Motley Cru Day

"I'm going to Bellwoods tomorrow," I say to Jessica as I nurse a beer at the bar, post-shift. "Do you want anything?"

I knew she would say yes, because the tomorrow in question was Motley Cru Day at the brewery and this year's beer is a barrel-blend passion fruit sour ale. Jess, as I have mentioned in this space before, is a massive sour beer fan.

The problem, I rambled on to no one in particular, was that parking at Bellwoods' Ossington Avenue brew pub in west Toronto was always a problem. The logistics of what to do with my car while I wait an hour or more with hundreds of other beer lovers - this annual release is a really big deal - was seriously hurting my brain.

"So go to the Hafis Road location," Jess offered, giving me that look usually reserved for small children and mildly inebriated customers.

I knew Bellwoods had opened a second location to help them handle their new-found success, but I just assumed 'Hafis Road' was somewhere downtown-ish and never bothered to look it up.

"I think it's somewhere near the 401," Jess ventured helpfully.

Well now. That changes everything. I was headed to my parents home for my bi-weekly lawn maintenance visit and their place is just off Highway 401 at Keele Street.

So I looked up Hafis Road. Damned if it isn't in the Keele and Lawrence area, not more than 15 minutes from my childhood home. And parking, up there in northern suburbia, is never going to be a problem.

I might just have found my new 'local' Toronto brewery.

So after completing my chores on a sunny Saturday, dashing down my chicken sammy and doling out hugs, I was on my way to Bellwood's newest brewery to join the line for bottles of their annual anniversary beer.

I spotted Darryl, Buster Rhino's valiant, versatile and vivacious boss, and chatted for a minute before going to the back of the line. Optics, you know. I also saw Robin, a fellow #Beersaint from brew day at Manantler, and before I could say "are we there yet?" the line was moving towards the door.

Motley Crue

Thanks to the two location system, the line was just 40-strong and in less than a hour I was inside and stocking my case with beer from the Bellwoods fridge.

There was Roman Candle, their world class IPA, as well as Jutsu (American Pale Ale) and Double Jutsu (Imperial IPA). Wizard Wolf, the brewery's top-ranked Session IPA, was in the house, as was Monogamy Azacchia, a single hop IIPA, and Jelly King, the dry-hopped Sour that turned me on to dry-hopped Sours.

And there was Motley Cru, the reason all these people had lined up for an hour or more.

Each year Bellwoods produces a different Motley Cru variation, though it has been a Sour/Wild Ale three of the past four years, with the 2017 release being a one- and two-year barrel blend passion fruit wild ale.

There was no guarantee I would love this brew. I have been digging the dry-hopped sours lately, but this would be closer to a traditional Sour Ale, just stepped up a notch. Bellwoods style.

Besides, with all those great Bellwoods IPAs and their friends in the brewery fridge and about to be in mine, there was no way I would leave disappointed.

And it turned out I liked Motly Cru. Not in the passionate, I Must Write a Blog Professing My Love kind of affection, but it was really good. The aroma was sour and the carbonation was just popping. There was more sourness on the tongue, with a hint of passion fruit in the finish. Lemon, green grapes and a bit of funk as well.

I wouldn't line up for an hour just for this beer, but I'm real glad I did.

Cockpuncher IIPA from Indie Ale House

I made it back to Oshawa in plenty of time for work, where Jessica got her 750 ml bottle and I was content in the knowledge I had found my go-to brewery, and just a few blocks south of my old 'hood of Downsview too.

I'm headed back to see Mom and Dad today so I was thinking I would hit up Hafis Road to see if there's any Milkshark (Mango) left. No brainer, with it being so close to home and to Highway 401.

And then Indie Ale House - located straight down Keele a few miles in the Junction neighbourhood - posted that it was releasing Cockpuncher this week. One of the world's best Imperial IPAs and definitely one of the world's finest beer names, this beer goes fast and is a must buy.

And I can't get to Indie Ale House from my folk's place without passing Rainhard and Shacklands breweries on the way.

What to do; what to do.

I'll see them all. That's what to do.

Rate Beer and 420

There's been a lot of chatter in the craft beer community about Rate Beer - the world's largest beer rating forum and my personal data base to keep track of my beer ratings - since Anheuser-Busch InBev acquired a minority share.

Some breweries - Dogfish Head notably - have been very vocal in their opposition to the sale, citing potential conflict of interest because scores of InBev-owned brands could be artificially inflated.

Meh. If anything, rate beer users - a significant percentage of whom are those pretentious beer snobs we avoid at parties - will go out of their way to trash InBev brands. So if this is a marketing ploy it's a stupid one.

No, this is all about data mining, with (I assume) the minority share giving InBev access to the buying habits and preferences of Rate Beer users.

Cypress Hill

Good. Maybe they'll learn something. Maybe they'll learn we in the craft beer community like good beer. Maybe InBev will start making that, instead of the shit they currently produce.

I won't hold my breath.

In the meantime I will continue to use Rate Beer, who recently honoured me on the occasion of my 420th rating with a clip from Cypress Hill: Hits from the Bong.

Very appropriate. The only problem was I couldn't watch it on account it was blocked in Canada. Perhaps also appropriate.

Oh well. It was the thought that counts.

Cheers!

Buzzed about Buzz Light Beer

Brew Day at Manantler with the #Beersaints seemed such a long time ago that I had almost forgotten about it.

Almost, but not quite.

The brewing process was a lot of fun, but it was a blast because of the company we kept and the beers we drank far more than any actual brewing we did. I mean, let's be real: I threw some oatmeal in the malt and tossed a handful of hops in the tank.

Chris, the drone-flying, critter-whispering Brewmaster, and Alex, the Sexiest Cellarman East of Burlington, did all the work. Well, and David. All that running back and forth between the back room and the tanks with fresh coffee had to count for something.

