Allegheny Splash Tangerine Peach Float

Named in honour of baseballs hit into the river in Pittsburgh, Allegheny Splash Tangerine Peach Float is a 5% ale from the team at Left Field Brewery in Toronto. The beer comes in 355mL cans with a cute li’l drawing on the side. It’s brewed with peach and tangerine (I assume a purée) and lactose, along with wheat and oats. A.S. has a dull orange colour and pours with a thin layer of off-white head.

The Splash has a fruity aroma that has the sweetness of peach and the tang of yogurt. The flavour is a bit tart and it encompasses tangerine and peach notes, as well as a deft touch of vanilla sweetness.

This was a pretty quirky and enjoyable little brew—juicy and with big yogurt energy. I liked it quite a bit more than I expected to.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

BBB

 BBB is a Torontonian Imperial Black IPA with lactose. Apparently, BBB stands for Brian’s Big Black Beer, though the can rightly notes that there are actually four Bs. It’s a 7.5% Cascadian dark ale (though I think calling it “imperial” is a stretch at that percentage). Brewed by Great Lakes Brewery, BBB is sold in 473mL cans. It’s a near-black beer that pours with an extremely durable and pleasantly fluffy tan head.

BBB has aromatics that combine roasted malt and evergreen bitterness. The flavour kicks off with some mocha sweetness, but pivots to a robustly bitter finish accented with pine and espresso. The use of lactose gives the beer a very creamy texture, which is a bit of an odd contrast to the bitter flavours.

This is an unusual offering—very flavourful, with decent strength and a curious texture.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Hamilton Haul--In the Palms

Grain & Grit Small Batch Beer makes a lactose IPA that they call In the Palms. In addition to lactose, this Hamiltonian ale is brewed with oats, mango, and pineapple. It’s a 6%, 90 IBU(!) ale that they sell in 473mL cans.

In the Palms has a succulent nose rich in tropical notes—particularly mango, which sets the tempo. The flavour is quirky and interesting, with juicy, tangy fruit notes. The mouthfeel is, as you’d expect from an ale with lactose and oats, silky smooth. This all culminates in a back end that is undeniably bitter, though it certainly doesn’t taste like 90 IBUs to me (but I’m not a spectrophotometer).

In the Clouds IPA with Lactose is a complicated little brew. It’s juicy, tart, bitter, and smooth, with an oddball flavour. It’s not a beer that’d see me grabbing a second or a third in an evening, as it’s a bit too tangy, but it is a beer that I’d gladly reach for one of any day.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Combat Wombat

Every once in a while, Ontario’s liquor control authority will import an interesting American brew, but often the product seems to be old by the time it gets to me, the thirsty consumer. By way of example, I submit the adorably named Combat Wombat from Newport, Oregon’s Rogue Ales. Purchased by me in late August, the production date listed on the bottle is the Ides of March. Of course, if I weren’t such a hypocrite, I’d vote with my dollars and refuse to buy the sub-optimally fresh, six-month old sour IPA; however, the chance at a 650mL bottle of a novel 7.2%, 49 IBU ale brewed with lactose, wheat, oats, blood orange and grapefruit was too much to pass up on principle. Farts.

The beer, billed as a sour, Northeast-Style IPA, poured hazily, with a copper-orange cast and a thick bristle of suds that faded pretty quickly to an off-white tonsure. As well, there was a bit more sediment in the bottom of my glass than I’d have preferred. Huge sour and citrus elements characterize the aroma. Flavour-wise, there are notes of sour candy, tart grapefruit, and some juicy field berry notes. Bitterness, balanced against sweet and sour, made up the finish.

Despite the 7.2% weight, I found myself fairly guzzling this stuff—the lactose-enhanced mouthfeel and candy elements made me gulp thirstily. I really enjoyed the flavour, though it was at times a bit too candied. I’d have liked the assertive sourness of the aroma to carry through a bit more into taste. As well, a stronger carbonation game might have elevated my enjoyment to the next plateau (this might be attributable to the beer’s venerability; however, Ontarian scarcity of this particular brew may make that suspicion hard to confirm). All told, I’m glad I bought the stuff—I just wish I could have a crack at a fresher batch.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Bellwoods' Sour IPA w/Lactose

As yet too new to be properly named and labeled, I just picked up a 500mL bottle of “Sour IPA w/Lactose” from the industrious brewers at Toronto’s Bellwoods Brewery. I’m already nearly through with the “lactose/milkshake IPA” trend, but Bellwoods seldom delivers a bad batch of anything, so I figured I should investigate their take.

The beer I bought was an opaque, milky orange-gold. A 7% alcohol offering, it poured with a rapidly vanishing layer of sudsy white head. The beer had a compellingly tangy fragrance; tart with exotic fruit notes and a liberal dose of funky yeast. Acidic orange and mango notes were vividly represented in the front end, alongside some boozy sweetness, while the finish was fruity and tart, with a slightly underdeveloped bitterness closing the door.

All things considered, Bellwoods’ Sour IPA w/Lactose was a pretty enjoyable ale, but one that could have benefitted from a heavier mittful of hops, and a slightly less sweet opening salvo. At 7%, the strength is perfect, and the sourness of this beer was rowdy without being raucous.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Milk Run Coffee Stout

Do you have a brother? Are you pals? Is he a cool guy? I’m sure he is. But my brother, the illustrious R.A.N., is better. That’s because my brother is the best brother. As he often does, on one of his latest journeys he brought me some bottles; this time they were from Collingwood, Ontario’s Northwinds Brewery. One of my gift bottles was a snazzy 500mL dealie of Milk Run Coffee Stout, a 5.6% dark ale brewed with java from Ashanti Coffee Estate, a local to Collingwood coffee roaster., and with lactose.

Milk Run is an obsidian ale with a plume of tan head and a pushy aroma of sweetened black coffee. With a deliriously smooth mouthfeel that gives way to a crunchily hoppy finish, Milk Run has an exceptional texture. Its flavour ain’t too shabby, either, with creamy coffee notes, roasted malt, and a modestly bitter back end.

While I enjoyed Milk Run quite a bit, there are elements that could have been tweaked to better tailor it to my unique tastes. For instance, I take my coffee black and bitter, and this beer exuded go-go beans at a two sugars level of sweetness, which was a bit much for me. I’d have throttled down on the sugar and amped up the bitter; however that is my own beer and coffee preference, so your own tastes may lead you to different conclusions. The creamy, lactose-infused mouthfeel was more than agreeable, adding a level of depth and volume to the brew, but, again, contributing to a too sweet flavour. According to the Northwinds Brewery website, Milk Run was designed as a breakfast beer, but to me, it’d be better suited to a digestif role—a dessert beer to be enjoyed on a full stomach.

 

Happy birthday, bro!

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.