I Feel Pretty, Oh So Pretty (Things Beer and Ale Project)!

Just looking at the number of posts from this year as compared to last has been shocking to say the least, dispicable to say the least.  So, since I keep taking so damn long to do new posts and reviews, I've decided to simplify things a bit and focus on one particular beer as much as possible, and save those massive, time-consuming posts for every so often.   So, without further Apu, here's a nifty little blonde I had the pleasure of picking up in Buffalo, who was a bit hard to get, but was certainly worth the wait.

Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project is a new brewery on the scene that has been gaining increased attention of late due to their seemingly bizarre takes on traditional styles, out-there bottle artwork, a name that suggests an association with a 70s revival band, and the fact that they don't actually have a brewery.  The "Project" is meant to be quite literal, in that - as the website claims - "projects can change, they can end," because this isn't necessarily a long term solution.  Here's why:  the Project's founders Dann and Martha Paquette, homebrewers from Massachusetts, haven't been able to afford a brewery, so instead they rent one, and use it to brew whenever they can.  The Pretty Things team provides all the labour, the ingredients and the initiative; all the brewery has to do is give them use of their facilities.  Bottling, label design, and packaging are all done by the four (!) members of the team, and the result is a brewery that looks, feels and is independent.  Despite all this, the brewers seem to have figured out their business to the point that their wares can be found in many spots around the Northeast, as far as Western NY and Pennsylvania.   Here's a quick look at their flagship brew!


Beer: Jack D'Or
Brewery: Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project (Cambridge, MA)
Type: "American" Saison/Farmhouse Ale
ABV: 6.5%

Their flagship brew is called Jack D'Or ("door"), and is described by the label as being a "Saison Americaine", with the "Americaine" usually meaning that it is a traditional continental style of brewing that has been jazzed up with American style hops and perhaps a different yeast strain or malt.  Sure enough, a gander at the PT website gives us those ingredients: classic earthy hops often used in English or Belgian Brewing (Fuggles, Styrian Golding), as well as an American "C"-hop (Columbus), that will give the brew a stronger citrussy punch.   Another addition is the use of rye grain into the mash, along side the typical wheat and barley malt that is normally found in a farmhouse "saison."   My prediction here is a brew that is light, citrussy (puckery, rather than light lemon), and with a good earthy character.  We shall soon put this prediction to the test!

Tall 22oz bottle (they only do brews in this size, which is fine with me) from Consumer Beverages in Orchard Park, NY.  Consumer Beverages is a small chain of beer stores found throughout the greater Buffalo area, and although the selection at each varies somewhat, they tend to all have a great variety of craft brews from the Northeast, as well as the usual big suspects (Stone, Bear Republic, Dogfish, Great Divide, Goose Island, Oskar Blues).  Definitely a great spot to go for a Buffalo Cross-Border Beer Run, at any rate.  As usual, Pretty Things utilizes some trippy artwork on the bottling for Jack D’Or that is most certainly worth a second look.  The bottle label explains that this mustachioed fellow is supposed to be a barleycorn lord of some kind (sporting a pin straight from the annals of Screaming Lord Such) standing in a mash tun.  Intriguing to say the least.

Poured into my trusty Duvel goblet, which has definitely become my go-to glass when I'm not exactly sure what glassware to go with.   Golden, lemon drop yellow in colour, with a sturdy head of an inch or two.  Slightly hazy.

Nose is quite pleasant and floral, with subtle notes of lemon, funk, herbal hops (Styrian, and, for the American Saison touch, Columbus), perhaps a bit of peach or other fleshy fruit lingering in the back as well. 

Dry, grainy, and with a good balance of citrus, herbs and bitter funk, this brew is quite enjoyable.  The finish is long and bitter with a lingering citrus pith and herbs flavor.  Wheat malt is subtle, but there.  Great brew, this is: dry and flavorful.  Slightly creamy, good carbonation, slightly astringent.  The addition of American hops is a common method to "re-invent" an old style of brewing, and usually the end result is pretty good.  This brew is no exception.

I’ve been consistently impressed from Pretty Things, and this brew is no different.   The Americanization of the Saison paid off pretty well with the citrusy bite and assertive bitterness.  I will get this one again for sure if I come across it.   

Horizontal Tasting - Raspberry Lambics

Keeping with our theme of different beer tasting ideas, here's a rough sketch about what a "horizontal" tasting   might look like.  For those lazy buggers who haven't checked out the previous post, a horizontal is just a fancy way of saying "a tasting of similar kind."  For the casual drinking type, this means that you and your guests try to keep within an agreed upon theme for your samplings.  This could follow whatever theme you wanted, be it regional (the brews of Pennsylvania or Denmark, for example), ingredient based (rye beers or a particular strain of yeast/hops), brewing style (only Russian Imperial Stouts or hefeweizens), a particular brewery or whatever theme you want.  The possibilities are fairly broad, but the only variable that you really should try to keep more or less isolated is the year the beer was brewed.  It's not really fair, say, to compare various Belgian Dubbel ales when one has been cellared for a couple of years and another was bottled within the past few months.  As we've seen many times before, aging a brew means that the brew is going to change somewhat, whether it be a mellowing or smoothing out of flavor, a reduction of the carbonation or alcohol bite, or what have you.  It's like comparing a 2006 Merlot to a 2011 - to really assess the brew's merits, you really should compare that 2006 to another 2006.  Again, if this is more technical than you'd like to get, don't worry about it too much.  Sometimes, it can be difficult to determine when a brew was actually brewed, and the vast majority of folks probably don't care that much.  However, if you are doing a tasting of similar styles and one really jumps out at you, have a look to see if the brew is a year or so older than the rest.

For today's mini horizontal, let's have a look at three brews of the same style - a raspberry lambic ale - which all hail from Belgium.   As we've seen before, lambics are a peculiar style of beer.  Unlike pretty much every other beer in the planet, lambic ales undergo the fermentation process naturally, rather than by virtue of the brewmaster adding his or her yeast at the key moment.  Due to the unique geography of the region - for those interested, the vast majority of lambics come from the Pajottenland, which is SW of Brussels - natural yeast strains have set up shop in the fields and farmlands, which means that all the brewer has to do is invite the yeast to float on by and do its thing.  The resulting brew tends to be extremely sour, with some bizarre flavors such as lactic acid, citrus, funk, "musk" and the dreaded "horse blanket", whatever the hell that means.  It's amazing that the early brewers didn't just pitch the stuff, but then again, people still love Blue and Limburger cheese despite their powerful rank.  For some batches, the brewmaster will combat this sweetness by adding fruit, with the common additives being cherry (kriek) and raspberry (framboise or framboos it is often called).  Blending different batches can also result in a more specific flavor, depending upon the level of sourness or sweetness the brewer wants to achieve.   Thus, there can be incredible variation between brews of this type, which makes the raspberry lambic an excellent subject for a mini vertical!

