Low Boy

Low Boy is a 4.3% alcohol session ale. It’s billed as a New England-style pale ale brewed with apricot purée. Sold in 650mL bottles, the beer is an extremely milky orange soup that pours with a thin cover of white head. It comes from Toronto, and the Kensington Brewing Co.

A bitter, fruit-focused aroma greets the nose. Low Boy has a fresh and juicy flavour built atop a faintly tart citrus tingle. Apricot and orange notes are the flavour drivers, leading to a nicely hopped finish.

This beer was, compared to many of Ontario’s sessionable pale ales, fairly innovative and unique. The judicious use of apricot purée gave the body a bit of thickness. Additionally, it might be the milkiest looking beer I’ve ever downed. The only gripe I have with Low Boy is a slightly off note in the finish—something a bit earthy and murky that, while maybe great in another beer, fell a bit flat in this otherwise fruity and fresh ale.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

First World Problems

First World Problems is a Belgian-style IPA brewed in Edinburgh, Scotland by Stewart Brewing. The 6.2% alcohol ale is sold in pithy 330mL bottles that seek to illustrate a first world problem.

The beer is a hazy orange potion that pours with a considerable layer of loose off-white head, and which has a small measure of sediment. The beer has a potent aroma characterized by notes of yeast and some floral notes. Compared to the assertive nose, FWP’s flavour is unexpectedly mild. Not particularly bitter or punchy, this Scottish ale has a slightly earthy taste, with some perfumed hops evident at the back end. Mostly, though, Belgian-style yeast is the most prominent note.

 

I found FWP to be a bit of a disappointing effort. When I spy a new internationally-brewed IPA on local shelves, I expect a unique offering, something unique. This beer was fine and all, but it lacked a depth of flavour that would have set it apart from the bulk of Belgian-style IPAs. A fine ale, but really nothing special.

Rating: 6.0 out of 10.

In the Weeds

After teasing me for ages, I recently noticed that the Kensington Brewing Co. and its bottle shop have finally opened. The brewery, in Toronto’s Kensington Market neighbourhood, is a stone’s through from my apartment, so I recently walked over to check out their wares and came home with a quartet of 650mL bombers. One of these was named In the Weeds. Billed as a West Coast IPA, ITW contained a somewhat sub-strength 5.9% alcohol.

The beer, a hazy golden orange grog, poured with a thick and durable off-white head and a pretty mild nose. More biscuity than I expected, with just a soft kiss of citrus bitterness, the scent did not immediately remind me of the prototypical West Coaster. The flavour, while quite nice, seemed to me to be closer to an English-style ale, given its emphasis on malt at the front end. However, the finish did have a bit of the characteristic hops crackle of the brews that make the western US such a hotbed of beery greatness.

All in, In the Weeds is too timid for its purported style. It tastes pretty good, I was glad I bought it, and I might buy it again, but it didn’t hit me with the assertive and gritty IBUs I was craving.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Meanwhile ... Down in Moxee

Meanwhile ... Down in Moxee is an American IPA—billed as a Vermont-style IPA on the tap list at Bar Hop—from Toronto’s Great Lakes Brewery. At 6.4%, the strength of this clear golden ale is a decent, but toward the base of the IPA booziness spectrum. My 15oz draught arrived with a pretty lush white head and a fruity nose that tended toward fresh melon and berries.

Though it’s extremely light-bodied for an IPA, Moxee doesn’t sacrifice one ounce of flavour, with juicy melon and  a cornucopia of other subtle and enticing fruit notes. Not particularly bitter, Moxee still manages to have a pretty dynamic hop profile with a bit of stickiness at the finish.

Vermont-style IPAs are a pretty new addition to the Ontario craft beer palate, and GLB’s take is definitely one of the best that I’ve tried so far. The body is thin, but the flavour has compelling depth. At 6.4%, this beer is either a bit too mild for the style, or dangerously too strong for a session ale. Either way, it’s a juicy, subtle creation from one of Toronto’s finest. I typically flavour bold, bludgeoning IPAs, but this one has a fragility that makes you take is seriously.

Rating: 9.0 out of 10.

Raspbeery Coco Lait

An entry from the Muskoka Brewery’s Moonlight Kettle series that I picked up at the brewery in Bracebridge, Ontario, Raspbeery Coco Lait is a milk stout flavoured with raspberry purée. The easy-drinking 4.5% alcohol ale comes in a 473mL can. It’s a dark ale with elegant ruby highlights.

RCL has an engaging chocolatey aroma with just the faintest hint of a tart raspberry backbone. The raspberry in the flavour is considerably more than a hint, though, giving the beer an assertively fruity vibe that follows on the heels of a malty, cocoa rich base.

Raspbeery Coco Lait is a decadent dessert beer that would pair brilliantly with a chocolate indulgence of some sort after a rich meal. And, since if you’re anything like me, you probably had a bottle of wine or two with dinner, you’re in luck that the beer has low alcohol count, so you might not nod off in your tort.

