Inexplicable Grisette

 Inexplicable Grisette is a bright and bubbly low-alcohol ale in the French style—a session-friendly cousin to the saison. The beer comes from Toronto, Ontario’s Eastbound Brewing Co. It clocks in at just 3.2% and comes in 355mL cans. It’s a sunny golden brew with a sudsy white head.

IG has a lively yeast aroma that comprises both citrus and spice elements. The flavour is primarily yeasty, with a bit of perfume character. The back end is short and crisp and the texture is quite effervescent.

IG has quite a lot of flavour for a low octane brew. It has a pretty agreeable vibe and I’d be glad to buy it again. A nice little beer to wile away a sweltering afternoon.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Hamilton Haul--Wide World Barrel Aged Wild Ale

Wide World Barrel Aged Wild Ale is a 5.7% brew from Hamilton, Ontario’s Fairweather Brewing Co. The beer comes in 500mL bottles. It’s a sunny, golden beer with lots of carbonation, some yeast haze, and a sudsy white head.

To my nose, the beer was tart and funky, with dry, lemony notes. The flavour walks a similar line, with hearty funk, citrus elements, and a dry, quick finish.

Wide World is compelling, particularly in the early going. The back end is a little bit on the thin side, though the dryness is well executed.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Ch’ti Blonde

Another bière de garde from Brasserie Castelain in Bénifontaine, France that I sampled during my brief stay in Carcassonne was their Ch’ti Blonde. Ch’ti was a 6.4% golden farmhouse ale sold in a stubby 330mL bottle. It poured with a short-lived cover of off-white head and had an aroma that was sweet, metallic, and slightly earthy. The sweetness persisted in the flavour, which was malt-forward, a bit bready, and featured honey and fruit notes.

Unlike the other B de G from Castelain that I sampled during my travels (Blonde du Nord), Ch’ti was stronger and had a bit more bitterness at its back end, contributing a bit of balance. Again, I was expecting a bit more yeastiness, akin to a saison, but I think the problem was less with the beer than my own misconceptions about the style. A touch too sweet, perhaps, but nice and strong, Ch’ti featured an array of subtle flavours that emerged as the beer warmed.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Reflects de France Bière de Garde Artisanal Blonde du Nord

Reflects de France Bière de Garde Artisanal Blonde du Nord is a 6% effort from Brasserie Castelain in Bénifontaine, France. My father-in-law brought a corked and caged 750mL bottle back to our rental place in Carcassonne, and I decided to take it for a spin.

Blonde du Nord proved to be a clear, golden ale. It poured with a thin disc of white head and had a sweet, slightly yeasty aroma with notes of apple and green grape. The mouthfeel was very smooth and almost thin, with a timid flavour that was sweet, grainy, and faintly yeasty—not a lot of the farmhouse funk that I was hoping for. There was almost no bitterness and the finish was sweet and short.

I have a limited knowledge of bières de garde, and I know that Castelain is one of the reputed master makers of the style, but I found their Blonde du Nord to be a bit blinkered—perhaps a brew designed as an introduction, rather than a full-flavoured, full strength bière de garde.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Poppins the Indestructible Brett Barrel Aged Grisette

Poppins the Indestructible Brett Barrel Aged Grisette is a weird concept made manifest. Grisette is an effervescent, low alcohol, old world style, but Poppins, a Torontonian ale from Black Lab Brewing is barrel aged with funky yeast and brewed to 5.5%, basically turning the style on its head. According to the label, the beer is a collab with Escarpment Laboratories and Gorman Smith Beverage Equipment.

The beer is a cloudy, fizzy golden frog topped with a thin layer of off-white suds. To my nose, the beer is primarily characterized by tart yeast notes, earth, and a wee whisper of cranberry. The flavour is also yeasty and tart, with some earthiness. For a barrel aged beer, the woodiness is an understatement, but I suspect it is in part responsible for the >5% strength.

Based on the quirky reprogramming of a classic style, I wanted to like this beer a lot, but in practice, it was just good. Poppins was flavourful, but for a Brett barrel aged beer, it went nearly as funky or wild as I wanted it to be.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Foeder Fermented Grisette

Foeder Fermented Grisette is a low-alcohol Franco-Belgian style brew crafted by the team at Toronto’s Bellwoods Brewery. The beer, sold in 500mL bottles, clocks in at just 4%. It’s a sunny yellow potion with a hazy complexion and a thin layer of white head.

Bellwoods’ take on the grisette style has an earthy, yeasty aroma. Its flavour is extremely mild, primarily driven by funky yeast and supplemented by a floral note. The mouthfeel is effervescent and dry, but also quite brittle.

