Kingdome

 Watching the penultimate Blue Jays regular season game while hoping for a Seattle loss might seem like an odd afternoon to crack a 650mL bottle of a brew that honours the Mariners’ former home, but I was feeling reckless. Kingdome, from Toronto’s Left Field Brewery, is a 5.7% kveik pale ale. The foeder fermented ale is pale gold, has a hazy aspect and has a fluffy white head. 

To my nose, the beer has lemon notes and a tangy, earthy yeast presence. As for flavour, I picked up lemon drop along with saison-inspired peppery notes. The finish is floral and citrus notes, but very little bitterness. Kingdome also has a nicely-flowing texture.

I’m a big fan of Left Field’s short cans, so I seldom purchase their bottled offerings, but I bought four bombers of Kingdome on a whim, and I’m glad I did. The kveik yeast was used effectively, the flavour and texture were both smooth, and I’m better off for having consumed this beer.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Fox Force 5 IPA

Fox Force 5 IPA is both a 6.5% brew from Indie Alehouse and an excellent shout out to Pulp Fiction. The beer, born in Toronto, is sold in 500mL bottles with beautiful labels with more nods to the film. The beer is made with Voss Kveik yeast, as well as the duo of Enigma and Lotus hops. It’s a hazy brown-gold colour and it pours with a this white foam.

FF5 has an agreeable aroma reminiscent of fruit leather—sweet and a bit quirky, with a hint of citrus bitterness. The flavour is also built around dried fruit notes, with a citrus/berry blend. There is a wee bit of bitterness and an understated, earthy yeastiness.

Clever branding, great flavours, and high refreshment value makes this a nifty little IPA worth tracking down. The deft use of kveik—the brewing world’s hottest microbe—is also a nice touch.

Rating: 9.0 out of 10.

Safe Word

A Kveik pale ale brewed in Toronto, Safe Word is made with Galaxy and Mosaic hops by Indie Ale House. The hazy pale ale contains 5.2% alcohol and comes sold in sassy pink 355mL cans.

Through its fluffy white head, Safe Word has a bouncy, fruity aroma with a bit of quirky yeast. The flavour has notes of pineapple and mango, laid over a mellow and unconventional yeast elements.

The flavour of Safe Word is agreeable enough, but it’s the texture that I found attention-grabbing. It’s smooth initially, with a slightly yogurty tang at the finish. Very unusual, not for everyone, and pretty well executed, Safe Word makes nice use of Kveik—beer’s hottest weirdo yeast.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Devil’s Trill XI—Licensed to Trill

I made a trip to Toronto’s Blood Brothers Brewing on a chilly Friday afternoon to pick up my occasional allotment of their excellent Shumei IPA and while I was there, the Beastie Boys-themed label of Devil’s Trill XI—Licensed to Trill Kviek [sic] IPA caught my eye. The brew is a 7% number sold in 500mL bottles. Extremely hazy, Licensed to Trill is a pale gold ale with a fluffy layer of white suds.

Juicy, tropical aromatics feature notes of mango and berries and cream. The flavour is mellow and juicy, initially, with tropical fruit elements, and this gives way to a reasonably bitter, grapefruit finish. The beer has an unusually creamy and smooth mouthfeel with a hint of yogurty tang.

I’m still pretty new to kveik yeast, but I thought that Blood Brothers’ Licensed to Trill handled the quirky strain quite admirably. The beer is flavourful and a little weird. Not at all session-friendly, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I’d just have liked for the grapefruit bitterness to have hit a bit harder.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Northern Touch Kveik Lager

For my second round at Toronto’s Laylow Brewing, I opted for a pour of their Northern Touch Kveik Lager. A 5% lager, NT showed up hazy and golden, with a layer of white fluff and a toasty, earthy aroma. Behind that are vaguely tart, fruity esters.

The beer has a flavour is at times sweet and dry, with some woody notes in for the trip. Mostly, though, it’s a yeasty little offering with a slightly winey trend. At the furthest reaches, there was just a hint of smokiness too. The mouthfeel isn’t thick exactly, but it’s definitely sturdy.

My first foray into the marriage of kveik yeast and lager, I found Northern Touch left me feeling mindful. It’s flavour profile was unusual, but definitely agreeable. Not at all crisp, the beer was satisfying in a different sort of lager way.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Heist Sour Pale Ale

With my beloved Raptors looking to steal game one of the NBA Finals against the heavily favoured Warriors, I reached for a can of Heist Sour Pale Ale (worked out great, BTW!) from Toronto’s Folly Brewing. A golden brew made using Kveik yeast and flaked wheat, Heist pours with a thin layer of white head.

Heist has a tart citrus and yeast nose. The flavour has notes of orange, alongside a clamber of yeasty funk. Heist is a tasty little piece of work, and at just 5%, it goes down easy. A bit more prominent bitterness might have made a good beer better, but it’s definitely a good beer. Also worthy of praise is the beautiful design on the 473mL can featuring the beer’s name as a stylized burglar—just awesome.

 

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.