Still, I was anxious to actually taste our handiwork and earlier this month I finally got that chance.

Buzz Light Beer, our coffee-infused, 4.8 per cent ale, was ready.

Jen tweeted the news first and I asked the brewery boys to save me a few bottles as I wouldn't be able to get out to Bowmanville until the weekend.

Buzz Light Beer

I ended up buying a case of the stuff. You know, for my Mom and a few of my friends. Not all Buzz Light Light Beer - I picked up some Liquid Swords, Manantler's very excellent IPA, as well as a couple of bottles of Hot Tropics, their 3.6 per cent Belgian Table IPA which is simply the finest under-four cent beer ever made.

I had ten in the box when Alex pointed out that if  I bought a dozen I would get a free glass.

Two more Liquid Swords joined their sisters, as well as a Manantler glass to replace the one I broke last month.

Despite it being the middle of the afternoon, with work only a few hours away, I didn't have to wait until the evening to try my beer. At 4.8 per cent, the beer was good to go for me, so as soon as I got home I popped the cap and imbibed.

It poured a beautiful bronze with coffee on the nose - lots of it.

(The colour was surprising all by itself - on brew day I thought we were making a stout. It was days later before I clued in that it would be a coffee-infused ale. A little slow off the mark sometimes, I am.)

Bits of dark fruit, grains, spices and more coffee came up next. Smooth and very drinkable. I may be biased. but I (ahem) am such a good brewer.

Jessica agreed. I gave her and Shannon a bottle each. Partly to suck up to my bosses at the bar, and partly because they are - and I've said this before - Two of My Favourite People.

Shannon decided to save hers for the housewarming after she completes her move later this month, but Jessica was messaging me shortly after she closed the bar, thanking me for the gift and giving me her three word assessment:

"Beer is Good"

I couldn't have said it better myself.

I also gave a bottle to my pal James, who runs Oshawa's iconic Mr. Burger and has the craft beer business in his blood: his father Bill owns the 100-plus seat Stack barbecue restaurant and craft beer bar in uptown Toronto.

The Buzz Light Beer brewing team

I set aside one for my Dad as well and promptly forgot it when I was out there last weekend to cut the grass and do a few odd jobs.

I'll save it for you for my next visit Dad.

Which left just two for me but that's okay, because I can never aspire to be a true #Beersaint unless I understand that it is better to give than receive. Especially with beer.

And speaking of #Beersaints, I want to give a shout-out to my fellow brewers Paul, Jen, Robin, Joan, Toni, Dave, Rob and Brett, as well as our Manantler 'assistants' Chris and Alex.

As my friend Jess said, "Beer is Good."

Happy Birthday Rainhard!

Another two weeks had gone by, and that meant another trip out to the old homestead to cut the grass at my Mom and Dad's place.

It also meant another west-end Toronto brewery run on the way back to Oshawa, and I knew just which brewery would be tops on the itinerary: Rainhard Brewing.

They even knew I was coming because they were throwing a party in my honour. There was a big crowd of people with beers in their hands enjoying the sunshine and there was band playing inside.

All that fun could have been because it was the brewery's Second Birthday Party, but it could have been for me too. Hard to say, really.

So I got out of my car and started walking ... the opposite way of all that hubbub to the other side of the parking lot to Shacklands Brewery.

It's literally that close.

I figured I'd hit up the new guys first before I pop by the Rainhard party. I had heard good things about Shacklands, so my strategy made sense to me.

Shacklands opened only a few months ago (after contract brewing for a few years) and Brewmaster Jason Tremblay has brought a Belgian twist to his beers. I didn't see Jason, or even much of the tap room beyond the cash register, but I did meet co-owner Dave Watts, and we chatted about beer while he rang up my purchases.

I did say cash register, right? This was the real deal, too. About a million years old and as cool as Cool Hand Luke, if he had a job selling widgets at Sam Drucker's store in Hooterville.

At Indie Ale House, you park Where the Pigeons Are

(Dave actually told me how old it was but I forgot and my notes have disappeared. I'd blame the dog, but I don't have one.)

In any event, I placed my Brett Pale Ale and my bottle of Belgian
Porter in my car and wandered back to the Rainhard side of the lot to find the party in full swing. I spotted Jordan Rainhard - the man of the hour - in deep convo - so I popped into the bottle shop for a few beers to go.

A brand new IPA called Total Clarity and Jordan's amazing Kapow IPA were in the fridge, so I bought a bottle each and a pair of Daywalker, my reigning (2X!) Session IPA champion beer.

I miss Daywalker.

I filled my glass with Hop Cone Syndrome, Rainhard's excellent (and award-winning) Imperial IPA, and headed outside, where I ran into Callum, a pal and a regular at Buster Rhino's. Callum was there with his wife and some friends, and I whiled away a quarter-hour at their table before I was off, with two more breweries to go and a schedule to keep.

Indie Ale House in the heart of The Junction was next and, as always, I parked Where The Pigeons Are and walked across Dundas Street and into one of Toronto's most iconic brew pubs.

Time was getting tight and I had Blood Brothers still on the agenda, so I settled for a bottle shop visit only and grabbed Love Triangle IPA and a couple of bottles of Rabbit of Caerbannog, a White IPA that intrigued me by its name alone.

Blood Brothers Brewing

I like White IPAs, which take the wheat base and spicy traits of Belgian Wits and mash it up with the ultra hoppy character of American IPAs, and any beer named after the Killer Rabbit of Monty Python's classic Holy Grail movie is going home with me.

And then it was on to Blood Brothers for the final stop and a much needed glass of a strawberry IPA for my poor parched throat.

