low percentage.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Puppers Premium Lager

According to the 473mL can, Puppers Premium Lager is "the official beer of Letterkenny", which is supposedly an extremely funny show that I have not seen.

The beer is a 4% light lager. It's a straw gold brew with a loose and thin white head and a significant amount of carbonation. Puppers comes from Sudbury, Ontario, where it is crafted by Stack Brewing. It has a sweet cereal grain nose and a flavour to match, though the sweet grain and corn gives way to a slightly bitter finish.

At just 4%, Puppers is incredibly sessionable. However, it lacks the crispness of a quality pale lager, and packs a bit more sweetness than I tend to enjoy in my bottom fermented beers. Not a bad beer, but a bit on the forgettable side. Not quite what I expect from a quality brewer like Stack.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Elvis Juice

Elvis Juice is marketed as a "grapefruit infused IPA". It comes from Ellon, Scotland, where it's coaxed into existence by BrewDog.

A ruddy orange potion, E.J. is a 6.5% ale that pours under a thin, sudsy, and quickly-dissipating cream head. According to the label, it's brewed using both orange peel and grapefruit peel, which explains its murky citrus aroma. Given the rich musk of the nose, I was expecting a robust flavour, but what I got seemed a bit restrained--almost timid--with dominant citrus notes at the vanguard and a resinous hops brining up the rear.

I downed this ale while cooking up a mess of rotini, and it made for an enjoyable sous chef. While it could have been more assertive and more sharply tart, I thought it was a pretty decent little brew all the same.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

St. Mary Axe

Brewed in London, Ontario, St. Mary Axe is billed as a "Canadian Best Bitter". Made by the eponymous brewery, SMX (as it appears in shorthand on the spare but clean 473mL can) is a sessionable 4.6% alcohol. According to the copy, it's a "divine dichotomy where old meets new and complex is simple." Hmm.

The beer is a slightly hazy burnished copper colour. It pours with a vibrant and loose off-white head through which wafts a balanced albeit mild aroma that walks a tightrope between caramel malts and metallic bitterness. The flavour, sweeter than I anticipated, kicks off with date or raisin notes and a sticky toffee quality. The finish is relatively modestly flavoured, but admirably subtle and complicated. There are treacle elements, but this share the spotlight with an undercurrent of earthy hops.

I really enjoyed SMX. It should be noted that, despite the session-friendly percentage, this beer manages to taste full-bodied and will fill you up. What that means, for me at least, is that it provides an excellent way to enjoy a lush, well rounded ale without getting utterly pickled. The truth, as I see it, is that SMX does deliver on its promise: it blends classic English ale elements and low octane with a 21st century hop profile. A little less sweetness is my only initial complaint.

I'll have to revisit this one soon to be sure, but my inclination after a single can is that this stuff merits a pretty great score.

Rating: 9.0 out of 10.

Hops & Robbers Grapefruit IPA

Hops & Robbers Grapefruit IPA is new spin on a pretty solid IPA from Double Trouble Brewing Co. from Guelph, Ontario. Billed as "crazy delicious", I'd like to have a talk with the folks at Double Trouble about ableist language. The 5.9% alcohol ale comes in 473mL cans.

H&R Grapefruit has a handsome hazy, orange-copper hue and pours with a nice almost-white head. It has a formidable ruby red grapefruit nose--juicy, but bitter, with just a whiff of candy sweetness. The flavour takes a similar tack, with an emphasis on grapefruit zest and a seriously dry finish.

As I've said before, I'm suspicious of grapefruit flavoured IPAs, because it is such a naturally-complimentary flavour that can often be achieved by dry hopping. However, this little beaut really embraced its pulpy, juicy, and bitter namesake. Many IPAs taste like grapefruit, but this one exudes it. The only serious complaint that I have is that, unlike the aroma, the flavour is a bit over-sweet.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Fresh Start Summit APA

During a rare trip east of Yonge Street, I recently popped into the newly operational Eastbound Brewing Co. I didn't stay for a pint, but I did come home with a couple of cans, including a 355mL one containing their Fresh Start Summit APA.

At the standard 5% alcohol, Fresh Start is a hazy, orange-gold beer with a vivid and sudsy off-white head. It has a pretty funky yeast and hops nose, with notes of fermented fruit. Interestingly, I didn't love my first can of Fresh Start; however, a second brush with this little brew left me feeling much more engaged and impressed. The flavour has some modest juice notes, as well as a dank and resinous tang. There are pretty decent yeast elements, and a fug of subterranean vibes. It had a dry finish, but not one that was as crisp as I was hoping for.

For my first try of a new brewery's offerings, I liked Fresh Start far more than I expected to. APA is a style that is oft attempted and seldom innovated, but this one got it done with some verve. Funky yeast elements and wacky hops made this a pretty intriguing ale.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Momiji

Popped into the newly opened Godspeed Brewery in Toronto's east end with the Bitter Wife during a Saturday afternoon and grabbed myself a 13oz pour of their Momiji, an amber kellerbier containing 4.6% alcohol. My beer arrived under a fog of cream head. It was a fairly hazy walnut brew that packed a malty and metallic aroma with some bready notes. More pungent than I expected given its low percentage, Momiji was malt-focused initially, giving way to a crisp, bitter back. The flavour, bready at first, turned dry as I sipped. Throughout there were copper notes.

My first taste of Godspeed's brew, Momiji left me thirsty to try more. It is a pretty well-made beverage, with some nuance, in a session-friendly format.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

360 Ale

360 Ale bills itself as an English pale ale. It hails from the fairly remote but extremely beautiful city of Thunder Bay, Ontario, where it's brewed by Sleeping Giant Brewing Company (named in honour of the mountain that overlooks the town). The 473mL cans are pretty snappy looking and the brew inside is a 4.9% grog. It's a copper-hued and hazy ale, and it pours with a proud layer of sudsy cream-coloured head.

To match the copper colour, 360 smells a bit like a penny, though one that's spent a fair bit of time around hops and malt. The flavour also has some metallic elements, though the beer is primarily malt focused. Toward the back end, there is a dusting of bitterness to approximate balance.

I thought that 360 Ale was a pretty engaging little pop. Despite the insinuation on the can, it's not all that innovative (English pale ales are plentiful--even ones that claim to finish with a North American fervour); however, what does provide is nice flavour, good balance, and sessionability. I definitely see myself purchasing this ale again--particularly since this one is available at my local grocery store (don't laugh non-Canadians; this is a new and exciting innovation in Ontario!). A bit fuller body might have been nice, but I'm not complaining.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

The Inner Eye Pale Ale

During a recent visit to Toronto's Blood Brothers Brewing, I left the source with a 500mL bottle of The Inner Eye Pale Ale, a 5.5% job with a beautiful label. The beer inside proved to be a handsome and hazy auburn colour. It poured with a fluffy and thick off-white head and featured aroma that was at times grainy and at others tart and bitter. Inner Eye had a pretty robust flavour; one with some faintly sour fruit notes, but also a smattering of yeasty, Belgian-inspired bitterness.

I took to The Inner Eye right away, though it didn't wow me quite as much as BB's flagship IPA. It finished with a swell bitterness that left my arm aching for another sip, which I take as a pretty positive sign. Blood Brothers, with its focus on hoppy apes, is quickly becoming of my favourite Toronto beer-makers, and The Inner Eye did nothing to dampen that opinion.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.