True North IPA

Bobsy · Post by **Bobsy** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 10:04 am

I picked up a case of True North IPA this past weekend from the Beer Store. Now, I'm not in a habit of buying from TBS, but their location at Summerhill is half decent. The missus has been on a bit of an IPA kick lately, so I figured if I picked up a case she would be happy to help me through it. I was pleasantly suprised! Here's my review from BA, where I gave it a B+:

"This Canadian IPA pours a nice burnished gold with a medium white head, that soon diminishes down to a film, but leaves some intermittent lacing. The flavour contains a melange of caramel, biscuit fruit and leafy hops. The bitterness is definitely not overpowering, and very mild compared to an IPA from south of the border, but it makes its mark nonetheless. The aroma gives off bready notes, with hops also evident. The mouthfeel is satisfyingly creamy and medium bodied, with great active carbonation. Great drinkability on this English-style IPA!"

Gedge · Post by **Gedge** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 10:45 am

I think the True North IPA is an excellent beer.

I always wonder what their copper alt beer is like.

GregClow · Post by **GregClow** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 10:59 am

I like all of the True North beers. They're not spectacular or mindblowing beers that push a lot of envelopes, just solid and well-balanced brews that tend to be bang-on the styles.

(Which reminds me that I should update my RateBeer rating for the Wunder Weisse. My mediocre rating is based on trying it just after it was released, and I've enjoyed it much more any time I've had it since.)

JesseM · Post by **JesseM** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 11:16 am

I've been wanting to give this one a try for a while now. I'm just put off by the fact that I have to buy a whole twelve-pack to do so. I'm technically not allowed to have bottles in my dorm, and I have no one who would be willing to help me finish them, so they'd probably end up sitting in my fridge for a while. Even if I actually really like it, I generally don't drink the same thing twice in a day or even a few days because I like variety

.

I'll get around to it eventually.

midlife crisis · Post by **midlife crisis** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 1:34 pm

Yeah, I lament the old days when you could "mix six" at TBS. That is one thing (just one of many) that keeps me shopping for beer at the LCBO and using TBS as a recycling depot only. They do seem vaguely disappointed when they ask "anything to go?" No thanks.

lagerale · Post by **lagerale** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 4:48 pm

I've been a fan of the IPA (and their altbier and weisse) for some time but like a few others, am sometimes put off on buying 12 at a time. I do find they are good as intro to craft beers for friends and then the 12 do come in handy!!!

The_Jester · Post by **The_Jester** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 7:19 pm

lagerale wrote:I've been a fan of the IPA (and their altbier and weisse) for some time but like a few others, am sometimes put off on buying 12 at a time. I do find they are good as intro to craft beers for friends and then the 12 do come in handy!!!

I'll second most of this (I haven't tried the Weisse, but I have tried the Strong Ale). These are great beers to have on hand for when uneducated friends are over; "No, man, I'm out of Ex. Try this." And hand over a True North whatever. I've had good success with this tactic. Because it's in a "regular" sized bottle, and isn't "out there" taste-wise, people seem more willing to try it than they would, say, a Sinha Stout. And it's very decent beer.

toweringpine · Post by **toweringpine** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 11:53 am

If you head up to the brewery ( 271 Chrislea Rd, Vaughan ) you can mix and match a six pack of whichever styles you want.

I often go for training sessions at my company's head office which is very close, stopping at the brewery makes the day worthwhile!!

Bobsy · Post by **Bobsy** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 5:22 pm

toweringpine wrote:If you head up to the brewery ( 271 Chrislea Rd, Vaughan ) you can mix and match a six pack of whichever styles you want.

I often go for training sessions at my company's head office which is very close, stopping at the brewery makes the day worthwhile!!

That's cool. Is it available on their full range of beers? I think I might head over and check out some of their other styles.

icemachine · Post by **icemachine** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 12:00 pm

toweringpine wrote:If you head up to the brewery ( 271 Chrislea Rd, Vaughan ) you can mix and match a six pack of whichever styles you want.

Is True North Magnotta?

velovampire · Post by **velovampire** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 12:08 pm

Is True North Magnotta?

Yes. Magnotta as in the winery (and the brewery, as well). The beers that come out of the Magnotta brewery are all branded True North, perhaps (for better or worse) to create a distinction from the products available from the winery. I think the beers had Magnotta labels about 5 or so years ago (I seem to recall specifically the Magnotta Altbier label), but they gradually made the shift to True North over that time.

GregClow · Post by **GregClow** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 1:30 pm

velovampire wrote:I think the beers had Magnotta labels about 5 or so years ago (I seem to recall specifically the Magnotta Altbier label), but they gradually made the shift to True North over that time.

Yeah, they used to do their beers under the two brands - True North for the more mainstream beers (Lager, Light, Strong), and Magnotta for the IPA, Alt, Weisse, etc. A year or so ago, they changed them all to True North for some reason.

Duffey · Post by **Duffey** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 1:55 pm

The Altbier is very good, and the strong ale is even better and quite similar. The strong ale has a fuller bread/biscuit/caramel character, but otherwise they are nearly the same. If you haven't tried either, go for the strong ale.

El Pinguino · Post by **El Pinguino** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 7:00 pm

I'll admit I didn't follow the name change very closely, so I wondered what happened to Wunder Weisse earleir this year. When I found out about True North I thought maybe it was a different company....a bit odd with the different branding name.
I had the Wunder Weiss on tap the summer before last, and it quickly became my favourite wheat beer....before Denison's came around, but still top 5 for sure.

pootz · Post by **pootz** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 8:12 pm

I'm pleased so many people are starting to discover what I believed to be "the undiscovered gems of TBS" some 6 years ago.

Yes the Alt is as good, if not better (IMHO) than the IPA....and the only style-adherent example of an Alt in this market.