The Bar Towel

cratez wrote:

matt7215 wrote: how is the beer Cratez? Im pretty excited for this one and have been waiting for reviews

I think it's a very good dry-hopped APA that delivers lots of flavour for the weight. It's not as aromatic as Founders All Day (though to me it has more body) and the taste isn't as robust as Naughty Neighbour, but it compares favourably to both and I would gladly buy it again.

You nailed it!

You get the citrus smell, not overly, and can taste the hops, not overly and it ends up really nicely smooth. Some reviews called it watery, I don't think so. I think its what it is supposed to be, a sessionable, dry hopped APA .

I gambled and bought a 24, glad I did.

Yes but it is supposed to be an IPA, is it not?

Sounds good crate guy. I think they're (again) headed in some good directions - it's encouraging to see our breweries thinking like the American ones do ie. tweaking and re-versioning their line of IPAs to continually attract the market.

midlife it could be awkward to brand an Ontario beer as an American Pale Ale, maybe that's the deal.

midlife crisis wrote: Yes but it is supposed to be an IPA, is it not?

Most of these "Session IPAs" are just aggressively dry-hopped, low alcohol pale ales that are big on aromatics but not as hoppy, strong, or bitter as standard IPAs, and they usually have less body as well. By definition an American IPA is 5.5% or higher, and Detour doesn't even meet the ABV specs of a regular-strength APA. So the brewers can use whatever marketing terms they want, but the majority of these beers are simply hoppy, aromatic, low ABV pales.

Belgian wrote: I think (Muskoka is) headed in some good directions - it's encouraging to see our breweries thinking like the American ones do i.e. tweaking and re-versioning their line of IPAs to continually attract the market.

Couldn't agree more.

cratez wrote:So the brewers can use whatever marketing terms they want, but the majority of these beers are simply hoppy, aromatic, low ABV pales.l.

I say they're Imperial Bitters. Or Imperial Bitter Lites. Depending.

Belgian wrote: I say they're Imperial Bitters. Or Imperial Bitter Lites. Depending.

Detour = APA (albeit a low alcohol version)
Mad Tom = IPA
Twice As Mad = DIPA

It's not rocket science

cratez wrote:

Belgian wrote: I say they're Imperial Bitters. Or Imperial Bitter Lites. Depending.

Detour = APA (albeit a low alcohol version)
Mad Tom = IPA
Twice As Mad = DIPA

It's not rocket science

Though it's somewhat sad they didn't just call the beer "Tom."

groulxsome wrote: Though it's somewhat sad they didn't just call the beer "Tom."

cratez wrote:

Belgian wrote: I say they're Imperial Bitters. Or Imperial Bitter Lites. Depending.

Detour = APA (albeit a low alcohol version)
Mad Tom = IPA
Twice As Mad = DIPA

It's not rocket science

No it's not, but thanks for the history lesson!

Or they could call it an IPA as Southern English brewers did in the mid-1800's

cratez wrote:

Belgian wrote: I say they're Imperial Bitters. Or Imperial Bitter Lites. Depending.

Detour = APA (albeit a low alcohol version)
Mad Tom = IPA
Twice As Mad = DIPA

It's not rocket science

Half as Mad Tom

Call it Freddy Mercury and let people figure out the obscure lyrical reference to the Queen song.

It's a real good beer. I could picture putting away some of those on a patio come April. Just pleasingly strong and conveys the hop character without kicking hell out of your palate.

Beer should run the gamut from 3.5% to 12% or so. Problem is we've had too much of the latter and not enough of the former the last couple of years. Throw that and a couple of milds on the market and see whether people actually enjoy the flavour as they profess or whether they like the booze a 12% beer brings.

^ Jordan I drank the sh-t out of Scotch Irish Stuart's Session Ale (Bitter) 6 years ago, and I would never pass on Grand River Mill Race Mild.

Those are rare types here. Maybe it takes a high skill level to make a great sessionable craft beer, or maybe that segment of the market is too tiny?

I know one of the (stupid) effects of high taxation is people order stronger ABV ales because it's more buzz per buck. If you pay 8+ dollars per each pint of Wellington Arkell, and it drinks like water you start to feel like an a$$hole for being ripped off. The taxation & high pricing makes people drink 'less responsibly' (fucking go, Ontario!) so these great beer styles get less play.

- though to your main point, there's room for some light and fresh APA-based ales. fo shizzle yo.

The bottles of Stay Classy at $3.50 are a very good deal as well. More of a summer beer in my opinion, but very nice.