…overanything

Beers 1,068 – 1,070: Stoutoberfest

// October 17th, 2011 // No Comments » // Beer

In the midst of getting a company off the ground you’d think I’d have more to talk about than what beers I’ve had. No. No, I don’t. All the serious business is taking off over at rickjessup.com, so that leaves the emptying of the cellar as the primary focus over here. I’m sure other things will come up. I’m realizing I need a real smartphone, though. Gotta get on that. So what brought me to illustrious #1,070?

Garrison Brewing Oktoberfest Brau: A 4.9% Märzen from Halifax, Nova Scotia. I have to go on record with a shocking revelation – I have not yet thoroughly enjoyed a Garrison product. I know people love their stuff, especially the Imperial IPA, but I just don’t. Unfortunately, this was no exception. I had enjoyed a stunning Sam Adams Octoberfest beforehand and this simply didn’t measure up. Muted flavours, lacking in the expected malts, just disappointing. I think my last hope is Martello Stout cask at Cask Days in two weeks.

Cannery Brewing Maple Stout: A 5.5% Stout from Penticton, British Columbia. Gotta love a stout whose slogan is “stout, dark and handsome.” I’d had a couple Cannery products a number of years back and found them acceptable but certainly not memorable. Still, I love the combination of maple and stout so what the heck. The aroma was solid, great maple base coming from an artificial maple flavouring they add. That same product issues a great maple flavour a step above the common flavours one expects from “maple.” The big victory here is the huge body, smooth and silky mouthfeel. It’s like drinking a lamb. Not really.

Black Creek Stout: A 5.0% Stout from Toronto, Ontario. I still haven’t made it out to see this brewery, a replica of a historic brewery located at Black Creek Pioneer Village in Toronto. Every GTA kid remembers the field trips to Pioneer Village, what with the bonnets and butter churning. Turns out they now churn out some solid, old-fashioned, traditional beers. They don’t go crazy, just delivering solidly brewed basics. This roasty, dry stout is no exception.

Oh, and speaking of Cask Days – I got my ticket. I’ll be hitting the 12-5 session, and I hope to see some of you there. Flag me down if you’re going to join me!

Beers 1,065 – 1,067: Ye Olde Funnel Blower

// October 14th, 2011 // No Comments » // Beer

It seems one peril of Toronto’s new craft beer fascination is that products that were once easy to come by during seasonal releases have become decidedly less so. I think every release for the past year or so has seen at least one inviting product – usually one of my beloved stouts or porters – horded and off the shelves before I can make my way south to a real LCBO. This time around it was Box Steam Funnel Blower that seemed poised to escape my grasp. I had a lunch with some old friends in Mississauga and hit up the website to find a few items noted as being available at Orion Gate. Sure enough, there it was. So anticipated was it that I bought two, along with the Ayinger Celebrator noted below, and an Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier – the smoked meat beer, for the uninitiated.

So there’s a look at the rest of this week’s beers:

Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck Bacchus: A 4.5% Flanders Red Ale from Belgium, obviously attractive in that it was entirely wrapped in sexy paper. This is not a style of beer I’ve developed a taste for as of yet, unfortunately. I understand it’s well thought of and well made, and I did drink the entire thing. It’s almost cloyingly sweet, and as is often the case, warmed to something more enjoyable than what came out of the fridge.

Ayinger Celebrator: A 6.7% Doppelbock from Germany, extremely well rated, and something I was excited to try. I wasn’t disappointed. You can see the pour was quite dark, and it was so flavourful and thick my brain didn’t want to believe it was a lager. The further through this journey I get the more I find myself enjoying bocks, and specifically doppelbocks. This guy is probably my favourite doppelbock yet, up there beside Paulaner’s.

Box Steam Funnel Blower: A 4.5% Vanilla Porter from the United Kingdom, and what appeared to be the catch of the autumn released based around the craft beer community discussion. I was.. underwhelmed. Granted, the pour burst forth with vanilla, and the aftertaste is something to behold. But the beer itself was light, quite bubbly and lacking in any sort of depth. It was almost watery.

