What're you drinking right now?

[S. St. Jeb]

Krombacher Pils

Saw this in the LCBO. Decent. I'll try it again.

[dale cannon]

Sitting out back by the fire, clouds obstructing my view of Perseid's...

Homebrew:
Witbier
American Brown Ale
Cider

Commercial:
LFDM Tripel
Red Racer IPA

[ritzkiss]

Peroni and Bud at the Jays Game.

Then a pint of Railway City Platform 12 (w/ beets and honey) and many many pints of Thunder Alley from Muskoka and Amsterdam - at The Only. Just wanted to shout out the Thunder Alley, really enjoyed it, great session beer.

[Torontoblue]

It was the Rate Beer Albertan Gathering Part 2 this past Saturday, down in Medicine Hat. 15 people with around 200 bottled beers to choose from. There was just far too much good stuff to even contemplate getting through, and seeing what was left the following day brought big sighs of "that" bottle not being opened.

Stand out beers for me were the BA Dark Lord 2012, 50/50 BART, 2 Armand Oude Gueze's, and of course Tsarina Katrina.

Mikkeller Red/White Christmas
The Commons Brewery Urban Farmhouse Ale
Heretic Brewing Evil Twin West Coast Red Ale
Flathead Lake White Cap Pale Ale
Baladin Mielika
Boulevard Brewing Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale
Hill Farmstead Vera Mae
Pelican Brewpub India Pelican Ale
Tammarack Brewing Hat Trick Hop IPA
Clown Shoes Hoppy Feet 1.5
Fantome Magic Ghost
3 Fonteinen Armand ‘4 Oude Gueze Zomer
3 Fonteinen Armand ‘4 Oude Gueze Lente
Schneider-Weisse Tap x Mein Nelson Sauvin
The Bruery Trade Winds Tripel
Amsterdam Brewing Tempest
3 Floyds Bourbon Barrel Aged Dark Lord 2012 (bottle # 520/688)
Cigar City Sea Bass
Bitterroot Brewing Last Cast Black IPA
StillWater Artisanal Table Beer
Upright Brewing Billy the Mountain
Ugly Duck/Sherbrook Hans Across the Water
StillWater Artisanal Existent
Deschutes Brewing Conflux #2
3 Fonteinen Oude Kriek
Cascade Drie Zwarte Pieten Sang Noir
Founder’s Curmudgeon’s Better Half
FiftyFifty Brewing BART 2011 Elijah Craig Edition
Anchorage The Tide & its Takers Tripel
The Bruery Fruet 2012
Alesmith Decadence
Southampton Saison Faucille 2011
Jester King Farmhouse Black Metal
Sam Adams Third Voyage DIPA
Flathead Lake Roy’s Imperial IPA
Dogfish Head Miles Davis Bitches Brew
Scotch Irish Tsarina Katrina Imperial Stout 2005
Evil Twin Brewing Soft Dookie Vanilla Imperial Stout
Southern Tier Pumpking
Dubusson Scaldis Prestige bush de Nuits
Aventinus Weizen-Eisbock 2006

Roll on Part 3!!!!!

[cratez]

After my shift at the Forest City Beer Fest:
Great Lakes 25th Anniversary Belgian Saison (draught - thanks Troy!)
Silversmith Bavarian Breakfast Wheat (draught)
Mill Street Ambre de la Chaudiere (draught)
Railway City Honey Elixir (draught)
Railway City Platform 12 Off The Beet'n Track (sample)
Snowman Top Hat Dark Ale (draught)
Snowman Pale Ale (draught)
Duke's Cider (sample)

Then moved on to some familiar favourites:
Nickelbrook Naughty Neighbour APA (draught)
Silversmith Black Lager (draught)
Great Lakes Crazy Canuck Pale Ale (draught - thanks Troy!)

I was really glad to see that the breweries steered clear of "playing it safe" and were courteous enough to bring their quirkier beers down to London. In addition to the taps listed above, Great Lakes brought their Barrel Aged Robust Porter, Nickel Brook had the Le Paysan Saison available, and Muskoka improved on their Session lineup by bringing kegs of the Summer Weiss and Spring Oddity. All in all it was a great festival, and I'll be posting more thoughts in the events section soon.

