I am returning home (sort of) with this review of Hogback's Vintage Lager, I say home because they are from Ottawa, which is where I live. Geography aside I tried this beer sort of by accident, and I am glad that I did.
Microbrew fans are often skeptical about lagers, and I am no exception. Most of this skepticism is because the most of the large commercial beers are lagers and the mostly taste the same. This makes it particularly difficult to distinguish a good one from a bad one but Hog's Back has managed to come up with a good one. Personally I like Vienna lager's like this one especially when it is hot and I am either watching a sporting event or eating a large amount of meat, or both. Fortunately Hogsback have made something that doesn't taste like Budweiser or Canadian, so it ended up being the perfect companion to the large portion of ribs that I was about to chow down on. As a Vienna lager It's much more of a golden colour than most commercial lagers and it tastes very crisp without being too sweet, so it reminds me of Austrian beers like Gosser or Stiegl but because they kept the sweetness under control I found it more refreshing than those Austrian ones. I found that it has a really consistent flavour to it, nothing very complicated but just the right balance for those hot summer barbecues. There is a good reason for why it wins awards and why it is now on my list of great summer beers, however I don't know if I would drink it when not at a barbecue
It's available at a large number of locations throughout the Ottawa area (they have a nifty map on their website) as well as at the Beer Store and LCBO in other parts of Ontario.
Rating:
When eating a fangorious amount of meat on a summer day: 4 steins
Every other day: 3 steins
What you need to know
Unfortunately they don't list their address on their website so I don't think they have a brewery tour our outlet.
Website
http://hogsback.ca/
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/HogsBackBrewingCompany
Twitter
@Hogsbackbrewing
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Hop City Big Mouth Pale Ale (also called Happy Hour).
Question, do you like hoppy and bitter IPA's? Do you need to be able to drive, or do anything productive after having a pint? If you answered yes to all of these then Hop City's Big Mouth Pale Ale is the beer for you! I ask these questions because it drinks more like a strong IPA without being 7 or 8% alcohol so you can have one without making you more than a bit tipsy.
Big Mouth is quite bitter, but it is not overwhelming the way some IPA's tend to be, tipping the bitterness scales at 48 IBU's. One reason for this is that the bitterness is nice and spread out, it's a surprisingly well balanced beer. It opens with a kick of citrusey bitterness but then the bitterness fades out slightly, not like some beers that tend to have a bitter opening and then a flavour that just falls off a cliff. This balance makes it surprisingly refreshing for a beer this hoppy, but you would probably struggle to have more than one or two of them as the bitterness can really catch up to you.
Overall, I really like this beer, and even those who are apprehensive about hoppy beers could enjoy it in small doses. The fact that it is flavourful throughout and it's standard 5% strength makes it good pale ale for any occasion. It's available throughout Ontario at the LCBO as well as in Nova Scotia & New Brunswick. Hop City has been expanding their distribution of their Barking Squirrel across Canada and into the United States so you may soon be able to find Big Mouth in more provinces or states.
Final Rating
4 steins
What you need to know
Brewery
54 Bramsteele Rd
Brampton, Ontario
L6W 3M6
Website
http://www.hopcity.com/
Twitter: @hopcitybrewing
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HopCityBrewingCo
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Amsterdam Nut Brown Ale
I have always been fond of English Style Brown Ales, I find that the roasty and maltiness really brings out the flavour so I was really looking forward to Amsterdam's nut brown ale but although very tasty, it didn't live up to expectations.
Amsterdam's nut brown is very smooth, smoother than most brown ales, however it isn't as sweet and sugary as a mass manufactured brown ale like Newcastle Brown Ale. It has a bit of a bitter taste at first that is followed by a velvety smooth texture, which is nice. At that point you are expecting it to have a nice flavourful finish, but it just sort of falls off, which was disappointing as I was expecting a fuller flavour, but the smoothness does make it a good session beer if you are very very thirsty. My enthusiasm for the beer has since been tempered by visiting Amsterdam Brewery's website and the beer was described as having a "distinct drink-ability". When I see a beer that is not a lager being described as "drink-able" I always get a bit apprehensive because it often means that the flavour has been compromised in favour of smoothness, and sadly this is no exception as it just seems to be missing that flavourful aspect that other English style brown ales have but as an introduction to the style it is a good choice.
Overall, I don't know as if I would try it again, but if you are unfamiliar with brown ales then I would suggest giving it a try over something mass produced like Newcastle as it is less sugary sweet but still smooth. It's a bit of a shame in my mind because Amsterdam make some really nice brews but sadly this is not one of my favourites. It's available all across Ontario in the LCBO and Beer Store as well as in pubs and restaurants throughout the GTA (according to their website), and at their brewery.
