7Squared New England IPA

Born and raised in Niagara-in-the-Lake, Ontario, and sold to me by my local grocery store at a rate that wasn’t exactly extortionate, but was certainly more than I’ve come to expect to pay for a 473mL can of Ontario ale, The Exchange Brewery’s 7² New England IPA is a 7% 71 IBU brew. An orange-gold hue and a thick cover of sudsy white head make for an attractive looking beer.

To my sniffer, notes of orange mingle with a touch of sticky resin. The flavor is juicy, with citrus steering the ship, and balanced against a pretty respectable howl of bitterness toward the back end.

The beer tasted pretty good to me—well balanced with an eye to a closing note of bitterness that avoids the trap of over-sweetness that can plague NEIPAs. The strength is admirable, and the flavour agreeable. A bit too pricey to enter into my regular rotation, but The Enchange Brewery’s 7² is one I’ll enjoy as a periodic treat.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

The Pineapple Incident

Gifted to me by the effortlessly radical MTT, The Pineapple Incident is a pineapple saison from Toronto’s Rainhard Brewing Co. A 5% ale, TPI comes in plain 355mL cans. It’s a lightly hazy, dull gold ale with a thin cover of white head.

TPI has a plenty yeasty scent, with (and this may surprise you) a whiff of piña. The flavour is fairly tart up front, with a mellow pineapple sweetness out back. In neither aroma nor taste is the pineapple more than a suggestion, which is my subtle jam.

The beer coulda been stronger and a bit more flavourful, but I liked it alright. Honestly, it’s a bit more citrus than it is pineapple, but it’s certainly a touch acidic.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Juice Caboose

Sold in a 473mL can with a flowery, Summer of Love motif, Juice Caboose comes from St. Thomas, Ontario’s Railway City Brewing Co. A juicy IPA, the Caboose is a 6.8% brew built using Citra, El Dorado, and Vic Secret hops. It’s a slightly hazy, dull gold product topped with a fluffy white head.

The Caboose packs an aroma that swirls floral and pineapple notes. For flavour, juicy fruit notes rule the roost, with piña and passion fruit leading the way. At just 48 IBUs, bitterness isn’t all that prominent, though it’s certainly still present. 

Among the ranks of juicy IPAs that are flooding the market this year in Ontario, Juice Caboose fares pretty well. Not the best, perhaps, but a fair effort from a brewery that’s long been on my list of places in this province to check out. I’d actually have liked a bit more bitterness—not necessarily 

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Brown Derby Barrel Aged Oud Bruin

Brewed to honour an historic Toronto tavern, Brown Derby Barrel Aged Oud Bruin is brewed by that city’s excellent Henderson Brewing Company. Clocking in at 6% alcohol and sold in 650mL bottles, the beer is a handsome teak colour and pours with a creamy head.

Brown Derby has a nose both earthy and fruity, yet imbued with a tart, coppery tang. The flavour kicks off with a squeak of cranberry that persists from end to end, and it is supplemented with a dose of kinky yeast for a result that is funky and sour.

Not a lot to complain about with this beer: good strength and assertive flavour make for a grand combo. My bottle came straight from the source and tasted as cracklin’ fresh as an “old brown” could.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

King in the North Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout

Another entry in their series of beers co-branded with HBO’s epic Game of Thrones, King in the North Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout comes from Brewery Ommegang. Brewed in honour of fan favourite character Jon Snow, this ale is a member of Ommegang’s “Royal Reserve Collection”. The beer is an 11% alcohol pugilist sold in frosted 750mL bottles. According to the copy, it’s aged at least six months in bourbon barrels.

Unsurprisingly, KitN has oodles of boozy sweetness, woody aromatics, and roasty malt notes. A definite slow-sipper, KitN is powerfully sweet and impressively strong. The flavour is rich and roasty, malt-forward, and woody as hell. It has a syrup-thick mouthfeel, but it narrowly dodged the threat of cloyingness.

