The Bar Towel

Posted: **Wed Apr 29, 2015 2:13 pm**

El Pinguino wrote:
midlife crisis wrote:
cratez wrote: That's incorrect. They only have one IPA; they've just rebranded the India Pale Ale as "Goose IPA."

They list all of their current and formerly available beers on their website, and you'll notice there's no India Pale Ale listed under either category, only the Goose IPA.

The IPA has always been a hybrid of the US and English IPA styles, but leaned more toward the American style with an assertive citrusy hop character. At least until it started being brewed by A-B / Labatt.

As far as I can tell, the RB listing for the Goose IPA is just plain wrong; somebody thought it was a new beer, got the ABV wrong (it's 5.9% ABV, not 4%) and didn't know it was just a rebranded version of the India Pale Ale.

The rebranding may have coincided with the contracting out of production to A-B / Labatt facilities, but I don't know for certain.
Thanks. That certainly makes a lot more sense than having two beers, one called IPA and the other called India Pale Ale, which would be almost comically confusing, even for A-B InBev.
Huh, so weird. Whatever IPA is kicking around at the Jays game sure isn't a hoppy American style brew.

I was actually looking at the 2 beers on Untappd.
The "Goose IPA" English style IPA was added back in 2010, and if you look at the photos of check-ins from before INBEV time, the bottles clearly say "English Style IPA".

So I think you may be mistaken about the historical assertive, citrusy American slant to the beer?

Looking at the other IPA listed there, it was added only about a month ago, and has photos of the same bottles....so I think you're right that there is only 1 IPA from Goose, as per their website.

It seems that the Goose IPA, as per their website has won awards for being an English-style IPA dating back to 2000.

Perhaps we're both partially mistaken, haha. In the ned, it seems there is no "American IPA" readily available from Goose Island.

Are you sure it isn't Honker's Ale? That's a fairly malty and un-hoppy beer...

Posted: **Wed Apr 29, 2015 2:17 pm**

spinrsx wrote:new at the lcbo

MillStreet Grapefruit League Imp Pale Ale 7% 750mL $9.45

They wax-dipped a swing top...does not seem like a wise packaging decision.

Posted: **Wed Apr 29, 2015 2:24 pm**

perfect to assist with cellaring a 7% pale ale though!

probstk wrote:
spinrsx wrote:new at the lcbo

MillStreet Grapefruit League Imp Pale Ale 7% 750mL $9.45
They wax-dipped a swing top...does not seem like a wise packaging decision.

Posted: **Wed Apr 29, 2015 3:37 pm**

Extra 0.45 for the wax
you're welcome!

Posted: **Wed Apr 29, 2015 9:09 pm**

Lots of Cuvee Des Jacobins at King and Spadina today.

Posted: **Thu Apr 30, 2015 8:12 am**

Posted: **Thu Apr 30, 2015 1:21 pm**

El Pinguino wrote: Huh, so weird. Whatever IPA is kicking around at the Jays game sure isn't a hoppy American style brew.

As probstk pointed out, you likely had the Honker's Ale, which is an English-style bitter. I had the Honker's on tap at the Loose Moose a few days ago and it fits the description you provided a couple pages back.

El Pinguino wrote: I was actually looking at the 2 beers on Untappd.
The "Goose IPA" English style IPA was added back in 2010, and if you look at the photos of check-ins from before INBEV time, the bottles clearly say "English Style IPA".

Untappd is the last place I would look for authoritative listings. Anyone can add anything and then give it the requisite 3.5/5.

El Pinguino wrote: So I think you may be mistaken about the historical assertive, citrusy American slant to the beer... so I think you're right that there is only 1 IPA from Goose, as per their website... It seems that the Goose IPA, as per their website has won awards for being an English-style IPA dating back to 2000. Perhaps we're both partially mistaken, haha. In the ned, it seems there is no "American IPA" readily available from Goose Island.

No mistaking on my part; they've only ever had one IPA and it's always been a hybrid of the two styles using both American and English hops (the ingredients are listed on the website). It also uses English ale yeast, but is assertively dry-hopped with a distinctly citrusy aroma (i.e. not English in character). That's why I said it "leans more toward the American style" despite being marketed as an English IPA by the brewery.

To get a better idea of what I'm talking about, here's a 2008 review of Goose Island IPA by Stephen Beaumont and John Hansell. Notice the references to grapefruit, mandarin orange, pine needles, and melon from the use of American hops. But they also note the beer's "balanced" character and the fact that it is "no hop bomb." Again, it's a mix of the two styles that leans toward the American side of things, but has long been marketed as an English IPA by the brewer.

Posted: **Thu Apr 30, 2015 1:37 pm**

new at TBS

Bavaria Extreme
Alcohol Content (ABV): 10.5%

Posted: **Thu Apr 30, 2015 2:40 pm**

spinrsx wrote:new at TBS

Bavaria Extreme
Alcohol Content (ABV): 10.5%

Look out, Crest Super! More competition for the coveted homeless person demographic.