I’m irritated that the can didn’t tell me whether this is a stout or a porter, though those labels are often pretty arbitrary and the website declared it to be a milk stout. Otherwise, I have few negatives to heap on RCL, other than the fact that I’d have preferred a more bitter and gritty chocolate to the milky number in evidence.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Greenwood Vermont-Style IPA

The Bitter Wife works every second Saturday afternoon. This creates a perfect recurring opportunity to duck out for a pint or to check out a brewery. One of my preferred Saturday afternoon haunts is Toronto’s Bar Hop (the original King Street location). They’ve always got something new and fresh that I’ve never tried before. On this Saturday in early October, that niche was filled by Greenwood Vermont-Style IPA. Built by the excellent Left Field Brewery in Toronto’s Greenwood neighbourhood, this little brew arrived looking milky gold, under a modest off-white foam.

The 6.3% 65 IBU ale had an extremely juicy tropical fruit aroma and a flavour to match. Notes of piña and mango were well represented, nestled in an assertively bitter body.

Bitter yet juicy are the hallmarks of the Vermont style, and Greenwood certainly hit both of those pretty squarely. I like my IPAs to have a bit higher percentage—if this stuff was in the 7% range, it’d have been closer to my ideal. I’d also liked the fruit flavours to be tangier, rather than the sweetness that settled in particularly as the beer warmed. All of that aside, though, Greenwood was a delicious beer from one of Toronto’s best.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

1857 Kölsch-Style Lagered Ale

The latest in a spate of Ontario-born kölsch-style ales, 1857 Kölsch-Style Lagered Ale comes from Waterloo, where it’s nourished into existence by Abe Erb Brewing Company. A 4.8% alcohol potion, 1857 is a golden ale with a faint touch of haze and a bright white head. It comes in 473mL cans.

The scent is a somewhat pedestrian grain and malt combo, but the flavour has some life and a pretty respectable bitter kick as it closes out.

Pretty crisp and hoppily pleasant, I thought 1857 was a pretty decent take on the classic style from Cologne. A bit more booze would’ve been a welcome plus, but the flavour worked and the freshness quotient was solid. Not a beer I’ll seek out, but one I’ll doubtless buy again.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

The Secret Goldfish

A member of Sawdust City Brewing Co.'s Winewood Series, I picked up my corked and caged 750mL bottle of The Secret Goldfish direct from he brewery. The label of this features a vignette about a woman discovering the magic of re-reading books and declares this 6.7% alcohol conviction to be a barrel-aged tart saison. The beer had a bronze tint. It was hazy and aggressively carbonated, with a modest covering of off-white head.

The Secret Goldfish had a sour and slightly saline nose with cranberry and cherry notes. The flavour, less sour than the scent, was still a bit tart, with unripened fruit elements. Cleverly, the barrel-aging flavour was almost hidden beneath a crush of tart notes, but it became more and more apparent as my beer warmed and my mind mellowed.

To this dork, there weren't a lot of saison elements to this stuff, other than a lively mouthfeel and a high concentration of yeast--still, I guess the saison is a big tent and getting bigger, so what do I know? Well, what I do know is that the flavour was nice, the strength just right, and the sourness far from oppressive. The Secret Goldfish made me with that Sawdust City's Winewood Series was available at my local store.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Wild North Pumpkin Ale

Wild North Pumpkin Ale comes from Baysville, Ontario. It’s brewed by the Lake of Bays Brewery, comes in 473mL cans, and checks in at a feisty  6% alcohol.

The beer, brewed with pumpkin, has a rich auburn colour and a loose off-white layer of head. It has an autumnal nose—pumpkin pie with clove and cinnamon. The flavour walks a similar pass, with sweet, aromatic pumpkin pie notes, backed against a mild bitter finish.

To my mind, the best pumpkin ales are strong, spicy, bitter, and bold. For me, Lake of Bays’ Wild North Pumpkin Ale ticks one of those boxes (spicy), comes very close on two others (strong and bitter), and falls a bit short on the last (bold). If this beer were upped to 7%, it might have hit all of my unofficial criteria. Still, as is, I liked the beer quite a bit. It had me hankering for a Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixins.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Muskoka Harvest Ale

During an anniversary trip to Ontario's beautiful Muskoka region, the Bitter Wife and I dropped into the Muskoka Brewery in Bracebridge, where I bought a handful of brews and a lovely IPA glass. One of the brews I picked up was Muskoka's Harvest Ale; a 6.7% alcohol effort with a hazy golden tint and a fog of white head. According to the 473mL can, the beer is dry-hopped, though the hop is not identified.

Harvest Ale has a grassy, grainy, and malt-focused aroma. The taste is malty up front, with a hefty and dank hops finish that provides for a nicely rounded brew.

Strong and flavourful, I found Muskoka's Harvest Ale to be an agreeable can o' suds. Harvest ales are an amorphous bunch with few definitive characteristics--a group of beers that I have often found disappointing--but I found this iteration to be a pretty compelling one. With sticky hops and grainy body, this beer had a lot of positive attributes that left me both pleased and buzzed.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Bridal Veil Pale Ale

From the town of Little Current, on Ontario's Manitoulin Island comes Bridal Veil Pale Ale, a 5% alcohol pale brewed by the Manitoulin Brewing Co., and sold in 473mL cans.