I don’t think I’ll ever fully embrace the capitalistic combo of synergy and opportunism that comes with branded beers. However, I did love Game of Thrones and Brewery Ommegang rarely disappoints, so if ever there was a combo to pull it off, this might be it. KitN is a big, sweet, strong, and tasty beer. It’s close to too sweet, but the boozy, woody, malt-bomb gets the job done.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Wellington Chocolate Milk Stout

With a 473mL can that features a rubber boot-wearing bovine, Chocolate Milk Stout comes from Guelph, Ontario’s Wellington Brewery. The beer, a healthy 6.6% stout, is brewed with flaked oats, lactose, and cocoa powder. It’s a coal coloured ale that pours with a healthy tan head and exudes a sweet yet bitter chocolate aroma.

Chocolate Milk Stout has a rich, cocoa flavour and a pleasingly thick mouthfeel. It’s modestly bitter (20 IBUs) and I’d suggest it could have been more so. It has a definite chocolate milk vibe, so it nails that, and the strength is good; however I’d have liked a deeper dive into IBU Land and a little less sweetness.

As an after dinner beer, I think Wellington’s Chocolate Milk Stout is a tasty treat. I’d serve the heck out of this stuff with vanilla ice cream, and I bet it’d slay. I’d like it to be more bitter, but it has great strength and it doesn’t taste artificial.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Heist Sour Pale Ale

With my beloved Raptors looking to steal game one of the NBA Finals against the heavily favoured Warriors, I reached for a can of Heist Sour Pale Ale (worked out great, BTW!) from Toronto’s Folly Brewing. A golden brew made using Kveik yeast and flaked wheat, Heist pours with a thin layer of white head.

Heist has a tart citrus and yeast nose. The flavour has notes of orange, alongside a clamber of yeasty funk. Heist is a tasty little piece of work, and at just 5%, it goes down easy. A bit more prominent bitterness might have made a good beer better, but it’s definitely a good beer. Also worthy of praise is the beautiful design on the 473mL can featuring the beer’s name as a stylized burglar—just awesome.

 

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Beau’s ESB

Beau’s ESB comes in some rad 473mL cans emblazoned with a collection of vehicles on a royal blue field—spiffy stuff. Born in Vankleek Hill, Ontario to Beau’s Brewing Co., the extra special bitter is an organic 5.6% English-style ale. It’s a bronze brew topped with a sudsy cream head.

To my sniffer, Beau’s ESB has a bready, caramel, and malt-heavy nose. For flavour, the beer starts sweetly, with caramel and toast kicking things off. The back end wanders into bitter territory, with a sludge of treacle and brown sugar to shut the door.

Rich and deep, Beau’s ESB is a nice take on the British fave. It’s a bit too big and too sweet for a classic ESB, but I liked it anyway.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Society of Beer Drinking Ladies Blood Orange Saison

No sooner had I spotted Society of Beer Drinking Ladies Blood Orange Saison on the shelf at my local beer vendor than it was flying into my shopping cart. The 5.5% saison is brewed with blood orange purée at Toronto’s Henderson Brewing Company. Sold in stylish 473mL cans, the beer has a mellow orange colour, a hazy look, and a short-lived cap of white head.

The prominent aroma of SOBDL’s Blood Orange Saison is Belgian-style yeast, but it also has tart orange notes. The flavour is similarly concentrated, with potent yeast overlooked by tart yet juicy citrus elements. Beneath the funky flavour is a playfully effervescent texture.

Blood orange is one of my favourite flavour profiles, but it’s also one I’m wary of, as it can sometimes be relied upon too heavily. However, the SOBDL and Henderson used it sparingly to add a li’l something, without drowning the saison.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

The Boss East Coast IPA

Syndicate Brewing Co. is, apparently, a mob-themed brewery from Niagara Falls, Ontario. I picked up a 473mL can of their The Boss East Coast IPA (it also says “Family Edition”, but I’m not sure if that’s a part of the name of the beer). The can features a shadowy mobster who happens to look a lot like Mr. Ackroyd from Blues Brothers.

The Boss is a 4.5%, 40 IBU session IPA. It’s a sunny golden brew with a wild amount of carbonation. As a result of the mighty fizz, the beer pours with a mountain of fluffy white foam. It has slightly metallic, floral aromatics and a flavour that is relatively punchy, with bitter perfume notes and a bit of evergreen.

