2017: A Year in Beer

This year, I sipped, chugged, quaffed, and downed a whole lot of beer. Among the gallons of suds that I consumed were some really elite brews. Below is a list of my ten favourite reviews from 2017.

10. Meanwhile ... Down in Moxie
9. Shumei IPA
8. Goatman Imperial India Black Lager
7. Sinister Minister
6. Nectarous
5. St. Benedict's Breakfast Dubbel
4. St. Mary Axe
3. Wesvleteren 12
2. Smuttynose Baltic Porter
1. Fruit Helmet


And some honourable mentions:

RyeKing
The Secret Goldfish
Godspeed Stout
Brown Van Kölsch-Style Ale
Bricks and Mortar

Happy New Year form the Stout Man!

Nightwatcher Oatmeal Stout

Cooking up a mess of homefries for a Sunday brunch for me and the Bitter Wife, I found myself with a serious craving for a dark ale. Fortunately, I had a 473mL can of Nightwatcher Oatmeal Stout chilled and ready to go. A relatively light brew at just 4.4% and 25 IBUs, under its fluffy eggshell head, Nightwatcher was uncommonly light-hued for a stout, with a clear, rusty caramel colour. The beer came from the Lake of Bays Brewing Co. in Baysville, Ontario.

Nightwatcher had an aroma that was both grainy and slightly metallic. The flavour had fewer rough edges, with a thin, but nicely balanced, combo of grains and mocha. The mouthfeel was compellingly smooth, but with just enough of a hop flare at the back end to keep it honest.

For all of the good, this beer did have one major drawback—it was way too thin for a stout, especially for an oatmeal stout. I really wanted it to have a bit more body. Still, a pretty nice effort from one of Ontario’s less talked about breweries. Nightwatcher is a beer I’ll certainly buy again from time to time.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Beerdevil IPA

I attended a bang up conference in Niagara Falls, Ontario in October. While I was there, I stole an opportunity to check out the Niagara Brewing Company, and purchase a selection of their wares. One of these was Beerdevil IPA, a swampy amber-brown grog with a luscious off-white foam. The beer, 6.5% alcohol, came in 473mL cans with a barrel riding demon in a jaunty top hat.

Beerdevil had a surprisingly grainy, malt-focused nose and a flavour to match. Definitely an English-style IPA, the flavour was primarily malty on the front end, with caramel and grain notes. It’s IPA credentials were more prominently on display in the finish, which had some sticky hops notes and a bit of an evergreen vibe.

All told, Beerdevil was both unmemorable and enjoyable. It tasted pretty predictable, with only a modest nod to high hops. However, it had a nice warming quality that shouldn’t be dismissed, particularly as I drank it during the first sub-zero evening of Winter 2017. To me, it had more English pale ale qualities than those of an IPA, and it was modestly low on the booze bill. I’d gladly drink it again though. Really, it reminded me of a classic Toronto stalwart, No. 7 IPA from Duggans, though with less crisp hops.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Pale Ale Project

Happy Holidays from the Stout Man!

From Ottawa, the Pale Ale Project is an effort from Beyond the Pale Brewing. It’s a 4.9% pale sold in 473mL steampunk-style cans. The beer inside is a milky-hued number—hazy, and with a fluffy white head.

P.A.P. has a slightly citrus nose, with a, crisp mildly perfumed, bitter-focused flavour. It is nice and dry ale—not memorable, perhaps, but well made.

Dry and crisp, the beer was refreshing, without sacrificing bitterness. Sessionable and flavourful for 4.9%, though not quite as assertive as I wanted. Buy again? Absolutely! Recommend? Sure.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Howe Sound Lager

Squamish, British Columbia is the home of Howe Sound Brewing Co., and their Howe Sound Lager. Billed as a dortmunder-style lager, this amber-gold brew contains a solid 5.5% alcohol and comes in 355mL cans.

Through the off-white head comes a very grainy aroma, with notes of grass and hay. Despite sitting in my fridge for longer than it probably should have, the beer tasted fresh and crisp, with distinctive noble hop bitterness and a grainy, barnyard flavour.

 

A fine take on the classic German style, Howe Sound Lager is a nice dortmunder. It’s refreshing and flavourful, with decent bitterness. I’m not much of a lager guy outside of sunny summer days. I think of dortmunders and pilsners as baseball season beers, but I thought that HSL brightened a gloomy, wet November afternoon watching week 9 in the NFL. My only real beefs are that the beer is a touch too sweet and could be a bit more carbonated.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Skeleton Park Amber 6.6

Skeleton Park Amber 6.6 is—you guessed it—a 6.6% alcohol amber ale. It comes from Kingston, Ontario and is brewed by Skeleton Park Brewery as a part of their Heritage Series.

The beer was murky, ruddy, and covered in a creamy but short lived head. It had a mild bakery aroma with bread notes and a malt-driven quality. More robust than the nose, Amber 6.6’s flavour is slightly sweet, built against a substantial malt and bread backdrop.

