A Visit to Cigar City Brewing!

Without a doubt, one of the beer highlights of the trip to Florida was our trip to Cigar City Brewing, one of Florida's up-and-coming new entrants to the brewing scene.

And I mean new. Like 2008 new.

Hoping to challenge Florida's reputation as a "beer wasteland", CCB owner Joey Redner built upon the Tampa region's rich Hispanic heritage, and the expertise of head brewer Wayne Wambles, to help bring new focus to the Florida brewing community. Indeed, Spanish and Cuban culture is a big part of what CCB is all about. The brewery's name reflects Tampa's former status as the nation's largest manufacturer of cigars, no doubt a consequence of Tampa's sizable Cuban population. Many of the brewery's flagship beers have names with a Hispanic origin (Jai Alai, Maduro, Chaveta, Bolita), and patrons are encouraged to pair these offerings with traditional Cuban cuisine.



Despite only being in production for just over two years, Cigar City has generated a great deal of enthusiasm and anticipation amongst the craft beer community. In June of 2010, Entrepreneur Magazine rated CCB 1st of their list of 10 "Hot Startups", a rare feat for a craft brewery. Wambles' brews have initially received high marks from both online reviewers (like yours truly) and award-givers, giving craft brew aficionados yet another reason to be excited. As is the case with most new craft breweries, the development of a strong bottling distribution system takes time (requiring not only the bottles, but a delivery system and a retail market), and so a great deal of CCB's focus is on its in house brews. Though their distribution range is small now, it's optimistic that this will increase in the near future.



According to Beer Advocate Magazine, one distinguishing feature of CCB's brewing vision is their flair for revisiting their standard brews, especially their IPA, Jai Alai: "Wambles does a lot of experimentation with his flagship recipes. He's fond of blending his staple IPA with fruits like pineapple, papaya, mango and coconut," and aging these brews in differing wood barrels to achieve unique and tasty results.* Other experimentation has been done with their other flagship brews with many successes; Hunahpu Imperial Stout (based off their original Marshal Zhukov RIS) has quickly become a beer community favorite.



Sounds like a worthwhile trip to me!


The only problem with such an adventure is not having a working GPS in state I've never driven in. So naturally, I typed in 'Cigar City Brewing' into GoogleMaps, only to be directed to Ybor City Packing. Another GoogleMaps fail. 30 minutes later, we managed to find the brewery. Turns out I arrived on the busiest day they've had in months....just my luck.

Like many a brewery, Cigar City is housed in what could very well pass as a seatbelt factory. Just a large, nondescript grey building in the middle of nowhere. And yet, when I walked into the tasting lounge, I was floored. The place was hopping, absolutely packed with folks slugging pints and chowing down on shrimp and vegetable cocktails. My initial fears that I had wandered into a private party were quickly allayed by the bartender (one of three) who said that earlier that day, they had released their bourbon-barrel aged edition of their Marshal Zhukov Russian Stout, and were serving both draught pints and growlers to a select few. Only I was about 3 hours too late for each. Damn. Despite the chaos, I was still able to swing a seat at the bar and arrange for a sample flight of four brews. I would have gladly stayed for more, but somebody had to drive the chariot home, and Matt's Beer Den is all about responsible drinking! With my lady at my side ready to partake in her half of the sample glasses, I was ready to roll!

They are, from L-R: Maduro Oatmeal Brown Ale; Humidor IPA; Marshal Zhukov Russian Imperial Stout; Jai Alai IPA (White Oak Barrel)

Beer: Jai Alai IPA (White Oak)

Type: American IPA

ABV: 7.5%

The original Jai Alai is truly their flagship brew, an above average American IPA, of which I picked up a few bottles at a liquor store across the street. Yet the IPA style has become somewhat overdone by American craft breweries; pretty much every brewery has one, making it hard to distinguish them from each other (at least I find it to be the case). By aging his standard recipe in a white oak barrel and adding local fruit and flowers, Wambles was able to take the IPA to a new level. This stuff was all kinds of terrific - in addition to the citrussy and earthy hops and malt character, the White Oak version was delightfully tropical, with notes of vanilla, grapefruit, orange and even coconut. Crisp and satisfying, a treat to drink. An absolutely perfect Floridian beer, and a great start to the sample flight. (Michelle's favorite too!)