Despite a theme that I found a bit cheesy, I found The Boss to be a decent enough session IPA. I’d have preferred that the front end had a bit more character and depth, and as a result, the beer might not really distinguish itself in a market where every brewery makes a session IPA. Still, it’s definitely good enough that I’d buy it again, and I’ll keep my eye out for other offerings from Syndicate.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Over My Dad Body Pilsner

Owing to the Raptors’ game one and two playoff struggles versus the Bucks, my own imagined status as a former athlete was put into stark focus. That made Over My Dad Body Pilsner an obvious choice to watch the all important game three. A 5% alcohol pilsner comes from Toronto and its excellent Great Lakes Brewery. It’s a 25 IBU pale lager—slightly hazy, dull gold with a lusty, but short lived white head.

OMDB has a grainy, grassy scent. For flavour, the beer begins sweetly, with cereal notes, and builds to a healthy noble hop bitterness. The beer features a relatable chonky, bearded dude on its 473mL cans. Named “Morty Jenkinson”, he professes enthusiasm for coaching, yard work, and the Silver Bullet Band. Brilliantly-named and almost as tasty, OMDB is an agreeable Ontario take on the classic Western European style. While the beer could have been more crisp, it was still a refreshing compliment to a first quarter in which the Raptors strutted their stuff with much-needed enthusiasm.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Winter Sunshine DIPA

Owing to a substantial backlog, I didn’t get around to writing up Northern Maverick Brewing Co.’s Winter Sunshine DIPA until a partially overcast day in mid-May. Fortuitously, the seasonal faux pas didn’t dampen my excitement to try the 500mL bottle of 8% alcohol ale one bit.

Winter Sunshine is a hazy, brownish gold colour, crowned with fluffy off-white suds. The Torontonian strong ale has jumbo pink grapefruit aromatics. Its flavour works from sweet to bitter, with considerable booze ballast and lots of citrus components.

Perhaps undistinguished in a field clogged with grapefruit focused double IPAs, Winter Sunshine still managed to leave me satisfied. It is strongish, but not brazen, with a well-balanced and drinkable result. I enjoyed my glass and I’d gladly have accepted a second, so I’d call Winter Sunshine a pretty good beer. The grapefruit flavour was prominent, but not as well defined as the aroma suggested it might be. For a DIPA, this one managed not to be too sweet, which is a positive in my book.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Yee-Haw IPA

Yee-Haw IPA bills itself as “the best of both coasts, with its West Coast style hop character and New England style look.” Right off the jump, it should be mentioned that I’m not convinced that the beer—copper coloured, nearly clear, and topped with a sudsy off-white head—actually has a New England IPA look. It comes from Johnson City, Tennessee, and Yee-Haw Brewing, where it is put into black and white 355mL cans that are plain but cool.

The 6.7% alcohol IPA packs in a hefty 75 IBUs. It has a full and assertive nose that is both piney and solidly malty. The flavour is malty first, with perhaps too much sweetness, before veering into substantially bitter evergreen finish.

Yee-Haw IPA is a good, not great Tennessean IPA with good malt-hop balance and a bit too much initial sweetness.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Lucidity Session Ale

Purchased direct from the source, Tooth and Nail Brewing Company, in Ottawa, Ontario, Lucidity Session Ale is a 4.5% alcohol brew sold in plain 355mL cans.

Lucidity is a slightly cloudy golden ale that pours under a fluffy white head. It has a mild aroma that a slightly yeasty bent, initially, and then a gritty bitterness. The flavour follows a similar pattern, with a light saison-like yeast in the pole position and a sneaky but clean hops bitterness out back.

Low-alcohol with a slightly quirky pale ale flavour, Lucidity is a pretty nice brew. It’s a bit wanting at the back end, but an otherwise fine session ale.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Hespeler Village IPA

Cambridge, Ontario is home to the Hespeler Brewing Co., which is the source of Hespeler Village IPA, a 6% alcohol English-style brew sold in 473mL cans. The beer is a slightly hazy, brass-hued ale.

Hespeler Village IPA pours with a lively off-white head, through which comes an aroma with notes of brown sugar, toasty malt, and pine bitterness. The flavour moves from rich malt to evergreen hops, with some copper and breadiness along for the ride.

 

HVIPA is a tasty take on the India pale with lots of malt presence. It’s a little light in terms of booziness, but it’s undeniably flavourful and unexpectedly rich.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.