Autumnal Ales and Fall Festiveness

October is quickly becoming my favorite month of the year, having recently ousted the once stable monthly dictatorships of May and December with unprecedented revolutionary fervor.  December of course was all about Xmas and Xmas cheer; for a kid, there's no finer month to be had.  Until, of course I had to start paying for it.  Don't get me wrong, I dearly enjoy a well-decorated house, presents under the tree, sitting before a roaring fire with a mug of Christmas cheer and baking.  But there's so much work and irritation that goes in to all those things that one wonders whether it's truly worth it sometimes.  Plus, my wife works in a shopping mall, which in December is a special kind of hell Dante Aligheri could not have foreseen even in his darkest moments.  May is fine, I guess: the weather is lovely and the awful five months of winter awfulness has been reduced to an awful memory.  But there aren't really any major holidays to enjoy, so the whole thing has a sort of dress-rehearsal-for-actual-summer feel to it. 

No, there can be no denying it; October truly is the greatest month.  The oppressive heat of summer has finally diminished to a lovely crispness, the leaves are showcasing their secret shame, and three of the best holidays are right around the corner.  Thanksgiving has all the food-related fun of Christmas without all the commericalism and carols - really, it's just a pumpkin pie and turkey delivery system, and that suits me fine.  Oktoberfest is really a KW thing, but when done properly it can be a peck of fun - especially when one considers the possibility of drunk girls in low-cut dirndls.  Then it all ends with a drunken, spooky, slutty blast that is Hallowe'en - a holiday that, in one's overall life bell-curve, goes from Awesome to Awkward to Awesome, and I'm right in the midst of the second Awesome bell curve.  Throw in the return of the Winnipeg Jets and an undefeated Green Bay Packers squadron and you've got yourself one hell of a good month.

With the arrival of fall, for those who enjoy their beverages well-liquored, it's also another great time for brewing.  The light refreshing lagers and witbiers of the summer replaced with hearty ales, bocks and ciders, each more delectable than the last.  I myself have been doing a bit of brewing; a well-spiced pumpkin pale ale is nigh ready to be transferred to secondary fermentation, in hopes of being ready for Hallowe'en.  For those not of the mind or patience to brew their own concoctions, there's lots of great autumnal offerings this month, and so far they have all proven to be tasty brews.  In the spirit of the season, let's dive right in!

Beer: St. Ambroise Citrouille
Brewery: McAuslan Brewing (Montreal)
Type: Pumpkin Ale
ABV:

Though I truly enjoy a fine-crafted pumpkin ale, my tolerance for this seasonal favorite tends to be limited to the first few weeks of fall-ish weather.  I love the stuff, but I can't drink too much of it.  So when I do try to sate my pumpkin ale fix, I try to go for the newer releases, just to see if they offer anything different as well as to extend my pumpkin ale stamina.  Lo and behold, we have this little gem from McAuslan of Montreal, home of one of my favorite Oatmeal Stouts.  Plus it has the word pumpkin in french ("citrouille"), which for any Ontarian forced to learn awkward french in public school, has to be one of the funnest words to say (along with grenouille and pamplemousse, of course). 

From a four pack from the LCBO, poured into a nonic.  Amber-ruby, very clear, about a solid half inch of frothy head, some lacing.

Nose is pure autumny goodness - pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, molasses and mild clove.  Pleasant and enjoyable - this is what I've been waiting for all summer.
Tastes pretty fair, though I feel the brew is thin malt wise. It has the body and character of a red lager, than of a pale ale, which comes as a bit of surprise.  The spices are spot on, though - the usual suspects are there, and it finishes with an extra bit of pepper and clove.   Certainly no mistaking this for anything but a pumpkin ale.

Thin bodied like a red lager, a bit oily, but the carbonation is about where it should be.

Above average pumpkin brew, but I still feel like this could have been fuller.  I guess I'm a bit biased, considering how flavorful and hearty brews like Southern Tier's Pumking can be.  Felt a bit thin, but the flavors are all there, and what this brew does have going for it is drinkability - it's not so sweet and spicy that I couldn't drink more than a bottle in a sitting.  A beer drinker's pumpkin ale.  Worth a try, at any rate.  (Grade: B)

Beer: Cannery Maple Stout
Brewery: Cannery Brewing (Penticton, BC)
Type: English Stout
ABV:

Last summer, Penticton's Cannery Brewing sent their Blackberry Porter Ontario-way , and I thought it was absolutely terrific.  Flavored stouts and ales always sound amazing on paper, but rarely do they work out in reality.  Any number of things can possibly go wrong: the fruit flavors can be overly sweet or artificial, dominating a weak malt base, or it could be the other way round, whereby the fruit flavor is barely perceptible at all.  Cannery's Blackberry Porter indeed sounded amazing, and mercifully it actually was - the blackberries were fresh and added great character, but did not overshadow the excellent porter base, making for a unique drinking experience.  Now they're trying their hands at a maple stout, which is a brew that could either be incredible or awful, depending on which way things go.  Let's find out!

