The Polkies - The Year in Beer 2020

 

  I used to make my Best of the Best lists a week long writing extravaganza...that was way too much work and to be honest, not as much fun as writing 'The Ten'. The act of ranking a beer is very personal, it reflects not just a palate pleaser, but whether it is indeed what it claims to be. A stout with an adjunct added like coconut can be overwhelmed by the addition or made even more enjoyable. A dry hopped lager can be enhanced by the extra attention or rendered a mess if not handled properly. But at the end of every glass, it's just your opinion or mine. One person's Sparklechunks is another's favourite beer...but not mine...seriously...

  So with more than 800 reviews this year and more than 4000 in the last 6 years, not all of them Headstock, I have a small grasp on what I like and know a little bit of what I'm looking for when I drink a beer. I seek truth in every glass, I want what the label tells me the style is to be reflected in what I'm tasting and while I am not the best palate around, heck in my own house Kathryn is far better than I, I know my own self very well. I wish I could try more beers of every style, the exploration of diverse options is what drives the engine of so many of us here in the craft beer world, but I am also good with not worrying about things I cannot try or that slip away into the ether of the past. 

  Drink what you got, drink what you're able, if you're drinking with me, let's peel back the label!

Beer that tastes like a Damn Beer

Lagers

1. Collective Arts Brewing Audio Visual

  This beer just kept appearing in our fridge every week or so, whether it was a pickup at the brewery, grocery store or LCBO. A no nonsense, full bodied lager that delivered a simple, yet nuanced experience every time. No doubt a staple for many, it is a gateway beer to bring your macro pals over to the side of beer where taste matters over how cold your beer is.

2. Anderson Craft Ales Gold

3. Sawdust City Brewing Rice Lager

4. Merit Brewing No Limit American Lager

5. Godspeed Brewing Otsukaresama

Light Lager

1. Muskoka Brewery Tread Lightly

  This one caught everyone who tried it completely by surprise this year, Muskoka launched into this growing market with a superior rocket indeed. Full bodied, balanced bitterness and a delightfully crushable 355ml (my personal choice for this one) availability made for one hell of an entrance. Lacking nothing in a light beer like most macros, it was worthy of inclusion in The Ten most memorable beers of 2020.

2. Clifford Brewing The Crusher

3. Steamwhistle Brewing Session Lager

4. Forked River Lo Town

5. Gateway Brewing Slightly Startled

Pilsners

1. Tooth and Nail Vim & Vigor

  A close race, perhaps the toughest decision of the year with last year's Beer of the Year Donna coming in a very close second, Tooth and Nail are deserving of the spot with their super clean and crisp Vim & Vigor. It brings a simple, yet complex, grassy front, noble hop spice and a subtle beautifully balanced delivery in every sip. Classic, legendary and a must have for a true beer lover.

2. Fairweather Brewing Donna

3. Fairweather Brewing Jr.

4. Counterpart Brewing Pure

5. Red Circle Brewing Crystal Park

Blonde Ales

1. Royal City Brewing Two Rivers

  A style made for BBQs, late nights and long afternoons, Royal City nailed it with their Two Rivers. Full bodied, lightly bitter and touched with some fruitiness, its got session written all over it. Get a 24, you'll appreciate having it around.

2. Collective Arts Brewing Dry Hopped Blonde Ale

3. Forked River Brewing Capital

4. Nickel Brook Brewing Cause & Effect

5. Collective Arts Brewing Saint of Circumstance

Come to the Dark Side, we have Beer 

Porters

1. Muddy York Brewing Porter

  A long time favourite. it is among a handful of beers that are consistently included on this list every year. It is the go to definition of a classic porter. Roasted malt notes of cocoa, dark chocolate and a dry bitter finish always seems like the perfect fit in every sip. After all these years, it never fails to deliver an excellent experience whenever I can wrestle one away from the Lady of the Manor.

