Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Hog's Back: Aporkalypse Now

You gotta love it when breweries use bits of their name as inspiration for a new type of beer, and Hog's Back often use the pig motif in their advertising and in the case of Aporkalypse now, the beer style.  Aporkalypse now is described a Bacon stout, yes that is right, a Bacon stout.  Meat eaters everywhere rejoice as the everyone's favourite meat is mixed with beer, the world's favourite alcoholic beverage.

To say that I was excited about this concept would be an understatement, I was really looking forward to some bacony, stouty goodness but alas it was not to be.  Don't get me wrong, Aporkalypse now is a perfectly competent stout.  It is not creamy like an oatmeal stout, it is a little more bitter and acidic, in the veins of an Imperial Stout but without the extremely high alcohol percentage. When you take a sip it starts off smooth and progresses to this bitter and slightly acidic middle, this is followed by a nice malty finish.  It has an ever so slight smoky taste to it, but you really ahve to look for it.   Unfortunately what I was looking for was a taste of bacon, but it was nowhere to be found!  Maybe the batch I had was not as bacony as other ones, but I found myself being a bit distracted by the lack of bacon flavour that I struggled to appreciate this for the brew that it is.  I think that if Aporkalypse now was an absolutely amazing stout without bacon I would not have noticed so much, but the fact that it is good but not great left me disappointed.  If I had never been told that this was supposed to be a bacon stout I would have rated it much higher.

It's a seasonal so it will only be available at certain times.  It can be found on draught at a variety of pubs and restaurants around the Ottawa area.  Personally I had it at my local (the Rochester) pub but even there it was one of their rotating taps. 

Rating: 2.5 Steins (but would be 3.5 if I wasn't told it was supposed to taste like bacon).

 What you need to know

Unfortunately they don't list an address on their website, but here is the rest of their info
Website
http://hogsback.ca/

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

Twitter
@Hogsbackbrewing

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Big Rig Byward Brown

Big Rig Brewery are another member of the growing group of microbreweries in the Ottawa/Gatineau area.  The brewery is named after Ottawa Senators defenceman Chris Phillips (nicknamed the Big Rig) who is a part owner. The first time I had a Big Rig beer was at the Ottawa Beer fest in 2012 and was not all that impressed to be honest, so I didn't have all that high hopes when I went for dinner with my girlfriend.  Fortunately, they have really improved their brews and their Byward Brown is a really good example of an English style brown ale. 

The first thing I noticed about Byward brown when my pint arrived was the colour, I was expecting something lighter, but it pours a nice dark brown.   When you take a sip you will notice a very strong nutty flavour that really jumps out at you, it's a flavour you definitely smell before you taste it.  As the sip progresses it smooths out with a nice (but slightly watery) middle section that shows the slight coffee and chocolate notes before finishing with a bitter kick.  It is sweeter than the colour would suggest, closer to the commercial leader in this class, Newcastle Brown Ale, in the sweetness department but that bitter kick reminds you that you are definitely not drinking a sugary bottle of Newcastle!  Byward Brown is a surprisingly complicated beer and one that really goes well with the pub fare at their brew pub on Iris St.  As a loyal dark beer drinker I would have preferred it to be a bit thicker, but for those who are just starting to discover the dark side of beer it is a great gateway beer to thicker, maltier brews. 

It's definitely available on draught at their Iris St. brewpub as well as in growlers and six packs to go.  I have also seen other Big Rig brews at LCBO outlets in the Ottawa area so if you are lucky you may be able to pick up a six pack of Byward at your local liquor store, but their website does not have specifics of which beers are available.

Rating: 4 Steins.

What you need to know

Brewpub
2750 Iris St. Unit A (near the Ikea)
Ottawa, ON
K2C 1E6

Website:
http://www.bigrigbrewery.com/

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

Twitter:
@bigrigbrew

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Great turnout at Christy’s Integration, skills daycare, and education programs for persons with disabilities fundraiser band night



The Microbrew times would like to thank everyone who came to the band night at Luneta's Cafe and Bistro in Ottawa last night.  There were 4 great musical acts to entertain the great turnout.  Christy's is taking giant leaps towards their grand opening and you were all a great help.

