Season’s Change

From Bracebridge, Ontario’s Muskoka Brewery comes Season’s Change; a saison flavoured with raspberry and lavender. According to the card affixed to the bottle (of uncertain size, but south of 400mL), this beer contains 6.5% alcohol and has an IBU count of 25. The beer itself had a slight haze, a thin layer of off-white head, and an orange-gold colouring.

SC is a member of Muskoka’s “Moonlight Kettle” series. It has a potent raspberry and yeast scent—quite tart and agreeable. The smell of this stuff is assertive, with sour fruit leading the way. Given the nose, SC has a deceptively sweet flavour—berry first with some Belgian-style yeastiness along for the ride. As to the lavender, I looked for it, but was only able to detect a slightly floral note alongside a modestly hoppy, albeit too sweet, finish.

Despite its complicated pedigree, I’ll say that SC’s flavour is unexpectedly straightforward—raspberry above all, with a dry and flowery back end, and a yeast-driven vibe from end to end. Less boisterous than its aroma, but still quite pungent, this is a pretty interesting flavoured ale. It could certainly have flexed its saison muscles with a dose more dry yeastiness, it is commendably under-sweet until the back end, when things get a bit syrupy for this dude.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Roundhouse Kick Imperial Stout

It’s fortunate that Roundhouse Kick Imperial Stout comes in 330mL bottles, because it contains a mighty 9.2% alcohol. The beer comes from Unterschleißheim, Germany, where it is brewed by Crew Republic.

Roundhouse Kick is a dark brown ale—nearly black—topped with a thin covering of tan head. Sweet and malty to the nose, there are notes of chocolate and dried fruit. The flavour packs a punch (a kick?) with notes of bitter molasses and cocoa. The beer has some heat, too—there’s no doubt that it’s boozy. The mouthfeel is thick and sluggish.

This effort from Crew Republic is likely the strongest Teutonic dark ale I’ve ever encountered, and also one of the most interesting. Strong and rich, but without being oversweet, this beer shows some finesse despite its might.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Road 2 Ruin Double IPA

While waiting for a 33rd birthday scavenger hunt from the legendary Bitter Wife, I was sent outside with a 16oz can of Road 2 Ruin Double IPA and told to chill for 25 minutes. Fair enough!

R2R comes from the Two Roads Brewing Co. of Stratford, Connecticut. It’s a heftily-weighted Double India sold in snazzy packaging that features, among other things, a snake bearing a hop. 

The beer inside is emboldened by the judicious use of seven strains of hops. It has a a slightly hazy copper cast and pours with a lush layer of off-white suds. A nicely rounded aroma has fruit notes vined around some darkly floral notes and a splash of sweetness. For so strong an ale, the flavour is uncharacteristically mild, with stone fruit notes up front and a slightly bitter backing band to close it out.

To my birthday-addled mind, this beer was alarmingly approachable for an 8% ale. There are no real warning signs once the beer is poured of the boozy might, which is both an exercise in brewing skill and a risky little game. One could very well up in ill-intentioned ruin by following this Road. Given the hops braggadocio declaimed on the 4-pack I purchased, I expected R2R to bitter my timbers. However, while undeniably well-healed in booze, I found the IBU count surprisingly low on palate if not on paper. While that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it did leave me clamouring for hops bops.

My expectations were not entirely met by R2R. However, what I ended up with was a delightfully quaffable strong ale, rich in flavour but subtle in zeal. So where does that leave us? Would I buy Road 2 Ruin again? Absolutely! Would I recommend it? Ditto. But it’d come with a healthy caveat that it is deceptive and duplicitous. A good beer with a hidden bite. I’m also a sucker for excellent packaging, and this stuff was wrapped up real nice.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Hey, Porter!

A gift from the incomparable MTT, Hey, Porter! is a barrel aged dark ale from Toronto’s Junction Craft Brewing—a member of Junction’s “Destructor Series”. Sold in 650mL bombers, Hey, Porter has a healthy 6.2% alcohol.