2. Oast House Brewers Pitchfork Porter

3. Collective Arts Brewing Stranger than Fiction 

4. Silversmith Brewing Horchata Porter

5. Trestle Brewing Red Rock

Stouts

1. Cameron's Brewing Crooked Nose Stout

  A late entry into the beer scene this year, Cameron's Crooked Nose stout was an outstandingly balanced dark roasted beauty. Smooth and full with a huge chocolate front, it was a fine thing to be able to pick up as the snow began to fall.

2. Anderson Craft Ales Stout

3. Stonehooker Brewing Wrought Iron

4. Kensington Brewing It's a Stout

5. Royal City Brewing 100 Steps

Adjunct Stout

1.Sawdust City Brewing Viva la Stout
  This beer returned in 2020, albeit at a lower ABV, and Sawdust City sent it into the larger world of LCBO and Grocery stores with an eye to that sessionable trend and to deliver a real treat of a dessert beer. Loved it from start to finish and it should be an easy buy for anyone with a taste for chocolate and fruit.

2. Fairweather Brewing Long Shadow

3. Collective Arts Brewing All the Things

4. Nickel Brook Brewing Wonky Bastard

5. Omnipollo Agamemnon

Barrel Aged Imperial Stouts

1. Nickel Brook Brewing 2020 Kentucky Bastard 

  This is probably the hardest category for me to pick because I am an unabashed lover of the big, boozy slow-sippers of the world and I always have a bunch on hand in the cellar for when the mood strikes me, adding new ones as they are released throughout the year. 2020 saw a hell of a stiff competition from Wellington and their UVB-76 series, along with the usual Amsterdam Double Tempest options, but one rose above and even in its initial drop was an absolute beast of a balanced pint. Nickel Brook managed to come within a barley grain of topping the famous 2016 version with this late October release. While this style usually comes out of the gate still rocking a lot of that bourbon heat, the gang at NB nailed a balance on this I haven't seen before. Outstanding now and sure to age into something even more spectacular in the years to come. I have a few aging now, available at the LCBO for you adventurous types!

2. Wellington Brewery UVB-76 Daniil

3. Collective Arts Brewing & Civil Society Brewing Origins of Darkness

4. Nickel Brook Brewing 2020 Cafe del Bastardo

5. Fairweather Brewing 2019 Wishing Well

Black Lager

1.Silversmith Brewing The Black Lager

 Simply the best. Silversmith has long held this category and while GLB and Muddy York each had fantastic Black Lagers this year, the OG Polk favourite continued to deliver a perfect pint of dark lagered joy everytime. Can or bottle, doesn't matter, it is the perfect representation of that the style should be.

2. Great Lakes Brewery Black Lager

3. Muddy York Brewing Black Opal

4. Black Lab Brewing Cornerstone

5. Napanee Brewing Blacklist

All Things Good and Hoppy 

Pale Ales

 1. Great Lakes Brewery Canuck

 This is a family favourite and another of those comfort beers we leaned into so hard in 2020. The best deal in Ontario at only $54 for a 24, it is the epitome of an easy drinking pale ale. They often say that it runs through the veins of GLB like a lifeblood and it is a trusted go to pint around here on a most consistent basis. The fact that I can get it for delivery now is just another mark in it's favour.

2. Bellwoods Brewery Jutsu

3. Merit Brewing More Than

4. Fairweather Brewing Menagerie Citra

5. Nickel Brook Brewing Juicy Scoops 2

New England or Hazy Pale Ales

1. Great Lakes Brewery Burst!

  They cannot stop with the awesome releases to the wider world this year and GLB once again nailed it with Burst! Peach, mango and strawberry with a light pine back and under $3 a can makes for a crushable and well enjoyed tropical pint!

2. Lake of Bays Brewing Off the Grid

3. Nickel Brook Brewing Hazy Neighbour

4. Prince Eddy's Brewing So Many Friends

5. Great Lakes Brewing Empowered

IPAs

American

1. Merit Brewing Young Rival

  The gradual climb of Merit to the top of the American style IPA category has been one of subtle refinements along the way. They have tinkered with the original recipe as this relatively new brewery were getting their legs underneath them. Citrus and stone fruit, pith and pine, all together a beautifully balanced and crafted IPA.