Finally, last night at home:
Lindemans Gueuze Cuvee Rene
Muskoka Mad Tom IPA

[boney]

After my shift at the Forest City Beer Fest:
Great Lakes 25th Anniversary Belgian Saison (draught - thanks Troy!)
Silversmith Bavarian Breakfast Wheat (draught)
Mill Street Ambre de la Chaudiere (draught)
Railway City Honey Elixir (draught)
Railway City Platform 12 Off The Beet'n Track (sample)
Snowman Top Hat Dark Ale (draught)
Snowman Pale Ale (draught)
Duke's Cider (sample)

Then moved on to some familiar favourites:
Nickelbrook Naughty Neighbour APA (draught)
Silversmith Black Lager (draught)
Great Lakes Crazy Canuck Pale Ale (draught - thanks Troy!)

I was really glad to see that the breweries steered clear of "playing it safe" and were courteous enough to bring their quirkier beers down to London. In addition to the taps listed above, Great Lakes brought their Barrel Aged Robust Porter, Nickel Brook had the Le Paysan Saison available, and Muskoka improved on their Session lineup by bringing kegs of the Summer Weiss and Spring Oddity. All in all it was a great festival, and I'll be posting more thoughts in the events section soon.

Was pretty much the exact same list for me, minus the Crazy Canuck and Dukes, plus multiples of the Nickel Brook Le Paysan and the GL Barrel Aged Robust Porter.

Now tonight, some Miami Weiss.

[Belgian]

2005 St. Bernardus 12.

Wow did those seven years go fast.

[spinrsx]

how was it?

2005 St. Bernardus 12.

Wow did those seven years go fast.

[Belgian]

Hey Spin. The aged Abt 12 was great, nice aromas.

[kafercrazy]

GLB Miami Weiss.

[boney]

Amsterdam Mid Summer Saison. Was slightly unimpressed until I poured out the whole bottle, with a few swirls, to thankfully find all the funk hanging out with (as) the yeast at the bottom. Great stuff and maybe the most faithfully Belgian Canadian saison I`ve tried this summer.

This bottle makes it the 5th Ontario made saison I`ve had this summer (NB Le Paysan, GLB 25th Ann. Belgian Saison, House Ales X Animal Farm The Sheep and Beaus-TduD Fous Allies being the others). My how times have changed!

[velovampire]

Amsterdam Mid Summer Saison. Was slightly unimpressed until I poured out the whole bottle, with a few swirls, to thankfully find all the funk hanging out with (as) the yeast at the bottom. Great stuff and maybe the most faithfully Belgian Canadian saison I`ve tried this summer.

This bottle makes it the 5th Ontario made saison I`ve had this summer (NB Le Paysan, GLB 25th Ann. Belgian Saison, House Ales X Animal Farm The Sheep and Beaus-TduD Fous Allies being the others). My how times have changed!

Indeed! And don't forget Black Oak and Bellwoods. I know it's summer and all, but for the past 3-4 months, it's definitely felt like saison is the new IPA in Ontario. Ich liebe es!

[icemachine]

Considering how difficult it is to access these Saison's unless you hit the right bars at the right time, I'd hardly consider it "the new IPA"

[matt7215]

Considering how difficult it is to access these Saison's unless you hit the right bars at the right time, I'd hardly consider it "the new IPA"

totally agree, as far as i know all these ontario saisons are a myth concocted by you torontonians

they dont really exist outside toronto

[velovampire]

Considering how difficult it is to access these Saison's unless you hit the right bars at the right time, I'd hardly consider it "the new IPA"

I wasn't speaking so much to distribution or availability as I was to the fact that the last time this many Ontario brewers jumped on a certain style at the same time, it was IPA.

But, further to your point...difficult? Really? Beau's/Black Oak/Bellwoods/NB/GLB - all available at their respective breweries. House Ales is usually always on at Volo (though not necessarily this brew). Amsterdam was a one-off, but one that was available at the brewery. GLB is going to be in the LCBO. Also, Oast House is launching with a bottled saison.

Most of these have been available on tap [yes, in Toronto - in and around which all of these breweries are located (other than Beau's)] for the better part of the past few months, and it's a pretty safe bet that any visit to Volo/C'est What/Rhino/Grand Electric/Victory/Tequila Bookworm/Get Well/The Only/etc during that time would yield at least one of these saisons.

Oh, and black tea. That's what I'm drinking right now