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Random Reviews

Contribute your own beer reviews and ratings of beers that are made or available in Ontario.

Moderators: Craig, Cass

midlife crisis
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Post by midlife crisis »

Craig wrote:Beaus b-side gigantic



It's actually awesome. For reals. It's basically a west coast IPA made with a Belgian yeast. So think terrific west coast IPA with a mild funk from the yeast. On tap at barhop. I had it and the stone stuff and this was decidedly better for me.

Collab with gigantic brewery.
Had this on tap last week at Stack. I really liked it too, especially the slight resiny funk aspect. No opportunity to compare to Stone, etc, which would have been interesting.

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Belgian
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Post by Belgian »

Karma Citra IPA from Great Lakes brewery Ontario – GLB has definitely arrived, this pint was as good as I could ever hope Stone IPA to be with delicious layers of citrus and no excessively acerbic leafy bitterness. I look forward to having again. At Thirsty and Miserable.

Sawdust city Cherry Pie Saison at the only café – very light but tasty with a hint of finishing sourness and dryness. There was basically no cherry taste. I would have enjoyed a larger serving or lower price for the very light palate and 3.1% ABV. But I would session this.
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Kish84
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Post by Kish84 »

Belgian wrote:Sawdust city Cherry Pie Saison at the only café – very light but tasty with a hint of finishing sourness and dryness. There was basically no cherry taste. I would have enjoyed a larger serving or lower price for the very light palate and 3.1% ABV. But I would session this.
This is a collab with Block Three, I picked up a growler from there, bit annoying getting there at 12:30 only to find out it won't be served until 1:59.

I definitely got cherry, though it was light, so I'm not sure if both brewery's had their own versions.

Currently having their Project Orange, here's the details:

Project Orange is another beer fermented with Brettanomyces. We zested 40lbs of oranges and tossed them in the beer. This beer has big notes of orange, melon and a funky aroma and flavour.


ABV: 6.5%

Malts: Pilsner, Vienna, Munich

Hops: Chinook

IBU: 10

Very drinkable, I like this. Would love this if it were canned, great lawnmower beer.
"There's always money in the banana stand."

cheechonaleash
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Location: Simcoe

Post by cheechonaleash »

sofakingdrunk wrote:Bellwoods Bounty Hunter

A delicious drink, and dangerously easy drinking for the abv,but i'm struggling to really pick out the Vanilla and even more-so, the coconut. The vanilla kind of hits me with a touch of oakiness, but thats about it. The coconut is ever so slightly there on the finish I find. Overall very tasty, but want more coconut flavour out of this. Maybe its just me......
I had some on tap at Bellwoods a couple weeks ago and the coconut was very easy to notice in the flavour. I took home a couple of bottles and cracked one last week and felt similar to your description. Delicious! But hard to pick out those flavours.

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Belgian
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Post by Belgian »

At Castro's in the beach:

Brew dog punk IPA – amazingly good as was mentioned. Wonderful fresh minty overtones and subtle spice imbue the hops with unexpected layers and mystique. Makes the bottled version seem pretty rough by comparison.

King Pilsner, also on draft – and outstanding glass of tribute to the golden Czech classic. Fresh clean and full tasting with perfect balance.

Some days it's just all good...
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Belgian
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Post by Belgian »

At Castro's in the beach - Side Launch Wheat (=Weissbier.) Absolutely fucking perfect. This is a wonderful damn classic German wheat ale, Ontario has got some game & brewers like Michael Hancock are bringing it, man.
(Burritos there also very good these days. Gonna try the Nachos soon.)

Bottle - Petrus Aged Pale. Nice fine sparkle and creamy head atop gold body. Taut dry and sour aroma, notably sour and dry palate showing wood and pale tart fruit. Long hop note of bitter on finish along with almost gueuze-like resonances of sour. Mineral and herbals. A serious beer for sure.
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JeffPorter
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Post by JeffPorter »

Phillips Cabin Fever BIIPA

Pours like a dark brown porter with a foamy tan head that lasts...almost seems live in the bottle. Nose is a little weak. slight citric hoppiness with with mild chocolate and espresso roast.

Taste is much better...floral and citrus with the sweetness of a porter in the back...almost no bitterness to the finish..a wee bit thin on the rogue though.

It's no GLB BIIPA from 2 years ago but a nice drink nonetheless.
"What can you say about Pabst Blue Ribbon that Dennis Hopper hasn’t screamed in the middle of an ether binge?" - Jordan St. John

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Belgian
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Post by Belgian »

Mort Subite Gueuze, Expiry feb 2006 - still barely alive and relatively sweet without much interesting going on, faint tartness, may use for the pot.

Petrus Oud Bruin, Expiry June 2006 - kind of a ghost but holding in there with some acidity and spicy rooty notes developed. Some cap rust to watch out for.