2. Badlands Brewing King Kang

3. Barncat Artisinal Ales Extra Juice

4. Fairweather Brewing High Grade

5. Great Lakes Brewing Octopus Wants to Fight

New England Style or Hazy IPAs

1. Sawdust City Brewing Everyday Magic 

  Dropping a brand new hazy IPA into the LCBO at the start of the lockdowns broght some brightness to the darkness of early March and this peach, mango and pineapple gem was and is greatly appreciated. Sawdust City has always been solid when it comes to bringing exactly what they promise to every pint they sell and this smooth tropical delight was in my glass many, many times this year. 

2. Third Moon Brewing Bone Tree

3. Town Brewery One Tree Planted

4. Great Lakes Brewery HazeMama

5. Merit Brewing Way Too

West Coast IPAs (not a real category on UNtappd, but it is in my heart so here we are)

1. Nickel Brook Brewing Headstock 

  I've said all I need to say about this one on 'The Ten"

It's simply the best.

2. Great Lakes Brewery 2010

3. Sawdust City Brewing Lone Pine

4. Indie Alehouse Instigator

5. Fairweather Brewing California King

Double or Imperial IPA

1. Sawdust City Brewing Binary System 2

  You could probably make a case for any of the 4 beers in this series on any best of 2020 list, they are playful, exuberant and solidly put together. This iteration just grabbed my attention and held on enough to be included among The Ten, so to the top of the big slow sippers it goes.

2. Counterpart Brewing Crowned

3. Barncat Artisinal Ales Cat Nap

4. Collective Arts Brewing IPA No 15

5. Merit Brewing Unrivalled

Triple IPAs

 1. Collective Arts Brewing Triple IPA

  Dangerous and beautiful, this 10%er landed in mid November and brought all the berry, mango and orange with it. Pithy and a little warming made for an exceptionally smooth big beer. More of this style in 2021 please!!

2. Barncat Artisanal Ales We Miss Growlers

3. Redline Brewhouse White Knuckle

4. Lake of Bays Brewing Apex

5. Montibello Brewing Tripa 3

Belgian IPAs

1. Block Three Brewing Cathedral

  A category near and dear to my heart, I am in love with this hybrid style of Belgian yeast and North American hops to create a truly unique experience and it is no surprise that St. Jacob's Block Three Brewing takes it home this year with their early 2020 release, the 6.5% Cathedral. The interplay of notes was so well tuned, I can still envision it almost 11 months later. They have one of the prettiest looking breweries in the province and crank out a variety of styles, lagers and IPAs to go with farmhouse ales and sours. But this Belgian IPA is my big love this year! 

2. New Limburgh Brewing Belgian IPA

3. Block Three Brewing Danger Zone

4. Napanee Brewing Extremist

5. Shacklands Brewing Blessed Acceleration

Black IPAs

1. Sawdust City Brewing Darkness on the Edge of Town 

  Another difficult decision had to be made in this category of the 2020 countdown. GLB Apocalypse Later and Problem Bears from Silversmith both warrant a mention in this category, but Sawdust City took it to another level this year. I called it elegant and this delicate balance of roasted malt bitterness, citrus pith and pine was like a well timed dance of the highest order. A joy to drink and a moment I remember well as the sun set in early April. 

2. Great Lakes Brewery Apocalypse LAter

3. Silversmith Brewing Problem Bears

4. Manantler Brewing Dark Prince

5. Henderson Brewing Henderson Cup

Session IPAs

1. Fairweather Brewing Forever Eva
  A repeat champion, this Vic Secret, Ekuanot and Citra hopped little IPA brings way more to the table than you'd think for that low ABV. Melon, peach orange and a light spice gave me a singular experience in session IPAs this year, far outpacing the other contenders, a runaway victory!