Beer: Marshal Zhukov Russian Imperial Stout

Type: RIS

ABV: 11.5%

The reason for the night's festivities, although this was their standard version and not the barrel aged fare my seat-neighbour from Atlanta was raving about. A typical Russian stout - high in alcohol, thick n' hearty, and bursting with roasted malts, coffee and dark chocolate - but easier to drink than some of the others I sampled on the trip. Like the IPA, American breweries are OBSESSED with Russian stouts, almost to the point of over-competitiveness. It's a great style to be sure, but it's not my favorite - it can be hard to drink, particularly in the summer, and the ever increasing alcohol content and robustness (two big points of competition amongst brewers) can be a bit daunting. This one I found a great deal more reasonable, and a real pleasure to drink, so much so that I helped myself to a Marshal Zhukov shirt (as seen in the pic above). Now, no matter where I go, Komrade Zhukov has got my back.

Beer: Maduro Oatmeal Brown Ale

Type: American Brown Ale

ABV: 5.5%

Reminded me a great deal of Fuller's London Porter. Instead of a nutty, malty brew like other brown ales I've had before, Maduro was rife with dark chocolate, caramel and coffee notes. Finished with a slightly hoppy bitterness and a touch of roasted coffee bean. Similar to the Zhukov, I suppose, but a great deal thinner and less potent, as a brown ale should be. Indeed, after the Russian Stout, this brew felt quite mild so it may not have been the best tasting pair, but the Maduro was still a fine brown ale - a brew you could have three or four of in an evening and not feel bloated.

Beer: Humidor Series IPA

Type: IPA

ABV: ?

I'm a bit confused about this one. According to the tap label, this was "Humidor IPA", but according to BeerAdvocate and the brewery itself, there is no such brew with that exact name. There is a Jai Alai Humidor Series (two of them), but I can't state with confidence which version this was. In either case, it was earthier than the White Oak, with juniper berries and a more aggressive hop character. After falling in love with the White Oak Jai Alai, I can't say I was too impressed with this one, but it certainly weren't bad neither. Smooth and drinkable, just not as invigorating as the White Oak.

Based upon the flight I was able to sample, I can safely say that the hype surrounding Cigar City was fully justified. With so many American craft breweries offering overly-potent Russian Stouts and hyper-hopped IPAs, it's wonderful to see a new brewery explore and expand the possibilities for each style. Although I didn't take pictures of the inside (too many drunken patrons in the way), it was certainly a fine tasting room as well. While I didn't get the personal experience I had hoped for, the bartender did his best to chat me up about the brews and offer me samples despite the increasingly frenzied crowd. With two new T-shirts and a souvenir snifter glass in hand, I left the CCB tasting house feeling elated and excited, ready to take on the rest of the samples awaiting me at the hotel room. Well done, lads, well done.

*P. McMorrow, Beer Advocate Magazine, Issue #42 (July 2010)

Florida Beer Haul!

Well, I'm back, and it's been a wonderful two weeks!

I couldn't have asked for a better wedding day (Team Matt was unstoppable!), and the trip to Florida was fun from beginning to end. Michelle and I really enjoyed our trip to Orlando; it was her first trip to Disney World (my first since the Jays won the World Series), and our first look at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal, which was all kinds of awesome. On the days between park visits, we spent a lot of time relaxing around the hotel pools and exploring the area. And, naturally, I also spent a great deal of time beer hunting.

That's right; a significant portion of my honeymoon was devoted to tracking down new and exciting beers.

Fortunately, Michelle understands my passion and is actually quite supportive of it. If you think about it, being a beer geek isn't really a big deal: you never spend more than 20 bucks on any individual bottle so it's not a big strain on the ol' finances (compare this to prices for scotch, vintage wine or good-looking hookers - all expensive vices) ; it's educational and historical (beer of course being a cultural artifact); and it so happens that beer tastes good and is rich in our good friend, vitamin Alcohol. Also, like all things in a marriage, half of what I get is Michelle's too, so she got to try pretty much every beer I picked up - a win for her.

A relationship based on a mutual passion for drinking: what's not to love?

Now that I've entered into the brotherhood of beer geeks, I have a tendency to see vacations as new beer drinking opportunities. With the craft and import selection at the LCBO so stunted, I could otherwise potentially go many weeks without finding new brews to try, so I try to take full advantage of every trip outside the province.

And take advantage, I did.