The Foeder Fermented Grisette is a crisp, refreshing take on the style. The flavour is nice, but I found it too delicate for my tastes.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Goodspeed Smoked Saison

Happy Holidays from the Stout Man!

From Toronto, Godspeed Brewery’s Smoked Saison is a low-alcohol member of their “Pitch & Pray Series”. At just 4.2% alcohol, the beer has a sessionable weight; however, a pungent woodsy and yeasty aroma suggests that this little ale won’t be all that sessionable.

Godspeed’s Smoked Saison comes in 355mL tins. It is a crystal clear brew with a short-lived halo of white head and a pretty fair amount of carbonation. It has a lively but brittle mouthfeel that accompanies a flavour built around Belgian-style yeast. I’m not sure when and how the beer was introduced to smoke—it definitely has a faint tang of carbon, but it is mild and only really evident in the nose and at the finish.

I should confess a sin—this beer sat forgotten in my fridge for far longer than it should have. I think maybe the spare and small silver can made it easy to overlook. However it happened, the beer wasn’t as fresh as it ought to have been when I finally cracked it. It’s a testament to the brew that I still found it to be engaging and enjoyable a few months past its brew date. The beer is thin, but it manages some finespun dignity with its subtle smokey twist.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Gamelle Grisette

Grisette is, according to my quick google research, a traditional Belgian style of ale that was brewed for miners. It’s similar to a saison, but with significantly lower alcohol.

I needed to do a quick bit of reading so that I’d know what I should expect from Kensington Brewing Co.’s Gamelle Grisette. I got a (600mL?) bottle from the Toronto bottle shop and kind of forgot about it for a little while. I was nervous when I pried of the cap that the 4.6% ale might have lost a step, but it was bright and still highly carbonated. Gamelle is a clear, effervescent pale golden brew. It pours with a sudsy white froth and features a nose that is both funky and crisp. The flavour features some slightly tart Belgian-style yeast elements, as well as some peppercorn and spice notes. The finish is short and dry.

A refreshing low-alcohol brew, if perhaps a bit brittle, Gamelle Grisette tastes fresh, but lacks depth at the finish. A great warm weather beer, though, and a nice, lighter option for saison fans.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Candlepower

Brewed by Grimm at Beltway Brewing Co., Candlepower comes from Brooklyn, New York by way of Sterling, Virginia. A punchy 8% farmhouse ale, the stuff is brewed with pink peppercorns and sage, and stuffed into 1pt 8oz bottles that feature truly unique and enticing labels. The beer itself proved to be a cloudy, dull gold batch with a lusty off-white head.

Candlepower has a funky yeast-powered aroma that is spicy and beguiling. Its flavour is, initially, more subtle than I expected, with yeast and metallic sage notes evident but not overwhelming. The front end of this beer is unlike any I’ve ever had before, but for all of that, it wasn’t pushy—the sweet and savory taste remained understated. However, at the back end, the pink peppercorns do their raucous work, creating a spicy and unusual combo that left me impressed.

Yet another excellent beer sent my way by KC, one of the elite friends of the blog, Candlepower is an unusual piece of work. I enjoyed it unaccompanied, but this strong ale would definitely be bolstered by serving with a sharp firm cheese. Still, on its own, it was a quirky, funky ale with a lot to commend and little to criticize.

Rating: 9.0 out of 10.

The Secret Goldfish

A member of Sawdust City Brewing Co.'s Winewood Series, I picked up my corked and caged 750mL bottle of The Secret Goldfish direct from he brewery. The label of this features a vignette about a woman discovering the magic of re-reading books and declares this 6.7% alcohol conviction to be a barrel-aged tart saison. The beer had a bronze tint. It was hazy and aggressively carbonated, with a modest covering of off-white head.

The Secret Goldfish had a sour and slightly saline nose with cranberry and cherry notes. The flavour, less sour than the scent, was still a bit tart, with unripened fruit elements. Cleverly, the barrel-aging flavour was almost hidden beneath a crush of tart notes, but it became more and more apparent as my beer warmed and my mind mellowed.

To this dork, there weren't a lot of saison elements to this stuff, other than a lively mouthfeel and a high concentration of yeast--still, I guess the saison is a big tent and getting bigger, so what do I know? Well, what I do know is that the flavour was nice, the strength just right, and the sourness far from oppressive. The Secret Goldfish made me with that Sawdust City's Winewood Series was available at my local store.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Payday

Payday is a saison from Brampton, Ontario's/Saint John, New Brunswick's Hop City Brewing Co. (incidentally, the fact that two cities are listed makes it ambiguous as to which is "Hop City"). Payday is a 6.2% alcohol, 40 IBU brew sold in 473mL cans emblazoned with a wheelbarrow loaded with money. The beer inside has a bright copper hue. It pours hazily, topped with an off-white crown of suds.