What the hell is a Strawberry IPA, you say? I asked that too. But it wasn't half bad. Smelled like strawberries for sure, and I didn't think I'd like it, But I did. Strawberry jam was prominent, along with citrus, apple and froot loops cereal. Good stuff.

Milk of the Poppy it was called, and I bought a bottle, along with previously endorsed Shumei and Love Trip IPAs for the ride back to Oshawa.

One day I won't be in such a hurry.

Beer O'Clock (and 500 goals)

It was a real pleasure to get my hands on some old favourites on this trip, like Kapow and Daywalker (tart, citrusy and delicious) from Rainhard and Shumei and Love Trip from Blood Brothers.

But it's the new taste sensations that get me excited for these little beer adventures and this trip had a few of those.

Total Clarity from Rainhard was one such newbie and this 6.2 per cent IPA came with earthy hops that pummelled the palate a bit before giving way to pine, orange and bit of sweetness.

Monty Python's Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog. 

Love Triangle (Amarillo, Simcoe and Columbus) was another new beer and it was citrusy with orange zest and tropical fruit.

Rabbit of Caerbannog, an Indie Ale House collaboration beer with Bar Hop, was the most interesting beer of the day. More so than a strawberry IPA, and that's saying a lot. There was a spicy and floral aroma with a creamy texture on the tongue. Light citrus (lemon, orange zest), more floral hops and a bit of coriander. I liked it a lot.

Shacklands brought a level of intrigue - and a whole lot of funk - to the table as well with their Belgian-inspired beers. Their Belgian Porter was funky, with yeast, dark malts, chocolate and dark fruit, while the Brett Pale Ale took the funk up another notch entirely, with its sour-like aroma. There was more funk in the flavour, along with yeast, spices and a little fruitiness too.

I will have to pay these guys a return visit soon.

I gave my son Cam a sample of the Brett Pale Ale, as much to see his face when he tasted the funky flavours caused by the addition of Brettanomyces yeast strains as any attempt to be a loving Dad.

After all, Cam's beer of choice is Corona or Coors Light - when he drinks at all - so I wasn't expecting more of a reaction than "what is this stuff?"

He liked it. He really liked it. And since then he's tried a few of my hoppier beers and liked them too.

I may have a convert.

Number 500!

And speaking of Cam (and non-beer related issues), I feel the need to give him a plug. The lad was quite the hockey player in his youth. He scored goals at a pretty high rate in house league and in the lower levels of rep hockey before 'retiring' from minor hockey at 18 with 484 career goals.

I counted.

He played part of a season of men's hockey a few years ago and this summer went back to organized summer hockey and starting lighting the lamp once again.

On June 1, in a game played on the big ice at the Tribute Communities Centre in downtown Oshawa, his team (The Gents) were being hammered by Independent Waterproofing when Cam scored a late goal. It was number 500.

I wasn't in attendance but I have the puck and it will be honoured on a plaque in time for his birthday next week.

Congratulations Cam!

Sour love at long last

I never thought I would ever be a fan of Sour beers.

My first experiences with the style were less than overwhelming. There was that Berliner Weisse from Nickel Brook (enjoyed - sort of - at Donnie's Bar & Grill in Burlington) and the sour Belgian Wild Ale from Goose Island (consumed at my pal Matt's sumptuous underground lair in Bowmanville), and both reinforced my prejudices: 

Sour beers suck.

And then along came Bellwoods and their Jelly King series of dry-hopped Sours.

Tart and delicious, these beers turned me around to the possibility that maybe, just maybe, sour beers didn't suck after all.

At least the dry-hopped versions didn't.

First up was Jelly King Plum from the brewery, and then I tried the regular Jelly King a week or so later on tap at the bar, and I was off to Sour beer heaven. Even the Blackberry version, which looked and tasted like blackberry juice (as opposed to beer) didn't change my new-found opinion.

Paradise Lost (Mango) from Blood Brothers

I'm a fan.

I was already pencilling in Jelly King as my Sour category leader, and the only decision I was waffling over was regular or Plum?

And on Mother's Day I was grass-covered and thirsty from cutting my extremely awesome parents' grass when I walked into the Blood Brothers tap room in west Toronto and asked for a half-pint of Paradise Lost (Mango).

The game just changed.

This beer was magnificent. So good, in fact, that I ignored the voice in my head that said "you're going to be late for work" and "don't you have a driving job?" and ordered another one. A half-pint, of course. And a bottle to take home.

I should have bought six.

An amazing aroma of mango, pineapple and lemon hooked me in and that tartness, with all those tropical fruit flavours, squeezed the last ounce of resistance out of me.

I tried to slow-sip this but couldn’t. Fantastic beer.

I will even go so far as to predict that this brew would meet the approval of Neil Miller, a one-time New Zealand Beer Writer of the Year who is best known for his skill in nick-naming beers and beer personalities, his collection of Star Wars 'action figures' (not toys) and his passionate dislike for Sour beers.


Maybe Blood Brothers is planning a trip Down Under soon and we can find out. Or not.

The beer was welcome after a busy morning, but I was under the gun time-wise with work back in Oshawa pending.

This is Neil Miller of New Zealand. There are five beers in front of
him and not one is sour. But that could change

I had only planned to hit up two breweries: Burdock (on my chef pal Luis' recommendation), and Blood Brothers, which had been on my to-do list for months.

But after visiting the bottle shop at Burdock and grabbing five bottles (Te, a Sour dry-hopped with Vic Secret and Simcoe; West Coast Pilsner; American Session Ale; Vermont Blonde Ale; and their American Pale Ale, which was hopped with Simcoe and Idaho 7), my route took me up to Wallace Avenue, home of Halo Brewing.

It's not like I could just drive on by.