For more information on Christy's, please take a look at her :Facebook Group

Friday, January 17, 2014

Muksoka Winter Weiss

January is bloody cold in Canada, and it is always a nice gesture by breweries to make some sort of brew to help warm you up in the far too long and cold winter nights.  Muskoka are the latest brewers to give it a go with their seasonal Winter Weiss, a German style dark wheat beer.  I was quite optimistic for this beer, Muskoka are one of the top craft breweries in Ontario and I am very rarely disappointed by their beers.

As advertised, this beer is a cloudy dark brown colour.  It's decidedly malty, much maltier than most weiss beers but it is not overly thick.  I was expecting a much heartier and full bodied and wheatier flavoured brew, especially for the winter months, however the lack of thickness makes it a surprisingly good session beer.  It goes down very smooth and tastes very nice, but it didn't really satisfy that thick warming desire I was looking for.   I also found that in order to satisfy the smoothness requirement it ended up being a bit too watery.  Muskoka make some fantastic beers, but sadly I was a bit let down by their winter weiss, at least as a winter beer.  In the summer it would be much better.

It's available at pubs and restaurants around Ontario, I had it at Stoneface Dolly's in Ottawa, but I have seen it at other places.

Rating:  In the winter: 3 steins
              In the summer: 4 steins
What you need to know
Brewery
1964 Muskoka Beach Road
Bracebridge, ON
P1L1V4

Website
http://www.muskokabrewery.com

Twitter
@MuskokaBrewery

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/muskokabrewery?fref=ts

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Mill Street Weizenbock

Considering that Germany is one of the biggest producers of beer, and Germans are some of the biggest drinkers of beer per capita it is surprising that we don't see all that many German style beers being created by microbreweries here in Canada.  We have plenty of British or Belgian style beers but the Germans don't seem to get a lot of love in terms of beer styles, which is a shame because a good Bock is one of the best brews you can have on a cold winters night.  Fortunately the intrepid brewers at Mill Street have come to the rescue with their Weizenbock, a truly excellent example of a German style beer.

If there is one thing you can count on Mill St. for is that they take their work seriously, and so to create a WeizenBock like this one they imported special yeast from Germany in order to truly replicate the German styles and the result is excellent. I was fortunate to have a pint at Union 613, one of my favourite restaurants in Ottawa and the first thing I noticed was the banana and nut aroma when I got my beer.  When you take a sip you really get that nutty/banana flavour which is coupled with a wonderfully smooth and creamy texture that makes it a joy to drink.  As the sip progresses you get some hints of spice and caramel before it trails off with a nice smooth finish. For those who are nervous about craft beer, do not be afraid, there is very little in the way of bitterness here, it is really smooth and flavourful. If I didn't already know that weizenbock was 7.5% I would never have known, so it could be very dangerous if you are drinking at the same pace you would drink a 5% beer, which with this beer could be very easy to do because.  This is another winner by Mill St. and if you are a fan of beer I would strongly suggest giving it a shot.  

It is definitely available at Mill St. Brewpubs in Toronto and Ottawa as well as select pubs and restaurants.  I had it at Union 613, so if you would like a glass then go there, also it is an awesome restaurant. 