Final Rating:
On most occasions: 2 steins out of 5
If I didn't know much about brown ales (or was very thirsty): 3 steins out of 5
What you need to know:
Brewery and retail store:
45 Esandar Dr. Toronto, ON
M4G 4C5
Website: www.amsterdambeer.com
Twitter: @amsterdambeer
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Amsterdambeer?fref=ts
Amsterdam's nut brown is very smooth, smoother than most brown ales, however it isn't as sweet and sugary as a mass manufactured brown ale like Newcastle Brown Ale. It has a bit of a bitter taste at first that is followed by a velvety smooth texture, which is nice. At that point you are expecting it to have a nice flavourful finish, but it just sort of falls off, which was disappointing as I was expecting a fuller flavour, but the smoothness does make it a good session beer if you are very very thirsty. My enthusiasm for the beer has since been tempered by visiting Amsterdam Brewery's website and the beer was described as having a "distinct drink-ability". When I see a beer that is not a lager being described as "drink-able" I always get a bit apprehensive because it often means that the flavour has been compromised in favour of smoothness, and sadly this is no exception as it just seems to be missing that flavourful aspect that other English style brown ales have but as an introduction to the style it is a good choice.
Overall, I don't know as if I would try it again, but if you are unfamiliar with brown ales then I would suggest giving it a try over something mass produced like Newcastle as it is less sugary sweet but still smooth. It's a bit of a shame in my mind because Amsterdam make some really nice brews but sadly this is not one of my favourites. It's available all across Ontario in the LCBO and Beer Store as well as in pubs and restaurants throughout the GTA (according to their website), and at their brewery.
Final Rating:
On most occasions: 2 steins out of 5
If I didn't know much about brown ales (or was very thirsty): 3 steins out of 5
What you need to know:
Brewery and retail store:
45 Esandar Dr. Toronto, ON
M4G 4C5
Website: www.amsterdambeer.com
Twitter: @amsterdambeer
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Amsterdambeer?fref=ts
Monday, June 3, 2013
Barley Days Harvest Gold Pale Ale
My latest entry ushers in a new feature to the microbrew times, a rating system of sorts and to accompany my latest feature is a brew from Prince Edward County's Barley Days Brewery, one of a growing group of independent Ontario breweries that are slowly expanding province wide.
Harvest Gold Pale Ale is, as the name suggests, a pale ale and a proper ale as opposed to a mislabeled lager as some "pale ales" can be. It's actually one of the sweeter pale ales I have had, with a good hoppy finish. It is not as bitter as my personal benchmark for pale ales which is Montreal's St. Ambroise Pale Ale, but the sweetness does make it very refreshing on a hot day. Between the sweet beginning and the hoppy finish, however, there is a bit of a disappointing watery phase which detracts from the overall taste, however I was drinking it when it was a million degrees out so the lighter nature of it was a nice change. On a colder day the slight watery bit would probably be more irritating but as it was I was nice and refreshed and happy to order another one.
Overall I think that on a hot day I would highly recommend this beer, however on a colder day I would probably go for a slightly more rounded beer like St. Ambroise Pale Ale or a Kichesippi Natural Blonde (if you are in the Ottawa area), but it is still a very good beer. It's available at a lot of pubs and restaurants throughout Ontario (full list on their website) as well as at the brewery and at the LCBO.
Final rating:
On a normal day: 3 steins out of 5
On a stinking hot day: 4 steins out of 5.
What you need to know
Brewery:
13703 Loyalist Parkway
Picton, ON
K0K2T0
www.barleydaysbrewery.com
twitter
@barleydaysbrews
https://www.facebook.com/barleydaysbrewery
Harvest Gold Pale Ale is, as the name suggests, a pale ale and a proper ale as opposed to a mislabeled lager as some "pale ales" can be. It's actually one of the sweeter pale ales I have had, with a good hoppy finish. It is not as bitter as my personal benchmark for pale ales which is Montreal's St. Ambroise Pale Ale, but the sweetness does make it very refreshing on a hot day. Between the sweet beginning and the hoppy finish, however, there is a bit of a disappointing watery phase which detracts from the overall taste, however I was drinking it when it was a million degrees out so the lighter nature of it was a nice change. On a colder day the slight watery bit would probably be more irritating but as it was I was nice and refreshed and happy to order another one.
Overall I think that on a hot day I would highly recommend this beer, however on a colder day I would probably go for a slightly more rounded beer like St. Ambroise Pale Ale or a Kichesippi Natural Blonde (if you are in the Ottawa area), but it is still a very good beer. It's available at a lot of pubs and restaurants throughout Ontario (full list on their website) as well as at the brewery and at the LCBO.
Final rating:
On a normal day: 3 steins out of 5
On a stinking hot day: 4 steins out of 5.
What you need to know
Brewery:
13703 Loyalist Parkway
Picton, ON
K0K2T0
www.barleydaysbrewery.com
@barleydaysbrews
https://www.facebook.com/barleydaysbrewery
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