Payday has a spicy and yeasty nose. So too goes its flavour, with yeast leading the way to a slightly floral finish.

As saisons go, Payday is middle of the pack. It has a good weight and look, but I'd like to enjoy a bit more tingle in the mouthfeel and something distinguishing in the flavour. That said, I don't feel like there were any notable flaws.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Ricky and the Hendersons: Face of Toronto

Face of Toronto was brewed by Toronto's Henderson Brewery in honour of the City's 183rd birthday. A dark saison, this tricky little number brings several unconventional ingredients to the traditional Belgian/French farmhouse style: cardamom, orange rind, and chocolate. The beer was a low-alcohol effort, at just 4.5%, and came in a 650mL bottle with a "waving out the streetcar-themed" label. It was Henderson's "Ides of ..." entry for March 2017.

The beer poured stout-dark, which would have been jarring had I not seen MT enjoy one of these guys a day earlier at the brewery. It had a sudsy tan head and a substantially chocolatey aroma. Quite unlike any saison that I've ever tried, Face of Toronto was light on the traditional yeast and spice elements. Its flavours were built largely around chocolate and coffee, with an agreeable dip of the toe into orange. Of the cardamom, I detected very little--only a whisper of spice at the finish of each sip.

If Face of Toronto didn't say "saison" right on the bottle, I'd have called this a spiced stout. However, it does. I must take its saison-itude at "Face" value (puns!), but whatever it's called, I found it to be a largely agreeable dark ale. I'd have liked a bit more spiciness, but the chocolate was nicely represented and the orange peel suitably restrained.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

3-Point Saison

3-Point Saison is a farmhouse ale from Collingwood, Ontario's Collingwood Brewery. It's sold in 473mL cans and contains a pretty substantial 7% alcohol, as well as a modest 20 IBUs.

The beer is hazy and dull gold, with a fluffy white foam on top. It has a fragrance that is, at times, yeasty, tart, and briny, with sour apple notes. The flavour proved significantly less tart than the nose, instead featuring a somewhat unforeseen sweetness at the front end, with some banana esters a bit more suited to a witbier. The back end was, as expected, yeasty and dry.

 

While 3-Point wasn't quite as effervescent as many saisons, it was rife with wild yeast, giving homage to its Belgian-style roots. At 7%, there was more booze than the average Ontarian take on the saison. I enjoyed this brew while I was watching the Toronto Raptors kick the crap out of the Milwaukee Bucks in game 5 of their playoff series, so I was predisposed to like it, but I genuinely thought it was a good, not great, beer. Would definitely buy again.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Farmed & Dangerous

Farmed & Dangerous is a funky little Belgian-style farmhouse ale from Toronto's Bandit Brewery. This 6% alcohol saison-style brew comes in 500mL bottles with really spiffy labels featuring a dapper, fanged hop-dude. Inside, the beer proved to be dull orange and very hazy. It poured with a lovely cap of white head.

F&D's nose was yeasty, dry, tart, and fruity. It had a yeast-driven flavour profile, supplemented with some spice notes, green apple, and some earthy elements.

F&D tasted like an authentic farmhouse ale from Belgium or France. It was funky and complicated, with a bit of a wild side. At just 6%, it was a bit underproof for the style, but it had the flavour to almost make up for it.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Symington Saison

Symington Saison hails from Toronto. It's assembled by Katalyst Brewing Company and sold in spiffy 473mL cans. At 5.5%, it has a bit of play, and according to the ingredients list, there is a little taste of rye grain in the stuff.

The Belgian-style saison is a cloudy yellow-orange number that pours with a moderate covering of off-white head. It has a piquant aroma that is both yeast and nicely spiced, and a flavour that transitions from grainy to tart, with a side trip through rye, clove, and caraway.

I found this to be a very agreeable saison, with a rich flavour and a decent strength. Though there are many pluses, it should also be said that the front end of this beer is too sweet, and the mouthfeel insufficiently ebullient. I'll be keeping an eye out for more brews from Katalyst. They show promise.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

MacLean's Farmhouse Blonde

From Hanover, in Grey County, Ontario, comes MacLean's Farmhouse Blonde. A light-bodied 4.8% alcohol beer brewed by MacLean's Ales, this stuff is crafted using Ontario hops and barley. It's sold in somewhat spartan mustard coloured cans that house 473mL of the bright, clear, and fizzy golden ale. It poured with a fluffy white head and a bit of sediment.

The aroma is heartily malty and very fresh smelling, with lots of grains and a bit of sweetness. Though listed as a farmhouse ale, this brew doesn't share too much with the traditional boozy saison, though it is a bit yeasty, finishes dryly, and is amply carbonated. The flavour starts fresh and malty, with a touch of fruit flavour, before giving way to a dry and slightly bitter back end.

