The Bar Towel

Wouldn't mind seeing Des Rocs Grand Cru back on our shelves.

Samuel Smith Nut Brown Ale

Punk IPA
Celebrator
Nogne O Porter
Founders Porter
Brooklyn BCS
Cuvée René

When you look at the variety of beers people are missing, you'd think we've had it pretty good! Pretty much all import beers though...maybe in another 5 years or so we'll be lamenting more Ontario beers we can no longer get

El Pinguino wrote:When you look at the variety of beers people are missing, you'd think we've had it pretty good! Pretty much all import beers though...maybe in another 5 years or so we'll be lamenting more Ontario beers we can no longer get

I'd be thrilled to get Great Lakes 25th anniversary RIS or Lake Effect back regularly.

El Pinguino wrote:When you look at the variety of beers people are missing, you'd think we've had it pretty good! Pretty much all import beers though...maybe in another 5 years or so we'll be lamenting more Ontario beers we can no longer get

OK, in that case, KLB Pale Ale from the mid-90s! Loved that beer, would be *really* curious to see how I'd like it in today's landscape!

Yes, for sure. I would add Hart Pale Ale and N.F. Gritstone and Olde Jack.

+1 Gritstone.

I remember enjoying not only Gritstone but Niagara Trapper Lager.

Before that there was Algonquin Country Lager, a wild and yeasty brew from Formosa/Brick. For a while I was hooked on Connor's Best Bitter, once probably the best Brick brewed.

And KLB Raspberry Wheat in the 1990's was a groundbreaker, soon to be eclipsed by Amsterdam's own original Framboise.

Not sure want all of them back, though!

If we're now talking Ontario beers that are no longer, I miss almost all that I tried from Heritage/ScotchIrish. Sure wish Kitchesippi would resurrect those recipes.

Agree about Gritstone and Connors mentioned above. (edit: I'm remembering Connor's from when it was Connor's, not Brick. Recall liking their stout a lot).

The one beer I would love to try again is the original Brick Lager from when they opened in late 1984. At the time, it was by far and away the most bitter beer I had tried, but I really liked it. Would love to see what I think of it now.

S. St. Jeb wrote:If we're now talking Ontario beers that are no longer, I miss almost all that I tried from Heritage/ScotchIrish. Sure wish Kitchesippi would resurrect those recipes.

I second that. And similar to what Cass said, I wonder what I'd think of them now.

Cass wrote:

El Pinguino wrote:When you look at the variety of beers people are missing, you'd think we've had it pretty good! Pretty much all import beers though...maybe in another 5 years or so we'll be lamenting more Ontario beers we can no longer get

OK, in that case, KLB Pale Ale from the mid-90s! Loved that beer, would be *really* curious to see how I'd like it in today's landscape!

An important point. Going over some of the years past seasonal lists, especially pre 2010, its sad how impoverished some of the offerings looked as a whole. Usually it was one or two gems in a sea of mediocrity (*cough Trafalgar, Lake of Bays, Marston *cough). As important, the lists seemed to be shorter overall. Because of the recent selection improvements, I'd bet some people's expectations and standards rose.

Yes, pre-2010 it really was like the second coming of Elvis to even have DDC Corné du Diable or Southern Tier IPA here. The initial offering of DFH 60 minute IPA (right about the time they stopped bottle-conditioning) was met with an immediate sell-out and rave media coverage.

At some point the El Zibio realized there are millions of craft beers available out there in other markets for a reason, and they at head office stopped letting the party recipes editor (or whoever) do the beer seasonals for the entire province and got serious about their job.

Proving there is a market for a good range of craft beers here was the best thing they ever did. And yes it seems the bar of drinkers standards has been raised, partly because beforehand the bar of beer selection was often so low we were scrounging for anything at all decent to buy (and deeply resenting this feeling of abandonment by our communist leaders.)

spinrsx wrote:aren't these all at the lcbo right now?

mintjellie wrote: I also miss

Sam Adams Latitude 48
Aventinus Weizen-Eisbock.
Belhaven Scottish Stout

I might have been wrong on the Lat 48. Maybe I just don't see it in Collingwood.

Belhaven Best Bitter is general list, but not the Scottish Stout. Or at least I never see it.

Aventinus is available, but if the Eisbock version is back it must not have made it to Collingwood yet.

Perry's vanilla beer was great.

One of my best drinking nights was at Volo where that and the draft & cask versions of Nutcracker were on. I just rotated between them all night. If GR Jubilation was in existence at the time it would have been even better.