Monday 2 October 2017

September 30, 2017

329/2147) Home:  Melifera by Le Trou du Diable of Quebec:  *;  5%;  brewed with wheat and barley with local honey added during the boil and a lactic acid fermentation;  pours opaque;  the nose is a bit lemony, a bit funky;  tart, acidic;  only a bit of honey is revealed at the finish; 

I fear this one did not work for me.




September 26, 2017

327/2145) Home:  Hefeweizen by Kichiesippi Beer Company of Ontario:  **;  5.5%, 15 ibu; unfiltered;  mildly, and unusually, tart nose;  cloves, citrus zest, muted banana flavours;  nicely done;


328/2146) Home:  Elora Borealis by the Elora Brewing Company:  **1/2;  5.1%, 30 ibu;  Citra Pale Ale;  floral, mildly citrusy nose;  citrus, mostly grapefruit, flavors;  bold citrus finish, yet very smooth;  great name, too;


September 24, 2017

326/2144) Someone else's place:  5514 Wheat Ale by Sleeman of Ontario:  *;  4.5%;  one among many 150th anniversary beers - I learned that it is 5514 km from one coast to the other;  a grainy, lawn mower type beer;  remarkably unremarkable but nice for an uncommonly hot September day;

September 23, 2017

324/2142) Home:  Aleyards Collaboration IPA, a collaboration between Shacklands Brewing Co., Junction Craft Brewing and Rainhard Brewing of Ontario:  **1/2;  6.8%, 58 ibu;  brewed with Vermont Ale yeast, Simcoe and Mosaic hops;  sharp citrusy, resiny nose;  strong malt backdrop;  tropical fruit with a resiny finish; 

The tin features a drawing from 1936 of the Symes Road Destructor which Junction Craft will be occupying in a few months.  The Aleyards used to be known as the Ontario Stockyards and this is where all three breweries are located.

This was brewed for Toronto Beer Week 2017, which I largely missed out on.  Today is the last day.  I did pay close attention to the news Tuesday evening, the night of the beans and brews event, to see how many number 505 streetcars had to be taken out of service but of course the TTC never reports that sort of thing.


325/2143) Home:  Puppers Premium Lager by Stack Brewing of Ontario:  *1/2;  4.0%;  brewed with both barley and wheat;  a sweet, unusually rich, malty yet crisp lager for after a long day at the produce stand;

This is the Official Beer of Letterkenny.  I missed the beer launch which took place at Get Well in Toronto and featured cast members, in character.  Even though I have only seen bits on Youtube I feel a connection to Letterkenny and I would have thanked the cast members had I met them. 

It takes eighteen weeks to properly train for a marathon which means that to run Mississauga on the first Sunday of May I began working the first week of the year.  I would lie awake for a minute or two at six AM pondering my warm bed, cold house and the colder sidewalks.  The kilometres don't run themselves, however, and I would prod myself out the door saying, out loud, "Pitter patter, let's get at 'er." so I feel I owe a good part of my achievement to Letterkenny, even if I never have seen a complete episode.


September 22, 2017

The Golden Tap Awards were announced on the 20th.  A full list of winners may be found here:  http://www.canadianbeernews.com/2017/09/21/golden-tap-awards-2017-winners-announced/

It is nice that as the awards grow the spotlight continues to venture to regions other than Toronto.

September 21, 2017

323/2141) Home:  Waterfront Wit by Walkerville Brewery of Ontario:  **;  4.9%;  a Belgian style wit;  brewed with barley and wheat as well as orange peel and coriander;  nose is yeast, coriander;  refreshing orange zest and coriander flavours;


September 19, 2017

322/2140) Home:  Amber 6.6 by Skeleton Park Brewery of Ontario:  **;  6.6%;  from their Heritage Series 1783-1855;  rich toasted malt nose;  rich, malty;  hides that alcohol well;

Skeleton Park is in the Kingston area.  The official name is McBurney Park and it earns its nickname by virtue of the fact that underneath lies an abandoned graveyard.