Trident IPA

 Sold in 355mL cans that appear to depict a fossilized mermaid-unicorn, Trident IPA is an offering from Toronto’s excellent Muddy York Brewing Co. The beer is a 6.5%, 20 IBU ale. It’s a slightly hazy golden ale with a thin layer of white head.

Trident has a gorgeous aroma—evergreen with a squirt of citrus and a touch of sweet peach. The flavour is similarly situated, with a piney base, some grapefruit, and subtle stone fruit. The beer ain’t particularly bitter, but it has a nice citrus and sticky hoppiness.

All I can recall from this review I wrote back in July--apologies, but I neglected to rate this beer. But I remember enjoying it! 

Dave’s Affordable Dortmunder

 Dave’s Affordable Dortmunder is a 5.5%, 35 IBU German-style Dortmund export lager built in Gravenhurst, Ontario by the Sawdust City Brewing Co. The beer, DAD, is clearly a winking acknowledgment of the world’s most popular Dortmunder, DAB. It’s sold in 473mL cans and is built with a pair of hops (Perle and Saaz) and a pair of malts (Raven Floor Malted Pilsner and Munton’s Northern Spring Pale).

DAD is a clear golden lager with a shock of white suds. It has a sweet, cereal aroma. The flavour delivers grassy sweetness, a slash of metallic notes, and a floral, noble hop that introduces a little bit of pepperiness to the back end.

I always enjoy a good Dortmunder, and DAD is certainly that. A cheeky little lager executed nicely.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Old Düsseldorf

 Great Lakes Brewery’s Old Düsseldorf is a little altbier that clocks in at an even 5%. The hybrid brew (aged cool like a lager, but top fermented like an ale) comes in 355mL cans that has an agreeable dappled texture. The Toronto beer is made with oats and wheat. It’s a clear amber grog that decants with a quickly thinning off-white head.

Old Düssey has a rich and nutty aroma—sweet, with roasted malt elements. The flavour is sweet, bready, and has a little bit of molasses to it. The back end is a wee bit hoppy, in an earthy, floral sense, though it maintains some sweetness, too.

I really liked this little German-style potion—it’s nicely configured, tasty, and fun. Personally, I tend to favour GLB’s family of IPAs, but this quirky little beer made me glad.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Old Muddee Beer

Old Muddee Beer, from Muddy York Brewing Co., comes in some truly excellent 355mL cans with an "Geriatric Wisconsin" vibe. The Torontonian beer weighs in at an even 5% and 25 IBUs. It’s an American-style pale lager and, accordingly, it’s a clear yellow-gold colour with a thin cover of white foam.

Old Muddee has a sweet, grainy aroma, accented with corn and grass elements. The flavour is a little over-sweet on the front end, with sweet corn and malt notes. The back end is faintly bitter, floral, and has some crispness.

Old Muddee is a highly drinkable lager. It’s not as crisp as I wanted, due to the sweetness, but it’s certainly an agreeable hot day beer.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Juicin’ New England-Style IPA

 

It took me a while to try Sawdust City Brewing Co.’s much ballyhooed Juicin’ New England-Style IPA. In the past, this 6.0% fave of Ontario Beer Twitter had never been in stock when I’ve placed orders from the Gravenhurst-based brewery, but I was in luck this time. The beer comes in 473mL cans that feature a peach receiving a dose of something that looks a little stronger than the Moderna vaccine. It’s made using a trifecta of hops (Citra, Mosaic, and Simcoe) and oats. The beer is a hazy sunny orange-gold and it pours with a durable crown of white suds.

Juicin’ has apricot and peach aromatics, as well as a dusting of citrus bitterness. The tasty ale has a smooth texture, and a flavour profile that tends toward fruit sweetness, with a lilt of hempy hops.

Was Juicin’ worth the wait? Did it live up to the online hype? Sorta. It’s an undeniably enjoyable beer and I was glad I had six of ‘em to enjoy. But it isn’t as elite as Sawdust City’s Lone Pine. That said, on a hot day, this hazer is incredibly refreshing.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Limberlost Blonde

 My second taste of Sawdust City Brewing Co.’s Limberlost was Limberlost Blonde, a Belgian-style sour ale brewed to 7.2%. The beer, from Gravenhurst, Ontario, comes in 473mL cans. It’s a pale golden ale with a nimbus of white suds. The beer contains Saaz and Idaho 7 hops, a quartet of malts, and Belgian ale yeast as well as wild Limberlost yeast. The beer is a blend of a batched of the wild, aged in oak puncheons, and the Belgian, aged in stainless.

The beer has a sharp sour fruit and funk aroma, with a bit of oaken sweetness. The flavour is tart, with white grape and cranberry notes, some woodiness, and a dry winey finish. Under it all are funky yeast tones.

This was a lovely Belgian-style sour blonde that I was into right from the jump. Crisp, tangy, and strong. A solid brew.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Limberlost Bruin

 Sawdust City Brewing Co.‘s Limberlost Bruin is a 6.5% alcohol bière de garde. Sold in 473mL cans, the beer is brewed using SC’a house yeast, as well as a wild strain; the former aged in stainless and the latter in puncheons—wooden casks. The beer is constructed with a trio of hops and NINE different malts, including oat flakes and wheat.

L.B. is a lovely looking ruby ale. It’s clear and pours with a short-lived off-white foam. The beer has aromatics that are metallic, funky, and tart. It tastes tangy, initially, with sour apple and cherry notes, and drifts toward a coppery finish. Throughout, wild yeast funk is on display, but it isn’t overpowering.

Limberlost Bruin proved a pretty interesting offering. I bought four cans and truthfully, I didn’t love the first can, which I downed late on a Friday night, but in a more mindful and contemplative mood a few days later, I found the beer had a lot to say and did so with some style. I expected to like Limberlost Bruin more, but the Blonde was definitely my preferred take.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.