Black Creek IPA

During my tour of the Black Creek Historic Brewery, I picked up a growler of the Black Creek IPA. This ale contains 5% alcohol and pours a cloudy, orange-brown colour with almost no head or carbonation. It has an aroma that blends citrus with a whisper of caramel. The flavour involves a considerably bitter grapefruit body and just a bit of sweetness. The near total absence of carbonation helps it go down very easily. It has a slightly bitter, dry aftertaste.

The Black Creek IPA is brewed according to 1860s methods. It's a lovely brew with a quality flavour--not overpowering as some IPAs tend to be. A bit more alcohol would definitely be a welcome addition.  Fresh from the brewery, this stuff was highly enjoyable.  The last pint in the growler contained a tonne of sediment--not super appealing.


Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Black Creek Brown Ale

I enjoyed a pint of this offering, produced by Toronto's Black Creek Historic Brewery, at the Halfway House, the pub at the Black Creek Pioneer Village. It was a not-quite-clear, reddish brown ale topped with a quickly thinning eggshell head. It features a nice, malt heavy aroma with brown sugar notes. The flavour is quite rich at the front end, with brown sugar and molasses the driving forces. There is not a lot of bitterness, and what bitterness there is is confined to the finish.

This saucy rogue marks the entrance to the men's room.

BCBA is none too shabby for an English-style brown ale. It's smooth with an interesting flavour.  I'd like a bit more oomph, but otherwise I was quite satisfied. It made a lovely compliment to the chevre-filled bison burger that I enjoyed at the Halfway House.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Rifleman's Ration

Rifleman's Ration is an ale brewed by Toronto's Black Creek Historic Brewery.  It's sold in 500mL bottles and contains 5% alcohol. The label provides a brief write-up about the War of 1812 and another about the beer itself.  It informed me that this brew is made with 100% Ontario ingredients.

R.R. pours a swampy-looking brown colour topped with almost no head.  It has very little carbonation. The aroma is malt heavy, featuring toasty notes and a bit of molasses.  It has a very enjoyable and intricate flavour--encompasses brown sugar, molasses, caramel, and, at the finish, a layer of hoppy bitterness. It's fairly malt forward and toasty grog.

I wouldn't object to a bit more carbonation, but, as this is an historic ale, perhaps I shouldn't complain about that. Still, I find it a bit disarming to pour a beer without head. That said, this was a very enjoyable little ale.

I've written about it before, but it bears mentioning again--Black Creek strives to create beers as they were historically enjoyed.  I think that's very cool.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10

Scottish Brewing History Lesson #5-Fraoch Heather Ale

Fraoch Heather Ale is clearly the showpiece of the Historic Ales of Scotland pack, so naturally, I saved it for last.  According to the bottle, it's "Scotland's native ale."  Additionally, the bottle comes with a brief history lesson.  Apparently, heather ales have been brewed for 4,000 years and is the "oldest style of ale still made in the world."

Fraoch weighs in at 5% alcohol and has the colour of tarnished brass.  It is slightly cloudy and topped with a thin ring of white head.  The aroma is extremely sweet, with a hint of ginger and the taste is flowery and considerably malty.  It doesn't taste like a conventional beer, but it's really quite pleasant.  It leaves behind little lace and has a very brief, mild aftertaste.

This is a decidedly tasty brew.  I probably wouldn't sit down and drink a sixer of Fraoch, but it made for a nice change of pace from more standard hops heavy beers.  Give it a try.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Scottish Brewing History Lesson #4-Alba Scots Pine Ale

Alba is a Scots Pine Ale, which means it is brewed using pine and spruce sprigs rather than hops.  It is a slightly cloudy, brownish ale topped by a foamy head.  It looks deceptively like a pint of bitter.  However, one whiff tells you that this brew is a wholly different animal.

Alba contains a mighty 7.5% alcohol and it shows.  Actually, more than anything, it smells.  The beer has a strong aroma of malt and alcohol.  There is some pine notes, but these are understated.  Similarly, the evergreen flavour I was expecting was less than dominant.  Rather, the flavour was reminiscent of a Belgian abby--extremely malty with a high alcohol content.  There are brown sugar notes, as well as butter and a bit of raisin living alongside the slight foresty taste of pine.  The aftertaste is where this beer shows its high alcohol content most--it tastes a bit warm.

This is not a particularly drinkable beer, but it's pretty smooth.  It is solid, interesting and definitely worth sampling.

Happy Holidays from the Stout Man.  Drink responsibly, but drink.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Scottish Brewing History Lesson #3-Grozet Gooseberry and Wheat Ale

Gozet is an effervescent straw coloured brew.  It looks deceptively like a lager--fairly clear, highly carbonated and topped by a shock of white head.  However, a lager it is not.  Grozet is a gooseberry and wheat ale, definitely the first I've ever tried.  It has a sweet, fruity aroma that has a candy-like quality.  It tastes sugary and fruity.  The wheat flavour I was expecting wasn't really present, but the berry flavour was just right--pleasing without being overstated.  There was barely any aftertaste to speak of.

Grozet was really thin and really light.  It was a unique brew, though probably not one I'd reach for on any sort of regular basis.  Worth a try?  Sure.  Plus, it has this awesome label designed by third-year students at the Glasgow School of Arts:

Rating; 7.5 out of 10.

Scottish Brewing History Lesson #2-Ebulum Elderberry Black Ale

According to the label, Ebulum Elderberry Black Ale is brewed according to a 16th Century recipe. It checks in at 6.5% alcohol and is an extremely dark ale.  It looks like a stout, but its thin like an ale.  Very little light gets through this monster.  It is crowned by a relatively this dusting of tan head.

There is a strong scent: sweet, dank and alcoholic. The flavour is very round: mildly fruity and big on malt.  According to the bottle, there is a "red wine flavour." I think this characterization is pretty apt, particularly in the sour tang present in the aftertaste.

This is definitely not a session beer.  It's a touch too sweet for this guy to get behind on a regular basis, but it's an interesting brew and one that is worth trying. It's enjoyable, compelling and unlike anything I've ever tried before.  Definitely a treat to try a new "old" brew.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Scottish Brewing History Lesson #1

My last theme week was wildly successful (actually, my readership neither increased or decreased), so I'm going to try it again.  This week, I'm going to be reviewing the four brews that were included in the Historic Ales of Scotland pack produced by Heather Ales Ltd./Williams Bros. Brewing Co.  The pack, with its nice looking packaging and its promise of four unique styles, was hard to ignore.

The concept is quite excellent--reviving historic ale styles that make use of locally-sourced ingredients and depart from the conventional hops and malt framework.  The fact that the ales all purport to be made using indigenous flora is definitely a selling point for me.

There are four bottles in the pack: an elderberry black ale, a gooseberry and wheat ale, a Scots pine ale and a heather ale.  All four are sold in 330mL bottles with excellent labels.  Additionally, they come with a brief historical pamphlet. They are all brewed at the Alloa Brewery in Kelliebank, Alloa, Scotland.  Stay tuned--each of my next four posts will relate to one of these brews.