Poured in to a Duvel chalice. Dark, nearly black, with a half-inch of light brown head that dissolves into a thick ring.

Nose is sweet and roasty, with marshmallow, caramel, and yes, maple syrup. Smells exactly like how I've always thought a maple stout should smell, which is a big plus.

The taste is quite nice, and on par with the nose. Roasted mild coffee, caramel, vanilla, and maple syrup, a bit of toasted grain. Sweet, and with enough of a maple flavor to identify it as a 'maple stout', without being cloyingly sweet.  Now, the grain and hop flavour could have been more robust - it's a little mild, like many an English stout I've had of late, and the sweetness pushes in to cola territory.  I wonder if this would have worked better as a Russian imperial stout?  No matter; it's still pretty damned tasty.  Thinner bodied for a stout, and the carbonation is a bit strong, but it coats the tongue well enough.

In my years of drinking ales, this is certainly the first maple beer that I've actually enjoyed, which I find strange. I mean, it sounds like such a natural idea, especially for a Canadian brewery: I love beer, I love maple syrup - but somehow every edition of the style seems to fall flat.  Now, this brew still could use some work - the body isn't quite right and lacks the depth of a good American stout or RIS - but nevertheless, it's an enjoyable brew that fits the season well (and provides a welcome change from all those pumpkin ales!)   I think Cannery has done an admirable job here and should be commended for it.  Would be an excellent breakfast brew.  Keep sending em this way! (Grade: B)

Beer: Dunkel Buck
Brewery: Beau's All Natural Brewing (Vankleek Hill, Ontario)
Type: Dunkelbock
ABV: 6.8%

Speaking of breweries I've had limited experience with, we have this offering from Beau's of eastern Ontario.  Sadly, this will only be my second brew from Beau's - I really wish that more of them would come out this side of Ontario.  Now, I should count my blessings, as their flagship brew, Beau's Lugtread is a terrific little koelsch that goes down well pretty much any time of the year, and is available in many pubs this side of the province.  But I'm always looking for more, so I was very excited to find this one on the shelves.  This brew is a delightful play on the 1989 John Candy film Uncle Buck; the bottle features Candy's trademark fedora and the plot-critical power drill.  It's a great film (look for a young Macaulay Culkin before he was cast in 1990's Home Alone) and plays so very well on the rich and flavorful dunkelbock style, one that is very appropriate for the season.

Poured into a hefeweizen glass. A murky light chocolate brew, with the pour producing about a half inch of sturdy head that sticks to the sides of the glass. Looks like a dunkel, alright.

Nose is quite pleasant: chocolate, caramel coffee, a bit of banana and clove.

A solid dunkel indeed - hearty, with a nice chocolate malty intro, dark bread, and banana, bubblegum and clove finish. Slight booziness as well, but come winter time I'll be demanding that of my brews. A bit thinner in flavor than I would have liked, but still quite nice. Lighter carbonation, medium bodied.

A quality Ontario weizen, with enough character to place this brew among the better German examples of the style. Great stuff indeed, and another fine offering from the folks at Beau's!  Catch it if you can. (Grade: B+)                                        

 -

Hopefully these seasonal treats will find their way in to your glasses before the lovely autumn weather gives way to the horrible wintry blues that are surely headed in our direction.   Fall is, sadly, a very short season in Canada - we really should make the best of things, and a cold pint will certainly help in that regard.  

Cheers, everyone!  Good to be posting again! 

Matt's Beer Den On Hiatus...Kinda

Hey gang,

Yeah, it's really been a while since my last post, and I feel terrible about it.  It's just not right to go more than a week or so without talking about something beer-related.   Even though I haven't really come across anything crazy or exciting beer-wise in the last couple of weeks to gab about, it still feels weird to not post anything.  

Here's what's going down:

Unfortunately, I have to take a bit of a hiatus from the blog, at least for a couple of months.  I'm starting teacher's college in Toronto, which is quite exciting; however, commuting to UofT takes an incredible toll mentally and physically.  In fact I've been so nervous about how getting to and from school was going to work that I've been pretty much off all beer and anxiety-inducing foods for about a week.   I'm enjoying a homebrewed tea ale as we speak, so fortunately I'm back to good on that front.  But the lack of hours in the day from both commute and workload doesn't really give me much time to produce coherent, interesting and researched blog entries, let alone to spend time with loved ones.   I definitely need to devote my full attentions to the task at hand.

So what this means is from now until mid-December, I probably won't post much at all.  It sucks, but those are the breaks.   (I might slip in the odd post if something really crazy or exciting comes around, but no promises!)

In the meantime, keep seeking out those great brews, keep messaging me about exciting brews or bar adventures that you've had, and keep clinking those glasses together.

