Saturday, September 19, 2015

Tooth and Nail Brewing Tenacity Pale Ale

There are  a lot of misconceptions about pale ale, particularly about the colour so I am always skeptical when I hear of a new one.  I love a good, proper pale ale in the old British style.  British organization CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) has done a great job at promoting the definition of proper ales, to help fend off the lagerization of the beer world.  All this to say that a lot of people think pale ale is synonymous with blonde ale, when a proper pale ale should be a dark orange colour as opposed to yellow, straw colour and fortunately brand new Ottawa brewery Tooth and Nail have made a proper pale ale.  Tooth and Nail have only been open for 4 days at time of writing, so I can forgive them if their beers need some work, fortunately their Tenacity is nearly there, a great first beer!

A lot of Pale Ales front load the hoppy bitterness, however Tenacity is decidedly mild on the nose and tongue.  As the sip opens you get a nice and malty taste that gradually introduces the hop flavour, so as someone who isn't a fan of beers with front loaded hop flavour this was a refreshing change.  As the sip progresses the hops make their entrance, not overwhelming but enough to satisfy the most partisan of hop supporters.  This hoppy middle trails off into an interesting citrussy finish, something that is very reminiscent of a Belgian beer as opposed to an English Pale Ale, there is even a touch of banana flavour as you finish the sip.   The overall consistency is quite good, although I found it to be a tad thin, it could use some more malt.   Despite this thinness it is quite refreshing, a beer I would definitely recommend.  The interesting entente cordiale between English and Belgian styles is a nice touch, makes it stand out from other pale ales.

So far it's only available on tap at their on site bar/tasting room and at Brothers Beer Bistro in Ottawa, however they are planning on opening a retail shop soon and expanding to other bars and restaurants in Ottawa. 

Alc 5.8%
Rating: 4 Steins.

What you need to know

Website:
http://toothandnailbeer.com/

Brewery/Brewpub
3 Irving Ave.
Ottawa, ON

Twitter
@toothnailbeer

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

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Pit Caribou: La Bonne aventure Rousse

It's amazing how many microbreweries are popping up all across North America, in all parts of the continent and so it's only natural that there would be breweries in Gaspé.  Now, I have never been to Gaspé, however when my father brought back a few of their beers from a recent trip up that way I had to give them a try and take some notes.  Gaspé is a long way away from big cities so it's natural that their beer style would be different, however the good folks at Pit Caribou may be wise to take some lessons from other brewers as their beer could use some work. 

Bonne Aventure Rousse is a reddish brown ale that on the outside looks like a British style ale.  On the nose it is very earthy and woody, smells a bit like the forest but it doesn't end up tasting like it.  When you first take a sip you are hit with a powerful wave of hops, like a windy day on the coast, except with hops instead of sea water.  These hops really linger on the palate and overshadow a pretty good middle and finish, decently flavourful despite being a bit too thin for my tastes.  It's a shame that the hops are so front loaded as this beer does have some potential.  I would suggest trying it with something sweet, like a piece of chocolate, sweetness really cuts the bitterness of the hops and brings out the nice malty middle.  This beer does have potential but it has some serious balance issues, they really need to have more malt and less hops.  They claim it is a 25 IBU beer, but those IBU's are all front loaded, so it will taste like a much hoppier beer.

It's only available in the Gaspé region, either at their brewery in anse-à-beaufils, Quebec, their brewpub in Percé and at convenience stores througout the area.

Alc. 5% IBU 25
Rating: 2.5 Steins

What you need to know.

Website:
http://pitcaribou.com/

Brewery Address
27 rue de l'Anse,
Anse-à-Beaufils, QC

Brewpub
182, route 132 Ouest,
Percé, Quebec

twitter
@pitcaribou

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/Microbrasserie-Pit-Caribou-525384144158039/timeline/