Duchesse de Bourgogne, Expiry Jan 2012 - now this one truly kicks ass with reduced sweetness and some mild Balsamic notes along with the tart-sweet fruit and good natural carbonation. I would age more of this! Has some of the good traits of Goudenband but more tart.

Some of this is going into the beef stew... Flanders style.

** update ** the stew going on just smells maginally OK, I'm hoping it works out - otherwise might stick to purely beers like Duchesse or Goudenband if a sour is malty, but a cousin to that taste.

** update to update ** the stew came out really well - it just took time for the crushed garlic to cook down and it didn't matter that I was using tired old beers that were regardless good ingredients. If anything I would caramelize the onions some more, and you can really add more than you think because they liquefy in the beer and create the Carbonnade flavor.
All to say it's worthwhile cooking with different beers in a familiar recipe.
Last edited by Belgian on Sun Mar 29, 2015 12:47 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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G.M. Gillman
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Post by G.M. Gillman »

Trying some new beers.

King Winter Porter*: drank on draft at Victory today. Interesting beer, not like any porter typically seen. Kind of a cross between a dunkel and certain Scotch ales if that makes any sense. Reminds me of the Jubilee Porter made by Fred Koch in New York State when it was owned by Vaux of northern England, more a "brown" porter that is.

https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=H ... rter&hl=en


Very good though, I would certainly revisit.

Schlenkerla Weizen, found gratefully at Queen's Quay. Finally, another of this renowned Bamberg brewery's line shows up at LCBO. Better late than never. (When do we get the lager?). Really good, sharp wheat notes but plenty smoky too. Probably a replication of a very old style, it has a medieval taste to it.

Broadhead Winter Ale**. Draft at Victory, nicely spiced, very good. (Would be good heated with sugar and gin too). I like their regular amber ale in the tin and the ad copy they use is fun too.

Gary

* The sign at the pub read King Winter Porter but an internet check says it is a label of Barn Door Beverages, owned Provincial Beverages, and brewed by King. King is owned by Provincial Beverages I understand, but it useful to mention this additional data particularly as the beer appears to be available in the bottle as well.

** IIRC, this was the name on the blackboard at Victory but the website calls it Yarr Spiced Ale.
Gary Gillman

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El Pinguino
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Post by El Pinguino »

Had what is called a "Hop Shot" from Phillips in BC...actually from their Fermentorium.
They say to pour it over ice or drop it in a beer.
It's 27% alcohol, a hop elixir, or liqueur as they say.
Really nice aromatics, and slightly sweet, obvious hop taste. I really liked it to be honest.

sprague11
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Post by sprague11 »

Bent Paddle Cold Press Black - fairly new-ish brewery from my adopted US hometown of Duluth, Minnesota. A coffee-infused black ale and a damn good one at that. A fairly prominent hop bitterness gives way to fresh ground coffee. I'd say it could be a lighter-bodied cousin of Full City Tempest.
"A good light beer is one that doesn't taste like piss!" - Frank d'Angelo

chris_schryer
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Post by chris_schryer »

Hey Belgian, thanks for the kind words re Castro's. I generally stick to the casks to try to help keep them moving (I suffer for my art, I know), but occasionally grab a Side Launch and just melt.

Non-related, I just posted my review of Lake of Bays Terrible Ted Red Saison, and I was pleasantly surprised. Probably not as big a saison as some around here would look for, but there's this very pronounced malty foundation that works really well. I dug it. Review here;
http://www.torontobeerblog.com/beer-rev ... rewing-co/

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Belgian
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Post by Belgian »

G.M. Gillman wrote:Schlenkerla Weizen, Really good, sharp wheat notes but plenty smoky too. Probably a replication of a very old style, it has a medieval taste to it.
^ haha favorite quote of the week, I love beer tastes that takes me back to the middle ages. Memories….

Smoked beer emulates the beechwood fire-kilned malts of yore and Bamberg is a city worth seeing & drinking. Also been in Marktoberdorf roundabouts where Rauchenfelser Steinbier was made, replicating the slightly smoky and caramelized flavors of beer that was boiled in wooden vessels by adding red-hot stones heated in wood fires.
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atomeyes
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Post by atomeyes »

El Pinguino wrote:Had what is called a "Hop Shot" from Phillips in BC...actually from their Fermentorium.
They say to pour it over ice or drop it in a beer.
It's 27% alcohol, a hop elixir, or liqueur as they say.
Really nice aromatics, and slightly sweet, obvious hop taste. I really liked it to be honest.
last fall, i made a wilamette hop tincture from my hops. if i add 6 or so drops into a glass of bourbon, it somehow transforms the bourbon into something fruity and beautiful

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Belgian
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Post by Belgian »

At Thirsty & Miz. GLB Johnny Simcoe, another extremely good pale featuring distinct hop signature used very well, as does the Karma Citra. These guys are becoming a go-to brewery for me if this is the current direction.
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