For my first beer-venture, I managed to find several great brews at a little beer store just outside of the resort. You may have heard of it; it's called the fucking Wal-mart. That's right - I ticked off one of my all-time must-try's at the South Orlando 24-hr Wally World. Incredibly, they actually had a decent import and craft selection (Guinness Extra Stout, a fair sample from Sam Adams, Brooklyn, etc.) I ended up going with Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, which is one of the premier American pale ales to be had, or so I'm told (and it was!).

All this was about an aisle down from the Hanna Montana and Team Edward merchandise.

I was off to a great start.

Before leaving for Florida, I posted a question on the BA forums about my impending visit to the Sunshine State, asking those in the know where the best beer hunting could be had. And the result was unanimous. "Knightly Spirits" was the place to go: a small liquor store chain located across the Orlando area, but with a legendary craft selection. With this knowledge and poorly written directions in hand, on our first full day in Orlando, I bee-lined down Orange Blossom Trail to find this little gem tucked away next to a Spanish grocery store in an outlet mall. Didn't look like much from the outside. But upon first seeing their import selection, my reaction (as seen below), was quite genuine:

"A whole new world (don't you dare close your eyes!). A dazzling place I never knew..."

An entire wall's worth of some of the best beers available: single bottles of American craft breweries from Oregon and California to Delaware and Georgia; rare vintage barleywines from the UK; the ENTIRE Trappist lineup from both Belgium and Holland...it was simply overwhelming. I actually was almost saddened to see it, because I knew I wouldn't be down in Florida for long, and I wouldn't be able to try it all. Eventually, I would have to be separated from my beloved. As I continued muttering "Oh my God...oh...they even have-sweet Jesus!!", Michelle watched me with patient bemusement. I absentmindedly grabbed a dozen bottles or so, simply at a loss at where to begin.

"It's beautiful!!!"

After forking over about $98 USD, thus representing my all-time highest single-bottle beer haul, we headed back to the hotel room to put a few in the fridge. I managed to sample about two to three a night thereafter (with the lovely lady helping me along), writing notes for each. I was able to tick off some biggies on my list: Dogfish Head World Wide Stout; Ommegang Abbey Ale; Trappist Achel, Orval and Rochefort; Cantillon Lambic Kriek - to name a few.

But after a few days, I began to feel the itch again. Unlike herpes, there is a cure for this particular itch, and that's a trip to yet another beer store! This time I hit up ABC Liquors in Tampa. Actually, I hit up two of them... The first time, I was again blown away by their impressive selection of refrigerated craft 6-packs. I quickly struck up a conversation with the sales clerk - a fellow beer traveller - who told me that the "better" store was three blocks away, and that I should check it out. He also informed me that unlike the socialist, sternly disapproving province I hail from, Floridians were encouraged to remove single bottles from 6 packs if they didn't want to commit to a whole pack. At the LCBO, I get yelled at if I dare to bring up single bottles from the single AISLE, but here, they don't even blink. God-damned bless America...

I somehow managed to convince myself to by eight more bottles, including some localish fare from Red Brick and Terrapin (both Georgia). The last two days were a frantic race to properly sample the rest, but I managed to get things done.

And thus, here's the final lineup. Beer team, assemble!!

I also managed to snaggle a few on-site draught brews from Tampa's Cigar City Brewing (the source of the snifter glass in the foreground) as well as draught from a few spots across town, bringing my total for new beers to an impressive twenty-two. It was an excellent haul, and I managed to bring some of it back to Ontario to try later, so naturally I've been insufferably giddy for the past few days (on record, though, I should probably chalk that up to 'wedded bliss'...)

Coming soon: the best of the Florida haul, and a visit to Cigar City Brewing on Marshal Zhukov Imperial Stout release night!

"We Got The Mill Street Brews" (reviews)!

I'm a big fan of Mill Street Brewing. It's got a great location and awesome brewery tour and restaurant, as well as a fairly diverse slate of brewing offerings ranging from the standard blond ale (Stock Ale) to the more challenging tripels and roggenbiers (I'll get to the latter in a moment!). Indeed, Mill St. is one of Ontario's better craft breweries, and it's received some mighty fine accolades, winning its third consecutive Canadian Brewing Awards - Brewery of the Year award. Three of my favorite Ontario brews are Mill St. offerings: Tankhouse Ale is, in my opinion one of the finest red ales available; Cobblestone Stout, which is only available on draught is a superb nitro-pour alternative to Guinness; and their Belgian Wit is an excellent summer thirst quencher, on par with Hoegaarden. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to check out their brewery for some time, and that's where most of their unique brews can only be found. Fortunately for me, a couple of flats of individual bottles became available at the LCBO, thus saving me a trip to T.O.!

