The Bar Towel

Founders Backwoods Bastard - drinking so smooth fresh, and I imagine that it will keep nice character with a bit of age too. I get a ton of vanilla and brown sugar in this. The alcohol is well-hidden, but the heavy, complex flavour makes it a very slow sipper nonetheless.

Founders Mosaic Promise - I didn't think I'd prefer this to the Backwoods, but this has become one of my favourite Founders. Its just a beautifully crafted single-hop pale and I can drink a whole bunch of this and be a very happy man.

The mosaic promise is solid. I wasn't super impressed at first, but suddenly 4 of the 6-pack were gone... I can't remember the last time I drank for of the same beer in a row

Loving the Mosiac also. Have bought 3 six packs in the last two week. I don't know if I've ever done that.

A few nights ago the latest Game of thrones beer. I don't remember too muc offs thentop of my head but I remember it being quite nice, one of the better from the series. I remember thinking it tastes quite similar to Fin du monde and that I'll have to pick up another before they're gone.

Also, Roundhouse kick impy stout-don't remember much about this tbh as I was already a goood few beers in. I do remember the alcohol being extremely well hidden for such high abv. It was delicious and I need more was about as specific as I can get.

Right now:
2013 goose island Pere Jacques. Bottled jam 2013, says on the label will age for 5 years, so nearing its bb date I suppose.
She was a gusher when I opened it, which I wasn't expecting so lost a couple ounces since I didn't even have a glass out of the cupboard yet.
After pouring it actually looks quite nasty, filled with protein-looking particles. But it smells beautiful so I dived in. The smell is mainly
Molasses,turbonado sugar,over ripe fig and warm baking spices with a hint of alcohol.
The taste is sublime. Slick medium body with a rounded sweetness and the fruits tasting a little "brighter" than usual for the style. Some blood orange,black cherry,toasted hazelnut/sticky toffee pudding. It finishes surprisingly dry and leaves you with the faintest strawberry like aftertaste.
A stunning beer, glad to have pulled it out of the cellar but sorry it's the only one. Stands shoulder to shoulder with some of the best Belgian counterparts.

Maybe tomorow I'll crack the 2013
Pepe Nero, since this was so good.

sofakingdrunk wrote:Loving the Mosiac also. Have bought 3 six packs in the last two week. I don't know if I've ever done that.

The PC Pils is like that for me too. Overall this brewery impresses me.

I asked today about them getting some Backwoods at my Beaches store. I might be taking a wee break from 'breakfast' stouts since coffee beers really don't help me sleep but I'll certainly try a KBS at some point, maybe Xmas day!

Collective Arts IPA No 4. First time for this one. Very impressive. I would rank it right beside, perhaps slightly ahead of Great Lakes Karma Citra as the best Ontario IPA I've had since returning to Canada a few months ago.

I've been really enjoying the Collective Arts IPAs. I would rank them 3, 4, 2 in my preference (didn't see #1). How are they doing this? Is this a different SKU for each version? It would be awesome if more breweries could get some type of seasonal SKU that they could cycle through without the seeming nonsense.

Most of these notes are from two months ago. I've really been slacking lately:

-Founders PC Pils - 355 mL bottle from an LCBO six-pack. Pours nicely, with lots of lacing generated as the head recedes, with a thick, foamy collar left behind. Clean and grainy, with some crackery pale malt sweetness that is soon joined by citrusy hop flavours of lemon and grapefruit. Finishes with light floral and weak resin notes. This is a quality pale lager that speaks for itself.
-Collective Arts Prophets & Nomads Gose - LCBO tallboy (4.5%). Gorgeous in the glass, with a muted, briney aroma. Tastes of gritty wheat husk, sour lemon, grassy/floral hops and mild-to-moderate lactic acidity, with coriander and light saltiness on the back end. I loved this when I first tried it back in Sept, but I've found follow-up samplings (into Oct and Nov) have been less impressive.
-Innis & Gunn 150 Maple & Thistle Rye Ale - 500 mL bottle from the LCBO (5.9%). Deep burgundy hue, with a thick, beige head that lasts on and on. The flavours aren't all that much more interesting than I&G's regular line-up, though there is some nice rye flavour, with hints of fig/plum, muddled orange citrus, maple syrup and toffee. Oak and vanilla as per usual. I love rye beers but this one didn't quite do it for me, especially given the price.
-Forked River For Forked Shake Milkshake IPA (Raspberry) - Tallboy can from the brewery (6.6%). Pinkish tinge to the head, with an aroma that is not too far off from an actual raspberry milkshake. Tastes of raspberry, strawberry and milk sugar, with hints of citrus and tropical fruit. Not very bitter; this was a lot better than I was expecting it to be.
-Railway City Orange CreamsicAle - Tallboy can from the brewery (4.8%). Tastes as advertised, with flavours of sugary orange, vanilla cream and some grainy pale malt sweetness in the background. This isn't really my thing but I can see why others might like it.
-Omnipollo Zodiak - LCBO tallboy (6.2%). Zested orange, white grapefruit, lemon and lime with hints of pineapple, melon and apricot. Moderately bitter on the back end, with some pithy, earthy, resiny notes. Well above average by Ontario IPA standards.
-Death & Taxes Raspberry Radler - LCBO tallboy (4.3%). Bog standard fruit beer; not bad, but not that good either. 'Radler' may not have been the best descriptor. Is this a Sawdust City beer or are they just canning it for a contract brewer?
-Railway City The Balancing Act - Bomber from the brewery (3.0%); deemed a 'lemon ginger session ale'. Clean, simple flavour profile of grainy, bready pale malts and lemon zest. Restrained ginger spice on the back end with some grassy, herbal hop bitterness. Decent enough.
-Yellow Truck Complicated Blond Lager - LCBO tallboy (4.8%). One of the most uninteresting 'craft beers' I have tried in a very long time. If you like Euro lagers, you'll probably like this one. If not... don't bother.

