Evil Conscience Black IPA

I was supposed to play squash on sunny, February Saturday afternoon, but as I neared the courts, I received a text from my prospective opponent to the effect that he'd overslept and wouldn't make it. Because he's a bum. With an unexpected few hours to fill, I first went to the farmer's market and bought some Québécois cheese, but after that, a powerful thirst drove me underground--down to C'est What?, one of Toronto's finest beer-drinking venues. Their draught list is always impressive, and after dithering for a few minutes, I settled on a cask black IPA from Granite Brewery.

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Evil Conscience Black IPA contains 6.1% alcohol and tips the scales at a hearty 65 IBUs. My pint was black as night, opaque, and covered with a foam of creamy head. I found Evil Conscience to be light on aroma, but big on flavour. It's nose had some piney bitterness, along with some roasty malt notes; both in restrained measure. In terms of taste, though, this beer let its hair down a bit more. There was a slice of espresso bitterness tangled up with evergreen hops. Roasted malt elements simmered underneath the surface as did a faint hint of anise.  A cask ale, Evil Conscience also displayed a very smooth, creamy mouthfeel.

Toronto's cask ale kings, Granite, delivered a real winner with Evil Conscience Black IPA. Packed with flavour, velvety, and lovely--I highly recommend it.

Rating: 9.0 out of 10.

Shoulders of Giants Imperial IPA

Shoulders of Giants is an Imperial India Pale Ale from the beer artisans at Barrie, Ontario's Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery. I had a smallish glass--it does contain 10% alcohol after all--pumped from the cask at one of Toronto's most celebrated beer houses.

Shoulders was a swampy brown brew with khaki highlights. It arrived with a thick and durable carpet of cream coloured foam.  It had a substantially hefty aroma that had a surprising tropical fruit essence living amongst some citrus hops--it's sweet meets tart, with a bit of a candied quality.

A cask ale, but a boozy one, Shoulders of Giants had a creamy mouthfeel that sheltered its boozy heat, making it a dangerous sipper. It had a fairly sweet flavour, chalk full of passion fruit and pineapple. It wasn't nearly as overwhelmingly bitter as I expected from an imperial I.P.A.--rather, the bitterness was subtle and slow-building.

I found this to be a fascinating mug of suds. It's strong, but gently so, almost like a friendly giant. Ha! If you see this brew on offer, be sure to give it a whirl--as long as you don't have anything important to do with the rest of your day. I had mine on an empty stomach after a vigorous squash match, and it left me satisfied, but thoroughly unproductive.


This is the strongest cask ale that I have ever sampled. I was wary of how the boozy oomph might translate through a beer engine, but I needn't have worried. This stuff worked really well. It was soft and sultry, but backed by a deadly heat--a real femme fatale.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10.

Dragon's Breath Original Real Ale

Dragon's Breath comes from the Kingston Brewing Company, out of Kingston, Ontario. I enjoyed a pint of this tasty cask conditioned ale on tap at the brewpub. It's listed at 6% alcohol and arrived a darkish copper colour crowned, just a mite hazy, with a thick layer of creamy off-white foam.

D.B. has a mild, malty aroma with some brown sugar sweetness. It has a smooth, creamy mouthfeel. It tastes mild, and moves from malty to bitter.  There are brown sugar and caramel notes.

Dragon's Breath is none too shabby, but I'd like a bit more flavour, particularly on the bitter side of the equation. It's pleasantly easy drinking, and I dig the 6% alcohol.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

(Note: I took a photo, but it was too dark in the bar. It's pretty much inscrutable.)

Granite Brewery-Hopping Mad

Granite Brewery is a cozy microbrewery in Toronto, Ontario. They make an array of ales that all sound great. Hopping Mad is a cask-conditioned pale ale. It checks in at a respectable 6% alcohol. I enjoyed a pint on tap at the brewery.

It arrived a mostly clear, reddish orange colour, topped with a loose, bubbly, off-white head. Truly a cask conditioned ale, there was very little carbonation. It has a bready, bitter aroma and a very thin mouthfeel. A warm, fruity flavour leads into a nice, hoppy finish--an aftertaste that is bitter and a touch nutty. The elevated alcohol content is barely detectable.

Hopping Mad was a deceptively easy-drinking brew--my pint was gone in a flash, and I suspect that six or more could be made to disappear without much effort. It's a nice ale--a bit thin on the front end, but solid and smooth.  The finish is excellent.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.