2. Nickel Brook Brewing Party Dad

3. Royal City Brewing Exhibition

4. Collective Arts Brewing Hazy State

5. Sawdust City Brewing We Belong to the Thunder

Sour IPAs

1. Fairweather Brewing Golden Hour Mango

  This one still pops in my mind, even though it has almost been a calendar year since I had it. Bright sunshine in a glass at a time when my world was very dark and Jinx had just left this mortal world. Absolute banger of a beer.

2. Sawdust City Brewing Electric Storm

3. Fairweather Brewing miiNG

4. Nickel Brook Brewing Zap!

5. Grain & Grit Beer Co. Dog Days

New for 2020!!

Kveik IPA (another not a real style, but again its my list, so here we go)

1. Nickel Brook Brewing Cold Pop

  At 6.5% and 0 IBUs, this smooth and tropical mango, pineapple and pine example of that Norwegian yeast  was a revelation in late May as the Summer approached. Super crushable and an instant classic.

2. Collective Arts Brewing Kveik IPA

3. Clifford Brewing Valhalla

4. Wellington Brewery Kveik IPA

5. Collective Arts Brewing Dalliance

Tart Puckers - Sour Ales

1. Merit Brewing Waves Peach

  It was mid June and the day had been no good, rotten and terrible. The I opened this Peach, Plum and Vanilla variant of Merit's Waves series and all was right with the world. It was a journey through each flavour and they all came together at the right point to deliver a fantastic beer all around.

2. Left Field Brewing Lo Viste

3. Shacklands Brewing Razzle Blazzle

4. Collective Arts Brewing Smoothie Sour

5. Muddy York Brewing Staring Down the Sun

Those Belgian Beauties

Saisons

1. Shacklands Brewing Saison Davenport

  Another returning champ, this time available at the LCBO and in cans at that! I know I go out on a limb with this proclamation, but it is perhaps the best Saison in the world and that is the truth as I see it. Everything a saison should be this is and more. That noble hop spice on the finish is perfection.
2. Merit Brewing Chanan

3. Little Beasts Brewing La Petite Duchesse

4. Shacklands Brewing Wit Saison

5. Bellwoods Brewery Saison Maison

Tripels

1. Shacklands Brewing Tripel

  Another spot on Belgian Banger from the best of the best this side of the Atlantic when it comes to these kinds of beers. It is full bodied, loaded to the hilt with all the things that make this style one of my favourites.

2. Merit Brewing Tomorrows

3. Royal City Brewing Tripel Entente

4. New Limburgh Brewing St. Barbara

5. Forked River Brewing The Oracle

Wheat Ales

1. Silversmith Brewing Breakfast Wheat

  A real fine wake me up one early June morning, this flagship wheat is all about that orange peel, lemon zest and bubblegum before the dry and spiced up finish. it was just a great way to sit and enjoy a sunny, warm morning outside with no work in my near future.

2. Tooth and Nail Brewing Sparrowhawk

3. Gateway CIty Brewing Cloud Captain

4. Grain & Grit Beer Co. Zigge Zagge

5. Bandit Brewing Solstice

Malty Goodness

Barleywine

1.Great Lakes Brewery 2020 Beard of Zeus
  Barleywines are rare creatures here in Ontario, but the ones I've managed to track down have been quite the happy circumstance. Great Lakes dropped Beard of Zeus into the LCBO early in the year and this 11.8% behemoth was a godsend in the chilly, homebound months that followed. And since most folks had never encountered this style before, making it more easily attainable, with an eye-catching label to boot, Great Lakes hit a home run in more ways than one.
2. Granite Brewery Gin Lane
3. Cameron's Brewing Early Bird
4. Wellington Brewery Yuletide 2019
5. Garrison Brewing Fog Burner

Brown Ales

1. Fairweather Brewing Baby Steps

  A one off, not repeated since piece of heaven hit the bottle shop at Fairweather in late July and disappeared almost at once. They nailed the balance between sweet and bitter with an eye to super crushability all the way through. May it return in 2021 with a wider availability, I would advise you order early and large.