The beer is charcoal-hued, with a very durable and dense eggshell head. The aroma is sweet, with cocoa and malt leanings. For flavour, there is a pronounced chocolate bent, lended extra sweetness and richness by the barrel aging process. The result is a smooth and nicely balanced porter. It’s strength is pretty nice and the flavour is quite elegant without going to hard on the wood-aging, which is often a risk when brewers get barrel happy. Instead, by aging this ale judiciously, the result is a woody accent and a pretty decent bitter coffee finish. 

Hey, Porter! is a tasty release from one of the mainstays of Toronto’s craft brewing scene. Flavourful and well-made, it's a credit to a Junction.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Voodoo Ranger IPA

Clear and bright with a fluffy white head, Voodoo Ranger IPA looks almost irresistible. From Fort Collins, Colorado/Asheville, North Carolina, VR is brewed by New Belgium Brewing. According to the label, this beer is “brewed with spice”, though there is no indication just why those spices might be, though it does note that the hops are Mosaic and Amarillo. I ended up with a sextet of 12oz bottles of the 7% ale when the Bitter Wife returned from a work event in the US—she’s so sweet!

VR has a murky and resinous nose, underscored with a suggestion of tropical fruit. Tropical fruit ain’t no suggestion in the flavour, though! It’s a juicy and assertive statement—notes of mango are all over this one. The finish has a dank, resin-heavy tone with a slightly floral element.

I’m not sure what spices are involved in the brewing of VR, but the end result is a burly but juicy IPA with a pretty compelling finish. I’m definitely glad to have another five of these bad boys at my disposal.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Einstök Ölgerd Toasted Icelandic Porter

A benefit of being a beer blogger is that when people see interesting brews, they often pick you up a bottle. That’s how I ended up with a 330mL bottle of the Toasted Icelandic Porter from Einstök Ölgerd, all the way from Akureyri, Iceland. In fact, the kind soul in question, A.J., doesn’t even drink beer herself. She just saw it and thought of me. What a saint!

According to the bottle, this 6% alcohol ale is brewed with Icelandic roasted coffee. The beer has a lovely dark brown hue and pours with a lush tan head. It has a rich, roasted malt nose that is supported by chocolate and java notes. The flavour kicks off with a rich and velvety malt and mocha combo. As things progress, this gives way to a modestly bitter finish—the only real weak spot of this brew—which probably could have been more assertive.

All things considered, this Icelandic offering was a pretty charming ale. It could have been more bold through the finish, perhaps, but the front end was dynamic and enticing.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Ol’ Woody Alt

Named in honour of the old wooden motor boats that once dominated cottage country, Ol’ Woody Alt is a 5% alcohol, 35 IBU altbier brewed in Gravenhurst, Ontario—billed as a “lagered ale” in its copy. Produced by the Sawdust City Brewing Co., Ol’ Woody is sold in 473mL cans that have a decidedly coffin-looking image that is apparently a boat.

The beer itself is a very handsome clear auburn potion with an ivory head. It has a nutty, bready, and malt-driven scent, and a flavour to match. Ol’ Woody tastes pretty well-balanced, with some graininess, well roasted malt, and a slight note of mown lawn.

I’m not going to go out on a limb and call it memorable, but it is clearly cleverly brewed by people that care about their ales. When Sawdust City speaks, the Stout Man listens and, even when I’m not blown away, I have seldom been disappointed.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10

Pecan Pie Porter

“Finally an extra delicious beer for your pie hole!” declares the copy on the remarkably ugly and curiously-hued 473mL can of Pecan Pie Porter, a 5.6% alcohol brew from Guelph, Ontario. PPP is the brainchild of Double Trouble Brewing Co., which is, to my mind, one of the unsung and innovative beer builders in this great province. This beer is brewed, apparently, with “natural pecan flavour”.

PPP has the almost sickeningly sweet, nutty and caramel aroma of a pecan pie, supplemented with a whiff of a dessert coffee. Compared to the heartily unhealthy nose, the flavour is only a fairly sweet imitation. Notes of pecan are prevalent, but they are preceded by java and coffee elements. The back end is where the pecan is really turned loose, though it is cunningly balanced against a bitter coffee presence.