Beer: Lemon Tea Beer

Type: flavoured ale

ABV: 4.9%

I think the first time I heard about Mill Street's latest summer brew, I may have inadvertantly offended a Mill Street rep. When he started telling me about how they've got this great new summer ale, a "lemon tea beer", my reaction was a less-than-enthusiastic: "....neat..." Look up 'crestfallen' in the dictionary, and you'd find this guy's face. Oops...I can forget about free samples in the future, I guess...

Now, I rarely make a point of dismissing a brew before I've tried it, unless of course it's a light beer or if it's brewed by Faxe, but in this case, I can't really say I was excited about "Lemon Tea Beer". Generally, I'm not a fan of beers that go out of their way to declare that there's fruit in the product, especially lemon. I've had some pretty bad luck with 'lemon' and 'tea' flavored brews, because usually the added flavor isn't so much subtle as it is punch-you-in-the-face-artificial. Think Coke Vanilla. The same goes for most fruit beers; it's a delicate balance, and the scales can be, and often are tipped disastrously to the disgusting side of things. (See: Nickle Brook Green Apple Pilsner, the unholy combination of weak lager and Jolly Rancher candy)

But I've got to say, Lemon Tea Beer wasn't bad at all. It's still probably not something I'll regularly seek out, but it does what it sets out to do fairly well.

Poured into a Mill St. lager glass. Looks like an iced tea beer: light copper, slightly opaque, about a 1/2 inch of head that recedes quickly into a ring.

Nose isn't too strong, which is a good thing. Iced tea, lemon, malts, maybe a touch of yeast. Another plus: the iced tea smells less like Nestea (or worse, Brisk...), and more like a proper iced tea.

This brew is actually pretty tasty: like a lemon iced-tea cooler, with just a touch of malt and yeast. I'm still having trouble calling this one a 'beer', but at the very least it tastes alright and their are some typical ale characteristics to be found.

Mouthfeel is slightly watery (again, like iced tea), with a tight zip of carbonation at the finish.

Not a bad seasonal from Mill St - certainly better than I had expected, but probably not something I'll pick up on a regular basis. I don't think I could drink too many of these in a night. Worth a try though! (Grade: B-)

Beer: Schleimhammer Roggenbier

Type: roggenbier

ABV: 5.3%

Schleimhammer Roggenbier - now there's a name with some chest hair! This beer was previously only available on draught, but thankfully they've produced a bottled version for us poor souls from outside the GTA. Now, I've got to admit, I've never heard of roggenbier before, and if there's one thing Matt loves, it's learning more about beer!

Alright, two things...

Roggenbiers are rye beers, in that the primary brewing grain is rye, rather than wheat or barley. As you can probably tell by the name, roggenbiers are of Germanic origin, being extremely popular in Bavaria during the Middle Ages. After a series of disastrous grain harvests in the 16th century, that lovable German Beer Purity Law (Reinheitsgebot) of 1514 came into play, banning the use of essential baking grains for brewing purposes. Rye was out, barley was in. And for the longest time (actually, until the late 20th century), the style virtually disappeared, kept alive only by those who brewed at home or in small enough batches. The style has seen a bit of a resurgence in Bavaria recently, and a few craft brewers across the pond have attempted to replicate the old style, with varying successes. Mill Street, I must say, can count itself among the success stories.

According to head-brewer Joel Manning, his roggenbier employs the use of yeast traditionally used for hefeweizen, and as he describes it, the brew makes for "Good 15th century peasant fare!" Good enough for me!

Again, I poured this one into my fancy Mill St. glass. The picture is a bit hard to see (it was late), but the brew is a lovely chocolate brown and opaque , similar I suppose to iced coffee. A thin head, which didn't last for too long. Looks a great deal like a dunkelweizen.

Nose is indeed very hefe or even dunkel-like. Notes of cloves, malt, fruit (banana), yeast, chocolate and biscuit. A bit of smoke to it as well, perhaps some rye bread as well. Very rustic and intriguing.