2. Counterpart Brewing Rise

3. Concession Road Brewing Lumber Jacket

4. Black Oak Brewing Nut Brown

5. Royal City Brewing Smoked Honey

Extra Special Bitters

1. Clifford Brewing Dark Streets of London

  This one is close to my heart, a bready malty sessionable ESB that is a constant pickup whenever it returns to the taproom at Clifford. When this is all over and we can head back to sit in taprooms with impunity and fully vaccinated, I may spend my first afternoon drinking this pint after pint.

2. SIlversmith Brewing Dam Buster

3. Great Lakes Brewery Monty

4. HIgh Park Brewing Across the Pond

5. Concession Road Brewing Little Britain

Red Ales

1. Gateway City Brewing Devil's Dessert

  This Imperial Red was a big hit as I floated in the pool in early June. Big and bready malts with loads of caramel and a nice kick of hop spice on the back made for a very memorable pint.

2. Cowbell Brewing Doc Perdue's Bobcat

3. Beau's All Natural Brewing Strong Patrick

4. Cameron's Brewing Ambear

5. New Ontario Brewing Tree Topper

The Mish-Mash - The Best of the Rest

Styles that I had less than 5 examples of in 2019. Any less than that and it's just not worth telling you about.

Amber Ale - Block Three Brewing Beauty & The Belgian

Belgian Strong Ale -  Sawdust City Brewing L'il Man

Brett IPA - Shacklands Brewing Fuzzier Peach

Brut IPA - Muddy York Brewing Paper Moon

Dubbel - Chimay Red

Fruited Ale - Oast House Brewers Grandma's Strawberry Rhubarb

Gose - Merit Brewing What Dreams May Come

Helles Lager - Trestle Brewing Hole in The Wall

Imperial Stout - Merit Brewing Black is Beautiful

Milkshake IPA - Collective Arts Brewing Collective Arts Fest

Pumpkin Ale - Great Lakes Brewery Pumpkin Ale

Scottish Ale - Second Wedge Brewing Monday Night Piper

Vienna Lager - Clifford Brewing Chain Link

Wild Ale - Fairweather Brewing Wide World

  That's a wrap on 2020 from this corner of the world, may this next year bring more great beer, better times and a chance to sit down together and share a few pints.

Cheers! 
Polk

Don't Give in to Style Fatigue

  The other day I was perusing Twitter, as I do(a lot), and I came across this tweet from the Beer Scribe (@beerscribe) :

  It hit me that I do this unintentionally almost daily and I wanted to explore why. I see so many people who never leave their comfort zone of IPAs, sours or whatever it is they love. They eschew any other style as boring or not for them while what Jordan St. John (@saints_gambit) described as hop creep begins to take hold. 

  Clearly after a month of discount lagers, your taste buds would be more susceptible to intense hop flavours, but what If the opposite is true as well? What if drinking nothing but IPAs, sours or any other style exclusively led to some sort of flavour diminishment or fatigue?

  As a general rule, most people don't keep going to the well once they have decided they don't like a particular style and that's a damn shame if you ask me.  To get stuck in a rut of one or two beer styles seems to me to defeat the true reason we all got into craft beer in the first place, the hatred of homogenous pint after pint. Whether it was an IPA, saison or bitter, I had to learn to appreciate the nuances, flavour profiles and textures that come with each one. Variations on the styles led me down a path of real exploration as the only limit seemed to be the creativity of the brewers who express their art in liquid form. Not everything I've had has been perfect or sometimes even workable, but onward we go in search of the next beer to enjoy.

  It is very easy, however, to get caught up in what you love. I think this happens more with people who subscribe to brand loyalty, even if they won't admit it, when it comes to macro lagers. It used to be you were a Blue or Canadian drinker and that still exists today, albeit in a more diverse way but still with the same downward spiralling results. As a beer drinker, you owe loyalty to nothing but a well made product and an enjoyable experience. Getting caught up in a particular brewery or style of beer makes the whole thing a little reminiscent of our not so distant past and that's a place I for one have no desire to return to.