Cheers to great beers!
Matt

Polishing Off Some Lagers from Poland!

Poland is yet another country that gets lost in the very crowded company of great European brewing nations, but it is certainly no slouch in that regard.  Though brewing has long since been an integral part of Polish culture, the domestic Polish brewing industry really took off around the same time as in neighboring Bohemia, and was an active participant in the mid-19th century eastern European brewing renaissance.  Most major Polish cities at the time had a local brewery, which were usually named after some variation of the city in which they called home (Warka, Zywiec being two contemporary examples).   Like its Baltic neighbors, Poland has long been associated with the Baltic Porter style, which sadly is not represented whatsoever in the LCBO's shelves; for the most part, the brews of Poland available outside of its borders tend to be more of the pale lager and pilsner variety.  Prior to the Nazi-Soviet invasion of 1939, Poland was home to nearly 140 different breweries; the war's utter social devastation and 45 years of communist rule decimated the industry, leaving but a few state-run breweries in operation until the country's democratization in the early 1990s.  Though it might seem in poor taste to be at all concerned with the decline Polish brewing in the face of such great atrocities and social injustices that also occurred in the country from 1939-1989; clearly, in the grand scheme of things, brewing seems rather trivial.  However, it is important to remember that brewing is at its most basic form an industry, an industry upon which thousands of Polish workers' livelihoods depended.  The fact that brewing's decline was yet another example of the suppression of Polish culture in general during this time is also something to bear in mind.  Therefore I feel we should celebrate the return of Polish brewing as an example of the revival of Poland itself.  


Oh, and if you have any lingering doubts about Poland's love for brews, I should tell you that they actually had a Beer-Lover's party (Polska Partia Przyjaciół Piwa) in the 1991 Parliamentary elections, but they were just a novelty party, merely a silly reaction to the politics of the day, and a reaction against the social decay caused by excessive consumption of vodka.   And by that I mean they won sixteen fucking seats and commanded 3.5% of the popular vote. 


While most current Polish brewhouses are large-scale lager breweries, there has been a recent interest in craft brewing.  Of course, it is unlikely that any of those new brews will find their way across the pond, but the fact remains that the industry does exist, so if you happen to be in Poland, check'em out if you can!  Because of the limited number of Polish brews available on liquor store shelves, this little roundup will be focused on the major brands, all of which being pale lagers unfortunately.   So while it may seem that the brews won't receive great fanfare, I just wanted to make the point that there are more diverse options available in Poland that are well-worth exploring.


Let's get rolling! (Where applicable there is a poorly-attempted pronunciation key that is probably wrong - though I asked Polish-speaking friends how to say them, I'll still probably screw it up.  To paraphrase Tom Clancy in his acknowledgements: where I get it right, credit them; where I get it wrong, blame me!)


Beer: Zywiec (Zhe-veech)
Brewery: Zywiec (owned by Heineken, hence its availability!)
Type: Pale Lager
ABV: 5.7%


The beer of choice for many of my Polish friends.  Definitely gets top billing in the list from me, especially considering the name, which seems destined to occupy the coveted "last alphabetically" spot in my all-time beer list.  500ml bottle from the LCBO, sporting a temperature gauging "beermometer" on the back that I totally didn't notice until long after I poured it.   Digging the label; something about it really screams Poland for some reason.


Nice golden hue, clear and bright, with a reasonably tall head that descended into a fine ring.


Nose is sweet, sporting pale malts and just a touch of citrus/herbal hops. Not bad, but pretty faint.


Compared to most of the other Eastern European lagers I've had recently, this one wasn't bad. Fairly sweet, a bit of grain, and mild bitter herbal hop finish. Slight metallic twang which becomes more prevalent as it warms, so try not to let that happen. Thin, zippy carbonation.  Decent stuff, my favorite of the bunch.


Beer: Tatra
Brewery: Zywiec
Type: Pale Lager
ABV: 6%


Not really sure what the deal is here with two pale lagers from the same brewery; my reasoning is that this was probably purchased by Zywiec and sold under its original name, just in case there were some folks out there that still hold true to the Tatra name.

Single can picked up a the LCBO. I'm in the midst of doing a write-up on Polish beers, and have just finished Zywiec, Okocim, Zubr and Tyskie. 

Poured into a pilsner pint glass. Bright golden, thin head, some lacing specks, generally unimpressive even as far as pale lagers go.

The nose is certainly among the better I've encountered - grain, apple, a touch of lemon and mild hops.

The first few sips were quite nice: sweet, flavorful, refreshing. But the sweetness of the brew - coupled with the lack of anything else interesting about it - becomes tiresome after a few sips. Really nothing much to say, other than I suppose it's a touch better than most Euro lagers in that the tinny-metallic-herbal character is minimal at best. But there's nothing different here.

Okay, okay, things aren't going well.   Maybe....this?