I should take the opportunity to thank my friend Jeff for bringing these brews back from Belgium and sharing them with the group - cheers man!

Without really knowing how the three would taste, we opened them more or less at random, so I'll go at them in the order we did.

Beer: 3 Fonteinen Framboos
Brewery: Brouwerij Drei Fonteinen (Beersel, just south of Brussels, and one of the better names for a brewing town!)
ABV: 5%

This is a special release brew that was picked up at a festival at the brewery.  I missed some of the story on this, so I apologize for missing the details, but suffice to say, this isn't your everyday lambic brew.

Poured into that little snifter there.  Nice colour on this, which is a soft murky cherry.  Thin head that doesn't last long, save for a few wisps round the middle.  The colour is the most important feature, and it is brilliant.

Great nose on this, with tart fresh raspberry dominating things.  A bit of funk and musk in the back, with assertive sourness as well, which is typical of the style.

This brew has an impressive balance to it, with the sweet/tart raspberry pairing nicely with that funky sour lambic backing.  As we shall soon see, lambics that have fruit added to them to cut the tart acidic base can do so to varying degrees, with the end result being either extremely sour (like the Cantillon we'll get to in a moment) or very sweet and sugary, like Lindemans Framboise.  Now, my palate for the sours is still improving but I'm still not wild about them.  I have my limits, and this brew is just sitting neatly at that level.  Carbonation is firm, but not overpowering.

Might not be an everyday thing, but certainly worth the occasional go, especially when sharing with others!

Moving things along, we arrive pleasantly at the entry from Cantillon, which I have to admit has one of the most intriguing labels around.  I'll just leave this here for you to consider.

Giggity.

Sort of looks like the Black Knight from Monty Python sans helmet, seated on a pile of reeds and having some drunken sexytimes with a lady he picked up because she happened to be already nude and convenience is always a factor for Knights on the go.  Sad thing is, I'm not that far off - the only part I got wrong was the identity of the man.  The dude having one of the better afternoons a straight male can have is intended to be the legendary Gambrinus himself.  For those not in the know (i.e., me), Gambrinus was a mythical figure from the Middle Ages whose based-identity could be any number of a series of Flemish rulers or their family members, or someone connected to Charlemagne.  The important thing to know is that Gambrinus is that his supposed claim to fame was that he created malted beer that was seasoned with hops, and bequeathed this gift to the people of Belgium, a gift the Belgians have thankfully not squandered.  For his love of beer and his contributions to it, Gambrinus is now considered to be the patron saint of brewing.  My kind of fellow.  Adding to his legendary status is his love of beer and women, with this delightful blonde here enjoying his company.  This saucy little beer label, though certainly worth a double-take, has not been without controversy.  According to this blog, the infamous  Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms initially banned this brew from the United States because of its "indecent" label, a policy they have since changed.  Nice to know that Ontario isn't the only uppity province when it comes to beer labeling.

And here we are, with "Rose de Gambrinus."

Beer: Rose de Gambrinus
Brewery: Cantillon (Brussels)
ABV: 5%

First thing you notice about this brew (aside from the blonde) is the colour, which is a bright scarlet-cherry.  The folks around the table with me agreed that it seemed a bit artificial, and although I have to say it didn't look that way to me, it did seem to be overly dark considering how sour this brew was.

Nose is incredibly funky, with a real acetic acid sourness hitting me squar in the back of my nasal cavity.   This has been my problem with many a Cantillon brew - goddamn, these mothers are sour.   Only a touch of raspberry, which becomes more prevalent as the brew warms up and my nose becomes accustomed to things.

Again, sourness is the name of the game here.  Very tart, with fresh raspberry, lemon, a bit of grain and funk.   This one certainly grew on me after a while - like a bag of sour candy, your tastebuds eventually get to the stage where they can handle what was once overwhelming.   Still, this one is just a hair above my absolute threshold of sourness that I can endure.  Carbonation is sharp, and the brew is medium bodied.

So yes, if you are a sucker for all things sour - or like sultry ladies on your beer labels - this one is for you.   But despite the boobage, this brew was just too much for me.   I just don't think Cantillon is a brewery I'm going to like, but I'll keep trying, dammit!

Last but not least is the entry from the Boon brewery, of perhaps the most appropriately named Belgian lambic brewing town of all - Lembeek.   Unfortunately, due to the intoxicating effects of liquor, I don't have a close up shot of this brew, but in the shot of all three above, Boon is on the right.

Beer: Framboise Boon
Brewery:  Brouwerij Boon
ABV: 5.5

The colour of this brew is visually quite striking - a deep maroon colour that reminds me of a red wine or port.   Probably closer to what cherry juice actually looks like than the  bright coloured concoctions we've seen so far.   Similar colour of raspberry pie or jam.   Half inch of white head, solid retention.

Nose is quite sweet, with the cherry coming through quite nicely.  But instead of tart and funky like the first two, this one was far sweeter, with a smell more akin to cherry pie or jam.   Dark cherry, at the very least.  Only a bit of funk and lactic in there as compared to the first two.  

Sweetness is the name of the game for this brew.  Certainly a great lambic if you like them a touch sweeter than those sour bombs.  The lactic acid and tart funkiness is kept in check, allowing the raspberry some time to shine.  Oddly enough, however, with my tastebuds so accustomed to the taste of sour raspberries, this one came off as being too sweet for right now.  Borderline cloying, in fact, but still quite drinkable.   If I see this brew again, I'll be sure to make this brew the only lambic - or at least the first one of the day - so that I don't have that comparison again.


