Thursday, November 28, 2013

Golden Lion Brewery: Lion's Pride

Ahh Lion's Pride.  This beer has been a mainstay at the Golden Lion pub since the 80's, and subsequently is one of Quebec's oldest microbrews.  It's a delightful English style brown ale that essentially fuels the bachelors degrees of parts of the student body at neighbouring Bishop's University and is a source of pride (no pun intended) for Lennoxville residents. 

Pride is quite malty, much maltier than a lot of other English style brown ale.   A lot of commercial ales of this type (think Newcastle) tend to be quite sweet and smooth, but Pride doesn't go down that road.  A sip starts out malty and quite bitter while it progresses through a slight watery phase before finishing with another bitter kick.  It's a surprisingly complicated brew, but quite drinkable at the same time (as evidenced by the amount of business they do on Friday and Saturday nights).  I personally have extensive experience with this beer (as an alumni of Bishop's) and so I always relish the chance to have some.   It's a very good beer and one of my favourite English style brown ales.  It isn't perfect (with that slight watery phase in the middle) but it is still a very good beer.

It's available on draught at their pub in downtown Lennoxville, Quebec as well as in bottles at stores in the Sherbrooke area.

Rating: 4 steins

What you need to know
Golden Lion Pub & Brewery
2902 College St
Sherbrooke (Lennoxville), Quebec
J1M 1T4

Website:
www.lionlennoxville.com/

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/GoldenLionPubBrewery

Friday, November 22, 2013

Black Oak Pale Ale

When you go to most regular pubs, (ones that don't specialize in craft beer), you will usually a row of taps that are 75% lagers and pale ales so it can sometimes be tough to find something unique and interesting, but if faced in a situation such as this try to look for the Black Oak Pale Ale tap, because it will be a winner for your palate.  It's also a good call if you aren't feeling like something less hoppy, or thick, as it is both interesting and drinkable at the same time.

When you get your pint of Black Oak Pale Ale it will look have the same golden colour as any other pale ale you have had.   When you take a sip it starts out very smooth, but not so smooth that it is boring.  As the sip progresses you get a nice foll bodied flavour with slight woody undertones before it finishes with a slightly bitter kick.  It is surprisingly complicated for a pale ale, and something that makes it a nice treat when you want a lighter beer while watching the game at a pub, or just when you want a lighter beer in general.  It's a proper pale ale, one that is interesting, but smooth and drinkable at the same time.  A reminder that craft beer doesn't have to be scary. 

It's available at some LCBO and Beer store locations as well as on draught at a variety of pubs in the GTA.  Personally I had it at the Wallace Gastropub on Yonge st (near Yonge & Davisville) but it is available elsewhere.  You can also go to their brewery in Etobicoke.

Rating: 4.5 Steins

What you need to know

Brewery
75 Horner Ave Unit #1
Etobicoke, ON M8Z 4X5

Website:
http://blackoakbeer.com

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/blackoakbrewery

Twitter:
@BlackOakBrewing

Monday, November 18, 2013

Brasserie Belgh: Mons Blonde d'abbaye

Quebec microbreweries love Belgian style beers, certainly more than in other parts of Canada so it comes as no surprise to see a whole lot of different Belgian style beers in Quebec supermarkets.   Mons Abbey Blonde is a traditional Belgian style beer that is a very intriguing brew. 

As someone who lives in Ontario, I don't get a chance to try as many Belgian beers as I would like.  As opposed to the relative simplicity of English style beers, Belgian styles are remarkably complex and diverse, a good one can be a real joy to drink.   Mons is a Belgian style blonde, unlike what we think of blonde beers in North America, the only thing blonde about this is the colour.  It is a very thick and strong beer, almost a meal in a glass.   When you take a sip, you start by getting an overwhelming sweet flavour, with banana and honey notes, this fruity flavor is accented by a little bit of smokiness.   The finish is decently bitter compared to most beers, but not particularly bitter compared to other Belgian style blondes.  This beer has a very good balance and the sweet and fruitiness makes it much more drinkable than a commercial Belgian blonde like Leffe, so if you are unsure of Belgian style beers then I would suggest giving this a try. 

This is a very new brewery, based in Amos, Quebec but their beer is available throughout Quebec in supermarkets and higher end beer stores. 

Rating: 4 Steins

What you need to know

Brewery
8, rue de la Brasserie
Amos, QC J9T 3A2

Website:
http://www.belghbrasse.com/

Twitter:
@BelghBrasse

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/BelghBrasse

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Helm Microbrasserie: Mile End Best Bitter

Helm is one of a growing number of microbreweries in Montreal, and particularly in the very popular Mile End neighbourhood. Helm is unique as it is a microbrewery that specializes in English style ales as opposed to Belgian style beer, which tends to be very popular in Quebec.  Whenever I see a bitter on any beer menu I have to give it a try, it's my favourite style of beer so I was naturally very interested and optimistic about Mile End best bitter.