Beer: Tyskie Gronie

Brewery:  Tyskie

Type: European Pale Lager

ABV: 5.6%

The label sports a crown that looks a great deal like the king from a newspaper chess puzzle, along with some accolades from the "Brewing Industry Int'l Awards." Then again, there's another brewery who likes calling their beer "the king" that I could mention, so these statements don't impress me much. 

Poured into a Czechvar fluted plisner glass. A bright golden brew, lots of visible carbonation, with a thin white head that recedes into a tiny ring rather quickly. Looks like a Euro lager, but pleasant in the glass nevertheless.

The nose doesn't have much going on at all. Mild grain, a bit of apple and funk. Smells like a pale lager. I'm stretching here...

Thin, easy to chug, a Euro lager in its simplest form. Opens sweet, but finishes with a dry aftertaste that reminds me a great deal of cardboard. 

Thin bodied, with aggressive carbonation, this beer is making me burp a lot more than usual, and with no one around to appreciate my facial flatulence, this is not a good thing. 

Drink one if you want a beer from Poland. Drink one if you want a beer that's more difficult to pronounce than it lets on. But don't expect much beyond the bare minimum.

Okay, okay, okay...I realize I'm not really going a good job here at promoting the virtues of the Polish brewing industry.  I really want to, because I know there's great stuff from Poland out there.

It's just that it's all...in Poland.  I'm working with what they send us here, people.  I'll try to be kind to our last entry.  Deal?

Beer: Dojlidy Zubr (no ideas how to say this one folks...)

Brewery: Browar Dojlidy (Bialystok)

Type:  Take a guess.

ABV: 6.2%

Poured into my Czechvar fluted pilsner glass, enjoyed on a cool summer's afternoon on the patio. 

As to be expected, this brew is that classic apple juice golden colour, with the pour producing a tall, yet fleeting head. A few scattered bubbles are the only survivors.

The nose is all Euro lager - sweet corn, not much else. Unremarkable, but not unpleasant.

The taste is the feeling of "meh", liquified and bottled. A resoundingly "snuh" experience punctuated with the occasional outburst of "it's okay I guess." I also detect subtle notes of exactly the same taste as every other mass-markete eastern European lager. Sweet, a bit of corn, mild mild hops to the finish, which is slightly dry. As the beer warms (do not let this happen). a funky grainy taste starts to emerge which is entirely unpleasant. 

Carbonation is light, but sufficient. Thin bodied.

Sorry, Zubr bottle label, despite your high hopes, I do not "imagine a place of pristine undisturbed nature" when I taste your beer, nor do I "feel how, with every sip I take...go into the depths of the forest." What I do feel is that same feeling I get every time I pick up a hard-to-pronounce Eastern European lager, and that's 'deja bu' - the feeling that somehow, somewhere, I've drank this exact same beer before.

Wow. I feel like a total ass.

After spending about five paragraphs extolling the history and resurgence of the Polish brewing tradition, the brews that I ended up reviewing ranged in the beer spectrum anywhere between "meh" and "suck." But am I really to blame here? It's not like I had any other choice here - the only beers I could find of Polish origin were these same interchangeable mass market lagers. It's a story I keep telling and telling on this blog, and frankly it's starting to piss me off. And it's not just Poland who is getting shortchanged. The only available brews of Estonia, Ukraine, Slovakia, Bosnia and Italy are of the same type and quality, and do nothing to celebrate the diversity of the European brewing industry. The LCBO claims that it is attempting to showcase the "beers of the world", but really, the only thing distinguishing most of these brews from one another is the number of diacritical marks and backwards letters on the labels.

So my apologies to my Polish friends. I really wanted to do better, I really did. But if I ended up painting a poor picture of the Polish brewing industry and its offerings, it's because the distributors and purchasers only gave me one colour to paint with. And that makes me sad. If only I could find something about Poland on the internet to cheer me up. If only...

The Best of Matt's Buffalo Beer Haul!




As I mentioned before in the previous posts, at the end of July my wife and I took a trip to western New York, and while we were there we had ourselves some wonderful brews.  At downtown Buffalo's Pearl Street Grill and Brewery, we enjoyed an excellent lunch paired with some pretty tasty brewpub ales, including the very aptly-named Lake Effect Pale Ale and Sabre's Edge DIPA.  Even at Chili's, we managed to snag some local crafts on tap, including Flying Bison Aviator Red and Great Lakes Holy Moses Belgian Wit (the bar manager was so excited that we were drinking the new crafts he brought in that he gave us a free sample of Magic Hat #9).  And of course, since we were gone for long enough to satisfy Johnny Taxman, we were able to bring back a couple of cases of beer for later consumption.  In addition to the fantastic Great Lakes sampler pack and the amusingly-labeled Monty Python's Holy Ale, I also brought back several bombers of American craft ales from breweries I've been meaning for a long time to sample from.  These now are the big guns, the real heavy hitters.  I couldn't wait to work my way through all of these brews, but since beer trips to the States are few and far between, I needed to pace myself.  But, a month later, and I've finally managed to try them all, and I have to say: there wasn't a dud in the bunch.   Here are some of my favorites...