The taste is also surprisingly similar to a dunkelweizen, but with a spicy, rye bread character to it. Pumpernickel, actually. (Seriously, how German can you get?) Finishes slightly dry and bitter. Very enjoyable; I can see what Manning means by "peasant" beer, because this brew really has an archaic, Middle Age quality to it that I'm really digging.

Mouthfeel is medium-bodied, with a very crisp, tangy carbonation to it. Sharp.

A fine brew indeed; I would love to have this on tap. Certainly a defined rye character to this brew; I suppose I could have gone for an even more robust spiciness (just to distinguish the beer further from a dunkelweizen), but it's still quite tasty. I don't really have a great deal to compare this to, seeing as how this is my first roggenbier, but as far as first impressions are concerned, Schleimhammer made a good one! Will pick up again! (Grade: B+)

Alright, three things....

World Cup: or, why I haven't been posting much lately...

Well, it's the World Cup.

Continuing this trend of 'painfully obvious, you may have also noticed my beer reviewing has been a lot less frequent. Three games a day (while working in a bar), plus a dearth of new brews at the LCBO, plus planning for some upcoming nuptials (holy crap, I can't believe it's less than a month...) have made June my lowest beer-reviewing month yet. Seriously, I checked it out on Beer Advocate, where I usually post about 18-22 reviews a month (think about that for a moment), but for the month of June, I only managed a paltry seven. And four of those happened before the World Cup began, so you can see where the state of my attention span is at right now. It's hard to drink objectively when all you can hear are 80,000 vuvuzelas....


BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

So, like a couple who's got a few minutes before their dinner reservations, I offer you a quickie!


Beer: Erdinger Hefeweizen
Brewery: Erdinger (Erding, Germany)
Type: hefeweizen
ABV: 5.3%


Yes, that's my new kickass World Cup glass. Pretty impressive, really. It came in a five pack purchased for me by my one-and-only (I knew I was marrying her for a good reason...), and when held to the light it kinda looks like the Jules Rimet trophy, which is all kinds of awesome.


(That's the opening match between South Africa and Mexico in the background, by the way. You may recall it started at 10:00AM. Gotta toast in the World Cup right!)

Pours a light, opaque yellow, typical for the style. When first poured, it produced a truly majestic head, pretty much filling the entire soccer ball section of the glass. Looks about right for a hefe. *MRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

The nose is subtle. A bit too subtle... All the usual suspects are there -banana, clove, yeast, wheat, lemon, coriander - albeit in a very muted form. I might even be stretching a little to say that I can detect them at all. Hmmm...

I was right to 'hmmm....'. The taste of this brew is decent, but quite one-sided and uninteresting. It's essentially a weaker-flavored hefe - still tasty to drink, but unimpressive. The wheat and malt pair well with the citrus, but that's about it.

Mouthfeel is slightly watery, decent effervescent crisp to the finish.

I was a bit disappointed with Erdinger; it wasn't quite the experience I was going for to ring in this happy occasion. To make sure my opinion wasn't swayed by the moment, a second sampling a couple days later confirmed by diagnosis. I do have to clarify this point, however: I would more than happily drink an Erdinger than most brews out there, but when compared with the big boys like Weihenstephaner, Schneider or Hacker-Pschorr (and even a few locals, like Mill Street's Belgian Wit), it doesn't hold up as well. I'll certainly enjoy the last few bottles in the gift pack - and will relish drinking them out of my super-awesome glass for the duration of the Finals, but I don't think I'll be picking up Erdinger too often in the future. (Grade B-)

Cheers to South Africa 2010!















RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!

God in Heavens! - My Dieu du Ciel! Sample Pack

Another friend makes a trip to Montreal, another sample pack for me! How awesome is that?

(Thanks again, Lori!)

Dieu du Ciel! is one of my favorite Quebec breweries, sporting an impressive and diverse brew lineup, a passion and dedication to unique styles, and a fantastic labelling design. As I think I said in one of my first reviews, I love when breweries incorporate artwork into their bottling; that extra effort demonstrates a holistic approach to beer production - beer bottles should be attractive outside, tasty inside. Dieu du Ciel! means God in Heavens! en francais, and the amusing naming does not stop there. Most of their brews have some fantastic names - usually involving a complicated french pun or wordplay, but still worthy of remembrance. The brewery's most famous brew, Peche Mortel Imperial Stout au Cafe (currently Canada's highest-rated brew on beeradvocate, and extremely well-received south of the border) means 'mortal sin', which given the pitch-black colour of the brew, is quite appropriate. Unfortunately this brew was not part of my sampler pack (one of my many, many beer goals is to sample this national treasure) but there are still loads of goodies to be found here!