Bitter as a beer style can be a bit misleading to North American beer drinkers.  A bitter or best bitter are traditionally not all that bitter, especially when compared to the hop filled IPA's and APA's popular with many Craft Breweries.  It's once you get into the Special Bitter or Extra Special Bitter that you start to see the real bitterness come through, so at 4% and styled as a best bitter I was anticipating a smooth and flavourful beer that had a twinge of bitterness.  Unfortunately Helm don't seem to have grasped the proper subtleties of the different versions of proper English bitter as Mile End really caught me off guard with it's bitterness.  Unfortunately it is doesn't have the full body of a proper ESB so it finds itself in a bit of limbo, a beer looking for a style.   Style confusion aside, this beer still needs some work.  It starts off being quite watery, with a hint of maltiness, before adding an uppercut of bitterness.   This frustrating imbalance doesn't make it all that appealing to me as a fan of bitter beers, but I can see the potential here. If they manage to improve the balance of it and smooth it out so it doesn't punch you in the face with bitterness it could become a very solid session beer, but as it stands now I would suggest trying their other selections.  

It is only available on draught or bottle at their brewpub on rue Bernard in Montreal, which has a good vibe, and my companions enjoyed the beers they had so I am definitely willing to give them another shot.

Rating 1.5 Steins

What you need to know
Brewery/Brewpub
273 rue Bernard Ouest
Montréal, QC H2V 1T5

Website:
http://helmmicrobrasserie.ca/

Twitter:
@BrasseurHelm

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Helmmicrobrasseriesurbernard

Friday, November 8, 2013

Waterloo Dark

Waterloo Brewing Company are to Ontario what St. Ambroise are to Quebec, originally a small brewery that built themselves up into something bigger, a province wide brewery through acquisition and merger.  As one of Ontario's original craft breweries they have a good reputation province wide and my personal favourite is Waterloo Dark, a black lager.  

Black Lager is really an under appreciated beer form and Waterloo dark is a fine example of the art.  This type of beer originates in Germany (where it is known as schwarzbier), the original Black lager being Kostritzer.  A good schwartzbier should be smooth but malty at the same time, similar to traditional lagers but with a more distinct flavour to it.  Waterloo dark fits that mold nicely, It is a very drinkable beer, it has a good balance, with a distinct malty and caramel flavour.  It goes down very smooth, but it has a bit of a bitter kick at the end of it, just enough to remind you that it is not a regular lager (if one was drinking it from a can).  I like this beer, it is one of my go to session beers but there isn't anything overly complicated about it either so hardcore craft beer aficionados might find it a bit lacking, however drinkers of lagers and pale ales would really enjoy it.  

It's available throughout Ontario at the beer store and LCBO as well as in Nova Scotia, PEI and Alberta.  You can also purchase it at their brewery.

Rating: 3 steins

What you need to know

Brewery
181 King Street South
Waterloo, ON N2J 1P7

website:
http://waterloobrewing.com/

Twitter
@waterloobrewing

facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Waterloo-Brewing-Co/157802271063635

Monday, November 4, 2013

St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout

It's always hard to objectively review a beer that you have had many times before and love, but I am going to try anyways with St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout, probably my favourite stout of all time.  It's a product of Montreal's Macauslan brewery which has really become a standard bearer for the small brewery come good and one of their flagship brews. 

St. Ambroise Oatmeal stout is one of the finest examples of what a stout should be.  It pours pitch black with an excellent off white coloured foamy head that, if poured correctly, looks like a perfect beer.   When you take a sip you instantly get the creamy taste that typifies a proper stout, this creamy taste is followed by a strong coffee taste as it flows over your tongue.  Some beers will advertise notes of this and that which are only noticeable to the most trained beer palate, but any beer drinker will be able to taste the coffee flavour.  This coffee taste results in a decently bitter finish, certainly more bitter than a lot of stouts, but this creamy intro, coffee middle, and bitter finish are what makes St. Ambroise Oatmeal stout so unique and so tasty.  It's thick texture makes it a perfect beer for those cold winter evenings, preferably in a cozy pub or next to a fire, however if I see it on tap at any time of year I am probably ordering one.  

It's available year round across Canada in bottles as well as on draught at a variety of pubs and restaurants.  It is definitely easiest to find on draught in it's native Quebec but I have seen it at the occasional pub in Ontario as well.


Rating: 5 steins

What you need to know


Website:
http://mcauslan.com/

Brewery address:
5080 St-Ambroise
Montréal, Québec
H4C 2G1

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/bierestambroise

Twitter:
@bierestambroise