Amazing how much difference you can find in a style just by comparing a few variations of it in one sitting.  My vote, along with the votes of the rest of the party, went with 3 Fonteinen's Framboos, because it sat nicely in the middle between tart and sweet, funky and fruity, with the other two occupying the other ends of the sweet-sour spectrum.  All three had their merits; the horizantal tasting allows you to see where you tend to sit.  A horizontal tasting is a great way to see what aspects you like in a style beer, what the possibilities within that style might be, and to pick out the different characteristics the brewer intended in his production - i.e, did she go for a particular hop or flavor over something else?   It's all about exploring the possibilities, which in the craft brewing world can be diverse and wonderful.   Happy tasting everyone!

Vertical Beer Tasting (sort of) - North Coast Old Stock Ale, 2011 and 2012 Vintages

The lineup at a recent tasting of ours.  Informal setting,
"bring what you want" and with an added component:
an awful beer tasteoff between some of the big brands:
Bud, Blue, Stella, Canadian and Rolling Rock.  

Attending a beer tasting can be one of the most rewarding experiences in all of beerdom.  A gathering of friends, acquaintances or similar-minded fellow brew travelers to celebrate the diversity and quality of the brewing industry is one of life's great pleasures, and is something I look forward to whenever the opportunity arises.   Beer, after all, is a social beverage - it is best enjoyed in good company (that, and some of the brews out there are so bold-flavored or boozy that sharing becomes not just enjoyable, but a necessity!).   When you find a great brew, you want to share it with the world - or, failing that, good company from those around you.  This blog is really just a one-sided beer tasting; I would much rather be sharing these brews with all of you!  Truly, a gathering of different styles of brews, to be shared by people with different opinions and tastebuds, is very much an enlightening event.


There are many different ways to hold a beer tasting; by changing the expectations of the event, the experience can be tailored to suit your personal tastes.  Above all things, a tasting should be fun, friendly, and open.  The intent is not to pronounce formal officious judgement upon the beers of the world, but rather to crack open some brews and see how we feel about them.  Keep it low key, but interesting and with respect for what the brewers have put forward for you to enjoy.  People are going to have different opinions of every brew, and will experience them differently based upon their personal tastes and their prior experiences with beer.  Thus, when hosting one of these shin-digs, be open to other people's perspectives.  If there's one rule I can impart to you about beer, it is simply this: Beer is one of life's great pleasures; Respect the brew, Respect those who made it, and Respect those who like it.

North Coast Old Stock Ale, the subject of today's tasting. 

As a specific recommendation, I suggest accompanying foods that compliment the brews, with chocolate, cheese, bread, fruit and meats being the standards.  Not only will this help stave off the inevitable drunkenness (after all, at a tasting, it is nice to remember the beer that you've sampled), but pairing these foods with the brews can bring out some of the better flavours of each.  Recently I was privileged to try a bottle of Uinta Labyrinth Stout, a heavy hitting brew made with anise.  The host provided some dark chocolate that also contained anise; taking a bite of chocolate and washing it down with the stout provided me with an opportunity to detect unique qualities in the brew I might otherwise have missed.

So, if you are hosting, be sure to have a good slate of brews and snacks available from your own cellar (outsource to your guests if possible), and graciously accept the brews that others have contributed, regardless of what they might be.  Had it before?  Others might not have.  Had it before and hate it?  Others might love it.  Don't be a dick about this - again, "Beer is fun."  Discussing our thoughts about each brew can be really entertaining, especially if fisticuffs are involved.   If you are hosting or attending a tasting, I highly recommend bringing larger bottles (750mL), to allow as many of your guests as possible to have a large enough sample to enjoy.  Finally, and this is absolutely essential, under no circumstances do you spit out the beer.  PERIOD.  

There are a few different ideas for how to hold your tasting, and I'll go over them quickly.  As a general rule, the more informal, the more people can probably attend comfortably:

1) The informal, "bring what you want" tasting, which is the most popular, for obvious reasons. No real rules, other than that everyone should contribute something, either a brew they've been meaning to try, an old favorite, a "flavor of the month" brew, or a real rare edition.  Again, respect the sampling you have to work with: some people will bring crazy rare aged expensive brews, others just what they can find (in Ontario, this can be a real challenge). I've been to some where there was just a massive table full of open beers (about 30 attendees) where it was a sampling free-for-all with no one necessarily drinking the same brew at the same time as anyone else, and others where only a small group contributed some random brews of their choice, and we decided the tasting order as a group and drank as a group.  Both were fun events, so it depends on what you are looking for!  One of the benefits of this setup is that it can be really exciting to see what other people think to bring to the table, and it allows you to taste brews you might otherwise not have actively sought out.  It also can really broaden your horizons when it comes to what is available.  Another advantage of this arrangement is that it allows people of different interests in beer to participate without placing too much demand upon your guests.   As host, something to keep in mind is the order.  Obviously, check with your guests to see if there's anything they want cracked open right away while all of our constitutions are still with us.  As the evening progresses, change your style accordingly, but stick with a general consensus.

2) What I call an "Elevating" tasting, where you start with a particular alcohol content or style of beer, and work your way up from the lowest alcohol or the least strong-flavored beer to the strongest.  Really, just a way of arranging the tasting.  To organize this, each guest should bring a style and sign up.  I just find it easier to arrange whatever people bring into a logical progression, which admittedly ends up being similar to this.  

3) The "Horizontal" tasting.  A bit more formal, but not too difficult to arrange if you give folks some time.  A horizontal tasting means that all the beers at the event should follow along a particular theme, whether it be a region (brews of Ontario, brews from Bavaria), a particular style, a specific brewer(y), ingredient, or perhaps a seasonal theme (i.e., Hallowe'en brews, Christmas ales, etc.).  For something a bit more formal, try to keep all of these brews from around the same year. For example, if the night's theme is the Belgian Tripel, it can be fun to compare different brews from various regions from the same year, to see how they differ.

4) The "Vertical" tasting.  Far more specific, and probably something that you will have to arrange yourself, and/or with the help of a great local beer store or some collector friends.  While a horizontal takes a specific theme, but maintains the year, a vertical takes the same beer, but examines it over different years (or for the wine folks out there, vintages).   The goal here is to see how a particular brew changes or ages over time.  In one of my beer bibles Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher, he takes us through a vertical tasting of one of the legendary barleywines, J.W. Lees Harvest Ale, which involves every edition of that beer for a dozen years or so.  Another popular vertical, for those who enjoy this brew, is Three Floyd's "Dark Lord" imperial stout, which lends itself to the collector by virtue of its wax cap that is coloured based upon the specific year (this year's is red, last year was yellow).  Obviously something that takes a great deal of effort and patience to acquire, although some of the better beer stores in the states will often carry a few vintages of the same brew for you to purchase.