So I stopped in and picked up three bottles: Test Pattern, a single-hopped American Pale Ale (Rakau); Zero Hour, a New England-style American Pale Ale; and New Wave IPA.

And then it was on to Blood Brothers.

I had four in my carrying case (The Inner Eye English Pale Ale; Grannie Vine and Shoemie IPAs; and Love Trip IIPA) when Paradise Lost turned everything I knew about beer on its head.

But while that beer was the highlight of the mini-tour through West Toronto, it wasn't the only winner. In fact, all 13 beers were excellent and even  better, all 13 were brand new experiences.

You don't get that on every beer adventure.

The West Coast Pilsner was the can't miss beer from Burdock (according to Luis) and it delivered on its promise, but their American Pale Ale was outstanding and a creamy pineapple love-in. Te (another dry-hopped Sour: go figure) was pretty good too. 

The winner from Halo was their New Wave IPA (citrusy-sweet with pineapple and dankness), with Zero Hour close behind.

Blood Brothers - a hipster hangout with fantastic beer

Both Grannie Vine and Shoemie IPAs from Blood Brothers ticked off all the boxes to be officially classified as 'yummy,' but it was that Paradise Lost that took top prize.

I managed to wait four days to enjoy the last bottle of this because I wanted to share it with Jessica, my boss at the bar and a hardcore lover of Sour beers.

It took a lot of will power to wait that long, but I did it.

I ended up sharing it with Jess and Shannon, whose tastes run to Wheat beers when she's not drinking wine.

They are also two of my most favourite people.

I don't know if they shared my 'Best Sour Beer Ever' vision, but the looks of pleasure in their eyes when they tried this was good enough for me.

Priceless, in fact.

Older is (sometimes) better, more #Beersaint love and the Stubby makes a triumphant return

When Darryl, the genteel, garrulous and generous proprietor of Buster Rhino's, offered me a couple of bottles from the back of the walk-in fridge that had outlived their expiry dates, I couldn't in good conscience say anything but yes please.

In the interest of science (and not wasting good beer) of course.

The first beer was Le Payson Saison Farmhouse Ale from Nickel Brook and the most remarkable thing about it was that it tasted much like a good Saison should taste. Banana, spices and lemon were prominent, and it was bubbly and hoppy and my new favourite Saison. The aging (and I wasn't able to determine how old it actually was) didn't seem to adversely affect the flavour.

The second bottle was a different story. Silversmith Dam Buster came advertised as a five per cent English Pale Ale (though the brewery bills it as a true Bitter) but tasted like no Bitter I've ever had.It had a slightly sweet aroma of aged fruit and tasted of toffee, raisins and licorice, and clearly the 19 months it spent aging had something to do with that. There were some fruity hops that were undoubtedly more prominent when it was bottled, but this beer tasted like it had spent that time in Sherry barrels and not in the back of a fridge. Quite complex (and even a little boozy) for a five per cent English Bitter.

Thanks to Radical Road's 8-Track IPA,
the stubby is back in a big way

And absolutely delicious. Thanks Darryl!

Another gift from the beer gods (or #Beersaint, in this case) was Double Clutch from Redline Brewhouse in Barrie. My only previous experience with Redline was a can of Clutch - the brewery's American Pale Ale -  and I was not overwhelmed, though I did enjoy it. But #Beersaint Brett, a Barrie boy, insisted Double Clutch was far superior, much like Twice as Mad Tom from Muskoka was so much better than Mad Tom.

And he just happened to have a can in his trunk for me to sample that night. #Beersaints are the best, aren't they?

Juicy mango and pineapple aroma. Pine stepped up next, with more tropical fruit and a bit of dankness. Nicely balanced and really good. Thanks man!

But April's best beer may have been 8-Track IPA from Toronto's Radical Road Brewery, and not only for the deliciousness of the beer.

The stubby is back!

The (awesome!) stubby bottle is out of fashion and the music format may be long gone but this ale proves that old school IPAs like this one - big piney hops and sweet caramel malts - are still very much in vogue. Especially when done right, and Radical Road gets this right on.

Cheers!

Brew Day with Manantler and the #Beersaints

I'd like to add "Brewer' to my resume; I really would. But that would be a big, fat lie.

But it was a whole lotta fun pretending to be one.

The last Saturday in April was spent in the company of Durham Region's legendary #Beersaints, as we invaded Manantler Brewery in Bowmanville to help Chris (the real Brewmaster) brew a beer.

A 4.5 per cent Coffee Oatmeal Ale (working title: Buzz Light Beer), to be precise.

The #Beersaints in beautiful black and white. That's our host Chris
(Manantler's Brewmaster) at the back. He's the guy with the antlers
sticking out of his head.

It was actually supposed to be a cream ale but Chris couldn't source the flaked corn, so after getting some feedback from the group the decision was made to brew the Coffee-infused Ale.

And I am confident Chris could not have brewed this beer without our help.

Who else could have mixed in 15 kilos of oatmeal to the malt AND tasted the malt to ensure it was a quality product?

(For the record, it tasted just like the Ovaltine my Mom used to make me as a kid.)

Who else could have given the hops the smell test and pronounced it hoptacular?

(Especially the Simcoe hops. Epically hoptacular.)

Who else would have kept a steady supply of black coffee between the tanks and the back room and never once complained?

Well, that was Dave, but he was a champion. And I think it was dry-hopped coffee.

That's Alex (nominated as Ontario's Sexiest
Cellarman) stirring the mash because we
shouldn't have to do all the work.

And who else could have sampled about a thousand beers from around this great province (they don't call them the #Beersaints for nothing) while all this brewing was going on?

I suppose Chris could have tried, but the beer might have been a 19 per cent Coffee Oatmeal Barley Wine when the day was done, and relative sobriety is an underrated skill set in the beer-making process.

Or so I've heard.

