Cigar City/Mikkeller Nielsbohrium

  Just wanted to post a quick blurb about one of the most recent brews I have tried that absolutely "wowed" me.  Florida's Cigar City is quickly becoming a top contender in the U.S. craft beer scene and Denmark's Mikkeller has been leading the way for a couple years as one of Europe's most cutting edge, boundary pushing breweries that have collaborated with just about every major craft brewery worth mentioning.  Earlier this year these brewers collaborated on Nielsbohrium, an American Imperial Stout brewed with raisin and cinnamon then aged in rum barrels.  Coming in at 10% ABV, this jet black stout delivers on every level.  Pouring a deep black with a ruby-tan head, this beer has an incredible nose that will make you forget that this was made to actually drink and not just to smell.  Once I did take a sip it did not disappoint at all and it was full of roasted malts, dark fruit, cinnamon, a slightly sweet sugary presence and nice notes of oak, vanilla and rum.  Incredibly complex and enjoyable, this is truly a masterpiece in its own regard.  With such a small amount bottled I will no doubt never see this one again, but I sure am glad that I did get to try it.  Thanks to Jason for bringing this one to the last group tasting.

Great Lakes One Off's

 This past Monday, following a trip to Ikea, I persuaded my girlfriend, Kayla, to make a quick stop at Great Lakes Brewery since we were so close anyway.  I wasn't looking for anything specific, just wanted to see if they had any Project X bottles for sale and maybe say hi to my buddy, Rob, who is a sales rep there.  Project X is a monthly series from Great Lakes where they hand bottle a small batch of a beer they only brew every so often - some especially rare batches are even limited to only the one release.  So I walked into the retail store and saw that there were indeed some Project X for sale, but instead of the usual one or two this time there were six.  So while waiting for Rob to come down I decided to get some shopping done and started bringing bottles two at a time to the counter.  The line up was quite stellar I must say and included Miami Weisse, Black Jacques Shellack  Belgian Brown, Great Lakes/Black Oak Etobichoker Double Belgian IPA, Lackey's Flask Citra, No Chance With Miranda Saison and Double Devil's Pale Ale 999.

 The Miami Weisse is an american wheat beer that's quite hoppy and packs a citrus punch.  Lackey's Flask Citra is a bottled version of a beer they make called Lackey's Cask that is an american pale ale, although this bottled version is made with citra hops unlike its cask conditioned original.  Double Devil's Pale Ale 999 is their amped up version of Devil's Pale Ale 666 that can be found in cans at the LCBO and I have to say that I am dying to try this, it taunts me every time I open the fridge - I am holding out on trying this one and the Lackey's Flask for an upcoming tasting group.  I am currently enjoying Etobichoker as I write this and it is a solid brew overall.  Made with fellow Etobicoke brewery Black Oak, it is a very spicy and well balanced Belgian style pale ale that bursts with lovely bitter hop in the finish.  As for the others, I will probably give them a shot this weekend to satisfy my curiosity.

  Thanks to Rob Hern for throwing in a freebie and taking time out of his day to visit for a few minutes and my girlfriend Kayla for helping to carry one of the two large boxes to the car and letting them take up tons of room in the fridge/rest of the apartment.  Great Lakes is located at 30 Queen Elizabeth Blvd and you should check it out sometime - tell them Pino sent you......and they will be confused.

Session 99 Overview

 This past Saturday the 2nd annual Session Craft Beer Festival took place, showcasing the best of Ontario craft brewers as well as craft brewers from BC, Quebec and Nova Scotia. In addition to year-round offerings from the brewers there were many one-off's and rarities that, in my opinion, were the highlights of the day. The beer of the day for me was Beau's Bourbon Barrel Aged Festivale Plus Sticke Alt, for this they took their summer seasonal and incorporated a secret recipe and then aged it in Bourbon oak for 7 months. The result was a perfectly balanced, smooth and full bodied behemoth of a beer clocking in at 11% ABV but tasted nowhere near that. Other favourites included Flying Monkeys Big Nib Cocoa Vanilla Imperial Stout, Great Lakes Karma Citra IPA and Spearhead Hawaiian Style Pale Ale. It was also nice to see Mill Street resurrect Tankenstein, a whole hopped cask condition version of their signature brew Tankhouse. Even though this did not blow me away it was still nice to see this rarity that most thought was gone forever. Keep 6 Importers, formerly HMH Negotiants/The guys from Bar Volo, had some monsters at their booth from Trou Du Diable, Trois Mousquetaires, Dieu Du Ciel!, Phillips, Central City, and Brasserie Dunham. Hands down they had the most insane lineup of the day, but that being said there was no weak booth and at Session this year Ontario craft brewers showed that they can keep up with their American and out of province counterparts.

  The food was also pretty amazing on Saturday, provided by Cowbell, Burger Bar, Magic Oven and Leslieville Cheese Market. The pulled pork from Cowbell and burgers from Burger Bar were perfect matches for the fine selection of beer being served at the festival. The only downside at the end of the day was knowing I'm going to have to wait a year until the next one.