For an amber ale, I thought that the strength was excellent. The flavour was pleasant, though there was a a notable hops shortage evident at the back end. My first brush with a beer from Skeleton Park, Amber 6.6 had me thinking about my next trip to Kingston.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Double Dry-Hopped Cat Lady

Way back in 2014, I told you about Cat Lady IPA, from Toronto’s Bellwoods Brewery. This week, after shooting some hoops, I swung by the Bellwoods bottle shop and spotted an updated version, Double Dry-Hopped Cat Lady. At 7.2% alcohol, there is actually less booze than the original (7.3%). Sold in a 500mL bottle, Cat Lady DDH is an extremely hazy brew—it’s a milky dull orange-gold with a fairly fluffy off-white head.

CLDDH has a mammoth aroma that is resplendent in tropical fruit notes. Like the original, there are serious satsuma vibes, but in place of grapefruit, passion fruit is the secondary fruit feature. Despite the juicy sweetness, the beer manages a dry and bitter finish, with a slightly resinous vibe.

Compared to the original Cat Lady, I found the DDH sibling to be a bit more hop-bopping and considerably more juicy. This was, to my mind, a Vermont-style IPA. The only substantive failing that I perceived was a touch too much sweetness, particularly in the early going. Other than that, this was a lovely ale and quite worthy to share the stage with Cat Lady 1.0. I actually bought two bottles of this stuff; the first left me floored, but I was less blown away by the second.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Collective Project IPA No. 4

The next in the numbered IPA series from Hamilton, Ontario’s Collective Arts Brewing’s Collective Project IPA No. 4 is a 6.4% alcohol number sold in 473mL cans.

Brewed with Hallertau Blanc, Citra, and Mosaic hops, #4 is a hazy, white-gold brew with a cumulus of sudsy white head. There is a slightly juicy citrus nose, built along cranberry and strawberry lines. The flavour is also darned juicy, with a berry-citrus blend leading off. From there, citrus notes take command, with Valencia orange, white wine, and grapefruit leading the charge.

All in, I found IPA No. 4 to be a fine ale, though less invigorating than Nos. 1 though 3. Too sweet by a margin, and a bit more syrupy than I’d have preferred, No. 4 is good, but not great. The bitterness was more understated than it could have been. This one was close to a Vermont-style IPA, but too sweet in execution.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

The Sociable Pilsner

Fresh and fizzy, The Sociable Pilsner is a pale lager offering from Toronto’s COMMON GOOD BEER COMPANY. It’s an effervescent yellow-gold lager with a thick and fluffy white head. At 4.7%, Sociable is sessionable. It comes in sparse but stylish orange 473mL cans.

Sociable has a predictable but comforting grain and grass scent. The flavour is spare, but nice enough, with grainy notes and a modest noble hop bitterness.

Not as robust as classic Czech pilsners or the more formidable of the Ontario versions, Sociable has positioned itself behind its crisp and fizzy mouthfeel more than its flavour. It is a crushable and thirst-quenching lager, but not one that left me feeling thoughtful. A classic “lawnmower” beer, but not the kind of suds that attract effusive adjectives.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Escape Velocity

Escape Velocity is an unusual ale: it’s a sour ale brewed with coffee cherry (also known as cascara), as well as cinnamon and ginger. Brewed in Cornelius, North Carolina, EV is the progeny of District 9 Brewing. It’s a powerful ale, with 14.2% alcohol. Sold in 355mL bottles, this beer is basically three-in-one.

EV has a dry, tart nose, but there is also a genuine undercurrent of aromatic spices. It has a unique flavour—primarily sour, with cherry and cranberry notes, but also with an unusual spice profile. According to the copy on the label, this beer is a “new-fashioned spin on the fragrant Ethiopian libation Hashara”. I’m not familiar with Hashara, this beer undeniably incorporates some exotic flavours into a sour and boozy base.

This beer came my way from the tremendously tremendous MM, a true friend of the Bitter World. I liked it a lot, though I unwisely uncapped it before looking at the percentage, resulting in a very unproductive Sunday afternoon. I was suspicious of a heavily spiced sour, but this beer gave me a lot to think about. I don’t say this often, but it might actually have been too strong for the style, but it was undeniably a one-of-a-kind brew—one I was pleased to try.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Sägemehl Stadt Fest Bier

A take on the marzen style, Sägemehl Stadt Fest Bier is an amber lager from the Sawdust City Brewing Co. It’s a 5% alcohol beer brewed in Gravenhurst, Ontario. I picked up a 473mL can direct from the source. It was a clear, copper lager with a lush white head.

The beer featured a fresh, damp malt aroma with some raisin notes. Malt was the most prominent flavour note, along with biscuit and a slightly bitter tinge to the finish.

 

SSFB was a pretty tasty Ontarian take on a classic German style. It had a fairly rich, malt body that I found pleasant. A bit more booze bombast might have given this harvest lager a bit more chilly weather warmth, though.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Food Truck

Brewed in appreciation of Toronto’s gourmet mobile sustenance vendors, Food Truck is a blonde ale that, according to the copy on the 473mL can, is intended to pair nicely with chow. A product of the excellent Henderson Brewing Company, Food Truck is a low alcohol offering, at just 4.8%. It’s a a clear brass-gold ale that pours with an enticing off-white foam.

