The Bar Towel

Tapsucker wrote:

atomeyes wrote:http://www.blogto.com/eat_drink/2017/03 ... tail-beer/

no. just...no.
nothing about this beer makes it related to an Old Fashioned.
needs to be bourbon barrel aged.
would need orange zest in it or ahtanum hops for an orange vibe.
needs herbs to give it the bitters feel.

if rye and a high abv made this an Old Fashioned, then i give up.

So what makes a beer cocktail? According to Buffy Steringa, events manager at Henderson, rye was used in the brewing process, making it part of the body of the beer and not just an additive.

this quote alone summarizes the many reasons why i don't support Hendersons. Just not for me or not what i feel independent breweries are about. when your events manager (lol) is explaining a beer to the media and explains it incorrectly, and the media runs with it without having a fucking clue what's in an Old Fashioned, you know that Toronto's beer scene's still in its infancy. so bush league.

I saw this announcement too and thought WTF? Rye in a beer recipe is nothing new or innovative. What a piss-poor PR stunt. Then again, these guys seem to have taken over for the days when brewers sold product via stupid pro sports sponsorship and girls in bikinis. They've just replaced it with silly stunts like Honest Ed beer. Soon they will be producing coolers and hard ice tea for summer...

a perfect pictoral summary of the kind of brewery they are:



even if they made a top-notch lambic, i still wouldn't trust them. they just have this feel, or lack thereof.

I dropped by this place tonight. First, I had their UPA Toronto IPA. It was good but not amazing. It did not not stand out in the variety of IPAs available in the province. It could ue more hop character. Next was the cinnabon stout. If you like cinnamon buns and 10% dessert stouts, then you will like this. I sipped this one slowly and liked it quite a bit, even if it was a bit of a gimmick beer. I also sampled a tripple they had, which was nice but more in the league of Leffe than the trappists. They had a bourbon barrel aged amber beer, which had a good taste of bourbon but without yhe harshness sometimes found in the style. Bourbon barrel aged beers are not my favourite styles, but i could enjoy this beer. Their nitro imperial porter was well made. Finally, i picked up a bottle of their export stout, which I had tried before, and I found it to have a lot if character. A bit hit or miss, but I am glad I visited Henderson.

Tapsucker wrote: ↑Sat Apr 23, 2022 4:15 pmSometimes I wonder if there are breweries that are just built to be sold. Hendersons comes to mind. They just scaled fast, but the beer is nothing remarkable. In fact, I've had samples at the brewery that made me scratch my head. Like, you couldn't nail this style?

This partial quote comes from another topic, but I felt it and my reply fit better here. As for the quote, I have had dozens of beers from Henderson. I generally like them, and some I really liked.

As for this thread, most of the posts are from several years ago, soon after they opened. A lot of distrust expressed based on the people who started it, and some PR issues. But from what I can tell, this brewery is going strong, and like I said, I generally like what I've had.

This is encouraging. I will revisit their beers with an open mind.

I think some beer folks (not necessarily people here) distrust brewery owners that don't have "beer cred". The Henderson guys have marketing backgrounds, and it shows through very creative initiatives that they've done over the years. But having a marketing thrust doesn't mean that beers are bad. I think they had a couple of missteps early on (thinking West Toronto brewery coalition), but they've demonstrated interesting beers and fun brand things in the years since.

I had the Export Stout on tap a couple of times when it was out a couple months back and I thought it was excellent.

Cass wrote: ↑Mon Apr 25, 2022 11:15 am I think some beer folks (not necessarily people here) distrust brewery owners that don't have "beer cred". The Henderson guys have marketing backgrounds, and it shows through very creative initiatives that they've done over the years. But having a marketing thrust doesn't mean that beers are bad. I think they had a couple of missteps early on (thinking West Toronto brewery coalition), but they've demonstrated interesting beers and fun brand things in the years since.

I had the Export Stout on tap a couple of times when it was out a couple months back and I thought it was excellent.

Agreed about the Export Stout. That was a pleasant surprise. Still, everything else I've had from Henderson has been mediocre at best.

I've generally liked Henderson, looking through my reviews most of their stuff lands around a 3.75/5 for me. Some are duds sure, but some are truly excellent like the aforementioned Export Stout. They've done some interesting things too, like their collaboration with Jacobson or the reimagining of an old Upper Canada brew. I tend to enjoy those sort of collaborations and styles that aren't necessarily the trendy ones seen everywhere.

I like this brewery, have stopped in two or three times and have ordered on-line as well.

If you know anything about them, you know they partnered with Rush and have made several Rush-branded beers, as well as other merch. I think they had a Rush "day" last summer and are doing that again.

I get an email from them today announcing a special release.

We have 50 hand-numbered bottles of a custom beer in honour of the fabulous bestselling memoir by Geddy Lee. Each bottle is filled with a custom strong stout (7%) and comes with a copy of 'My Effin’ Life'.

Cool, I thinking. Only 50? Wow, that is limited. I checked it out. The beer and book cost $150

Too much for me.

Extreme diehard fans only lol

seangm wrote: ↑Wed Feb 28, 2024 10:00 am Extreme diehard fans only lol

And I guess there are a few. Got another email at 12:30 saying there were only 10 left.