July 1, 2017

218/2036) Home:  Canada 150 Best Bitter Ale by Black Creek Historic Brewery of Ontario:  **;  5%;  "inspired by the recipes of the 1800s";  rich and malty with a mildly bitter hop finish;

219/2037) Home:  Confederation Amber Ale by Flying Monkeys of Ontario:  *1/2; 5%;  pours a clear colour somewhere between amber and copper;  nearly no carbonation;  malty, bready flavours;  it's inoffensive yet nondescript;

The tin reads, "The beer that started it all" and, indeed this was the first beer Flying Monkeys brewed on opening some 13 years ago.

Some appropriate beers to unapologetically mark the 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation:

220/2038) Home:  150 Maple and Thistle Rye Ale by Innis & Gunn of Scotland:  **;  5.9%;  brewed to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation;  matured for 150 days in 150 oak barrels;  bottle conditioned;  brewed with maple syrup and Scottish wild thistle;  likely worth aging;  pours a  dark amber;  oaky vanilla nose;  toffee notes, maple; herbal bitterness, presumably from the thistle, offsets the sweetness at the finish;

Innis & Gunn almost always have a special beer to mark Canada Day, a tribute to some of their more enthusiastic customers and a symbol of how important individuals descended from Scotland have been in our history.