Today, we'll try a mini vertical of a brew that is quite popular for vertical tastings: North Coast's Old Stock Ale!

North Coast is one of California's premier craft brewers (for a state that craft beer rich, that's saying something), with its big brews being the Old Stock and Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout - the latter being a brew that is particularly dear to my heart.  The Old Stock Ale is of a style known as - surprise surprise - "Old Ale", meaning a strong dextrin-rich ale that has been aged in order to mature it.  I recently acquired the 2011 and 2012 editions of this brew (coincidentally in order to help a fellow beer lover complete a six year vertical for the years 2007-2012), and so I thought I'd do a little tasting of my own to see how the two compare!

We'll start with the 2012, just so we have a benchmark of where the brew starts, and from where it could potentially go.

Beer: North Coast Old Stock Ale
Brewery: North Coast Brewing Co. (Fort Bragg, CA)
Type: Old Ale
ABV: 11.9%

Poured both of these into wine glasses (shared it with my wife), with a little bit set aside of each for direct comparison.

2012:
Dark caramel-chestnut in colour, clear and with a fine wisp of white head that survives for only a few moments.  Not the world's greatest looking brew, but about right for the style.  Something about barleywines or high octane ales chemically that seems to reduce their ability to produce a head.

Nose is quite pleasant, with strong notes of caramel-toffee malt, red grapes, a touch of smoke and leather, booze, grain and wood.  Alcohol is certainly present on the nose (after all, we're looking at almost 12 percent here), but still quite pleasant.

A tasty brew indeed, with similar tasting notes as in the nose.  Big malt blast, with subtle notes of grape, smoke, wood and grain.  Not overly sweet, and with a long boozy finish.

Mouthfeel has some zippy carbonation that gives the brew a strong bite, and there is a lingering alcohol burn with every sip.  I would use the word "hot" to describe this brew - it could use a bit of aging.  If only we had a brew like this that had aged for, say, a year?

2011

Hey, this could work!  Let's see what a year of aging does for this brew.  Like Huey Lewis and the News, we "gotta be back in time!"

Similar colour as the 2012, maybe a bit lighter.  First difference between the two: the '11 had absolutely no head to speak off, instead sitting stubbornly in its glass with nary a hint of life.  A year in the bottle has certainly reduced the brew's ability to create that bubbly cap.

Nose is quite potent, with that same malt blast with hints of smoke.  The difference?  A stronger red wine blast - almost port like - than the '12, and with considerably more sweetness to the nose.

The taste exhibits similar qualities.  The malt is that much sweeter, the palate that much smoother, the accompanying notes that much more pronounced.  Add to all this a mouthfeel that is far less crisp and carbonated than its younger brother.  Slick and easy to drink.  Age has clearly mellowed out the temper of this brew, and produced a patient, wise Old Ale worthy of respect.

Even from this mini vertical, we can see how one brew can display remarkable change after even a single year of careful aging.  A vertical tasting that involves even more examples of that brew from different years would certainly provide a fascinating glimpse into the aging process.  Now, this sort of vertical works best with certain styles - a pilsner, for example, is unlikely to display much change over the years (if it does, it will probably be because it has gone foul), and those styles tend to be somewhat expensive.  These bottles, in Buffalo, were about four dollars each.  So, to conduct a vertical tasting, you will certainly require the funds, the initiative and the patience to get a good list.  But if you get a chance, I highly recommend it!

Next up, we try a horizontal tasting with a specific style - Belgian raspberry lambic!  Stick around!

Granville Island Brewing - You Never Forget Your First

Olympic time is here again, which means that my TV has been stubbornly locked on one of the five major broadcasting channels for the past five days.  Those who know me are quite familiar with my love of all things Olympics, and are probably sick of me spouting random Olympic facts and citing the medal tallies from Innsbruck 1976 (Did you know?: Denver originally won the rights to host the 1976 Winter Games, but due to crippling costs the State held a referendum that vetoed the games, so the IOC granted them to Innsbruck?  See - I'm at it again....).   As a child, I was obsessed with maps, flags and knowing national capitals, so something like the Olympics is undoubtedly going to appeal.  Oddly enough, I think I'm more of a fan of the idea and set-up of the Olympics than I am of the sports themselves, which is probably a result of the Canadian team never doing that well, at least in the Summer Games - it's just not our bag.   Thus this week I've been thinking back to those glorious days in 2010, when the world came to Canada to watch us win all the gold medals.  It also got me thinking about the city of Vancouver, which is truly one of the world's most beautiful urban areas.   The fact that I'm not currently in Vancouver is of great distress to me: fortunately, some brews from that lovely city have made their way out east for me to enjoy!

Granville Island Brewing opened its doors in 1984, fulfilling the dream of brewmaster Mitch Taylor to bring English-style ales to pale-lager inundated city.  People (like me) tend to bitch a great deal about the availability of quality brews on tap in Canadian alehouses, but I have to admit we are light-years ahead of the situation that existed in the early 1980s, which was Labatt or Molson - take your pick.  For many, this was sufficient, but for whose tastes in beer went beyond what Frank Appleton termed "corporate beer" (there were many thirsty British ex-pats in Vancouver), they wanted something more.  By opening its doors as a brewpub, Granville Island became Canada's first microbrewery, and paved the way for other breweries across Canada.    Located in the heart of Granville Island, a lovely tourist island just south of Stanley Park that is filled with trendy shops, markets, buskers and artists, the brewery is a great place to visit for the brew-thirsty traveler.  I visited the Island and brewery about five years ago, which now that I think of it, was probably my first experience with craft brewing.  It's not that I was drinking horrible stuff before - at the time, I was particularly fond of Guinness, Smithwicks and Steamwhistle - but I hadn't really branched out beyond that.

Five years of beer drinking can do a lot to a man. 

