The Bar Towel

jeremyg wrote:I do find GLB's quality has stuffered the past couple years but whatever.

How so?

And on a side note, they told me on social media yesterday that they'd be releasing Karma Citra today so I went in the morning and got fresh as fuck Karma Citra cans. I'm actually going to drink the first one in a couple minutes. I'll let you know if it sux.

Shit is fly as fuck.

While we're doing off the cuff reviews the gose and hefeweizen from the Collective Arts variety pack are decent, solid, if uninspired. But I think you could say that for the majority of craft brew at the LCBO.

That said, happy birthday my fellow mannerly donut, hockey, nature and beer loving Canadians.

Btw anyone know whats in the nickel brook summer pack?

It seems it's being sold under two different SKUs, but each I saw were:

Cause & Effect
Equilibrium
Continental Drift
Half Bastard (last year's had Naughty Neighbour instead)

DBN wrote:

CoolB wrote: In my humble opinion there is no comparison in any possible way between GLB and FM.

In my not so humble opinion there is an easy comparison to be made. Both suffer in the same distribution system that doesn't allow for the best brewers to make their beers readily available. But I'm a crusty old fuck.

Isn't that the story of pretty much all craft brewers in Ontario and Canada for that matter? I didn't mean to come off snobby with the my humble opinion comment. I can be a crusty middle age fuck myself too. There are some parelles between the brewers but I still think GLB is miles better.

DBN wrote:

Blasphomet wrote:

spinrsx wrote:
SMASHBOMB ATOMIC IPA CAN
Canada | Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery
LCBO 461798 | 473 mL | $ 2.95

I feel the same way about GLB.

Really? It just shows you how different people can be. Years ago when I tasted Smashbomb I was very enthusiastic about Flying Monkeys and even made a few trips to their brewery. A fresh SB is still a very fine and distinct enough IPA. But I feel that for a few years now they have been slipping focusing way too much on original packaging rather than the execution of their beers, especially their special and pricey, big bottle series. While I haven't had all their beers throughout the years, I feel that aside from Smashbomb and Netherworld, everything I had from FM was a hot, sweet overpriced mess verging on the edge of drain pours(Super Collider, Chocolate Manifesto, Matador all fall into this category). IMO GLB has been killing FM lately, especially with the Tank Ten and Project X series, which I return to again and again. I'm also loving Nickel Brook, like some of Amsterdam and looking forward to more Refined Fool.

spinrsx wrote:sweet! Both showing stock too - I'd assume this would be fresh

MYTHOLOGY CANADIAN GOLDEN PILSNER
Canada | Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery
LCBO 469346 | 473 mL | $ 2.85

SMASHBOMB ATOMIC IPA CAN
Canada | Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery
LCBO 461798 | 473 mL | $ 2.95

Had a canned smashbomb yesterday, with hopes that canning it may make it taste like i first remember it tasting. However, was not the case.....my can was dated June 17ish(can't remember exactly) but was still very flat-flavour wise. I remember when smashbomb first came out it was full of white grapefruit and mango flavours. This can last night reminded me why I stopped buying it. Flat,bland and boring

^^^^^^^^

I feel almost the same way. I used to think FM stuff was really solid for the most part. The first one I had(regular lineup) that let me down was stereovision which I found tasted like soap and was awful. That's when I found their quality was really starting to slip. I hate their whole approach to the one-offs where it's almost entirely about style over substance. Although, I thought the first version of matador was fantastic. To be fair, I've had a couple netherworld and hoptical illusions over the last year or two and they still tasted pretty good. I've got a bottle of the coast to coast less in my fridge that I've still to crack

at the LCBO

Taps Rye Knot Pale Ale

Misspelled on the LCBO listing as:

RYE NOT PALE ALE
LCBO 459701 | 473 mL can

Price $ 2.75

at the LCBO

WALKERVILLE WATERFRONT WIT
LCBO 464859 | 473 mL can

Super Collider was indeed wack.

Had a Taps Rye Knot Pale Ale last week and really enjoyed it. I'm not a big fan of rye influenced beers but this one was good.

Blasphomet wrote:

jeremyg wrote:I do find GLB's quality has stuffered the past couple years but whatever.

How so?

And on a side note, they told me on social media yesterday that they'd be releasing Karma Citra today so I went in the morning and got fresh as fuck Karma Citra cans. I'm actually going to drink the first one in a couple minutes. I'll let you know if it sux.

Shit is fly as fuck.

just find a few of their beers aren't nearly as good as they were even a year or two ago. i get there's going to be batch differences and whatnot but it almost tastes like they've changed the recipe on a few of them. the conspiracy theorist in me wonders if they did so because of the huge distro they now have through the lcbo and cutting costs and whatnot.

the last batch of robohop was tight though. didn't try karma.

i could and probably am way off on the changing recipes theory but whatever, it is what it is. limp puppet, octopus, thrust and couple others all tasted off/watered down. octopus tasted completely different. i swear it was a mosaic forward beer before, now it's 8 different hops and malts or whatever.

i'm not criticizing people for liking GLB or even GLB themselves, im just saying i haven't really been feeling their output the last year or two.

jeremyg wrote:i could and probably am way off on the changing recipes theory but whatever, it is what it is. limp puppet, octopus, thrust and couple others all tasted off/watered down. octopus tasted completely different. i swear it was a mosaic forward beer before, now it's 8 different hops and malts or whatever.

i'm not criticizing people for liking GLB or even GLB themselves, im just saying i haven't really been feeling their output the last year or two.

I find an awful lot of batch-to-batch variability. Something I love in one release is just "meh" in the next one. I do find their IPA's quite sensitive to freshness as well. Octopus, for example, tasted dramatically different between fresh and old.

jeremyg wrote:i could and probably am way off on the changing recipes theory but whatever, it is what it is. limp puppet, octopus, thrust and couple others all tasted off/watered down. octopus tasted completely different. i swear it was a mosaic forward beer before, now it's 8 different hops and malts or whatever.

The write up on the back of the can is a joke. Octopus still features mosaic hops.

http://greatlakesbeer.com/index.php/oct ... to-lcbo-2/

Personally I think GLB is tasting as great as ever. If you like IPAs and can get to the brewery, they're hands down the best in the province right now. 473ml tall cans, very well priced compared to other craft brewers, always super fresh stock available and delicious IPAs... what's not to love?