At Bellwoods Brewery Hafis Road:
Bellwoods Bring Out Your Dead 2017 (draft)
Bellwoods & Trillium Cutting Bells (draft)

Over the last two weeks at home:
Black Oak Nutcracker Porter
Paulaner Oktoberfest Bier
Junction Craft Junction Road Black Lager
Bellwoods White Picket Fence Batch 1
CREW Republic Roundhouse Kick
Founders Mosaic Promise
Brasserie d'Achouffe N'Ice Chouffe
Young's Double Chocolate Stout

distr0 wrote:The mosaic promise is solid. I wasn't super impressed at first, but suddenly 4 of the 6-pack were gone... I can't remember the last time I drank for of the same beer in a row

Agreed. This one's really grown on me after a so-so first impression.

Today: Goose Island BCBS 2017 at Goose Island Brewhouse
Yesterday: Fuller's Imperial Stout at Bar Hop 2
Wednesday: Bring Out Your Dead 2017 at Bellwoods

Not a bad week so far!

Provost Drunk wrote:Today: Goose Island BCBS 2017 at Goose Island Brewhouse
Yesterday: Fuller's Imperial Stout at Bar Hop 2
Wednesday: Bring Out Your Dead 2017 at Bellwoods

Not a bad week so far!

What are your thoughts on BCBS vs. BYOD? I will post mine in the BCBS thread.

midlife crisis wrote:

Provost Drunk wrote:Today: Goose Island BCBS 2017 at Goose Island Brewhouse
Yesterday: Fuller's Imperial Stout at Bar Hop 2
Wednesday: Bring Out Your Dead 2017 at Bellwoods

Not a bad week so far!

What are your thoughts on BCBS vs. BYOD? I will post mine in the BCBS thread.

Both are fantastic and above average BA imperial stouts IMO.

This was my first experience with BCBS. I found that it had a very bourbon-forward aroma and was worried that it would end up being a bit of a barrel-bomb. To my delight, I found the bourbon much more balanced on the palate. It was a big viscous beer that opened with some dark chocolate and was quite sweet through the mid palate with notes of vanilla and raisin. On the back-end, there was a definite warming alcohol presence and some definite bourbon flavours, but again very well integrated and not overpowering. It was remarkably smooth through the finish. I've encountered BA imperial stouts that a taste a bit woody at times; the barrel itself leaves a bigger mark on the beer than the liquor which was initially aged in the barrel. Not so with BCBS - there is no off-putting wood character.

BOYD on draft also had some pleasant chocolate notes upfront and a bit of raisin, so I think it had some similarities with BCBS, although I think the raisin notes were a bit more front-loaded in BOYD. BCBS had a thicker and more luxurious mouthfeel. On draft, I found that the BOYD had some heat when the alcohol emerged. BCBS seemed a little smoother around the edges in this regard. BCBS was a little better for me overall.

Now, it is worth noting that I much preferred the bottle of BOYD that I cracked last weekend to the draft pours I had mid week. The bottled variant seemed more nuanced. I think the cognac was better expressed in the bottle variant; while the draft pours had a more generic hot boozey quality, the cognac was more perceptible in the bottle pour. The bottle was also a bit less raisiny sweet and had a bit more of a tobacco/ash character, which I like in a stout. I think I'd give the bottled BOYD the edge over the draft BCBS, but I think that's largely driven by my personal preference for cognac over bourbon as I was very impressed with the BCBS and get the sense that it is the "technically superior" beer if that makes any sense. I also haven't tried BCBS in bottle yet and so really should do that before making a final judgment.

County Road Beer Company Farmhouse Saison, from Prince Edward County, which is quite close to my neck of the woods. I have visited the brewery on one occasion. The first thing you notice about this one is the massive head, which has good retention. Quite enjoyable from a style I have come to appreciate more and more the past couple of years.

For me, time of day seems to have an effect on my enjoyment of a beer. On occasions when I get home from work around 17:30 - 18:00 and have a beer, it almost doesn't matter what it is - it always seems to taste great.

With that "disclaimer"....I just finished a Paulaner Oktoberfest Bier. Loved it.

S. St. Jeb wrote:For me, time of day seems to have an effect on my enjoyment of a beer. On occasions when I get home from work around 17:30 - 18:00 and have a beer, it almost doesn't matter what it is - it always seems to taste great.

With that "disclaimer"....I just finished a Paulaner Oktoberfest Bier. Loved it.

I like a good breakfast stout, but I don't think having bourbon barrel breath in the morning is such a good idea. Will stick to non-hipster releases.