My girlfriend (now wife) and I wandered into the brewery and were blown away by the variety of brews available.  English Pale Ale?  India Pale Ale? Maple Ale?  Hefe-something Germanic?  Like a good craft brewery should always do, Granville offered a sampler flight of their wares to give the curious as varied a tasting as possible.   I don't really remember what I drank that day - the important thing for me was that it was different.  The pale ale had something called "hops", a tangy bitterness that I wasn't really familiar sure if I liked, but was sure that I hadn't drank anything like it before.   The maple ale was utterly unlike any ale I had encountered.  The other two were probably pilsners or lagers, but each had something I was not used to: flavour.



It was an eye-opening experience to say the least, which helped begin my journey into the wonderful and fascinating world of craft beer.  A few months later, we moved to the Waterloo region, which boasted an impressive array of craft breweries to allow me to continue to whet my whistle.  Really, Granville Island was the brewery that got me started down this journey, and I certainly want to thank them for it.

Five years since I had my last Granville brew, and what should appear but a sample mixed pack featuring three of the Granville lineup, along side the three stalwart brews from Creemore.  Both Creemore and Granville have since been purchased by Molson, and how this has impacted their brewing is unclear.  It seems that Creemore has more or less been left alone to its own devices, with more distribution (how many bars in Ontario don't have Creemore?) and a few extra varieties.  I'm not sure what Granville's change has been, but the fact that their brews are now available in Ontario - their English Bay Pale Ale has been on tap and in liquor stores for a few months now - certainly shows one positive side of acquisition.

How will these brews taste five years later?   Let's have a look!

Beer: Robson St. Hefeweizen
Type: Hefeweizen
ABV: 5%

Poured this one into a small nonic glass.  Looks like your classic hefeweizen, sporting a hefty crown of foam under a hazy golden-tawny body.  Dark for a hefeweizen. Good retention, a bit of lacing.  Nothing wrong with that!

Nose is a bit more yeasty than I tend to like, but the usual hefe suspects are there: citrus (lemon), strong wheat malt, bread, floral hops.  Maybe a touch of banana and clove.  The yeast is a bit strong.

Certainly not a bad wheat beer by any stretch, as all the important elements are present.  Because of what I got out of the nose, I was expecting a yeastier brew, and that's what I taste as well.  I'm not a fan of this flavour, but the brew still tastes fine.  A bit of citrus, banana and bubblegum in the mix.  It doesn't stick the landing, but it gets a decent score!  Smooth, lightly carbonated.

I imagine that this brew would taste a lot better sitting on the patio overlooking Granville Island.  Then again, what wouldn't?  Still, a decent wheat beer indeed.

Beer: Brockton IPA
Style: American IPA
ABV: 6%

Nothing beats an American-style IPA, and lo-and-behold, today (August 2nd) is IPA Day around the globe, and certainly around the USA.  After years of bouncing between the various styles of brewing, I have to say that a well-hopped pale ale or IPA is probably the style I love the most on an everyday basis.   This brew claims to be "generously hopped", which should be a real treat.

Poured into a nonic.  Lighter amber in colour, with a thin white head that dissolves into a fine ring after a few moments.

Strangely sweet smelling.  I'm really not getting much in the way of hops here, just a mild bitterness and a touch of citrus.  Quite malt heavy indeed.

This sweetness translates into the taste, and I have to say, it's not doing it for me.  It tastes fine, I'll grant you, but it's a far cry indeed from its American IPA brethren.  Stack this brew against, say, Red Racer IPA from Surrey, Mad Tom from Muskoka and you'll see what I mean.  Tastes far more like an English Bitter or even an English Pale.  Thinner bodied, mild carbonation.

A miss for me.  Though the brew held great promise, it didn't stick the landing.  Maybe this brew has been affected by the journey east (unless it was brewed by an Ontario brewer, then there is no real excuse), because it just doesn't feel like an IPA.

Beer: English Bay Pale Ale
Type: American Pale Ale, but probably closer to an English Pale.
ABV: 5%

One of Granville's flagship brews, English Bay was the first to make the journey out to Ontario both on draught and in six-packs.  I had this on draught a little while ago, and thought it was fine, so I was looking forward to taking a closer look.

Poured into a nonic.  Deep amber copper, clear, with a sturdy head that produced some strong lacing.  Decent looking brew indeed.

Nose is pale malt, a touch of bitterness, some chemical business I'm not really digging.  Nothing fantastic here.

After a wobbly start, this brew pulled together a decent routine.  A relatively safe pale ale, malt heavy, with only the mildest presence of hops.  Mild chemical flavour, with tea-like hops, both of which strongly suggest that this brew is of the English style.  Certainly drinkable, and sessionable given the lower ABV, but nothing to get too worked up over.

Well, there's an old expression from Thomas Wolfe that comes to mind after drinking these brews: "You can't go home again."   Though it initially meant the inability for one to return (in spirit) to their hometown after leaving home and seeing the world, it has entered the lexicon to represent that feeling of not being able to repeat great memories once you've experienced them.   I loved Granville Island's brews when I first had them, on a glorious summer day in the heart of Vancouver.  Sitting on my patio is great and all, but it's just not the same, and the beer may have experienced a decline in quality due to increased brewing demands and the effects of shipping/brewing the recipe elsewhare.  That, and in the five years since, my tastes have changed immensely, which has meant time and time again that I often have different perspectives now on the brews I loved then.   So maybe this isn't totally fair to Granville Island.  These brews were just fine; they just weren't anything to get excited about.   Beer is most assuredly an experiential brew, that is improved immensely when the situation is just right.  An average hefeweizen probably tastes like Ambrosia on a crisp spring day in an German biergarten, an IPA at the campsite in the Pacific Northwest would be like nothing else.  In Granville's case, sitting on the brewery's patio, looking over the harbour and across to Stanley Park is going to heighten one's perceptions of things.  Rest assured, however, that should circumstances favour me, I would love to give these brews another shot on their own terms and in their home court.

Cheers to Canada's first craft brewery!

LCBO Summer Release

The summer is here at last!

