What're you drinking right now?

[LondonBeer]

Grand River Plowmans now. I would drink it all the time if I could get it here.

[SteelbackGuy]

Grand River Plowmans now. I would drink it all the time if I could get it here.

You can. Chancey Smith's has it in bottles year round and Morrissey House has it on tap right now.

[LondonBeer]

Grand River Plowmans now. I would drink it all the time if I could get it here.

You can. Chancey Smith's has it in bottles year round and Morrissey House has it on tap right now.

Yeah I know but then I would have to get my ass off the couch and I'm just breaking it in.

[SteelbackGuy]

Grand River Plowmans now. I would drink it all the time if I could get it here.

You can. Chancey Smith's has it in bottles year round and Morrissey House has it on tap right now.

Yeah I know but then I would have to get my ass off the couch and I'm just breaking it in.

Im doing the same with a glass of scotch!

[JesseM]

Just finished an Ironspike Blonde and goddamn was it ever mediocre. Just screamed to me 'Ontario Blandness' (for those with access to the RB local forums). Worty, pale cereal grains and mild (very mild) dry finish from minimal hops. Watery and fizzy. Kind of disappointing after I thoroughly enjoyed my growler of their Dead Elephant. Not even any smoke to make it remotely interesting. It was exponentially better when they first brewed it and it had yeast sediment, and seemed Belgian-like. Lately I've been very upbeat about Ontario stuff but the beer I had tonight I could swear I've had 1000 times before.

On a brighter note the Amsterdam Nut Brown (newish canned version) I had earlier was very enjoyable, though also very 'pedestrian'.

[boney]

Yesterday and today I had

Rogue Morimoto Black Obi Soba Ale
Rogue Somer Orange Honey Ale
Hebrew Jewbelation 12
Grand River Russian Gun

If it wasn't for the Russian Gun, it would have be a very disappointing weekend. Especially disappointing was the Jewbelation 12. Really unbalanced and the alcohol could not have been more in your face.

[Belgian]

Had three DDC beers and the new Grand River Vienna Lager (cask lager).

Really liked Aphrodisiacque at Volo.

[Bobsy]

Especially disappointing was the Jewbelation 12. Really unbalanced and the alcohol could not have been more in your face.

Crap - I have a bottle at home! Do you reckon age will temper it a little?

[icemachine]

Had the 10 for $10 sampler flight at Niagara's Best yesterday, unfortunately the Pale Ale and Brewer's Special were not available, so I doubled up on the Pils for me and the Logger for the wife.

The Wit, Red Ale, Dark Ale, Light Lager and Oatmeal Stout a were above average for Ontario Brews, well crafted andalthough not outstandingg versions, definitely quaffable, if I lived in the area, I'd be regularly rotating these.

The Logger and Blonde Ale I found to be much the same as they were when based in St. Catherines (grainy and sweet with nothing differentiating them from every other fizzy yellow brew).

The Pils was probably the best Ontario Pils I've had, I'd put it over the King even. It was cloudy (enough that I thought it was the Wit), nice floral aromatics and pushing a lovely dose of Saaz, although not to the same level as Prima, very close. I'd go back for this one alone, and I'm really not a lager type of guy.

The food was well done too, the Alehouse mussels were in a nice broth made with the Red, the Brats I had were done perfectly covered in cabbage and oinions, while the wife really enjoyed the burger.

[Belgian]

The Pils was probably the best Ontario Pils I've had, I'd put it over the King even.

Here's what we need - a blind horizontal of the best Ontario Pilsners, perhaps allowing a few of the better lagers that are close to a Pilsner style. Grand River makes so many good lagers and the Hannenberg Pils to me is the "state champion" - but a side-by-side tasting (all Bohemian and German style pilsners) would be valuable.

I like to keep all our good local beers in memory because they each have a place.

[SteelbackGuy]

The Pils was probably the best Ontario Pils I've had, I'd put it over the King even.

Here's what we need - a blind horizontal of the best Ontario Pilsners, perhaps allowing a few of the better lagers that are close to a Pilsner style. Grand River makes so many good lagers and the Hannenberg Pils to me is the "state champion" - but a side-by-side tasting (all Bohemian and German style pilsners) would be valuable.

I like to keep all our good local beers in memory because they each have a place.

Absolutely.

That idea is a good one. I think the Hannenberg would be quite easy to pick out because it is quite biscuity and very Dortmunder like. Their galt knife and town hall are favourites of mine, and I'd like to put them up against, say, Creemore Lager, as opposed to other pilsners.

But having King, Creemore, Niagara Pils all up against eachother would be interesting.

[kwjd]

The Pils was probably the best Ontario Pils I've had, I'd put it over the King even.

Here's what we need - a blind horizontal of the best Ontario Pilsners, perhaps allowing a few of the better lagers that are close to a Pilsner style. Grand River makes so many good lagers and the Hannenberg Pils to me is the "state champion" - but a side-by-side tasting (all Bohemian and German style pilsners) would be valuable.

I like to keep all our good local beers in memory because they each have a place.

Absolutely.

That idea is a good one. I think the Hannenberg would be quite easy to pick out because it is quite biscuity and very Dortmunder like. Their galt knife and town hall are favourites of mine, and I'd like to put them up against, say, Creemore Lager, as opposed to other pilsners.

But having King, Creemore, Niagara Pils all up against eachother would be interesting.

I think the Mill Street Pilsner should be in there as well.

[SteelbackGuy]

Here's what we need - a blind horizontal of the best Ontario Pilsners, perhaps allowing a few of the better lagers that are close to a Pilsner style. Grand River makes so many good lagers and the Hannenberg Pils to me is the "state champion" - but a side-by-side tasting (all Bohemian and German style pilsners) would be valuable.

I like to keep all our good local beers in memory because they each have a place.

Absolutely.

That idea is a good one. I think the Hannenberg would be quite easy to pick out because it is quite biscuity and very Dortmunder like. Their galt knife and town hall are favourites of mine, and I'd like to put them up against, say, Creemore Lager, as opposed to other pilsners.

But having King, Creemore, Niagara Pils all up against eachother would be interesting.

I think the Mill Street Pilsner should be in there as well.

Yes it should. I forgot about it and quite frankly it is one of the better ones out there.

[boney]

I actualy put together an Ontario pils tasting about a year ago. We had the Hannenberg, Stone Hammer, Steam Whistle, King and Creemore (pils). It was actually pretty eye opening how differnet each one was. I easily picked out the King and the Hannenberg, but had my preconceptions about what the others tasted like blown away. For example, I thought the Stone Hammer tasted very "peanutty" realtive to the others, something I definitely don't taste when drinking it alone! It would be great to do it again, including the Mill St. and the Niagara's best.

[boney]

Especially disappointing was the Jewbelation 12. Really unbalanced and the alcohol could not have been more in your face.

Crap - I have a bottle at home! Do you reckon age will temper it a little?

Maybe. It reminded me a little bit of a young Thomas Hardy's, not so much in the actual flavour profile but in the hotness of the alcohol and the initially poor balance of flavours. I still like a young TH, but I find it becomes wickedly drinkable in about 2-3 years when the alcohol integrates a little better, so maybe some age could do the Jewbelation 12 good too?