Beer: Hennepin 

Brewery: Brewery Ommegang (Cooperstown, New York)

Type: Farmhouse/Saison

ABV: 7.7%

I've raved about Ommegang's excellent Belgian-inspired brews before; as part of my Florida beer haul, I had the great pleasure to savour a bottle of their Abbey Dubbel.  Since then, I've been eager to get my hands on another bottle of Ommegang's finest, particularly this farmhouse brew, which has since received very high accolades in the brewing world, including from the Beer Hunter himself, the late Michael Jackson.  Hennepin is named in honour of Louis Hennepin, a Belgian Catholic missionary and explorer of the North American interior of the late17th century.  Due to his charting of the Great Lakes region, the name Hennepin is a common geographic name in New York State and Minnesota.

Saisons are a wonderful style of beer that unfortunately are quite difficult to find in Ontario, but are becoming increasingly popular amongst the bigger craft breweries in the United States (one Ontario brewery that has a saison is Black Oak of Etobicoke, but it's rarely seen outside of the brewery).  Originating in France and Belgium, saison ales ("season") are refreshing summer brews, whose complex flavors and lower alcohol content were ideal for labouring farmhouse workers.  The word "Saison" in the past broadly referred to beers brewed in the fall and winter that would be cellared to be served as summer ales; there could be immense flavor and textural varieties among individual brews.  Today, saisons are light, airy, with notes of lemon, pepper and spice, and usually with a bolder alcohol content.  That spirit of summer refreshment has not been lost on modern saisons, however!

Enjoyed on the patio on perhaps the nicest summer day of the year - zero humidity, clear blue sky, and with a freshly mowed lawn to boot.  Perfect saison weather.

Poured into a Leffe goblet.  Pale golden, slight murk to it, and with a billowing head sustained with lively swirls of carbonation. 

Nose is lemon, pepper, grass, spice, a bit of funk, and with a surprisingly sweet malt character to it.  Textbook saison smell, very pleasant and summery.

Citrus, pepper, clove, earth, and oh so dry, Hennepin is a delightful brew on a summer's afternoon. The alcohol and funk comes in mildly towards the finish, and there's a mild medicine-y taste, but other than that it the brew is fresh, flavorful, dry and light - exactly what I was hoping for. Improves nicely with a bit of natural warmth.

Creamy, medium bodied, with assertive, lively carbonation. Very dry however, almost needs an accompanying glass of water. 

A great saison, sweeter than some, and without a strong musky-farmyard flavor, but still lively and bright, and with lovely citrus and peppery notes. A pleasure to drink. (Grade: A)

Beer:  Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest
Brewery: Sierra Nevada (Chico, California)
Type: American IPA
ABV: 6.7%


I've certainly had my fair share of 'hopbomb' American IPAs, so I have to say I've got a pretty good handle on the style.  I know what they taste like, and they taste just fine.  However, though I truly love these hoppy monsters, when faced with the difficult challenge of narrowing down brews at a beer store such as this one, I tend to go for the more unique styles of brews - your barleywines, your saisons, your "imperial hefeweizens" and your Russian Imperial Stouts, in order to broaden my palate and experience new brews.  But I absolutely had  to make an exception for this brew, because the bottle design is completely fantastic.  This beautiful label was fully worth the price of admission - a19th century-style map and clipper ship that all at once conjures up mental images of both the genuine naval exploits of Captain James Cook and Charles Darwin, alongside the fictional tales of Robinson Crusoe, Horatio Hornblower and Jack Aubrey.  This bottle positively screams adventure, and I happily added it to my cart.   Also, as I found out after bringing it home, this brew utilizes hops grown in far away New Zealand, which are shipped (probably not on vessels as majestic as this one) to California early in the year.  Should be an interesting brew.

Poured into a nonic. A lovely dark-amber brew with a billowing creamy head that leaves brilliant patches of lace. Excellent retention. First rate.


The first whiff is of the fresh cones of west coast-style hops (we'll call them "Pacific" hops since they are from NZ), which give a delightful tropical aroma. Sweet malt, caramel, mango, grapefruit, coconut. Very pleasant.

A nice IPA, sweet and malty at first, before the tropical hop flavors sink in. The finish is surprisingly dry and bitter, with the hops losing some of their complexity. Still, a solid brew.

Medium bodied, creamy, slightly more aggressive carbonation than I'd like. 