  Now this is not to say that just because a beer comes from craft brewery that it is automatically the best thing in the world. Indeed, we all have had some beers that completely miss the mark in every way and it's important to be honest about what you are tasting if you choose to share your thoughts with the wider beer world. To not tell the truth because you don't want to rock the boat or you're afraid of some kind of blowback is no reason to pad out a beer that isn't on point. There is no need to be an asshole about not liking something, but it gets tiresome reading that every single beer some people try is awesome, it's just not possible. Want to be taken seriously? Tell the truth. Always and in a way that is productive and open to discussion.

  To return to the initial point of where this was headed, I will refer simply to my own approach to how I drink and share my beer. I look to be as diverse in style as I am in brewery. I want to know about as many different variations on classic and new flavours and I want to experience as many different brewers ideas on those that I can get my hands on. Having visited 135 Ontario Craft breweries in person and having tried a beer from at least 500 different brewers worldwide, my pursuit is wide ranging and never ending. I love big hoppy IPAs, dank and juicy as well as the malty west coast hop bombs. I am a fan of saisons and farmhouse ales, so many directions to go with those that I am surprised almost monthly by what I find. Sours are still relatively new to me and I embrace the opportunity to explore them further. This is to say nothing of the other 20 plus recognized styles and their many, many sub-styles we have access to at any given moment. The only limitation remains the imagination of those who brew and those who drink.

  To find yourself in a never ending loop of one style can only be broken by a conscious effort to diversify what's in your fridge. There's nothing wrong with having a whole whack of your favourite style but try to include something different whenever you are going to enjoy more than one. I usually have the newest beer or the style I am working to understand the most first and then will happily go to whatever suites my fancy next. Sometimes it's Ransack the Universe or Canuck Pale Ale but I always look to find a new beer or brewer to spice up my life.

  Break out of your hop lock, saison straightaway or porter porthole, make the next beer you try something different and let the world into your glass.

Cheers!

Polk



How many Beer Glasses is too many? I clearly have no idea...

The first 100 Beer Glasses

I get asked a lot of questions but the one that comes up most often after where I got the name Drunk Polkaroo (answered here), is about my ever growing collection of beer glasses. What started out as a way to commemorate a visit to a brewery and get something to use in my beer pics has morphed into a multiple level storage question in our house. I try to be judicious when purchasing glasses, but with this year's Polkapolooza Ontario Craft Beer tour less than a month away, I know I'm going to break down and buy more. It's not that I need them as much as I want them and who I am to refuse myself happiness. Do I need another tulip/snifter? Pint Glass? Teku? No, but that doesn't mean I won't buy them, I have poor impulse control and an appreciation for a good looking logo.

Every IPA is better in this German made beauty.

The reality is that I really only need two glasses and often that can often be scaled down to just one. My go to for any IPA is the German-made, American Craft beer influenced Spiegelau glass. Noted for its ribbed shape and thin, delicate feeling body, it keeps me coming back for more. Generating a repeat head with the cascade as you sip is a beautiful way to experience your hoppy treat. Your nose fits into the top but its tapering focuses the notes of citrus right at you. Generally sold here in Canada at The Bay (the glass page here), they have started to make appearances at some of the breweries in branded form. The Spiegelau company makes a variety of style focused glasses in consultation with brewers and to be honest, I would struggle to justify spending the suggested price of $60+ for 4 glasses. We've looked around and they can usually be found on sale in the $30 range for that same 4 pack and I am okay at that price point. $10 a glass isn't too unreasonable for a well made beer glass.

Truly, the only glass I ever need to use.

The other style that I cannot do without and the one I drink almost every other beer out of is my tulip or snifter glass. 