Here are some of my favorites:

Beer: Fumisterie ("Smoke screen")

Type: Belgian pale ale

ABV: 5%

First of all, I love this brew just because of the label - it looks like an Ent and a Viking had a lovechild. Awesome.

The reason for the name is because this beer is made partially from hemp. According to the brewery website:

"Fumisterie, which loosely translates as “smoke screen”, was given its name in reaction to laws – created under false pretext – that prohibit hemp crops, a beneficial plant with multiple ecological uses." Good uses like beer. Go hemp!

Poured into my fantastic Duvel goblet. A nice ruby-russet hue, with about a 1/2 inch of head. Some lacing, a thin ring survives.

The nose is...different, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Toasted malts (not roasted), caramel, tea, and a creamy, milk product scent. Some folks on beeradvocate have said yogurt; I tend get buttercream. The point is there's something 'dairy' about it, which might just be a characteristic of fermenting hemp. Not really sure.

Not a bad little brew: certainly flavorful and unique. Toasted malts and caramel up front, with some of that dairy-cream flavour The creaminess is countered by a grapefruit-tea hop character, giving the brew a slightly bitter finish. Not quite balanced, but certainly drinkable.

Mouthfeel is velvety and creamy; the carbonation works well here.

I weigh in favor of this brew - drinking new and unique brews tends to put me in a great mood as it is - but there's definitely some areas of Fumisterie that need work. The taste is a little unbalanced, and the cream/butter isn't the greatest flavor. Still, a solid brew - and worth trying just for the name! (Grade: B)

Beer: Rosee d'Hibiscus ("Pinkish hibiscus", according to the website)

Type: Herbed/spiced wheat ale

ABV: 5%

No name-silliness here - this brew is all about hibiscus. More fantastic artwork here. Just love it.

Poured into a chalice. Looks like strawberry juice, similar to Fruli, the famous Belgian strawberry beer. Strawberry in colour, a few clouds of head, little lacing.

The nose is quite nice: strawberry, raspberry, pale wheat, hibiscus flowers, citrus tartness, honey.

The taste is considerably drier than I'd expected; I guess when I see strawberry, I expect strawberry. Certainly a great deal more rose-petal flavor, combined with pale wheat and citrus. Finishes long and dry, slightly puckery. Lingering aftertaste, very dry. Smooth mouthfeel, with a slight crackle of carbonation to the back of the tongue.

Not a bad little brew, certainly good for what it is. I enjoyed drinking it, but let's face it, how often does one really crave a rose-flavored beer? Not something I'll drink too often, but it was worth a try nevertheless. Sometimes this happens; brewers will test out a new method of making beer and they'll do it well, but are under no delusions that it will become a top seller because it is so unique. They do it for pure enjoyment. And hey, I'm always one to support a brewers' desire for experimentation! (Grade: B+)

Beer: La Paienne ("the pagan")

Type: Blonde ale

ABV:

Cool design on the bottle - a slightly minxy girl making a pagan offering at a Stonehenge-like monolith. (Seriously, you should check out the brewery's website for more awesome artwork - my personal favorites are Aphrodesiaque and Equinox du Printemps)

A lovely golden hue, slightly opaque. Looks like mead or honey. Very little head to speak of, only the slightest ring and a lonely island in the middle.

Nose is nice: grain, fruit, a touch of honey, light hops.

Actually one of the better blonde ales I've tasted recently. I'm not a huge fan of the style, as it can tend to be a bit boring - predictable and good, but still, boring. This one was quite the opposite. Sweet, but not overpowering. Grassy and floral, some biscuit character near the middle. Finishes hoppy and slightly dry. Very refreshing. Medium-thick body, light carbonation.

I'm usually not a fan of blonde ales, but I've been enjoying this one very much. Smooth and enjoyable, I can certainly see myself drinking several of these in a night. Unfortunately, this one is particularly hard to acquire, as it is only available in these sample packs. If you're lucky enough to pick up this 12 pack, I highly encourage you to do so! (Grade: B+)

"Iceland is nice, Greenland has ice!"