Hops aren't as potent to the taste as they were for the nose, but this is still an impressive brew, flavorful, good body to it and a great collectible bottle to boot.  A classic example of when a superior bottle design encourages a purchase, even if the brew is of a more common style and composition.  A fine brew indeed; the added hops and alcohol content would make this a fine companion on any sea voyage.  (Grade: B+)


Beer: Great Divide Espresso Oak Aged Yeti
Brewery: Great Divide Brewing (Denver, Colorado)
Type: Imperial Stout
ABV: 9.5%


Great Divide has built an exemplary reputation as one of Colorado's finest craft breweries, and has been an interest of mine for quite some time.  Like many craft breweries in the States, Great Divide has a base recipe - Yeti Imperial Stout - with which they often experiment, whether by aging it in barrels or adding different seasonings, in order to get different variations.  This particular version involves added espresso coffee and oak wood chips to the brew. 


(On the side of the label is a food pairing suggestion, which is just awesome: creme brulee, chocolate cake and "breakfast burrito."  Beer for breakfast?  Damn right!)

Shared with friends at a recent beer tasting, I now regret only buying one bottle, as we shall see...


Poured into a small snifter glass.  Inky black with a lovely light brown foamy head, which meant that my taking of the above photo at night did not really influence how the beer looks on camera - it would have been near-black at any time of day!  Great head retention, with big patches of lacing. Fine looking brew indeed.

The nose on this is just delectable - espresso coffee bean, dark chocolate, oatmeal, bourbon, oak, and a nice graininess. Terrific stuff - even after finishing my share, I kept going back to my unwashed glass for another hit.

Ridiculously smooth, a lovely stout. Coffee, caramel, oak, brandy and smokiness somehow combine to make a very smooth, easy drinking brew. A great woodsy feel to this edition from the oak chips; this truly tastes like something a sasquatch would drink.  Silky with mild carbonation, a real pleasure to sip. 

Just an exemplary stout, rich and flavorful, yet smooth and highly drinkable. Both the beer connoisseurs and the seldom-drinkers of our group fell in love with this brew; indeed, many of the comments while sipping Espresso Oak-Aged Yeti involved the immediate planning of a trip to Colorado just to get more.  Buy it if you find it, you won't be disappointed! (Grade: A)

Are you suggesting coconuts migrate?

"It's only a bottle..." 
"Shh!"

Beer: Monty Python's Holy Grail Ale
Brewery: Black Sheep Brewery (Ripon, UK)
Type: English Pale Ale
ABV: 4.7%

A few weeks ago my wife and I happened to find ourselves in Western New York, and of course we made it our business to find an excellent beer store from which to purchase brews the likes of which I have only heard about, but never seen in Ontario.  We brought back what I think counts as a truly excellent haul (a "best of" review is on the way!), with craft brews from New York State, Ohio, Vermont, Colorado, Maine and California.  This particular beer store (Consumer Beverages on Transit Road, Buffalo) was absolutely stuffed with brews I've been meaning to try - not quite as immense a selection as Knightly Spirits in Orlando, but still very impressive.  Indeed, it was a great challenge to decide which brews to bring back, restrained as I was by both my wallet and Canadian customs.  I decided the best way to go about it was to limit myself to a few of the more expensive bottles that I had to try, a diverse selection of mid-range bottles from top-notch breweries, and a few randoms.  Nothing imported, only American crafts - that was the rule.  And, like the Joker fortold in The Dark Knight, this was the one rule I was going to have to break, because I came across this.

Fortunately, a friend's birthday was upcoming and I happen to know that this fellow likes him some Monty Python and some beer, so I justified this as an expense.  Nah, who am I kidding: a beer, with Monty Python on the label? A beer that claims to be "tempered over burning witches"? How could I not purchase this?

I won't go in to great detail about my love of all things Python.  I mean, let's face it: I'm a history nerd who likes documenting everything I drink who peppers his writings with as many pop culture references as possible - of course I love Monty Python.  Suffice to say, I've pretty much got the whole Grail movie memorized, I have a deep distrust for the Judean People's Front, and I take great pleasure in reminding everyone that NO ONE EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITION!!  The Holy Grail is particularly dear to me, not just because it's one of the funniest movies ever made, but also happens to be directly responsible for my marriage.  A long while back, when my now-wife and I were casual acquaintances, we were chatting on MSN (that should give you an idea how long ago we're talking about) and we started talking about Python.  I slyly mentioned to her that I hadn't seen it in a few years, and somehow, she mustered up the courage to ask me over to watch it.  We've been together ever since. 

As proof of our love of the film, here is the quotation from
our wedding program.

By marketing a brew named for the best film of the greatest comedy troupe of all time, Black Sheep is playing a dangerous game.  Though my love of Monty Python led me to purchase this beer, conversely my love of Monty Python demands that this beer be magnificent. Poured into a nonic ale glass (it's only a model...) Light amber, clear, a decent-sized head that recedes into a fine white ring.

The nose isn't fresh coconut carried in by an African swallow, nor is it freshly bashed dirt from a repressed peasant, but instead its that of your standard, textbook English pale ale: malty, a bit of fruit, English hops, a bit of funk.  And not a hint of elderberries either...