So our contributions were extremely valuable and I know Chris was thrilled to have us around that day. "Couldn't have done it without you," he said, and "If you're really a #Beersaint, why didn't you bring any beer?"

Because I'm only a part-time #Beersaint, I guess.

I'd been out just once with the group, and that was just one stop (5 Paddles) on a whirlwind tour of Durham Region's many breweries a few months ago, so I was honoured when Paul Thebeerguy, the unofficial leader of this rag-tag band of beer lovers, asked me to join them for the Manantler brewing day.

A small selection of the beer brought
by the #Beersaints for 'sampling'

The group included Paul, Jen, Robin, Joan, Toni, Dave, Rob, Brett and myself and we had a blast brewing this beer.

I've been to Manantler many, many times, but other than the time I shared a rare bottle of Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA with James and Trevor (both since departed), I had never been inside the brewery before.

It's a small space, but very cool.

"Our system is based on a big homebrew system," Chris explained. "We built it based on plans we found online. It's all stainless steel; just no bells and whistles."

The beer-making process was long, but there was always something to do (mostly by Chris or Alex, Manantler's Cellarman) or something to learn.

For example: Magnum hops smell like spaghetti and meatballs. At least they do to Chris.

"It's always something different with the Magnum hops, but it's definitely a Chef Boyardee thing with me."

All I could smell was the malts and that delicious Ovaltine aroma.

Chris on the hot seat with Rob for the
Durham Craft Beer Talk podcast

Sampling the beer brought to the party by these legendary #Beersaints was fun too, but I had to cut off the tasting after a while, what with work scheduled after the event.

(Which is where the gang all went after the event. So while they were all sitting down to delicious barbecue and craft beer goodness at Buster Rhino's, I was working during one of our busiest nights in weeks. I would drop by the table briefly and chat a few times but work kept pulling me back. Jealous much? Not me.)

 But I was able to whet my whistle a few times in the afternoon because brewing is thirsty work. There was Latent Content, a five per cent Coffee Oatmeal Stout from Rorschach (watch for these guys - great new brewery); and Double Jutsu, Roman Candle and Ghost Orchid (drool) from the famed Bellwoods Brewery.

Local brews included Mango Hopshake from 5 Paddles (a 7.3 per cent Milkshake IPA); a Blackberry Kettle Sour from Brock Street called Don't Know Don't Care and Peachy Princess from the same brewery; Ginger Haze from Falcon; and Falconer's Flight, a New England IPA from Manantler.

There was even some international representation, with a bottle of Orval, a genuine Abbey ale from Belgiun, on the table as well.

And that's just to name a few. It was difficult (but necessary) to resist drinking ALL THE BEERS.

The gang, once more. minus Paul, who snapped the pic

Besides the brewing and the drinking and the general #Beersaints camaraderie, there was also a live broadcast of some of the festivities, courtesy of Rob and his Durham Craft Beer Talk podcast. Rob interviewed most of us (I keep telling you, Jen: you're a star!) and other than sounding like my younger brother, I didn't sound lame.

Which is really my goal every day. You can hear it here: Durham Craft Beer Talk (Episode 4). I'm on from 25:54 to 30:42 but you're welcome to listen to the whole podcast. Minimal lameness. Lotsa fun.

Did I say the day was a lot of fun? I did. And it was.

Now all we have to do is wait for the beer to be ready.

#Beersaints, real saints and my best B.C. bud

When I sent my pal Trevor, now settled in Langley, B.C. and starved for Ontario craft beer, a shoe box of Octopus Wants to Fight IPA, he promised to send me some of Vancouver's finest craft ales in return, further promising that at least one would be 'Glenncore.'

There was more than one, I can tell you that. Most of 'em were stellar, with at least three already category front runners. That's pretty Glenncore (a term Trevor coined, meaning a beer I was guaranteed to love), if you ask me.

He cheated, though. Where I spared no expense on postage and fancy wrapping paper, he waited until his sainted mother Debra arrived from Bowmanville (to do his laundry and make him cookies, I'm sure) so he could send my care package home with her.

He more than made up for that breach in protocol by going overboard on my box of fun. Eight beers in total from four different Greater Vancouver breweries, with half coming from Trevor's Russell Brewing of Surrey, where he reprises the role he once had with Manantler Brewing as the World's Sexiest Cellarman.

First, though, I had to pick up my beer in suburban Bowmanville from Trevor's saintly mom, who lives precariously between Camp 30, the WWII POW camp, and Darlington Nuclear plant.

I can vouch that Debra is, indeed, a saint. She gave me beer.

B.C. beer from my B.C. bud

I chose Punch Bowl, a 6.5 per cent sweet-as-candy IPA from Russell that was brewed with Citra, Mosaic and Amarillo (three of my favourite hops), to start things off, mainly because it was the only beer I had heard of from Russell.

I knew they were two-time World Cup of Beer medalists, so they must have been doing something right.

Punch Bowl delivered, with tropical fruit, pine and rich malts , as well as that aforementioned sweetness.

I found that sweetness in the next IPA I tried as well. (Must be a B.C. thing.) Four Winds IPA was piney, with some citrus and earthy malts; a little bit of sweetness and dankness too.

The first (of two) cans of Hop Therapy, a 4.5 per cent India Session Ale that Trevor declared as Glenncore almost from his first day on the job, was up next and this beer delivered on everything he said.

There was a bit of that B.C. sweetness in the aroma but it all came together in a delicious way, with tropical fruit, honey and peach jam making this beer resiny, sticky and way more flavourful than 4.5 per cent alcohol beers should be.

Definitely Glenncore, and the early leader for my Session IPA-of-the-Year. An awesome beer.