Again a Spiegelau or perhaps a heavier version from a brewery, I love this stemmed glass for its feel in my hand, the tapered top that focuses the scents on my nose, allowing me to get a good whiff every time I sip and the large bowl, which allows for good aeration. Something about holding this glass  makes me feel like I am slowing down and really appreciating what's inside. Perhaps it is just the perception of cupping it in my hand, but it just feels right. Stouts or porters go so well in this glass, lagers taste better and even a sour can be appreciated more in this bulbous beauty. This style makes up more than half of my 100 plus glasses(not counting macro or novelty glasses) mainly because it is so versatile and the one style that I see brewers drinking from themselves when we visit breweries.

So many things wrong with this photo, starting with that Brava Light.

For the vast majority of my time as a beer drinker, I was a straight out of the bottle or can kind of guy and that probably was a good thing as there isn't much in the way of smell or any reason to warm up your Coors or Brava Light. I wouldn't dream of going back to that now that I understand a little better the properties of aroma, flavour profiles and aeration in my beer. A good old fashioned (clean!) pint glass is all you really need to enjoy a craft beer and despite my own insistence on buying so many, it is that humble glass that often finds itself pressed into service for pictures. The fact is that most breweries go with this style is the main reason it remains a staple in my work. I must say that I am seeing more and more of them move to the appropriate and different styles as the breweries grow and mature.



Pint glasses travel well and make for great pictures.

The glassware issue is always being debated and will continue to be something beer geeks talk about ad nauseam for infinity.  The truth is a clean glass is the best glass but everyone has their favourite, be it for individual styles or just in general, myself included. And while we may never agree on the perfect glass, we can always agree that with craft beer, any glass is made better by its presence in it.
Cheers!
Raise your Glass and your standards,
One beer at a time.



Beer of the Week - January 31st to February 6th

Sunday morning is usually a slow burn for us here at the Polkaroo manor. I work almost every weekend, but usually close the store on Sundays, so I don't have to be at work until noon. This week is the exception to that rule as it is the busiest day of the year for us in the food service industry, Super Bowl Sunday. So many damn chicken wings to cook. It's a great day for me, to be honest, and I look forward to it all year.
This week, I talked about low ABV (alcohol by volume) beers that will allow you to have a few without getting hammered while watching the big game and having to deal with the hangover the next day at work. I have many of them in my fridge chilling right now for when I get home from work and look forward to enjoying the spectacle. I was not really surprised then when it was a low alcohol beer that caught my eye and taste buds.
It is a recurring theme on my blog that I have really come to enjoy stouts and this week I had two that were just outstanding. First up was my 2014 Amsterdam Brewing Tempest Imperial Stout. I bought two of these last year and was disciplined enough to actually age one for 15 months in my cold cellar. It was an amazing beer that really smoothed out with aging and I noticed some more nuances in the flavour profile had changed since I first tried it. The only disappointment was that they no longer are making this, so I cannot buy the 2015 version to age and compare. Hopefully it will make a comeback in 2016.
My other standout stout is my choice for Beer of the Week (BOW) for a variety of reasons. Hailing from one of my favourite breweries, Beau's All Natural Brewing Company, The Tom Green Stout is a wonderfully put together beer that has found its way into my heart. It is a milk stout, and the organic lactose and oats make for a real creamy mouthfeel. Fantastic dark colour with a thick tan head.  It has a bitter coffee bean smell and flavour that doesn't quit. A chocolate note comes on nicely in the middle, while the finish is dry, hoppy and outstanding. The roasted malt flavours are so damn delectable that I went out the next day and grabbed a couple more to keep on hand for a treat.It is only a 5.0% ABV, so despite its big flavour, it is a sessionable stout. Usually this style is a little bigger in the alcohol department, so it is nice to find one that is so crushable.
It feels like I am constantly praising Beau's for their beers and it is with good cause. they keep coming out with innovative and different approaches to new and old styles. This week I had three different beers from their menu and each one was fantastic. The Bogwater (a Gruit) and Grisette (Belgian Style Ale) were great examples of what a brewery can do if they let their brew master's imaginations take hold and create something out of the ordinary.
 So it is without trepidation that I congratulate Beau's for yet another BOW and hope you can get your hands on The Tom Green Beer so that you can see what a fine brew it really is. I can't wait to see what they come up with next.
Cheers!


