Saturday 22 July 2017

June 10, 2017

An event was held today at Birreria Volo called Sour vs. Bitter where sours were pitted against IPAs.  I went strictly for the five ounce pours as there were quite a number of things I wanted to try.

193/2011) Birreria Volo:  Air Ride by Redline Brewhouse of Ontario:  **1/2;  a 6.1% American IPA;  fruity, tropical nose;  flavours lean to bitter and resiny with a dry after taste;  tropical flavours in back ground;  a great start to Sour vs. Bitter;

194/2012) Birreria Volo:  Zodiak by Omnipollo of Sweden:  **1/2; a 6.2% American style IPA brewed with Simcoe, Citra and Mosaic hops;  nose is tropical fruit with a hint of pine;  citrusy flavours with a touch of sweetness;

I think this may have been brewed under contract in Toronto.

195/2013) Birreria Volo:  Immoralité by Dieu du Ciel! of Quebec:  **;  8% double IPA brewed with Citra, Simcoe and Amarillo hops;  very dry nose;  bitter, astringent flavours;

196/2014) Birreria Volo:  Happy, a collaboration between Tooth & Nail and Great Lakes Brewery, both of Ontario:  **1/2;  6.5% American IPA;  tropical citrus nose with a side of astringency;  fresh, fruity, tropical flavours;

197/2015) Birreria Volo:  Juicin' by Sawdust City of Ontario:  **1/2;  6.1% Vermont Style IPA;  citrusy, tropical nose;  in contrast the flavours are tart, nearly cidery;

This was brewed with oats to soften the flavours and a special variety of yeast which enhances the fruitiness of the hops.

198/2016) Birreria Volo:  Northern Wish, a collaboration between Dominion City and Twin Sails of Ontario and British Columbia respectively:  **1/2;  7% American IPA;  dry hopped with Galaxy hops;  tart citrusy nose;  bitter citrusy flavours;

It was time to switch things up so the next two are from the sour side of the list.  In addition these were bottle pours and thanks go out to Tomas for his suggestions.

199/2017)  Birreria Volo:  Tropical Platypus by Almanac Beer Co. of California:  *1/2; a 6% "equatorial sour blonde ale" aged in wine barrels and oak foeders with kiwi, lime, mango and passionfruit;  hopped with Galaxy hops;  champagne like mouthfeel;  sour, tart, funky nose;  boldly aggressive tart flavours;

200/2018) Birreria Volo:  Silly Cybies by Crooked Stave of  Colorado, U.S.A.:  **;   a 9% Belgian style dark ale aged in oak barrels with raspberries;  tart raspberry nose;  sharp, tart raspberry flavours;  tart astringent aftertaste;  mild oakiness is present especially towards the sour, tart, funky finish;

I hear tell cybies is what they call spring onions in Scotland.  Mercifully, there is no hint of  that here though I fear this beer has given someone the idea.

201/2019) Birreria Volo:  IPA by Burdock Brewery of Ontario:  **1/2;  a 7% American IPA brewed with hop hash;  one of many differing beers from Burdock simply labelled IPA;  nose has a very fresh hop edge;  sharp bold hop flavours with just a touch of sweetness at the finish;

202/2020) Birreria Volo:  36" Chain by Barncat Artisan Ales of Ontario:  **;  8.2%;  mildly tropical citrus nose;  there is a bitter edge to this one;  citrusy notes but mostly dry astringent flavours;

There is a patio out back which feels quite roomy after sitting inside the somewhat confined bar area.  Things are so tight that even though I don't recall steps I am wondering if you could call this place accessible or not.

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