Pecan Pie Porter is definitely a dessert beer. However, it fares very well compared to other similarly situated pudding-themed brews—such as Banana Bread Beer or Maple Butter Tart Ale. Too sweet by a mile, but at least measured against a bitter backdrop, PPP is a novelty beer that has some revisitation value.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Bent Spoke Sessionable IPA

Hanover, Ontario is the source of Bent Spoke Sessionable IPA. At 3.9% alcohol, this brew, from MacLean’s Ales, is a clean and clear ale with lots of carbonation and a thick, white head. It’s counted in MacLean’s’ Low Gear Session Series. It comes in 473mL cans.

Given the low alcohol content, Bent Spoke has a pretty jumbo aroma, rich in tart grapefruit and dry hops notes. Crisp, yet flavourful, BS has a perfume-heavy flavour, with some citrus notes and a pretty decent level of bitterness and a brittily dry finish.

For a low alcohol beer, this Session IPA is a remarkably flavourful offering. The taste is less robust than I’d seek out for a typical session IPA, but it really is potent for the strength. This light ale is wildly crushable, but still tastes bigger than it ought to. MacLean’s Ales has been quietly putting out some underrated beers over the last few years, and Broken Spoke is no exception. It’s unassuming, but punches above its weight.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Kelly’s Contraption

Named in honour of the motorcar developed by John B. Kelly in Blythe, Ontario in 1883–apparently pre-dating Henry Ford’s effort by four years–the beer, styled Kelly’s Contraption, is billed as “New World Hefeweizen” and comes from Cowbell Brewing Co. aka Blyth Brewing & Distilling. Like Kelly’s antediluvian auto, the 5% alcohol, 15 IBU ale comes from Blyth, ON.

Kelly’s has a cloudy golden hue, under a thick, off-white head. There is a punchy nose, with yeasty notes, some slight clove spiciness, and a dose of banana esters. Like a classic hefe, this new world edition has yeasty profile, a flavour with banana and orange notes, and a dose of spices. The beer is thin-bodied, but refreshing. 

Really, Kelly’s Contraption is a summertime brew, but it came my way in November, via my ol’ pal LW. Despite the unseasonal quaffing, I found the beer to be a pretty convincing Ontarian imitation of the classic Teutonic style. A bit thin, sure, but clearly well-made. Like the other Cowbell offerings that I’ve enjoyed, K’sC was a quality brew that, while not exceptional, was very good.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Laser Show Vermont Style IIPA

When the Stout Man has a head cold, reviewing beer becomes a challenge. However, the Bitter World doesn’t stop turning just because I have a head cold, so the answer is to select huge beers with massive aromatics. Enter Laser Show Vermont Style IIPA. From Left Field Brewery, Toronto’s baseball-mad beer maker, Laser Show is an 8% Imperial India Pale Ale. Sold in 650mL bombers, this is a beer to be undertaken solo only with caution and when one has a pretty clear schedule.

The beer is hazy and has an orange-gold tone. Jumbo notes of tropical fruit and sticky hops waft through a light, off-white haze. The flavour is rich in the juicy, exotic fruit notes that characterize a Vermont-style IPA—pineapple, guava, and loads of citrus.

Bitter and fairly strong, Laser Show packs a nice amount of flavour into a relatively boozy package. I’ve certainly had more assertive Vermont-styles, but this one has some chops of its own. I’d have liked to taste more bold and resinous hops in this number to justify that first “I” in IIPA, as well as a bit more booze—bump this up to 9%+ and I’d have been more impressed.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Galactic Pale Ale

A member of the old guard of Toronto’s craft brewing fellowship, I’m told that Granite Brewery has been a staple of the scene since 1991–when I was not yet eight. However, it is only recently that I’ve started seeing their offerings popping up in Ontario liquor stores—historically, I’ve had to visit the mid-town brewery for my fix of their cask ales. I recently spotted a 473mL can of Granite’s Galactic Pale Ale at my local vendor, so I needed to cart it home and write it up.