The next beer out of the hat was White Rabbit (you see what I did there?), a hoppy Hefeweizen from Russell that immediately became my favourite Hefeweizen ever. Granted, it is a short list, but I have had a few good ones and this is the best of the best.

There was lemon and spices on the nose with a real hop-forward taste, with banana, more spices and a little citrus. Very nice.

Next up was Nocturnum, a Dark IPA from Strange Fellows Brewing (East Vancouver) that got knocked around on Rate Beer: a 55 overall score with just 21 points for 'style.' But Rate Beer reviewers can be a fickle lot and as Trevor is a big Black IPA fan I was hopeful this one would measure up.

No worries. It was as tasty as dark sunshine on a rainy west coast day, with mandarin orange, a bit of pine and toasty notes in the aroma. The dark side came out next with roasty goodness, a touch of chocolate and tropical fruit, with a dry finish.

Hop Therapy India Session Ale
from Russell Brewing.
Most definitely 'Glenncore.'

Sit and Stay, a 3.9 per cent India Session Belgian Ale - possibly my first stab at this style - followed Nocturnum, and this beer was, what's that fancy Rate Beer reviewing adjective? Oh yeah. Yummy.

It had a gorgeous burnt orange pour with a ton of bright citrus on the nose. More citrus and spices on the tongue. Delicious.

The next afternoon was all about the last can of Hop Therapy - most definitely Glenncore - before I enjoyed the last beer in the #beersaint stash: Wee Angry Scotch Ale from Russell.

Like White Rabbit, this beer is part of the brewery's small batch Brewmaster Series. My Scottish heritage notwithstanding, Scotch Ales are not normally in my wheelhouse, but this one went a long way to changing my perspective on the style.

There was an aroma of aged fruit and caramel malts and the ale was smooth and balanced, with a Stout-like finish.

My dearly departed and very saintly Nana would have approved.

Thank you Trevor. Let me know when your saintly mom visits you next. I'll hook you up.
\

Paul (who will always be) The Beerguy

My beer pal Paul did that #beersaint thing again, and all I had to give him in return was a bag of coffee I commandeered from my son's fridge.

I couldn't even buy him a beer at our meeting spot at Buster Rhino's as he was already perched on his bar stool, glass of beer in hand, when I arrived.

On time, I might add.

Paul had called me the day before, saying he wanted my opinion on a few microbrews he had picked up on his travels and could we hook up before work the next day?

Absolutely, said I, though there was nothing in my fridge he hadn't tried before that I could bring as a trade.


Ergo the coffee. How was I supposed to know he drink much coffee?

I sincerely hope his wife liked it.

So we enjoyed a half-pint of something tasty and he sent me on my way with three bombers of local craft goodness.  There was Anniversary #4, a Saison from the good folks at Left Field and Rorschach IPA from a brand new brewery in Toronto's east end - located only a few minutes from Left Field, in fact.

The third bottle was Fresh Roast Coffee Porter (five per cent ABV) from Falcon Brewery in neighbouring Ajax and as Brewmaster Dave is a regular at Buster's I figured I'd have a go at that one first.

Besides, I'd enjoyed it once before on tap at the bar, so it should be an easy review.

Coffee and roasted malt flavours but nothing overpowering. Smooth and very drinkable.

The Anniversary #4 was a nice treat, especially as I don't get a lot of Saisons in my glass most days.

Soft, tart citrus up front. The taste is crisp, with lemon and spices prominent. As tasty as a warm summer's eve spent on the back porch with family.

The final beer in Paul's #beersaint package turned out to be the best of the lot. Rorschach IPA made me see the psychiatrist's ink blot and think of nothing but deliciousness.

Fantastic aroma of tropical fruit and the tropical citrus theme continued in the taste, with a satisfying bitterness.

I am definitely going to have to make a pilgrimage to Toronto's east end. With a stop in Ajax on the way.

Thanks Paul!

Homebrew beauty (And Unicorns)

I stopped in at my friend Josh's place the other night after work to watch the end of the Leafs game. My son Matt was there too so bonus for me.

I have written of Josh before and craft beer's newest convert had a surprise waiting for me in the apartment he shares with his mother, Paula: Home brew.

Josh has been learning a few tricks of home brewing from his friends Linda and John and it was their February Sunshine English Pale Ale that I would be enjoying on this evening.

But first a Canuck Pale Ale from Great Lakes, the hockey game (which would end in a heart-breaking overtime loss for my beloved Toronto Maple Leafs), and a look-around of the apartment, which I couldn't help notice was covered with unicorns.

There were stuffed unicorns, unicorn figurines and pictures of unicorns on every wall. There were more unicorns than I wanted to count.

"Looks like your Mom likes unicorns," I say to Josh cleverly. "Dude," he replied, "you have no idea."

At that moment Paula - who I didn't know was home - comes 'hopping' into the room, riding a unicorn on a stick.

I think I'm getting it now, Josh.

After we all had a good giggle I got down to tasting Linda and John's homebrew, which was brewed on a sunny and warm (16 degrees!) day in February, hence the February Sunshine name.

Made from a recipe from my pal Matt at Brewer's Pantry and brewed with Linda's "special touch," February Sunshine delivered soft, fruity hops balanced with soft, bready malts and an almost buttery texture.

So very, very drinkable.

I hear there's an IPA and an APA coming. I also hear I've been promised a bottle or two.

My life just got a little bit better.

Cheers!

Remembering Budgie Bill

For the record - and I cannot stress this enough - I did not kill Bill.

I believe Bill's little heart just gave out, but at least she was comfortable and warm(ish) when she breathed her last. I'll take some comfort in that.

I didn't know Bill long, but she left quite an impression on me. This, then, is Bill's story, but it is also Rachel's story as well.

After all, if anybody killed Bill, it was her, seeing how poor Bill was being placed in a cage at Rachel's place when she expired.