This brew is less like King Arthur and more like "Brave" Sir Robin - rather than being bold, impetuous and a little insane, this brew is clearly a bit too scared to accomplish much. Perhaps this is a bit unfair.  Yes, let's scratch that, and instead say that this beer is more like Arthur's servant Patsy: trustworthy, inoffensive, but wholly forgettable after the first scene or so.  In fact, I'm sure after a few days I'll probably be incapable of remembering what this beer tastes like, so it's certainly best if I write it down now: It tastes like a malty sweet pale ale with a touch of hops to the finish and a slight metallic twang - no more, no less.

Look, the beer has Monty Python on the front, so you know you're going to buy it. It says it's "tempered over burning witches", so you know you're going to buy it. But when Monty Python burst on to the British comedy scene in the 1960s, they were seen (for good or for ill) as zany, wacky and a little insane, but certainly memorable. And there's nothing zany, wacky, insane or memorable about this brew; clearly, it was designed to appeal to the greatest number of people.  Don't get me wrong, there's nothing bad about this beer.  I enjoyed it, actually.  It tastes fine and doesn't disappoint as far as pale ales go.  But there's no escaping the disappointing realization that, as you drink it, you'll find there isn't really anything about this brew that seems remotely "Monty Python" whatsoever.   But it certainly could have been so, and that's the real tragedy.  For example, this brew could have been a robust English brown ale, gritty and earthy like the dirt harvested by the "anarchist-syndicalist commune."  Or it could have been a traditional Scottish ale flavored with fresh elderberries (like this one), or maybe even an American IPA with hints of coconut.  Anything!

Even if the beer ultimately lacked that universally-acceptable English pale ale quality, what does Black Sheep care?  People aren't buying cases of this beer every week to be their default, on-hand brew; they're buying it purely as a novely because it has Graham Chapman and John Cleese on the label.   Once they marvel over the bottle and reminisce about their favorite Python sketches, to be honest folks aren't really going to care what it tastes like.  You've got our money already, so why not make something more unique and exciting than the same old pale ale that we can get at the pub every week?

The Other Great Lakes Brewery

It's amazing that things like this are allowed to happen. 


I've talked many times before about Great Lakes Brewing of Toronto, with its seasonal flavored ales like their Orange Peel Ale and Green Tea Ale.  Yet just a short hop away in Cleveland, Ohio there is another brewery with essentially the same name, with only the finishing word "Company" to distinguish the two from one another.  What gives?


Both cities can lay a rightful claim to the moniker, given their location on two of the massive freshwater lakes, as well as their unique history in relation to the Great Lakes region.  A little bit of internet hunting seems to confirm that the Cleveland brewery was founded first, and that Toronto may have been blissfully unaware of its brewing neighbour to the southwest, and went ahead with its own naming scheme.  Considering the fact that, for much of either brewery's history their respective markets were isolated from one another, there was unlikely any reason for a naming switch.  But with more and more American and Canadian craft brews being exported across the border, the possibility of having two breweries with almost the same name being sold in the same beer store seems very unlikely, especially at the LCBO.  So it looks like if you want to try Great Lakes Cleveland brews, you'll have to make a trip to the States to do so, as I did. 


And man, do I wish our situations were reversed.  Although I try my very best to support Ontario breweries whenever I can, when it comes to the two "Great Lakes" breweries, there really is no comparison between the two.  Based on the offerings found in this great sampler pack (along with a couple I managed to try on draught, I can definitely say that Great Lakes Cleveland is one amazing brewery.  I mean seriously: these brews were fantastic.  Nothing gimmicky or half-assed about it - every brew was flavorful, exciting, well-crafted and among the top of its class.  Let's dive right in.


Beer: Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold
Type: Dortmunder Lager
ABV: 5.8%


Dortmunder Lagers are essentially export lagers, which were originally very popular around the German city of Dortmund.  They are a little stronger, and tend to have a nice biscuity profile with a good deal of complexity.  Great Lakes takes a lot of pride in this brew, considering the label sports their gold medal from the American Beer Festival.  Not too many breweries would do that on the bottle - overly boastful, or a portend of great things to come?

Poured into a Czechvar fluted pilsner glass. A lovely, rich amber golden hue, with a couple inches of fluffy head. Great retention on this, with scads of sticky lacing. Top notch.

The nose is quite malty, with notes of fresh grain, honey, biscuit/bread, and some light citrus/tea hops. 

