The Bar Towel

From my RB tasting notes:

650 mil bomber: Unpasturized. Poured very pale straw color...1 finger white foamy cap from a hard pour..fairly well carbonated......dissipated to a surface lace and sticky ring...nice subdued floral hop nose...some sour apple fruit notes. Starts brisk..fair malt and hop departure gives a light, wet mouth feel...finishs fast with the hops becoming piney and the malt giving a light biscuit after taste....not a bad micro pils...very drinkable...better than Steam Whistle. One of the few micro pils I've tasted that tastes good as it warms up. An under rated local pilsner.

I put this one on my session beer list (I do like Pilsners) because it was obviously well malted and unpasturized and had character...which most domestic Pilsners don't

Comments?

Anything from Old Credit is pretty fairly rated. In general, IMHO, Old Credit is a marginal brewery on a good day.
-David

In general, IMHO, Old Credit is a marginal brewery on a good day.

This was my attitude going into the tasting of this OC Pilsner...I had a Steam whistle and a Neustadt lager in the same tasting for comparison. I found the OC to be a fresher tastier beer and was pleasantly surprised. I realize it doesn't drag you around the room with hops or malts but in it's category as a local micro pils its good enough for what's available here.

I rated it in the 60% range I saw some people rate in in the 40s and 30% ...primarily because anyone who produces a Pils or light lager is in a category that is flooded with entries and it's hard for anything to stand out in this monotony. And yes I do agree this brewery (OC) seems to be under acheivers with just 2 brews in mainstream commercial taste....seems fearfull to venture into the less known styles....like a good Alt or a dunkle weizen

Bit of trivia: Old Credit is located in the same place as the old Conners brewery. Those 1L plastic bottles of Connors brew bring back such fond memories....

I heard they were the original brewers of Conner's...not a bad beer before it went to the Brick....maybe they can't get some of the same ingredients....I find it hard to beleive it was the process...the OC brewey seems fairly spartan for equipment.

The people at Old Credit have nothing to do with the original Conners, other than using the same building (and maybe some of the equipment). The technical guys behind Conners, Al Brash and Doug Morrow, helped establish Sleeman but are now retired, I believe.
Michael

As someone who lives in Port Credit, I would prefer if Conners was still brewed in it's original brewery. While Old Credit beers are well represented in the pubs of Port Credit they are not to my taste so when I'm at the Harp I drink Creemore as that is the only other craft beer on draught.

Back in the late 80's a few friends and myself went to Down Under now the Flatiron and Firkin for some beers and nosh. At this time I had not tried micros and was drinking Canadian. One of my friends
had ordered a one litre bottle of Conners Best Bitter and I couldn't believe that beer could come in a one litre plastic bottle. My friend poured me a couple of ounces but unfortunatly I didn't like it and went back to my pint of Canadain.

In 1992 I started drinking better beers and I tried Conners again. This time I loved it but found out that it was now brewed in St. Catherines. At this time I lived in a different part of Mississauga but if Conners had been in Port Credit I would have headed to the brewery every weekend for more bottles.

I haven't tried the Best Bitter recently. If any bartoweler has please let me know what you think of it.

Thanks
Publican

I haven't tried the Best Bitter recently. If any bartoweler has please let me know what you think of it

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From my RB review:
Bottled: Poured a slightly hazey orange-gold. Nice foamy 1 finger head with medim retention that reduces to a thick surface capping lace. Nose of sweet malts and floral hops...not overstated, Medium carbonation. Starts tart with a sandy mouthfeel then builds to a medium-light body where the roasty malts balance off against slightly medicinal hopping, The finish is wet and bready with a nice medium bittering bite to it. A well rounded english style ESB. Others have said this ale took a dive after Brick took it on from Conners.... However, as good and well rounded as I found this ale to be, there is an oddity to this ale ...it leaves me with a good impression but a nagging feeling that it still lacks a something....possibly more floral hopping or some fruity tones from different yeast.. that could make it a good ESB.... It is still one of the few ESB ales available in bottles in Ontario and I’d never turn one down.....but it lacks some undefinable something to kick it up into the class of ales one would seek out as an ESB .

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I had one of the last that I had bought this summer a few days ago and I must say that it has becoime a very ordinary version of a mild English ESB...you really aren't missing much. As I said I think that the malt or yeast used in the original Conners must not be available any more and the brand suffered a weakening out...perhaps this is why Brick is dropping it.

I see the RB site has listed the conners esb brand as "retired" so I guess the Brick who brews it now, has deleted the brand.....you may be lucky to find a bottle or two left at the brewery store.

pootz wrote:

I see the RB site has listed the conners esb brand as "retired" so I guess the Brick who brews it now, has deleted the brand.....

Yes, they have. No great loss from a "good beer" perspective, as it certainly wasn't the beer that it used to be, but it was still kind of sad to see the name disappear.

Yes, they have. No great loss from a "good beer" perspective, as it certainly wasn't the beer that it used to be, but it was still kind of sad to see the name disappear.

It is a sad "passing"...a milestone I suppose... as I recall Conner's was one of the first "craft" beers brewed here....it seems ordinary by today's standards and that is a good indication the craft brewing industry is growing and inmproving.