Bill, not Rachel.

Anyway, as I would discover (via a Facebook thread) after I had already written much of this story, Bill left a much bigger impression on Rachel than she did on me.

But I saw her first.

We were doing some spring landscaping work near our Ajax shop when I spotted something unusual out of the corner of my eye. I looked up from my pruning and when the sound of my hedge trimmer ebbed to an echo I noticed two birds crawling up the wall of the nearby Value Village storefront.

Bill, enjoying a ride back
to the shop in her final hours

And one of them was green.

Wait, what? There are no green birds native to Ontario; at least not any as bright as this one. So I left my tool in the dirt and went in for a closer look.

It was a Budgie. A small tropical parrot native to Australia that is popular with bird owners (friendly, easy to care for and damn cute), most notably my sainted Nana, who had a Budgerigar named Jokie when I was a child.

Budgies are also quite talented as mimics, with one such bird, a fellow named Puck, holding the world record for the largest vocabulary of any bird at 1,728 words. With a name like Puck, I'm sure most of the words were R-rated, but I digress.

Being tropical and all, Bill was not equipped to survive near freezing temperatures - it was just plus-two on this morning - and wouldn't likely have lasted the afternoon.

She was staying close to the wall in an effort to stay out of the wind and I made one attempt to catch her without any idea what I was going to do if I was successful.

I had her in my hands briefly before the wee lass bit me on the finger. I decided I would try again before we left the site.

It was about an hour later when I did a final drive-by to assess how pretty our work was (so pretty) and to see how Bill was doing.

She clearly had had enough and had decided to pack it in. Goodbye, cruel world, she must have chirped before choosing to sit in the middle of the runway near the front doors of Value Village.

Rachel, my crew member and my pal, hopped out quicker than you could say crikey, mate and had Bill cradled in her hands before I could put the truck in park.

Rachel looking mysteriously guilty.
Did you kill Bill?

A bit of a Bird Whisperer, our Rachel.

So we wheeled around to the nearby Soft Moc shoe store to get a shoe box (with comfy stuffing) and headed back to the shop to clock out. I assumed Rachel's intent was to keep the bird, as she muttered something about her boyfriend not loving the idea, but as I would find out later via a Facebook thread she started, she had other, more altruistic plans.

But before she outlined her idea of finding Bill's rightful owner the tiny creature died in her box, whilst Rachel was preparing a cage for her.

Very sad, though that didn't stop her friends (okay, me, though I shamelessly stole the 'Kill Bill' meme from my pal Don, who misunderstood Rachel's post and thought I killed the bird) from having some fun on social media.

That's also when we discovered Bill was a girl, as we had been under the assumption Bill was a boy. Patriarchal, perhaps, but I went that route because I assumed the female House Sparrow climbing the wall with our Budgie was enamoured with Bill's resplendent plumage. More likely the sparrow was warning Bill to stay the hell away from her husband watching from a distance.

Anyway, one of Rachel's friends, a far greater bird expert than either of us, declared Bill to be female because of the colouration around her cere, the beak hole that surrounds her nostril. I will take your word on that, Lisa-Lee.

Wild Budgie eggs found in an
Ajax parking lot. Just kidding.
They're Mallard Duck eggs

Especially since your Mom's name is Billie.

Once we got the 'Kill Bill' theme out of our heads Rachel's friends were unanimous in their praise for her life-saving efforts, especially after she revealed her true intentions.

"My plan was to feed her and get her in some clean, warm bedding, and then post a picture on Facebook and ask people to share it so I could find the owner," she explained. "You know, take care of her until I figured out where her home was."

She even contacted Oshawa & Durham Region Lost Pets and the Bird Network - Ontario Lost and Found for assistance. They also commended her for trying to find the owner.

The thread briefly took a turn down a dark path when one of the posters said she had reason to believe Bill was released deliberately, though without further evidence we stuck with the open window escape theory.

In any event, Bill is dead. But thanks to my friend, her final moments were comfortable in the company of someone she appeared to have trusted.

So you didn't kill Bill, right Rachel?

"I hope not. I took her home and she just kinda fell over. I think the stress of being in the cold and then driving around in a truck and then my car and finally being put in a cage was too much for her."

R.I.P. Bill.

The return of the fighting Octopus 

(And the coming of the New England IPAs)

My Ego was reluctant to drop $100 on just 28 cans of beer, especially after my Super Ego cautioned his partner in the power trio that runs my brain. "Whoa dude. Are you sure about this?"

My Id, however, had the deciding vote and gave the purchase the green light, pointing out (rather snarkily) to his scaredy cat brothers that we would be buying some of the greatest beers ever produced in this fine province.

A case of 24 of Octopus Wants to Fight IPA ($78) from Great Lakes Brewery - only my reigning Beer of the Year - and a four-pack of Immodest ($22) from Nickel Brook - a world class Imperial IPA and long-time favourite - went home with me, despite all the arguing going on between my Freudian friends.

24 delicious Octopus
Wants to Fight IPA

What choice did they really have anyway? As I mentioned, Octopus Wants to Fight was my 2016 Beer of the Year, and this Mosaic-hopped IPA was my Mid-Summer Beer of the Year that year as well. I waxed poetic about it many other times, including its battle with Ballast Point's Sculpin IPA (Undersea IPA Challenge), which Octopus naturally won, and The Last of the Octopus, in which I naturally lost. Just to name a few.

I really liked this beer.

(I must admit that my first reference to Octopus wasn't about the beer at all. In an IPA Tales blog from 2014 - R.I.P. Paul the Octopus - I mourned the loss of El Pulpo, a real octopus and resident of Oberhausen, Germany, who correctly predicted the outcome of eight straight World Cup soccer matches in 2010 before expiring, shortly after Spain's historic win in the championship game. But I digress.)