The beer is brassy and clear, with a cumulus of white head. There is an evergreen, slightly floral aroma with a bit of a metallic edge. The flavour is similarly situated, with a woodsy vibe and a tinny subtext. The finish is crisp and brief, with a nice equilibrium.

According to the can, this stuff was dry-hopped with Cascade, which led me to expect a bit more citrus, but the flowery-foresty notes I got were decidedly enjoyable. Compared to the fine, but ordinary Swing Bridge Blonde, Manitoulin's Bridal Vale was a better executed ale. I'll be buying it again, but it probably won't become a Stout Man Refrigerator Regular (tm).

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Sawdust City Chinook Wet Hop

Another pint I enjoyed during my evening at Gravenhurst, Ontario's Sawdust City Brewing Co. was their Chinook Wet Hop. At 5%, and with a milky orange hue, the CWH arrived on the bar with a thin cover of white suds.

The beer had a sticky and resinous smell and a similarly dank, hempen, and floral hop flavour. The downside of this beer was its mouthfeel, which I felt was inordinately wispy, and its booze factor, which could have been considerably more bombastic.

CWH was a pretty tasty brew, but it lacked depth. I enjoyed it, but I'd be hesitant to order another, as the body didn't live up to its potential. Still, the flavour was good and the aroma excellent.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

11-05

“Remember, remember the fifth of November”—I actually sat down with a 473mL can of 11-05 on November 5th. The beer, brewed in collaboration between Nickel Brook Brewing Co. from Hamilton, Ontario and Sawdust City Brewing Co. out of Gravenhurst, Ontario (where it was actually brewed), contains 11.05% alcohol. The can has three notable features: (1) the two collaborators involved in this brew share a common birthday—November 5; (2) there is an excerpt from the famed rhyme about the Gunpowder Treason and a Guy Fawkes mask; and (3) there is an indication that the beer was brewed in support of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Canada. A fourth element also caught my eye—the beer was brewed on August 31, 2016—over a year before I bought it.

The beer is billed as a Belgian-style tripel brewed with brettanomyces yeast. 11-05 is a sunny golden brew. It’s hazy, less carbonated than expected, and pours with a white head. It has a funky scent, with notes of sour cherries. The flavour is extremely sweet, with fruit elements. It isn’t as tart and yeasty as I expected, nor as lively and effervescent.

In truth, I suspect that this beer was in the fridge at Sawdust City for too long before I bought it. It likely lost a bit of its funk and punch over the 14 months between brewing and consumption. Still, it was a boozy and fairly interesting collaboration between two of my fave Ontario outfits. It was too sweet and not nearly as yeast-focused as a tripel should be, but it was brewed for a good cause and gave me a lot to write about.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Fruit Helmet

I’m pretty late to the game, but Milkshake IPAs and pale ales are a big deal now. I’ve tried a couple, but Bellwoods Brewery and Evil Twin’s Fruit Helmet is my first review of the style. Milkshake Ales are a recent trend, brewed with fruit and lactose sugar. Evil Twin/Bellwoods’ Torontonian take, Fruit Helmet, features guava, passion fruit, and raspberry, and clocks in at 5.6% alcohol.

Sold in stylish 500mL bottles, Fruit Helmet is a rosy-hued, juicy, and milky ale. It’s opaque and pours with a thin layer of white head. The nose is dynamically fruity—sweet, with notes of grapefruit and tart raspberry. The flavour is equally fruity, though the notes are a bit different—primarily tropical, but with a rowdy berry tartness. The finish continues the fruity trend, but also packs a murky, bitter taste.

I understand that milkshake IPAs and APAs are an established style, but Fruit Helmet tastes to me like an innovative and inventive grog. It was juicy, thick, and altogether unfamiliar, but in a way that left me thirsty for more. A bit more booze could have helped the effort, but this stuff was already solid, with ample bitterness and big flavour. Bitter, yet tart, yet juicy, but still smooth—this is one of the finest Ontario ales I’ve tried in 2017.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10.

Adaptation: Mosaic Dry-Hopped Kölsch

For our fifth anniversary, the Bitter Wife and I took a little weekend trip to cottage country. While in Gravenhurst, we dropped into the Sawdust City Brewing Co. for a couple of cold ones to celebrate. While she knocked back some Little Norway Pale Lager, I alternated between a couple of different offerings, but the one that first caught my eye was called Adaptation: Mosaic Dry-Hopped Kölsch.

This take on the kölsch style showed up pale yellow-gold and mostly clear, with a thin cap of off-white head. It had a charming aroma that was both grainy and fruity. The flavour toed that same line, with some soft grain notes cohabiting with a peachy element. The beer culminated with a snappy, dry finish that had some modest hops crackle.

The idea of a dry-hopped kölsch-style ale seems like a strange bird--and to choose a juicy hop like mosaic, instead of a pinier option seemed like an odd choice--but the folks at Sawdust City clearly know their craft (beer), because this stuff was treat. I found it too thin, even for a kölsch-style, but the flavour combination was genuinely enjoyable.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.