Galactic is a 5% ale, brewed using Azacca and Cascade hops. Uncanned, the beer is clear and gold, with a very sudsy eggshell head. Clearly (in my opinion, at least) an English-style IPA, the aroma moves malt to hops, with initial caramel and subsequent citrus and evergreen notes. The flavour is a bit unusual for an Ontario pale ale—there is a bit of bread and toffee up front and a bit of citrus out the back, but the majority of the flavour profile is confined to a grainy, perfumed, coppery and resinous hop cast. Initially too thin, the the mouthfeel gained yardage as it rumbled down the field, ending in a dry, bitter, and unusually metallic finish.

With my first sip, I had low expectations for Galactic Pale Ale—I found it too thin. However, as both the beer and the Stout Man hit their strides, things started to click a bit more. By the end, I didn’t love this ale, exactly, but I certainly had learned a more healthy respect for it. It is notable that I can guarantee that despite the modest rating, I will definitely snap up a few cans of this flavourful and low-ish alcohol ale the next time I see it. Through long experience, Granite has created and chosen to can something awkward but enjoyable.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Bear Hug IPA

Bear Hug IPA is produced in sleepy Newmarket, Ontario by Market Brewing Co. It’s a 7% alcohol jobby that comes in (IMHO) sorta tacky, textured 473mL cans that feature: a bear in shades, a “wild” font on the word hug, and a slightly raised texture.

The beer is extremely cloudy—it has a milky, dull orange cast, under a thick and durable off-white white head. Bear Hug has an assertive aroma that boasts of satsuma and other sweet citrus notes. The flavour is similarly situated, with orange and clementine notes overlaying a relatively bitter framework.

In spite of the lackluster can (again, IMHO—I’m certainly not a marketing or graphic design whiz), the beer inside is punchy, juicy, bitter, and adequately strong. Too sweet, perhaps, but not by too much, I found Bear Hug to be a pretty credible Ontario IPA. Not as grapefruit-focused as many of the leading lights, this effort digs into the orange bag of tricks with decent effect. Would I bring Bear Hug to a party?Damn right! Would I enter it in a competition? Perhaps not. But would I buy it again? Absolutely. That alone is worth a respectable rating, and makes Market Brewing Co. a company worth watching.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Nasch

Produced by the Kensington Brewing Co. in Toronto, Nasch is a 5.3% Vienna lager. It’s a clear amber-gold brew with hearty carbonation and a thin sheet of white head. The beer is sold in unlabeled 600mL bombers.

Nasch has a sweet and toasty malt-forward aroma with some nut and caramel notes. The flavour is of toast and malt, with some metallic notes as well. While I found it to be fairly crisp, it was also a little too mild for the style. The finish has a coppery bitterness, but not a lot of hops action.

Kensington’s take on the Vienna lager style was an adequate one, though nothing special. I wanted it to be a bit more rich and nutty than it was, though the beer was definitely refreshing and enjoyably mellow.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Shevchenko 9 Ukrainian Dunkel

Shevchenko 9 Ukrainian Dunkel is billed as a “Euro Dark Lager”. It comes from the Four Fathers Brewing Co. out of Rockwood, Ontario. Sold in 473mL cans, this dark lager contains 5% alcohol. It’s a rusty and clear grog with a thin disc of off-white head.

Shev 9 has an understated but enjoyable roasted malt nose. Its flavour is toasty, malt-focused, and and has some rich brown sugar notes. Not a lot of bitterness, but there is a bit of astringency to round out the finish.

I’ve never tried a genuine Ukrainian dunkel (an oversight I’m eager to correct), but Shevchenko 9 left me reasonable impressed and thirsty for more. The well-roasted nature of this beer gave it a lot of depth. A bit more hops emphasis might have closed the loop on this stuff with a bit more aplomb, but that’s a pretty minor critique.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.