Thursday, May 26, 2016

Microbrew times at the 100th Indy 500 - Sun King Sunlight Cream Ale

Greetings readers from Indianapolis, Indiana where I have come to watch the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500!  Over the next few days I will be sampling a variety of local beers, for science of course, and writing about them here!   My first review is of a cream ale by one of Indianapolis's oldest craft breweries, Sun King.  Cream Ale is a classic east coast beer style that is an extremely approachable alternative to lagers.   Sun King have an interesting take on the style with this refreshing beer.

I'm drinking it from a tall can, so the nose is hard to describe, from the can it's quite mild but out of a glass it probably is a lot more pronounced.  The best word I can use to describe the progression of a sip is "escalation".  It starts out being fairly watery and un-intresting but the cream ale goodness really shows up through the middle of the sip before being punctuated with a hoppy and slightly bitter finish.  This is not a hoppy beer per se, but the hop presence is more pronounced than in other cream ales.  It's smooth and easy going but some lager drinkers may be turned off by the hops, on the other hand those who like more bitter pale ales will really like this as it hits that hop button.  I found that the balance was a bit odd, but still a refreshing brew.

It's available in bottle shops and in bars and restaurants throughout Indiana.

Alc 5.3%
IBU 20
Rating: 3.5 Steins

What you need to know

Breweries
135 North College Ave
Indiana, IN
46202

7848 East 96th Street
Fishers, IN
46037

Website
sunkingbrewing.com

Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/sunkingbrewing

Twitter
@sunkingbrewing

Sunday, May 15, 2016

Steamworks Kölsch

The LCBO in Ontario tends to get quite a lot of criticism as a government controlled monopoly, but one thing they do well is stocking craft beer and they are always getting better as more and more craft beers from across Canada start making their appearance.  Steamworks brewery of Vancouver BC were a pleasant find for me as I looked for new beers to try, so I decided to give their kölsch a go.  kölsch is a beer style that originated in Cologne, Germany and is very much a part of the culture there.  A good kölsch is a sweet, light coloured lager that is usually served in tall, thin glasses.  In  kölsch pub in Cologne the glasses are quite small but I drank it from a traditional pint glass poured from a tallboy.  Regardless of the glass type, this is a very good example of the style, a nice and refreshing brew.

It pours a light yellow colour, which is a good sign for a kölsch, anything remotely dark will usually mean the beer is too heavy for kölsch.  The nose has a delightful sweet aroma with a touch of hops that helps release the beery goodness.  On the tongue you get a really nice and sweet flavour that belies a proper kölsch, this sweet intro progresses into a fairly full bodied (for a lighter beer) middle that progresses into a slightly bitter and hoppy finish.  A good kölsch will not be complicated but won't be watery, which Steamworks have done really well here.  It should be easy drinking but consistent and balanced which this has gotten spot on, this beer is very clean and refreshing.  Your macro-lager drinking uncle would really like this, a great intro to craft beer and a reminder to all the craft haters that there is more to this beer sector than pumpkin spiced IPA's.  Consumed on a hot day with a barbecued mild sausage (such as a bratwurst) this is an excellent beer.

It's available at their brewpub in Vancouver, at the LCBO in Ontario and I presume across BC and potentially in other parts of Canada.    

Alc 4.8%
IBU 22
Rating: 4 Steins

What you need to know

Website
http://steamworks.com/brewery

Twitter
@steamworksbeer

Brewery/Brewpub address
375 Water St.
Vancouver BC
V6B 5C8

Saturday, May 7, 2016

Tooth and Nail - Valor Saison

Saison is one of those beer styles that gives brewers a bit of a "carte blanche" to let their brewing creative juices flow.  Originally developed in the French speaking parts of Belgium, Saison's are usually quite heavily carbonated and contain wheat and other grains.  Tooth and Nail's Saison is brewed with four grains, barley, wheat, oats, and rye which makes it a very unique concoction, however I found it to be a bit of a let down.

Valor is complicated. The nose is pretty bland, quite watery and doesn't really have a strong smell but as the sip starts is when it gets interesting.  The intro to the sip (the tongue) is very sweet, overwhelming wheat and banana flavours make it feel like a traditional wheat beer, but as the sip progresses it starts to go all over the map.  From a banana intro it moves on to a really watery and acidic middle, making it seem as though there is too much grain.  The sip tapers off with a mineral water flavour, something that is quite common among Tooth and Nail beers.  There isn't much of a hop presence but the 4 grains means that there is just way too much going on here.  It's decently easy to drink but I found that the acidity to be off-putting.  Brewing is already a complicated process, but tooth and nail have doubled down on the complexity with this 4 grain beer and when you add it to the already flavourful and minerally water they use, it becomes a bit of a mess.

It's available in 500 ml bottles and on draught at their brewpub/bottle shop in Ottawa.

Alc 6%
Rating: 2 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