Beer: Skjálfti
Brewery: Ölvisholt Brugghús
Type: Steam lager
ABV: 5%

On yet another random sojourn to the LCBO, I came across this:

Naturally, if I ever see a beer bottle as awesome as this, you can be damned sure I'll be picking one up. Hell, where should I start? First, it's got runes and umlauts, which is all kinds of awesome. Secondly, it's from Iceland, which I'm fairly certain is the most little-known-about country in the world, save for Super Ghana. I don't really know much about Iceland, other than it was a stomping ground for Eric the Red and the rest of the NFC North champion Vikings a few years back, they lovingly donated Bjork to the rest of the world, and they don't much cotton to reliable European air travel and stable banking. Actually, I've always hoped to one day visit this mysterious island in the far north. From what I've heard and seen, it's quite a beautiful, picturesque place. It's geological destiny shaped by volcanoes and seismic tremors, the landscape is ever-changing and volatile. Paying tribute to this unique heritage, the brewers named this beer Skjalfti, which means "earthquake."

Pictured: Iceland.

Iceland's brewing tradition has been considerably stunted due to one of the world's longest experiments in prohibition. Like most of the western world, the first years of the 20th century saw the rise of anti-alcoholic fervor in Iceland, which culminated in a 1908 referendum to ban the sale and production of alcoholic beverages. Eventually, like in other countries, people's heads began to clear somewhat, and Iceland welcomed both wine (1922) and liquors (1934) back to their tables. But not beer - or at least not beer over 2.2% (i.e., beer). So unfortunately, Icelanders had to wait a good while before their next (legal) sip of beer. How long do you ask?

Oh, not long, not long, just 1989.

Wow. Holy....wow....

That's right; Icelanders had to suffer through pretty much the entire Cold War before they could have a proper pint. Naturally, when the Icelandic parliament finally (reluctantly) permitted the sale and production of beer on March 1st, 1989, folks in Reykjavik calmly toasted the new arrangement in a civilized, respectful manner. And by that, I mean they got piss drunk for about a week. As one bar owner said: “I remember a lot of drinking and a lot of pissing all night long and the next days, and it [was] not stopping.” Welcome back to the fold, dear brothers, welcome back. March 1st is now pretty much a national holiday (Beer Day) in Iceland, and apparently a lot of Icelandic ex-pats and wishers-well celebrate the day in the United States as well.

In this new permissive culture, Icelanders have taken to brewing with truly spectacular zeal; homebrewing has skyrocketed, as has their level of alcohol consumption, up some 4L per person annually from pre-1989 level. On an island this small, and with such a small population, there are still only a few major breweries, but they seem to be getting along just fine. This is my first experience with Icelandic beer, and hopefully it won't be my last.

Skjalfti is what is known as a 'steam lager', a style made famous in southern California; it's also sometimes known as California Common beer. Basically, steam beer utilizes a lager yeast that ferments at a bit higher temperature than other strains (remember: lager yeasts ferment cooler than ale yeasts), which made for easier brewing in the hotter climes of SoCal. Refrigeration was at a premium during the Gold Rush years, in which steam beer quickly became the most popular brew in the state. Steam beers almost have a pale ale character to them - crisp and malty, with a juicy hop tang and fruity notes. "Anchor Steam Beer" from San Francisco is the original and benchmark for the style, having resurrecting it after nearly a century of non-use; clearly, Olvisholt was greatly inspired by this legendary American brew.

I poured this one into a lager glass. A copper-golden hue, with about a 1/2 inch of head. Decent retention: a substantial ring of foam survives, as does some patches of lacing.

The nose is terrific, similar to a mild IPA. Apple, hops, resin, lemon, caramel, biscuits. Very inviting.

The taste isn't too far off from this. A bready, malty character pairs well with juicy, herbal hops. Citrus, caramel and a good piny, earthy character make for a highly drinkable brew. All the flavors are balanced well; brews with all these notes have a tendency to get scattered and miss the mark, but Skjalfti certainly did not. It's slightly watery, but with a decent level of pucker from the juicy hops, it's really hitting the spot on a warm evening such as this. Medium, biting carbonation.

A great example of the style, very drinkable and refreshing. At about 3 bucks a bottle, it's pretty reasonable, and seriously, how often are you going to have an Icelandic beer? Try it if you can.

Sleeper hit for the summer, in my books (Grade: B+)

Cheers to Iceland!