Wow - this is a fantastic brew. Rich and malty, with a lovely taste of crispy bread and cracker, lemon, honey, and a slight hop bitterness to the finish. Perhaps the fullest flavor of any pale/golden lager I've ever encountered. Balanced enough for every day quaffing or slow, contemplated sipping. Medium bodied for a lager, good carbonation. Having trouble slowing myself down. I dare anyone who likes beer not to enjoy this. Dare them, I say!  You win this round, Great Lakes. Your gold medal label is fully justified. Just a stellar lager, loads of fun to drink, that is complex enough to satisfy the most discerning beer geek, but accessible enough that it could be used to bring those who normally avoid craft beer to the fold. (Grade: A)

Beer: Great Lakes Eliot Ness
Type: Red Lager
ABV: 6.2%


Gotta love a little jab at Prohibition, especially when your beer is named after the man responsible for cleaning up Chicago's speakeasies with his "Untouchables".  In all seriousness, it seems like this brew is more named in respect of Eliot Ness than in jest of his anti-liquor operations; according to the bottle, Ness was originally a Safety Director for the City of Cleveland who "frequented the original bar that is now the Great Lakes Brewpub."  Here was a man who certainly did his duty, even though he probably would rather have drank the stuff than combat its production.  I'll drink to that.


Poured into a tall pilsner tulip.  A brilliant ruby-amber colour, clear, nice frothy head, a bit of lacing.  A fantastic looking brew. 

Nose is quite malty, with notes of grain, caramel, sugar and earthy hops.

A malty extravaganza, this brew is full of flavor and a real pleasure to drink. Caramel, earth, a hearty grain taste, and a clean hopped finish.  Reminded me of a Scottish Wee Heavy somewhat in terms of its flavor and robustness. Very tasty brew. Carbonation is a bit high for my liking, but it has a nice crisp feel.

Another solid brew from Great Lakes. As hearty as a non-bock lager as you're ever going to find! (Grade: B+)

Beer: Great Lakes Burning River
Type: American Pale Ale
ABV: 6%


One thing (of many) that Great Lakes does particularly well is its commitment to enviromental causes.  The brewery is a huge promoter of efforts to maintain local water quality and to reduce pollution into Lake Erie and the nearby Cuyahoga River.  Great Lakes also regularly contributes to the Burning River Fest, a beer n' music festival held to promote sustainable resource usage and clean water initiatives.  The name Burning River refers to a horrifying incident in 1969 when the  Cuyahoga River literally caught on fire because of industrial pollution.  This bizarre event acted as a catalyst for many of the United States' environmental protection acts, including the Clean Water Act of 1972.  Feeling good inside about purchasing this brew, it's time to jump right in!


Poured into a nonic. Nice, bright amber-golden in colour, leaves about a 3/4 inch head, nice lacing, good retention. Solid ring remains long after the pour.

Nose is sweet caramel malt coupled with crisp, piney-citrus hops.  Classic American pale.

A solid pale ale, full of flavor, nicely balanced.  Caramel malts, mild citrus hops to cleanse the palate. A bit of earth, resin and chocolate kicking around.  Not overly complex, just a great tasting brew. 

Medium bodied, slightly creamy. 

Though not as mind-explodingly good as the Dortmunder, this is nevertheless a great tasting pale, that is light and crisp enough to quench a thirst on a humid afternoon, yet tasty enough to sit and ponder over.  (B+)

Beer: Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter
Type: Porter
ABV: 5.8%


Now its time to close things off with the big gun, the crown jewel of the Great Lakes beer lineup, the legendary Edmund Fitzgerald Porter.  Easily one of the most reviewed and most beloved beers on Rate Beer and BeerAdvocate, and certainly one I've been looking forward to trying for quite some time.  Brewed in honour of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, which sank with all hands lost in 1975 while caught in a Lake Superior winter's storm.  The ship, one of the largest ever to traverse the Great Lakes, made regular stops in Cleveland, and was due to spend the rest of the winter docked in Cleveland's harbor.


 Poured in to a Duvel chalice. Lovely pitch black brew, slight chestnut when held to the light. My aggressive little pour created about an inch and a half of coffee foam-coloured head, which descended slowly into a thick ring with some patches of lace. Brilliant looking porter.

Nose is rich coffee, chocolate, marshmallow, toasted bread, biscuit. Very pleasant. 

After a string of various brews whose nose proved far more complex than their taste, Great Lakes is completely the opposite.  Dark, roasty, and complex - everything I like in a porter. Subtle notes of peat and leather occasionally break through. Dry coffee finish.

Mild, but zippy carbonation, slick mouthfeel coats the tongue well, thin bodied and creamy.

Textbook porter - rich, hearty, flavorful, yet thin and smooth enough for easy drinking. Totally worth seeking out.  Now if I could only get that damned Gordon Lightfoot song out of my head... (Grade: A)



Great Lakes is a brewery that is committed to the three tenets of craft brewing: they make fantastic, diverse and interesting brews; they are committed to the local community; and they make the local environment and history of the region a part of their brewmaking processs by paying tribute to Cleveland's maritime history.   Though it seems unlikely that we will ever see these brews make their way across the Canadian border, I strongly urge anyone who makes the journey to the northern United States to seek these brews out.