Rogue Invades Ontario

Ontario got its biggest order of American craft beer ever at the beginning of this month, compliments of Oregon's Rogue Brewery. Most of the release is widely available throughout the province with one more hitting shelves later this week, however the Double Dead Guy was in limited supply with only 20 cases available in the entire province. If you missed out on Double Dead Guy the LCBO has ordered 45 more cases that will probably take another 8 weeks to hit shelves, but it's better late than never I suppose. The standout for me from this release has been Captain Sig's Northwestern Ale. Its dry and hoppy, with lots of citrus balanced by a chewy malt that makes it bitter, refreshing and satisfying.

Rogue will also be at Session 99 craft beer festival June 25th at 99 Sudbury Street.

LCBO Summer Beer Release

So, the list of summer seasonal beers was announced via bartowel.com last week and it is much better than most summer LCBO releases. That being said, most of the offerings are on the safe side but there are some gems among this release.  The complete list is:

• Lindeman’s Kriek (355mL, $5.95)
• Lindeman’s Cuvee Rene Gueuze (355mL, $6.45)
• Great Lakes Green Tea Ale (650mL, $4.95)
• Dieu du Ciel! Rosee d’Hibiscus (341mL, $3.10)
• Charlevoix Dominus Vobiscum Blanche (500mL, $3.85)
• Brasseurs de Montreal Coeur Brise Raspberry (341mL, $2.85)
• Trafalgar Cherry Ale (650mL, $4.50)
• Schneider Organic Wiesen Edel-Weisse (500mL, $3.25)
• Schofferhofer Hefeweizen (500mL, $2.50)
• Christoffel Bier (330mL, $2.85)
• Wells and Young’s Banana Bread Beer (500mL, $3.50)
• Dark Star Sunburst Golden Ale (500mL, $3.45)
• Celt Golden Crafted Ale (500mL, $3.45)
• Samuel Smith’s Organic Raspberry Ale  (550mL, $5.50)
• Badger Golden Champion Ale (500mL, $3.50)
• Fuller’s Organic Honey Dew (500mL, $3.25)
• Southern Tier 2XIPA (355mL, $2.95)   

There are some familiar brews that have been included in the past, but there are some solid new additions from Charlevoix and Fuller's as well as Southern Tier's 2XIPA to bring some hops to the table here. 

My personal favorite from this release, aside from the Southern Tier, is the Lindeman's Cuvee Rene Gueuze. This is a pull no punches authentic sour lambic. What makes lambic beers so special is the difficulty of making them due to the fact they are made using wild yeast that is airborne in these Belgian breweries. These don't come around that often in Ontario, in fact this is a first. For what this costs it is an absolute steal when you consider this beer can withstand about 15 years of cellaring. Then Lindeman's Kriek is also worth a try but it is a sweeter lambic, comparable to Mort Subite that is currently available. 

Not the best release but certainly not the worst, lots to be excited about beer wise in Ontario right now.

Back from a super long break!

Hello there!


So, I know it's been a while but just a few updates to post in the happenings of the beer world as it relates to Toronto. The Session Craft Beer Festival returns June 25th at 99 Sudbury. Last year was amazing even though it rained most of the day. This year Garrett Oliver from Brooklyn Brewery will be attending the festival to conduct the opening ceremonies. In addition to Brooklyn Brewery there will be a few new breweries this year including Central City, Phillips, Howe Sound, Microbrasserie Charlevoix, Dieu Du Ciel!, Trou Du Diable, Trois Mousquetaires and Rogue. Also, the 3rd annual Ontario Cask IPA Challenge takes place May 14th and 15th at Bar Volo. It will be a single elimination, 3 round blind tasting of IPA's from all over Ontario. "My Bitter Wife" from Great Lakes will defend its crown against IPA's from Flying Monkeys, Black Oak, Muskoka, Scotch Irish, House Ales, Beau's, Duggan's and more.

Ola Dubh

  The latest installment of brewery features at the LCBO kicked off today, focusing on the Ola Dubh line from Harviestoun brewery. If you are unfamiliar with Ola Dubh, it is a split venture between the brewery and the Highland Park whisky distillery. The premise is that Harviestoun's Old Engine Oil is aged for 6-8 months in Highland Park casks that contained 12, 16, 18, 30 and 40 year old single malt scotch. The result of this is a rich, full ale that is perfectly balanced and mind-boggling in terms of complexity.

  Today I was able to sample the 12 and 40 side by side. The 12 year old is rich and chocolaty while taking on subtle notes of the oak that it's aged in and sets the bar really high for the older Ola Dubh beers. Now, on to the 40. It looks identical to the 12 in terms of appearance but in terms of smell and flavor this is a monster in comparison. This has the nose of a fine single malt but is not over the top. The taste is so smooth with notes of peat from the oak casks coming through followed by a long smoky finish. A slight bitterness is present that compliments all the complex earthy flavours present here. This beer is world class, one of the best I have ever tasted.

  This beer line up is sure to please the craft beer enthusiast and scotch aficionado as well as everyone in between. However, the downside is that these may set you back a few dollars - the 40 year old retails for $18.95 for a 330ml bottle and the 30 is $14.95 but the rest range from $5.95-7.95. They wont be around long and are worth picking up if you want to try something that is both unique and delicious.