FT has a grassy, lager-like nose that features grainy notes and a touch of sweetness. The beer has a pretty nondescript taste that moves from slightly sweet to slightly bitter, with a grainy initial vibe and a finish that is sweet, yet fairly crisp.

This grog is very much a blank canvass that absorbs the colours and flavours of the accoutrements it comes with. As a result, it is wildly inoffensive, but has little character of its own. Not boring, exactly, but FT isn’t a particularly remarkable brew. Rather, it’s the background scenery in a local theatre production. A touch too sweet, but otherwise innocuous, FT isn’t much like Henderson’s other, more rambunctious offerings. It’s a fairly well-balanced but forgettable ale, waiting on external flavours to enhance its vitality. I liked it fine, but won’t remember it tomorrow.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10 (no photo because I'm not smart).

Tartan Pants Scotch Ale

From Kanata, Ontario, a satellite community of Canada’s national capital, comes Tartan Pants Scotch Ale. This ale from Big Rig Brewery clocks in at a respectable 6.4%. It comes in garish 473mL cans that feature plaid-clad legs dancing a jig.

Tartan Pants is an extremely dark brown colour. It pours with little carbonation and a thin mist of creamy head. According to the copy on the can, hand smoked malt is used in the brewing process, which goes a long way toward explaining the rich, smoky scent that greets the nose. The flavour is malt-focused and full, with sticky toffee and Christmas pudding elements, assembled under a slightly smoky skyline. There aren’t a lot of overt hops characteristics to this ale, though there is a slight nod toward woodsy bitterness in there somewhere.

Scotch ales aren’t particularly commonplace in the Ontario craft marketplace, which is increasingly dominated by crisp pale ales. While I undoubtedly enjoy a good hoppy pale, I’m pleased when I see a bit of stylistic diversity in the brewing landscape. Big Rig’s take on a Caledonian ale was pretty well conceived and executed. The smokiness is big on the nose, but understated to the taste, which is a pretty neat trick as far as I’m concerned, as it lets the other flavour notes express themselves.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Woodhouse IPA Beer

With roots in Toronto, Woodhouse IPA Beer is a product of Woodhouse Brewing Co. It’s a 6% alcohol ale sold in 473mL cans. According to the copy on the can (which incidentally was white writing on a mint green can and virtually unreadable) indicated the presence of five distinct varieties of hops in the clear, coppery ale, but unfortunately, the types used were not listed.

The beer poured with a substantial cap of sudsy white head. It had resinous aroma that tightroped between bitter and sweet, with some floral funk played against a caramel quality. The flavour was a bit underwhelming, though it did have a subtlety that caused me to sip mindfully. Pine was the most prominent hop element, while some caramel was on display on the malt end of things. Between those poles, there were murmurs of pineapple and melon, too. Its finish was dry, quick, and pleasant.

In a nutshell, Woodhouse’s take on the IPA is a very accessible one. At just 6%, it’s far more session-friendly than some of Ontario’s more robust IPAs. The flavour is also apt to please the masses given its mellow approach to hops. Still, there is enough crackle and nuance to make a beer fiend like me sit up and take notice. The low octane hurts my rating, though others might prefer a less immediately intoxicating ale. The very modest melon notes, though, were definitely worth a half point on the ol’ Stout Man scale. It should also be noted that I liked this beer more by the end of my pint than I did through the first few sips, and I liked the next few I tried in the following days more still.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

RyeKing

From Kastrup, Denmark’s Amager Bryghus comes RyeKing, a 7.7% alcohol smoked rye stout. Sold in 500mL bottles with America’s stars and bars on the label, the beer within is extremely dark. It pours with a thick layer of tan head, through with comes a tangy, smoky aroma.

RyeKing’s flavour is both mammoth and complex. It is smoky, spicy, and malty, with notes of leather, tobacco, and chocolate.

This beer has a lot going for it: depth, potency, and richness are some of its finer attributes. On the negative side of the ledger? Not a whole lot, actually. The mouthfeel is a bit syrupy, but that’s not particularly unusual for a strong stout. In short, I have few complaints.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Moosehead Anniversary Ale

From Saint John, New Brunswick comes Moosehead Anniversary Ale, a 5.7% alcohol ale brewed in honour of two sesquicentennials: that of Canada and of the Moosehead Brewery. The been comes in 473mL cans that feature a map of Canada.

The beer is a dull golden number, with a luscious off-white head. The aroma is grainy with some punchy farmyard elements. Anniversary Ale has a dry mouthfeel, with some fairly hoppy elements. Mostly, though, the flavour is grainy, with straw and wheat notes.

For a macro brewery, this golden ale has some decent chops. It’s not a remarkable offering by any stretch, but it does taste pretty good. Not particularly special, but without any notable off notes, Anniversary Ale is a modest, but tasty, effort.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.