MacLean's Ales have proven pretty reliable and well made. Their Farmhouse Ale is no different--nice, if muted, flavour, the beer is crisp and dry. I'd have liked a bit more pop and a bit more alcohol, but it was nice ad steady. A fine beer.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Barn Owl No. 3

A "mixed fermentation farmhouse ale with Ontario peaches" comes from Toronto's Bellwoods Brewery. I picked up an owl-emblazoned 500mL bottle at the bottle shop, brought it home, and reviewed it with my lovely mother-in-law (who likes to try beers in 2oz. samples).

Here are her idiosyncratic thoughts:

Frothy, fruity, and sangria-esque. Light--the fuzzy navel of beer. Could drink it quite easily. Would dress it up and put fruit in it. Liked it a lot.

The beer was cloudy and orange. It poured with a thin and fluffy white head that faded extremely quickly down to nothing. It had a sharp and yeasty aroma, sitting boldly atop a slightly fruity base. I found the flavour to be a touch tart, particularly early on, with a lovely unripened peach vibe. It's yeasty and a bit funky.

 

Barn Owl was a pretty decent little farmhouse. It was a bit short of fizziness, which I found a tad disappointing, but packed a lot of flavour into its 6.5% alcohol frame.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

 

Brooklyn Sorachi Ace

When a known beer geek hosts friends for dinner, he or she can often expect to receive a couple of bottles from their guests. Recently, my partner and I hosted one of our favourite couples for some vegan burritos, and they showed up bearing beer, including a beautiful corked 750mL bottle of Brooklyn Sorachi Ace. Ace is a farmhouse ale brewed by the Brooklyn Brewery out of Brooklyn, NY. It's a bright and fizzy high alcohol brew--sunny gold, hazy, and 7.6%--that pours with a bushy white head.

The Ace doesn't actually have much of an aroma--it smells faintly yeast and with a peppering of dry hops, but that's about it. The flavour is considerably richer, with a delicate, floral body, Belgian-inspired yeastiness, a hint of spice, and a Saharan-dry finish. There is a nice hops drive, particularly out back.

 

On the down side of the ledger, this ale tastes a lot less robust than I wanted it too. While it is much more flavourful than it smells, there is still a paucity of flavour that I found a bit disappointing. On the strong side, there is a lovely mouthfeel--champagne-like effervescence--and a tremendously dry, interestingly hopped back end.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Burdock Brett Farmhouse Saison II

A good pal (I'll call him R.H.) brought me a mixed four-pack of beers from Burdock Brewery, a fairly new Torontonian establishment. Once again, writing a beer blog and having generous friends combined to make me a happy lad. Eventually, I'll review all four of these, but for now I'm going to focus on the Burdock Brett Farmhouse Saison II.

Sold in 500mL bottles, the beer was pale gold, lightly hazy, and covered with a thin white head. Its 6.2% alcohol piqued my interest and its pungent, yeasty nose drew me in. This brett saison is an odd beer in some ways--it has a large flavour but a very thin mouthfeel. Not nearly the champagne-like feel that I expected. It has a very yeasty taste, built up with grassy and fruity notes. While a bit too thin, this farmhouse ale delivers a satisfyingly dry finish. Another issue I had with the stuff is a shortage of brettanomyces tang--with Brett in the name, I expect tart notes to be in the fore.

The Burdock Brett Farmhouse Saison II was a pretty good introduction to the wares of a newish brewery I've been itching to try. It gave rise to a couple of significant critiques, but left me relatively pleased and my thirst thoroughly quenched.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Saison From St-Feuillen

A Belgian saison, Saison From St-Feuillen hails from Roenlx, where it is brewed by by Brasserie St-Feuillen. It's listed as a Belgian farmhouse ale and clocks in at a punchy 6.5% alcohol. Sold in 330mL bottles, the stuff has sufficient life that it started foaming over as soon as I pried off the cap. The orange-brown is decidedly cloudy and looks a lot like a nice apple cider, except for a thick fog of ecru head.

Saison From St-Feuillen has a yeasty aroma that packs a tart, fruity essence. Its flavour is quite mild, yeasty, and buttressed by notes of apple. As expected, the mouthfeel is crisp and dry. The aftertaste is practically non-existent, but what little there is is dry, tart, and ever-so-faintly bitter.

I don't know where they're hiding the 6.5%, since it certainly doesn't taste that strong, but it's on the label, so it must be in there somewhere. What I'm saying is that the potency is expertly masked. The beer isn't quite as effervescent as I expected, but there is a hearty wallop of Belgian influence.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.