The Bar Towel

I recently saw an ad for Taps Brewing Company, looked it up on Ratebeer, and noticed that there were only two beers rated while the ad showed three. The unrated beer is "Red Cream Ale". Has anyone here tried it? It looks like their Premium Lager might be okay but their Charleston Lager not so much.

Note, the ad also said that the Premium Lager would soon be coming to many LCBO stores across Ontario.

lagerale wrote:Note, the ad also said that the Premium Lager would soon be coming to many LCBO stores across Ontario.

Thank God!! I was just remarking to my friend how the Ontario market is currently suffering from a severe shortage of Premium Lagers!

Especially ones from eastern Europe.

Your sarcasm overwhelms me...but when was the last time you put a beer on the market? Based on some reviews I've read, it could be a decent beer and style aside, I applaud any small brewer who has the wherewithall to put their money where their mouth is.

Yay! Someone else put their money into a brewery churning out, wait for it, two lagers and a cream ale! Go to the lameass Toronto beer festival...everyone and their monkey have lagers and cream ales, most of which are mediocre at best.

Anyone putting their money into a brewery is brave (to say the least) and very optimistic. I HOPE their cream ale truly rocks and is a shining example of the style...more likely it will be a tame, safe, middle of the road beer that is closer in style and taste to Molbatt/Sleeman than to anything halfway appealing. I guess we'll see when we both actually taste it.

lagerale wrote: Based on some reviews I've read, it could be a decent beer

Maybe I'm wrong, maybe the reviews you apparently read about this unreleased cream ale are wrong (where did you read them by the way?) but I'm reluctant to applaud someone for starting up a brewery if the products end up being neither unique nor quality. Entrepreneurship is applause worthy, mediocrity is not.

There's no denying the Ontario market is flooded with average lagers and cream ales. I'm just pointing out a new product.

BTW, the reviews were for their premium lager, there were none for the Cream Ale. I figured someone would jump at the chance to be the first to review it on Ratebeer (regardless of quality).

Let's hope the Cream Ale is a decent offering....it can't be worse than Steelback

Just looking back on my notes from when I tried TAPS' two previous offerings at the Judge fest in 2004 (this why I love having ratebeer as a reference, my pea-sized brain would never be able to retain such information), I see that I hated their one offering (Charleston Lager), which the folks representing them admitted was going after a mainstream market, but I enjoyed the Premium Lager. I have not heard anything about them since, or even noticed any of their products anywhere in Toronto. Cream ale is a style I actually loathe (even Dieu De Ciel's offering was only ok), yet just about every Ontario brewer seems to feel the need to do one, so more power to them. Personally I won't be terribly interested.

lagerale wrote:There's no denying the Ontario market is flooded with average lagers and cream ales. I'm just pointing out a new product.

Actually, I believe the Lager is in the brink of becoming a 'lost' style in Ontario. What will we do then?

It looks like we're at "lagerheads" on this issue....

Zithal wrote:

lagerale wrote:Note, the ad also said that the Premium Lager would soon be coming to many LCBO stores across Ontario.

Thank God!! I was just remarking to my friend how the Ontario market is currently suffering from a severe shortage of Premium Lagers!

I sincerely hope you weren't being facetious

I'd be happy to see a real lager made locally.