The Bar Towel

Sampling one of these fresh from the mixed pack.
A tame and clean rendition. Clean, grassy sweet,honey, some saaz, lingering bitterness. Well made. Simple and will appeal to the "cottage crowd". Whoever they are. Certainly isn't me. I'll enjoy this beer in London just the same as I would anywhere else.

Light beer is lost on my palate. IMHO light beer is an answer to a question only someone who hates real beer would ask. If Muskoka turned up the Saaz and malt and gravity and did a decoction this would be a top flight micro pils....as it is it's the weakest link in Muskoka's brand.

Probably the only Muskoka beer I won't buy unless there's no craft pilsner alternative.

Not bad at all. Much better than what i expected considering "light" is used in the name.

I currently recommend their lager to all my buddies who still drink macros. I think i will recommend this as well to them. It is clear and well made.

I would even consider this beer a solid, go an day long drunk, session beer.

Kudos, Muskoka.....hope your new project yields some beers that appeal to the beer geeks though.

... from the same province that produces Hannenberg Pils, and also one that imports Prima Pils and Christoffel Blonde...

But i'm curious to try. Are there any 18-person tastings that have one bottle of this to sample?

Hey guys, I have not posted in a while, I hope everyone is doing well.

This is not a bad little beer at all - there is no need for the "light" name on the can, but it is there to help them sell and maybe stand out in terms of craft beer (or fit in in terms of mass market beer?) and hey, if it helps this craft brewer sell some cans, so be it. It is a nice tasting little pils which is perfect for the summer and surprisingly has some good flavour.

Like it or not, one of the fastest growing segments of the industry is this "ultra premium light beer" segment. If a good craft brew can fit such silly parameters, great. For me personally if brewers can make flavourful beers under 5% (much like Grand River excels at), I'm thrilled, as that is exactly what I am looking for these days in the hotter weather and when trying to watch the waistline a bit.

Anyway, if you had told me a few years ago Muskoka would be my go to craft brewer this summer, I would have laughed and written up an angry bar towel tirade against you . But between this and the Hefe, they tick most of my boxes this summer (still looking for regularly available hops, but that is another discussion).

One last point is some of the comical rating on ratebeer regarding this beer. I guess the name Muskoka causes some to fly into a rage against rich people? Steelback, I'm talking to you! Not liking the beer is one thing, but talking like a G20 hippie protester is another (you know I'm just taking the piss here Len, but your rating made me almost spit my beer out laughing ).

Anyway, happy drinking summer all.

Jeff

tupalev wrote:One last point is some of the comical rating on ratebeer regarding this beer. I guess the name Muskoka causes some to fly into a rage against rich people? Steelback, I'm talking to you! Not liking the beer is one thing, but talking like a G20 hippie protester is another (you know I'm just taking the piss here Len, but your rating made me almost spit my beer out laughing ).

I love that rating.

tupalev wrote:
One last point is some of the comical rating on ratebeer regarding this beer. I guess the name Muskoka causes some to fly into a rage against rich people? Steelback, I'm talking to you! Not liking the beer is one thing, but talking like a G20 hippie protester is another (you know I'm just taking the piss here Len, but your rating made me almost spit my beer out laughing ).

Anyway, happy drinking summer all.

Jeff

Hey Jeff!!!
Good to see you back!

I was trying to be funny with the rating so I'm glad I've got a few chuckles out of it,

*phew*

Len, I wasn't sure! You London folks..well, you know...

Tried this last night and really enjoyed it. Nice grassy, apple aroma, sweet and grainy malts, a bit creamy, some cereal and wheat flavours, excellent Saaz spice on the back end, light and lingering bitterness. I paced this at 30+ minutes, but could easily crush it in 10. Scary drinkable.

Muskoka is an interesting brewery. On the one hand it represents everything that is "wrong" with Ontario's beer scene, in terms of brewing safe, inoffensive styles with indistinguishable names (Dark, Cream, Lager, etc). In this regard it undeniably contributes to and upholds the province's conservative beer culture, which most of us can't stand. On the other hand it brews tasty, sessionable beers that are hard to slam or dislike. Whenever I see their stuff on tap, or if I happen to be in a pinch at my local Lic-bo, I have no problem reaching for their beers. So I love and hate them at the same time. Anyone else feel this way?

cratez wrote:Tried this last night and really enjoyed it. Nice grassy, apple aroma, sweet and grainy malts, a bit creamy, some cereal and wheat flavours, excellent Saaz spice on the back end, light and lingering bitterness. I paced this at 30+ minutes, but could easily crush it in 10. Scary drinkable.

Muskoka is an interesting brewery. On the one hand it represents everything that is "wrong" with Ontario's beer scene, in terms of brewing safe, inoffensive styles with indistinguishable names (Dark, Cream, Lager, etc). In this regard it undeniably contributes to and upholds the province's conservative beer culture, which most of us can't stand. On the other hand it brews tasty, sessionable beers that are hard to slam or dislike. Whenever I see their stuff on tap, or if I happen to be in a pinch at my local Lic-bo, I have no problem reaching for their beers. So I love and hate them at the same time. Anyone else feel this way?

Me!

Muskoka is an interesting brewery. On the one hand it represents everything that is "wrong" with Ontario's beer scene, in terms of brewing safe, inoffensive styles with indistinguishable names (Dark, Cream, Lager, etc). In this regard it undeniably contributes to and upholds the province's conservative beer culture, which most of us can't stand. On the other hand it brews tasty, sessionable beers that are hard to slam or dislike. Whenever I see their stuff on tap, or if I happen to be in a pinch at my local Lic-bo, I have no problem reaching for their beers. So I love and hate them at the same time. Anyone else feel this way?

Well put cratez and agreed. I remember back in my more snobbish days (much more easy going now ) that fresh Muskoka Dark somehow found its way into the Frankford, ON LCBO/Beer Store and was a life saver for me when visiting family.

I do think they stepped up their game with their Hefe, which was a revelation to most last year when, IMHO, it was actually better than Dennison's in can form at least. Hopefully with a solid base established, they can go from here and make some more interesting and solid beers.

I have not been plugged into the Toronto scene in a while, so I am not sure if they have been popping up with any one-off's or anything. Still, it is a good sign: an established conservative Ontario brewer starting to take baby steps to more interesting paths (Hefe), all while being (what appears to be) successful.

I was quite please with the Born Bitter at C'est What. I look forward to trying it again to see if it holds up on repeat tastings. I have not yet tried the pilsener.

Ditto on the Born Bitter. It was very tasty at the C'est What event.