I am now done with school for the summer, and the local kids are out raising all kinds of hell around the neighborhood.  The dominance of the Spanish national football team continues unabated, and the woeful display of the English team in the quarterfinal amused us all.  The garden is progressing nicely, and the air conditioning in my room continues to function as promised.  The weather has been so hot and sunny recently, I decided to celebrate with some new brews, and fortunately my timing was excellent, as the LCBO has recently shipped out the first round of their Summer Release lineup (the full list of the lineup can be found here).  Not a bad looking release, but I have to say I think the number of weizen beers is awfully high, and it seems as though ginger is the flavour of the season - if you don't happen to be fond of either, you're pretty shit outta luck.  Fortunately for me, I happen to be fond of both, so I'll do alright.  A few repeats from other seasons - including, yet again, Great Lakes Orange Peel Ale for some reason - but there are some interesting brews to be had, and we at the Den are privileged to give you an overview!

L-R: Weihenstephaner Kristallweissbier, Phillips Ginger Beer
Schneider Nelson Sauvin Weizenbock, Thornbridge Kipling Pale Ale,
and Birrificio del Ducato's New Morning Farmhouse Ale.

Normally, it would make sense to start things off with the wheat ales, both of which come from the great brewing and footballing nation of Germany.   However, there's a reason that I'm going to switch the order, and I'll get to that in a minute.  I will give Germany the right to first review, considering that this brew comes from the "oldest brewery in the world", Weihenstephaner of Bavaria.  Weihenstephaner brews are regularly available at the LCBO, and this is a very good thing, as their hefeweissbier and dunkelweizen are both fantastic brews and great to have on hand if you've got the hankering for a superbly crafted wheat ale.  If you're lucky, as I was, you might find yourself in view of a wonderful boxed set of Weihenstephaner brews along with a branded hefeweizen glass.  I strongly suggest you do so.


The brew that is part of the summer release is called a kristalweizen, which as you might be able to deduce from the name is a wheat beer that is kristal clear, unlike its unfiltered and thus hazy brother the hefeweizen.   Kristalweizens are designed as they are to reduce the yeast character of the brew for folks who would prefer it removed, as well as for simple aesthetics.  Since the development of the pilsner lager in 1842 and the development of inexpensive, mass produced clear glassware that occurred in the mid 19th-century, people have become more and more accustomed to seeing clear, unfiltered golden brews, rather than the murky ale concoctions that once graced the earthenware mugs and steins of old.  It's been an uphill battle for craft and traditional brewers of unfiltered beer to explain to contemporary customers that the beer is supposed to be hazy and murky, rather than it being a sign that something is wrong.  I actually had a customer at my former bar of employment attempt to return a pint of Mill Street Belgian Wit because she claimed it was murky and smelled like yeast.  I tried explaining that the brew was designed that way, but realized it was a losing battle and quickly gave her a pilsner.  Sometimes it just isn't worth it.


Beer: Weihenstephaner Kristallweissbier
Type: Kristalweizen
ABV: 5.4%

Bright golden in colour, clear as kristal, and with a fluffy billowing head that somewhat quickly dissolved into a fine ring.  Some lacing, a bit more is produced when the glass is agitated somewhat.  Clearly, those big billowing weizenbier heads are not going to be the defining characteristic of this particular kristalweizen.

The nose is more in line with what we are used to: banana, clove, wheat malt, herbal and spicy hops, but of course very little of that yeast flavor one often sees in other wheat beers.   Very pleasant.

Taste is quite similar to the nose.  Weihenstephaner's hefeweizen is among the top of its class, and the kristal is very much a milder, easier drinking (if that were possible) version of that classic brew.  An enjoyable brew: light and refreshing, softer and crisper than its cloudy cousin.  Banana and clove are present here, hops  are more herbal than bittering.  Soft feel, mild carbonation, thinner bodied than the hefe.  Ludicrously easy to drink.

I still prefer the classic hefeweizen, but this is still one enjoyable brew.  I've never understood the reason behind kristallweizens, but after drinking this one I can certainly understand the appeal.  I'll certainly be back for more of these as the summer moves along.  (Grade: A-)

Now we move things along to Italy of all places.   I was shocked to see this brew in the LCBO's list, considering how Italy, despite being a nation with a rich gastronomic and viticultural heritage, is really not a nation known for its brewing.  Other than Dolomiti and Moretti, I can't really think of too many Italian brews out there.  This is hardly surprising, if one only considers the history and geography of Italy.  The Greeks and the Romans, taking their cue from their Mesopotamian predecessors, viewed wine as being the drink of civilization and culture; beer, on the other hand was a drink for the "barbarians" (and, to some extent, the lower classes).   Plus, they had the excellent soil and climate to produce the wine themselves, with the main wine producing regions being in Italy, southern France, southwest Germany and Spain.  Thus the history of brewing has generally been the domain of Northern European nations - the Low Countries, northern Germany, the British Isles and Scandinavia - who could not grow wine grapes in enough quantity for the drink to be produced locally.  Beer was thus the family drink because it was cheap, easy to make and the ingredients were readily available (but don't get me wrong, I'm sure most Northern Europeans of the Middle Ages would have jumped on the wine bandwagon in a heartbeat if they could have done so!).   But the point remains - one can safely say that the history of beer will involve few mentions of Italy in its annals.

But in recent years there has been some exciting developments in the Italian craft brewing scene, with a few select brewers producing ales and stouts with real flavour and complexity. With brewing technology and equipment being so readily available, I'm not surprised that a few Italians wouldn't take up the craft.  And it looks like one of these brews made it overseas as part of this release.  This brew is called Nuova Mattinna, and has been helpfully translated on the bottle to "New Morning".  And it is a new dawn indeed for Italian brewing, and based on this brew alone, I think they are heading in the right direction!

Beer:  New Morning
Brewery: Birrificio Del Ducato (Roncole Verdi, Parma, Italy)
Type: Belgian Saison/Farmhouse Ale
ABV: 5.9%

This is a farmhouse/saison beer, a style that lends itself fairly well to summer drinking.  Light, funky, and usually with spice and light citrus hops and a bit of yeast as they tend to be unfiltered.

Poured into my trusty Duvel tulip.  A deep amber-orange brew, considerably darker than other saisons I've had recently.  A billowing head of foam is the result of the pour, and it lingers in the form of a substantial ring that some nice lacing patches.  The head looks very Belgian (if that makes any sense), as it sits in heaps and piles on top of the beer, giving the brew a wild, untamed character.  I've noticed this with Belgian yeast and I assume there's a scientific reason behind it.  Or I'm seeing things.