So that’s 1,065 through 1,067. I need to pick up a Cask Days ticket, no doubt those few hours will rocket through this list for me. And I’m hopefully close to a Night of Stouts with some friends where I can rid my cellar of some pretty remarkable darks.

Beers 1,060 – 1,064: Including the Phantom Addition

// October 11th, 2011 // No Comments » // Beer

It was a packed long weekend, I might get into a few of the other details, but since most of the interest around here nowadays is in what I drink let’s have at it:

• 1,061: Les Brasseurs De Montréal La Stout Ghosttown
• 1,062: Wychwood King Goblin
• 1,063: Wychwood Goliath
• 1,064: Microbrasserie Charlevoix Dominus Vobiscum Triple

The Ghosttown was one of the weirdest beers I’ve ever had. It would seem cost prohibitive to add absinthe to a beer but that’s certainly what I tasted. It wasn’t a thick or heavy stout, running somewhere closer to a dark brown ale with odd flavouring than a stout. The Goliath was a traditional English Bitter, well done but not worthy of adulation and praise by any means. The Vobiscum Triple was tasty enough, and hid its 9% well, but I’ve had far, far better triples in my time. I still hold good memories of their Blanche, though.

Ah, King Goblin. So if you know much about beer you’ve probably tried Hobgoblin, unless you were scared off by the “lagerboy” insults of the label. King Goblin takes the 5.2% Hobgoblin and waits until there’s a full moon (for serious), then removes the pale malts and adds some Sovereign and Cascade hops to the Styrian and Fuggles to create a stronger tasting, darker 6.6% brew that bears some similarities, but is really more than “stronger Hobgoblin.” I loved it. I’m always amazed at Wychwood’s ability to churn out full-flavoured, strong ales that also refresh. It’s tough to do.

So where’d beer 1,060 come from? Research. I was updating Facebook Timeline on the weekend with my old vacations, sorting through old blog posts here, and found an entry indicating I had enjoyed a Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat years ago. Who knew? It’s on the list.

Beers 1,055 – 1,059: Indie Ale House, Beau’s, Great Lakes

// October 7th, 2011 // No Comments » // Beer

It appears everything I’ve done in my life has brought me to the point where people either know me for drinking beer or social media, sometimes both together. I guess everybody needs to be good at something.

So this week came the opportunity to combine my two loves as long time friend of OA, Alex, who’s been hard at work on writing ebooks lately, offered to ply me with craft beer in exchange for stealing my Foursquare secrets. I’d link to his books but I think it’s a secret that I’m leaking him this info, and let’s be honest, if you wanted to read books referencing me there are other options.

So for those wondering beers number 1,055 through 1,059 were:

• 1,055: Indie Ale House Instigator Pale Ale
• 1,056: Beau’s Night•Märzen Oktoberfest Lager
• 1,057: Great Lakes Brewing Sweet Pete’s Peach Wheat
• 1,058: Great Lakes Brewing Ginger
• 1,059: Great Lakes Brewing Chris Grimley Pantalon Peppercorn Saison

Indie Ale House is new and it’s a great first effort, what you’d expect from a West Coast pale ale with fresh hop aroma and great malty/hoppy balance. Beau’s regularly churn out awesome stuff, and it reminds me I still have a numbered first edition Bog Father in my cellar to crack. The Great Lakes lineup, split amongst Burger Bar and Volo, were all great and likely had in order of preference. I’d had high hopes for a peppercorn saison, and while it was good, I wanted it to be great. Still, how Great Lakes continues to turn out what seems like 15 great beers a week is beyond me.

Cellar Pull: Schneider Aventinus Weizen Eisbock

// October 3rd, 2011 // No Comments » // Beer

I can’t add a number to the Schneider Aventinus Weizen Eisbock only because I had it for the first time long ago. Tonight’s selection came out of the beer cellar where it had been stored since its purchase in 2009. In its two years of aging this 12% eisbock has likely advanced to at least a 16% strong beer, and it acted as such. The aroma was heavy in alcohol and the taste even moreso, balanced in a well made, malty eisbock that had smoothed considerably in its time away.

Starting to think “clearing out the cellar” isn’t going to be the hardest job I’ve had.