Rating: 4.5 Steins

What you need to know
Brewery & Brew Pub

21 Tank House Lane
Toronto ON
M5A3C4

Other Brew Pubs
Ottawa
555 Wellington St
Ottawa, ON
K1R 1C5

Toronto Pearson Airport Terminal 1
Mississauga, ON
L4W 1S9

Website:
http://www.millstreetbrewery.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/MillStreetBrewery?fref=ts
Twitter:
@MillStreetBrew

Monday, January 6, 2014

Trou de Diable: La Saison du Tongka

Have you ever wanted to try a beer that tastes like candy?  Not "tastes like candy" as a figure of speech but "tastes like candy" as in actually tastes like candy, no? Me neither but Trou de Diable made one anyway and it is a very odd concoction.  Despite the odd idea you have to give props to the good folks at Trou de Diable for rolling the dice on this one, much more so than wine, beer is a drink that can really be experimented with and a brewmaster can really let their creative juices flow into a sudsy creation, and with a microbrewery there are no shareholders or accountants worried about the profit margins. 

Saison du Tongka is light copper coloured ale that I will admit I was more than a little skeptical about.  Immediately when you take a drink you get this overwhelming cherry candy flavour, sorta tasting like those cherry hard candies that grandmothers often seem to have.   Despite the cherry candy flavour, this is NOT a Belgian style kriek lambic beer , it is a north american style pale ale with cherry candy flavour.   It is surprisingly drinkable and smooth, but the cherry candy flavour is very strong.  Unfortunately the consistency does not back up the potential as it can be quite watery and the cherry candy taste can really overwhelm the rest of the beer.   It is a valiant effort but unless you really like the taste of cherry candy then you probably won't like it.  I didn't think it was that bad, and it is always interesting when brewmasters try new flavour combinations, but this one was a bit too ambitious.

It's a seasonal so you would be hard pressed to find it.  Personally I had it on draught at the Only Cafe in Toronto but their website lists a variety of establishments in Quebec that carry Trou de Diable beer.  They also have a store at their brewery in Shawinigan. 

Rating: 2 Steins.

What you need to know
412 Rue Willow
Shawinigan, QC
G9N 1X2

Website:
http://www.troududiable.com/ 

Unfortunately I was not able to find a facebook or twitter account.  

 
 

Friday, January 3, 2014

Turtle Island Triple Chocolate Stout

One of the main reasons why stout and porter are such great beer types is that they allow the brewmasters to be creative, to really turn their beers into an art form.  That's why you see a lot of chocolate stouts and coffee porters and other such creations so I was really intrigued to try Turtle Island's latest creation, a triple chocolate stout.  Just as stouts are great ways for brewmasters to be creative, they can also be very difficult to do well, so trying a new one can be taking a leap of faith.  Sometimes the beer will be brilliant, and sometimes less so, and unfortunately Turtle Island's Triple Chocolate Stout is closer to the not so brilliant than the brilliant end of the spectrum.

Now, it's not that this beer is all that bad of a beer, I mean it isn't bad as far as stouts go, but it leaves you wanting for more flavour.   The one thing I noticed right away was the lack of any noticeable chocolate taste, which for a normal stout is not an issue but for one billed as a triple chocolate stout, that is a bit of an awkward problem.   When you take a sip it is decently malty, although much more watery than a good stout should be, it finishes off with a surprisingly bitter kick, something you would expect from an IPA or a bitter as opposed to as stout but it does add an interesting dynamic to the beer.  The problem is that as a stout, it doesn't stand out, there was nothing here that really interested me enough to want more. I am willing to give Turtle Island the benefit of the doubt as they are quite new to this stout thing, but this beer needs some work, some refinement of the process for it to be a beer that I would want to drink again. I applaud their creativity and effort, but they have a bit of work to do to bring this stout up to the level of something like Beyond the Pale's Darkness

I had it on tap at the Rochester Pub, and it is available at a small number of locations in Ottawa.  As Turtle Island are a new addition to the Ottawa Beer Scene it may take some time for them to establish themselves. 

Rating: 2.5 Steins

What you need to know
At last I heard they were brewing out of Broadhead's facilities in south Ottawa.
Mailing address:
294 Badgeley Avenue
Kanata, ON K2T 0A7

Website
http://www.turtleislandbrewing.com/

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

Twitter
@TurtleBrewCo