The nose is classic saison, but with a twist - a lemon twist, that is.  Soft wheat and barley malt, musk, a touch of yeast, clove, leafy hops.  Very pleasant.

Spicy and yeasty (although not overly so), with an assertive blast of lemon zest to open things off, while finishing with leafy hops and a touch of spice.  The carbonation is initially quite vigorous, but it tapers off - almost too much so.  Nice, refreshing brew, and certainly appropriate for the heat of the season.  It's quite exciting to find a brew from Italy that doesn't fit the pale lager mold, and it is also exciting to see that the brew was well worth the wait.  Hopefully this heralds a new morning for Italian craft brewing!  (Grade: B+)

Remember I promised that I'd get back to that other wheat beer?  Well, the reason for my delay is that two of the brews in this feature are unique because of one of their ingredients, and I wanted to explain a little bit.  As you probably already know, hops come in all different varieties, and thus the brewer has a choice as to which hops (and when, and how much) to use to to achieve different effects.  Some styles lend themselves to a particular family of hops. For example, State-side IPAs tend to use the bitter citrus hops of the Pacific Northwest, like Chinook, Centennial and Cascade, while English Pale Ales go with hops that give the brew a leafy, earthy tea-like quality - Fuggles and Goldings being two of the standards.  Some brewers enjoy experimenting with their hop usage by trying hops that normally are not associated with that style, in hopes of giving the brew a unique quality.  That is certainly the case with our next beer, Schneider's Mein Nelson Sauvin Weizenbock.  The odd name from what is normally a very traditional German brewery comes from the Nelson Sauvin hop, which hails from the lovely nation of Middle Earth New Zealand.  This hop is not normally associated with, well, anything because it is so new, being officially introduced in 2000.  It has big tropical fruit flavors like grapefruit, mango and tangerine, but its real appeal comes from its chemical similarity to the sauvignon wine grape, hence the name "sauvin."   It should be a great addition to a pale ale or hoppy lager, but a heavy wheat beer?  We shall see!

Beer: Mein Nelson Sauvin
Brewery: G. Schneider and Sohn (Kelheim, Germany)
Type: Weizenbock
ABV: 7.3%

Enjoyed this brew while watching the Germany-Netherlands match, which to no one's surprise was an absolute disaster for the Dutch.  Poured into my awesome Erdinger World Cup 2010 class with the football topper.  (I would have consumed it out of a Schneider Euro 2012 glass, but funny thing - doesn't exist!) Deep golden in colour, slightly murky, and with a big fluffy head that receded into a thin ring.  The yeast is nicely contained in the bottle, sticking firmly to the bottom, which hopefully will prevent the yeast from taking over the brew's taste.  Clearly, the kristallweizen is rubbing off on me.

The nose is quite pleasant, and I can certainly see the influence of the Sauvin hops immediately.  In addition to the traditional wheat notes of banana, bubblegum, subtle clove and other spices, there is also some white wine, orange, and tropical fruit as well.  Works pretty well, I have to say.

The traditional weizenbock flavors are all here, and there are certainly those subtle notes of tropical fruit and white wine, but unfortunately they aren't nearly as potent as I would have liked for a brew that really pushes the addition of these hops.  Perhaps a traditional hefe would have been better, or maybe a kristal, in order to showcase the new flavours, because the heft of the weizenbock tends to overpower.  The mouthfeel of the weizenbock is a bit much here, and the carbonation is milder than I would have liked.

An intriguing effort, and certainly enjoyable, though I really wonder if a different style of wheat beer would have been a better combination with the NZ hops.  It just felt too heavy, rather than light, tropical and refreshing as I had anticipated.  And, for the price tag (around nine bucks), I'll probably just get the one.  (Grade: B)

Well, this one didn't really give me the flavor blast I was looking for, but fortunately I have a back-up option that I feel will probably be better suited stylistically, and it comes from another of our great Euro footballing nations: England.  The English national football team reminds me a great deal of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and so I've always had a soft spot for them.  Immensely popular despite not having won anything since the late 1960s (1966 World Cup, 1967 Stanley Cup respectively), a huge and noisy fan base that includes a great deal of casual fans with little connection or knowledge of the sport, overhyped and overmarketed despite never really accomplishing anything, and both suffering frequent heartbreaking exits from major tournaments due to questionable calls, strange circumstances and their own stupidity.  That, and like the rule of ABE (Anyone But England), Toronto's list of haters is quite sizeable, meaning both teams generate a great deal of derision and ridicule.  Even though as an Irish fan and one who appreciates the precision and finesse of Germany and Spain, I quietly give my sympathies to the English whenever they play, because I know that feel...

But now on to the beer!

Beer: Thornbridge Kipling South Pacific Pale Ale
Brewery: Thornbridge (Derbyshire, England)
Type: English Pale Ale
ABV: 5.2%

Thornbridge is something I've been looking forward to for some time: a new English brewery that produces exciting, well-crafted beers.  Founded in 2005, Thornbridge has bucked English footballing tradition and has actually won a boatload of international awards for its craft ales, and has done so with an interesting connection to English history.  Their first brew I encountered, Jaipur IPA, is a nod to the British experience in India (random colonialism fact: the whole city of Jaipur was painted pink for some reason when the Prince of Wales visited in 1876), and was damned delicious.  This next brew is named in honour of the English poet Rudyard Kipling, author of Gunga Din, Kim, The Jungle Book, and the unfortunate paean of colonialism "The White Man's Burden."  For this reason, maybe Kipling is not the best choice of name for a brew.  Even if we take the controversial legacy of Kipling out of the picture, what does Kipling have to do with the British in New Zealand? (Cook or Darwin, perhaps?).  No matter, on to the brew, which also utilizes these Sauvin hops to give it that "South Pacific" feel.

Poured into a nonic.  Nice bright golden in colour, with a nice fluffy head that dissolves into a sticky ring.  Some flecks of lacing.


The nose is a delectable tropical fruit treat, with mango, grapefruit, tangerine, orange and white wine jumping out of the glass.  Some bittering hops and bread as well.

Ah, here we go!  Same tasting notes as in the nose, but with the potency that they deserve.  Loving the mango and grapefruit blast here - really digging these NZ hops!  Not to worry about the brew becoming overpowered with fresh fruit, as there is also a decent leafy bitterness keeping everything in balance.  Lighter bodied, moderate carbonation, slightly oily.

