Alexander Keith's Cascade & Hallertau

[chris_schryer]

I realize they're totally separate styles, but I would take a Keith's Cascade (on draught, I found the can to be highly unexciting) over a Cobblestone stout. I have yet to have a Cobblestone that lives up to the very first time I had it on draught (at the first TBW opening cask tapping), or just a decent Irish pint of Guinness.

At risk of further derailing the train, I was surprised when, doing some research, I realized that Mill Street (and Steam Whistle, bless their souls) are taxed as beer manufacturers, not microbreweries. In the case of Steam Whistle, I think that's a wonderful nod to their success, producing an excellent product in *huge* quantities. Sadly, in the case of Mill Street, I think many of their once-decent products (Tankhouse and Stock pop to mind), have become products that are shadows of their former selves. Whether this was catering to the wider, less initiated, public, or to appease the cheque-signers, I couldn't say.

[Belgian]

I tried the Keith's Hop Series Hallertauer Hop Ale from the tallboy can, it's not all bad as a simple easy-drinking light ale with some lemony hops. Two-thirds of the way in the finish didn't seem all perfect, but this is still a far reach above some other recent Keiths 'innovations.' It may also be an acceptable transitional beer to wean people away from their long-held macro brand dependency, and toward an easier tolerance for a 'real craft' beer such as SNPA or even an IPA like Hop Circle (not that everyone has to drink IPAs!)

Might try the Cascade on tap if I see it, thanks Chris.

[midlife crisis]

Yeah I agree. Hallertau from the can not all bad. Cascade a different story (ugh) but I didn't realize there was a draught version out there. Will keep an open mind if I see it, given that the draught Hop Mason was not bad at all.

[groulxsome]

Once upon a time I had a very old DIPA which tasted very much like the Hallertauer Hop Ale. It seemed like once it had been a unbalanced little guy, but not it was just a hint of hop and a too-light malt.

These are both oddly astringent and the aftertaste is way unpleasant. I'm trying to give them the benefit of the doubt and get in on the love in for these 'em, but for my palate they are just off. It's not the hops that's throwing me, where they show up - the aroma particularly - these beers are fairly ok. The malt taste though. One note and sweet, so not for me, especially once the aftertaste kicks in.

[TwoPint]

Here's Peter McAuslan's take on Keith's Hop Series in this morning's Post:

Beer giant Anheuser-Busch Inbev NV did something earlier this spring that most of Canada’s business press missed but craft brewers and bloggers watched with fascination.

The company’s Nova Scotia-based sub-unit Alexander Keith’s launched three new ales featuring hop. Hop is the flowering vine that provides beer with much of its taste and aroma, and each of these new beers has a distinct variety of the ingredient that generates a unique flavour.

Keith’s, whose flagship product is the popular India Pale Ale, calls the new ales “a labour of love” and is pledging to educate Canadians on different hops during a cross-country marketing tour now underway. Independent brewer Peter McAuslan calls them a significant break with brewing strategy, a desperate experiment by a big producer scrambling to give consumers more choices as it tries to appeal to sophisticated drinkers while retaining its loyal customers of old.

“What you’re seeing is the big guys are chasing their tails,” Mr. McAuslan said in an interview last week following the sale of his 25 year-old brewery to closely held Montreal brewer Les Brasseurs RJ. “I mean guys whose whole business models are based on fewer products and extremely high levels of efficiencies and high profitability are now taking a relatively small brand like Keith’s IPA and they’re creating additional products just to woo the consumer. It’s momentous. It’s an incredible change in the marketplace.”

[Philip1]

I have yet to have a Cobblestone that lives up to the very first time I had it on draught (at the first TBW opening cask tapping), or just a decent Irish pint of Guinness.

Cobblestone has become my "go to" stout of late. St Ambroise Oatmeal and Hockley are good but they are too carbonated for a stout. Could be an Irish thing but I'd never heard of a carbonated stout until a few years ago. Last time I bought Guinness at the LCBO it was too thin and not that tasty; same with the last pint of Beamish I had about a year ago. Cobblestone has the overall balance right. It's ideal as a Saturday afternoon session beer preferably alternating with a Black Sheep ale.

[Bytowner]

Cobblestone has become my "go to" stout of late. St Ambroise Oatmeal and Hockley are good but they are too carbonated for a stout. Could be an Irish thing but I'd never heard of a carbonated stout until a few years ago. Last time I bought Guinness at the LCBO it was too thin and not that tasty; same with the last pint of Beamish I had about a year ago. Cobblestone has the overall balance right. It's ideal as a Saturday afternoon session beer preferably alternating with a Black Sheep ale.

Not to wander again (sorry), but what do you mean by "never heard of a carbonated stout"? Guinness off the shelf in any Irish bar is plenty carbonated, and so is the nitro-stuff even if it's not bubbly.

[midlife crisis]

I think he means there has never been a keg draught version of any of the major stouts. Guinness in Ireland went from being a cask beer to a nitro beer with no intermediate "fizzy keg" period. Bytowner, on the other hand, is referencing the bottled version, which of course has to be carbonated somewhat but still has very low carbonation by North American standards.

[G.M. Gillman]

Guinness draft is a keg beer in that it is filtered and pasteurized. The nature of the carbonation differs from all-CO2 beers but that is neither here nor there from the standpoint of keg beer. All the cream-flow and that type of nitro-dispensed pale ale is the ditto.

Gary

[midlife crisis]

Yes, quite agree, I guess I was using "keg" as a generic term when I really meant CO2 dispensed, i.e. to differentiate it from nitro, which for Guinness at least makes for a noticeably different pint in carbonation level, mouthfeel and head texture and retention, etc.

[toweringpine]

I had been looking forward to this one but hadn't yet run across it anywhjere until yesterday. In the morning a co-worker gave me a can knowing I was keen to try it. I put aside to try in the evening. The boss took everyone out for a surprise lunch and I saw it on tap at St James Gate. I tried the draft version at lunch and quite enjoyed it. The canned version I had in the evening and although it was better than any other Keith's product I had ever tried it was not at all as nice as the draught version. The flavour was alright in both but the canned edition was lifeless feeling where the keg seemed lively. I am glad I tried it in the order I did. I would happily have it again from a tap but if I had tried the can first I probably would not have ever ordered the draught.

edit to add that my comments are on the Cascade, I have yet to try the other one.

[chris_schryer]

...but the canned edition was lifeless feeling where the keg seemed lively

This sums it up for me exactly. There was just more "going on" with the draught. Brighter, more aromatic, just better.

[Derek]

My local had single bottles in a bin, so I picked up both.

Lifeless is a good description. Heavy filtered, maybe pasteurized?

The Granville Pale Ale is now brewed at the big Molson Factory, and it's a heck of a lot better.

I wasn't expecting much, but I was expecting more.

[sprague11]

Had singles of both. The Cascade was a pretty sad excuse for an ipa. The other was a bit better, but still pretty bland.

[GregClow]

The Cascade was a pretty sad excuse for an ipa.

Good thing they're not calling it an IPA, then...