Warming up with a Stout

You need this in your life.

Long, cold nights followed by short freezing days is what winter brings to Canada. While this year has been milder than most, it is still not summer. I don't complain about winter, I love all the seasons and the differences they bring both in the weather and my beer. It seems only right that I take a moment and salute those brews that bring warmth to my belly when the temperature falls.

When I was a younger man, I avoided stouts. Although, given the state of the beer world in those days , it wasn't like I was given much choice. For the most part, the only stout we had access to was Guinness and it held no appeal to me. Oh, I would choke one down on St. Patrick's Day when we would start our pub crawl in Hess Village (think lots of bars, little self control) but then it was on to green food colouring in my beer and the sweet release of blackout drinking.

Hmm. This seems wrong.











My recurring them from the last two years has been how craft beer saved my life and with stouts and porters, it is particularly true. Lagers and IPAs can be very crushable (Easy drinking) and even as I was beginning to understand how destructive my drinking was to myself and others, I could still get ramped up when drinking those as well as any macro lager.

Enter the humble Mill Street Vanilla Porter. This is one of those beers that changed everything for me and one of the reasons I will not drop this brewery from my regular rotation despite their being bought out by Labatt's. It is a creamy, vanilla, coffee bean and chocolate dream. I often refer to it as ice cream in a glass. It is just so smooth and tasty, I found myself lingering over each glass and when I would look up at the clock, an hour had gone by and it was time for bed. This was a new development for me, as I would most often race to cram as many Old Milwaukee's as I could down my throat before passing out. I loved how it warmed me up and filled my senses with wonderful flavours. This was a something different.

I was moving forward with porters, but still struggling with stouts. They are generally have a higher alcohol content and the roasted malt can give you at bitter note that, when you are starting to try them, can turn you off. I know it did for me and much like the amazing IPA, it took some time for the changes to my palate to take hold. Slowly I began to purchase and consume more stouts as the weather turned cold and they began to make sense to me. The thicker mouthfeel helps you to really experience the most common flavours of the roasted malt, dark chocolate and the bitter coffee beans. Most often, a stout slows you down with its large body and high ABV. You don't want to pound a 10% Oatmeal stout, it is something to sip and savour. This was the essence of my discovery. I had found a style of beer that really held me back and slowed me down.

Grab a Kentucky Bastard from Nickel Brook, a Winter Beard from Muskoka or maybe a Chocolate Manifesto made by Flying Monkey's. You do not put these beers in a funnel. Well, you shouldn't, but it's your life. These beers will force you to sit up and  notice the flavours they impart. They are big bold beers that make you pause as you drink and feel the warmth spreading through your heart. Stouts can range from smooth and creamy to strong and biting. there is something for everyone and most assuredly you can find one that speaks to you.

When I grab a dark beer and settle into my chair for a night of hockey watching or maybe a movie or two, I like to think of it as my Hi-beer-nation. Just letting go and putting myself in the mood to shut out the world and relax.

 I have an Amsterdam Brewing Company Tempest Imperial Stout that I have been ageing for a year and a bit chilling in the cold cellar and I think tonight is a good time to see how it has changed since last year. That's one of the other things about higher ABV stouts that I was surprised to learn. You can age them for a few years and really see how the beer changes. It never occurred to me that I would want to save a beer for that long, but I have cellared a Kentucky Bastard and a Cuvee from Nickel Brook from this year as well to see where they go next year or maybe even into 2018.

So if you are hesitant to get into a stout, give a porter a try. they are generally less bold and have a thinner mouthfeel and flavour profile. They have many unique takes and they should help you to ease into the often bigger, stronger notes that stouts bring to the table.

But don't give up on these dark angels, it is in the attempt to find the Perfect Beer that I have come to love them and you could too. They bring so much to the table and while it is the season of snow and ice, it is also one of robust flavours. It will soon enough be time to break out the saisons, lagers and IPAs. But for now, why not get your snifter or pint glass and pour some warming love into your life.

Cheers!