It was all I could do to drink this beer at the pace to grant it the consideration and contemplation it deserves, because it was so tasty it disappeared in just a few minutes.  Really impressive stuff, and a great showcase of the hops.  Though the name might not be the brew's best feature, it is certainly a brew worthy of repeat purchase.  Well done, Thornbridge! (Grade: A-)

As per the other brews on the release, here's a quick rundown.  I haven't had a chance to get to all of them yet, and it's doubtful I will, since they often don't get to every LCBO in equal numbers, and many of them are repeats from other years.

Phillips Ginger Beer - (Fruit/Spiced Ale, 5%) Phillips from British Colombia is one of my "gateway" beers into craft brewing.  I first had their IPA in 2007, and I was both mesmerized and confused by the overpowering hop bitterness in the beer, having never really had a true West Coast IPA before.  And I liked it.  Seeing them on the Ontario shelves was pretty damned cool, though the choice in beer wasn't necessarily a good one.  I've spoken many times of my trepidation with regards to flavoured beers, and am generally not a big fan, but the ginger and the Phillips name intrigued.  This one certainly packed a massive ginger punch, but it was so horrifically gingery that it gave me heartburn and was undrinkable for me.  Just too spicy for my tastes, but it might be one for you.

Shipyard Smashed Blueberry (Fruit/Spiced Ale. 9%) Shipyard is a Maine brewery that I've only encountered once before, in the form of a very dry Irish shout called "Blue Fin Stout".  Not my cuppa tea, but I'm always up for something new.  And this brew was really worth it, because in terms of flavored beers, this one was a real winner for me.  The stout base was thick, rich and loaded with chocolate, and the blueberries managed to compliment the brew nicely without overpowering or tasting artificial.  Potent stuff, might be worth simply sharing.

Punk IPA (American IPA, 6.2%) One of very few BrewDog products to make their way to Ontario, Punk IPA is back - in canned form this time (330mL).  Tropical fruit and West Coast hops are there, but the brew is drier and more peppery than I remember.  Still worth a go.

Happy Summer Drinking everyone!

You got me drinking Bell's Bell's!

Second major brewery in our Florida tour is Bell's Brewing of the hilariously named Kalamazoo, Michigan.  In my beer-literature wanderings, the name of Bell's has cropped up many times, especially with regards to their Hopslam Double IPA, Oberon Wheat Ale, Two Hearted IPA and Expedition Stout.  These four giants have racked up some impressive accolades, and are among the most-reviewed brews on BA and Rate Beer; not to be outdone, their other brews in regular rotation have faired well for themselves as well.  Really, I would be satisfied to try any of the bunch myself, and I was in luck: Knightly Spirits had a solid selection of Bell's in six packs, and thanks to their generous "help yourself" policy, I was able to get together a decent showing of the lineup, including the Two Hearted and Expedition.  I also was the beneficiary of a priced-to-clear Bell's pint glass, which was in perfect timing, as being in a budget hotel did not provide me with a large array of glassware from which to sample brews.

Bell's is one of several craft breweries to crop up during the mid-80s rush of craft brewing, which affords them some claim to "veteran" status.  Under the guidance of founder Larry Bell, they released their first batches in 1985 and opened their Eccentric Cafe brewpub in June of 1993, making Bell's the "first Michigan brewery to sell beer by the glass to the public."  Cheers to Bell's for that, although it's very telling about the wasteland of the of American brewing industry up to this point that the first Michigan brewery to sell beer by the glass did so less than 20 years ago.  As of 2012, they are the nation's 13th largest brewery, and look to be undertaking a 52 million dollar expansion at some point this year.  It also looks like Larry Bell is contemplating selling the brewery, though not necessarily as a means of staving off any financial crisis, but rather as a means to ensure a succession of ownership.  Not sure what the future brings, but I wish all the folks at Bell's the very best in what could be a busy year!

For the bird-watchers out there, this is a Northern
Out-of-Focus Owl.  Very hard to spot.

I managed to snag a few bottles of Bell's brew, and with a couple of exceptions (their Pale Ale wasn't too impressive, and the Two Hearted was sadly past its prime and needed to be pitched), I was pretty damn happy with the bunch.  Here's a look at my two favorites:

Beer: Bell's Best Brown
Type: English Brown Ale
ABV: 5.8%

Chestnut-ruby in colour, slightly hazy, and with a few lingering flecks of sediment.  Left a thin, but sturdy head of foam, and sheets of lacing.  Nice looking brew.

Nose is classic English brown, with a few extra goodies: caramel, chocolate malt, English hops, raisins and a faint hint of toffee and roastiness.

This here's one sturdy, dependable English brown ale.  Simple enough to quaff heartily, yet busy enough to warrant careful consideration.  The caramel malt is pronounced, but not dominant, as the raisins and roasted character are allowed a foot in the door.  Medium-light bodied, carbonation is a bit higher than what you'd expect from an English version.

Damned decent brown ale, and well worth picking up if you get the chance.  (Grade: B+)


Beer:  Bell's Expedition Stout
Type: Russian Imperial Stout
ABV: 10.5%

This brew was so high on my anticipation meter that it ended up making the journey back to Canada so that I could afford it the proper attention it deserves.  Fortunately, it survived the flight unscathed, and we are ready to rock!

To paraphrase the classic scene from Rob Reiner's classic This is Spinal Tap: How much more black could this be?  The answer is none...none more black.  Textbook Russian stout: the pour yielded an inch of deep mocha foam that would not quit, and the lacing rings left behind rivalled the age lines of a mighty sequoia.   In brief, this brew looks terrific!

The nose is also pretty damned fine, though it is not this brew's most outstanding attribute.  Roasted grain, coffee, chocolate and cream are present, along with a faint whiff of dark fruit.  Not quite as potent as other great stouts I've encountered, but still classic Russian Stout all the way.

 This is one tasty stout, and I'm kicking myself for not bringing back more.  (Grade: A, maybe an A+ if I had a dozen more to really make sure.  The larger the sample pool, the better.)


With beer glass in hand, I am ready to keep my eyes open for more Bell's brews, especially considering the no-show and the brew that went past its prime.  I feel like I didn't get enough of a taste, but what I did get to try was terrific.  Give'm a go when you're out Michigan way.