Posted: **Thu Apr 30, 2015 3:10 pm**

cratez wrote:
El Pinguino wrote: Huh, so weird. Whatever IPA is kicking around at the Jays game sure isn't a hoppy American style brew.
As probstk pointed out, you likely had the Honker's Ale, which is an English-style bitter. I had the Honker's on tap at the Loose Moose a few days ago and it fits the description you provided a couple pages back.

El Pinguino wrote: I was actually looking at the 2 beers on Untappd.
The "Goose IPA" English style IPA was added back in 2010, and if you look at the photos of check-ins from before INBEV time, the bottles clearly say "English Style IPA".
Untappd is the last place I would look for authoritative listings. Anyone can add anything and then give it the requisite 3.5/5.

El Pinguino wrote: So I think you may be mistaken about the historical assertive, citrusy American slant to the beer... so I think you're right that there is only 1 IPA from Goose, as per their website... It seems that the Goose IPA, as per their website has won awards for being an English-style IPA dating back to 2000. Perhaps we're both partially mistaken, haha. In the ned, it seems there is no "American IPA" readily available from Goose Island.
No mistaking on my part; they've only ever had one IPA and it's always been a hybrid of the two styles using both American and English hops (the ingredients are listed on the website). It also uses English ale yeast, but is assertively dry-hopped with a distinctly citrusy aroma (i.e. not English in character). That's why I said it "leans more toward the American style" despite being marketed as an English IPA by the brewery.

To get a better idea of what I'm talking about, here's a 2008 review of Goose Island IPA by Stephen Beaumont and John Hansell. Notice the references to grapefruit, mandarin orange, pine needles, and melon from the use of American hops. But they also note the beer's "balanced" character and the fact that it is "no hop bomb." Again, it's a mix of the two styles that leans toward the American side of things, but has long been marketed as an English IPA by the brewer.

But presumably there are two versions now, in the sense that the Canadian bottled version is being brewed under licence and (according to some posts above) is not very good, correct?

Posted: **Thu Apr 30, 2015 4:42 pm**

midlife crisis wrote: But presumably there are two versions now, in the sense that the Canadian bottled version is being brewed under licence and (according to some posts above) is not very good, correct?

That seems to be the case, and I'm still not sure where the kegged version is being brewed, as the pint I quaffed at Bier Markt drank much better than the Labatt-brewed bottles I had. The other possibility is that TBS/LCBO/whoever imports the GI bottles "murdered another shipment," as Craig suggested.

Posted: **Thu Apr 30, 2015 4:51 pm**

spinrsx wrote:new:

GRANVILLE ISLAND HEY DAY HEFDEWEIZEN
LCBO 420216 | 473 mL can
SEASONAL/LIMITED QUANTITIES
Price $ 2.90
5

Is this a re-branding of their "robson street" hefe? And why does it seem that every hefeweizen is in a yellow can these days?

Posted: **Thu Apr 30, 2015 4:52 pm**

cratez wrote:
midlife crisis wrote: But presumably there are two versions now, in the sense that the Canadian bottled version is being brewed under licence and (according to some posts above) is not very good, correct?
That seems to be the case, and I'm still not sure where the kegged version is being brewed, as the pint I quaffed at Bier Markt drank much better than the Labatt-brewed bottles I had. The other possibility is that TBS/LCBO/whoever imports the GI bottles "murdered another shipment," as Craig suggested.

The pint of "pour your own" I had a Betty's was great and fit the description of an American slanted English IPA. Maybe the kegs are imported?

Posted: **Thu Apr 30, 2015 5:21 pm**

admviolin wrote:
spinrsx wrote:new:

GRANVILLE ISLAND HEY DAY HEFDEWEIZEN
LCBO 420216 | 473 mL can
SEASONAL/LIMITED QUANTITIES
Price $ 2.90
5
Is this a re-branding of their "robson street" hefe? And why does it seem that every hefeweizen is in a yellow can these days?

I think it may be. If you google "Hey Day Hefeweizen" the top result is the proper page on Granville Island's website, but Google has cached the old title of the page which still reads "Robson Street Hefeweizen."

Additionally, I can't find Robson Street on the Granville Island website anymore, and also the Beer Advocate pagefor Robson Street has been renamed to Hey Day Hefeweizen, but the old text and photos still remain.

Posted: **Fri May 01, 2015 3:48 am**

cratez wrote:
El Pinguino wrote: Huh, so weird. Whatever IPA is kicking around at the Jays game sure isn't a hoppy American style brew.
As probstk pointed out, you likely had the Honker's Ale, which is an English-style bitter. I had the Honker's on tap at the Loose Moose a few days ago and it fits the description you provided a couple pages back.

I had both the Honkers and the IPA actually. The Honkers (which I've had before) was definitely even more so on the malty side, as I'd expect it to be.

I think I need to seek out a fresh bottle of Goose IPA, drink it, then go to a Jays game and try their IPA....to see if they taste the same.

Having never had an IPA from them before...it probably isn't good for me to judge it on 1 experience, which was very far from what you (or Beaumont) describe.

It could be, as midlife mentioned, a "crappy" version of the beer being made at Labatt. I'll be in the US in a couple of weeks and will try to get a bottle while there....now that I'm curious to solve this mystery! Haha.

The Bar Towel

New Arrivals at LCBO & TBS