In any event, I had to spring for the whole case anyway, because the return of Octopus is a big deal around these parts and despite what you may have heard, it's not always about me. When GLB posted about its annual release I  had to share it, and the response from friends near and far was the same: send us some.

Trevor. The World's Sexiest Cellarman

GLB gave the beer the full LCBO treatment (as well they should), so we here in rainy Southern Ontario had easy access to this 6.2 per cent ode to the hop. But my friend Trevor (The World's Sexiest Cellarman) had no such opportunity, as he had left his post at Manantler Brewery in Bowmanville to make a new start on Canada's Left Coast with Russell Brewing of Surrey, B.C.

(As he is doing much the same work for Russell as he performed for Manantler, I can only assume he has taken his honoured title with him, though I have not yet confirmed this fact.)

So "send me some" meant mail him some, while he worked on sending me a few of the Vancouver area's finest hop bombs. Intra-Provincial #beersaint duties, you could say, though I class it more on the humanitarian scale.

It took a day or two longer than I hoped to get Trevor's care package in the mail, which was partly due to general procrastination and partly to finding the right wrapping paper. I found wrap at a local convenience store that said "may your life together blossom with love" and thought it most appropriate.

But the important thing is the beer is on its way, leaving me time to start working on the rest of the 24. And I'm going to try to keep all of them to myself, though I will save a few for you if you want to pop over.

Immodest Imperial India Pale Ale
from Nickel Brook Brewery

And you should, because this beer is so good. The aroma didn't seem quite so pronounced as it did last year - maybe I've been spoiled by Bellwood's Ghost Orchid and all those fantastic smelling New England IPAs I've been enjoying this spring - but the taste was just as fantastic as I remembered. Mango, pineapple, juicy citrus and a delicious bitterness to excite the tongue.

You really should pop over.

But it's too late for the Immodest. I only bought four, and I saved them for evenings when my parental and motor vehicle responsibilities were satisfied, a smart move considering the 9.5 per cent alcohol in each glorious can.

Nickel Brook used an 'obscene' amount of Citra and Simcoe hops (their word, but I agree) to deliver the flavour in this beer. Aromas of grapefruit and pineapple give way to creamy pine notes and a solid caramel malt backbone on the way down. A truly extraordinary beer.

I need to get more.

I also vow to listen to my Id more often. He's way more fun than those other two guys.

Brewing murky IPA magic - New England and Milkshake style 

It looks like orange juice with extra pulp and tastes so juicy you want it every day for breakfast.

Vermont. Spritual home
of New England IPAs

Surprisingly, not everyone is a fan of New England-style, the newest rage in IPAs. Something about the cloudy, even murky unfiltered appearance turns them off, I guess.

That's crazy talk, if you ask me. I think New England IPAs are fantastic.

Besides the aforementioned appearance, the style is noted for its incredible juiciness and for being decidedly less bitter than their West Coast counterparts.

My first New England IPA (sometimes referred to as Vermont Style) was just eight months ago and I've only had four three since. Each one has been exceptional.

My first, Bronan IPA from High Road Brewing of Niagara-on-the-lake, was a revelation. Enjoyed last summer at Beer Bistro in downtown Toronto on the way to FanExpo, it was juicy and dank at the same time and piqued my desire for more of this style.

I found Aromatherapy (Beyond the Pale of Ottawa) in the fridge at Buster Rhino's a week or so later and discovered a beer that was juicy and piney with an amazing aroma.

Before the year was out I was drinking Juicin from Sawdust City, a beer that ticked off all the world class beer boxes for me and was even a finalist for IPA of the Year in my year-end column. 

Juicin from Sawdust City

It had a mind-blowing aroma of peach and tropical citrus and was all resin, orange and peach on the tongue. Juicy and very tasty.

I loved it, and so did the rest of the patrons at the bar. Darryl, the bright-eyed and brisket-loving boss at Buster Rhino's, stocked up on cases of the stuff and they were all consumed before the holidays were over. 

I didn't think that could be topped, but then I had Somewhere Down in Moxee from Great Lakes Brewery last month. Bold and beautiful with mango, tropical fruit and resiny citrus fairly bursting from the glass. Super delicious.

Naysayers be damned. Keep making more of this style.

If New England IPAs are the rage, Milkshake IPAs are the curiosity of the moment. They are, essentially, New England-style IPAs with the addition of lactose, giving the beer a creamy texture.

Both styles boast 'juicy' as a common descriptive and there is, in fact, some confusion in the craft beer world, with some sources lumping them all in one category.

(I checked with my local expert in all things beer, Matthew of Brewer Pantry fame, and he confirmed that lactose - and usually vanilla as well - sets Milkshake IPAs apart from their Vermont brethren.)

I've had two of the Milkshake varieties, though my first one was Boys to the Yard, which was Manantler Brewery turning an already unconventional style on its head. Just to add to the confusion.

This was a Banana Chocolate Milkshake IPA and possibly the world's first Milkshake Black IPA. Super tasty and very different.

Then Bellwoods entered the picture, and this was a game changer. Milkshark IPA was ostensibly a milkshake version of their popular Witchshark Imperial IPA, with lactose and vanilla added and the alcohol tweaked down to seven per cent.

Milkshark from Bellwoods.
A game-changing Milkshake IPA

This was seriously great breakfast food. Stick a straw in it, call it a pineapple smoothie and I wouldn't bat an eye. It tasted like creamy pineapple yogurt, with a sweet vanilla kick at the end. It's a dessert beer like no other, because it's also a juicy and tropical IPA. So good.

I want more of this beer too.

But back to the New England-style IPAs for a moment, as there was supposed to be a another example of this delicious style for me to enjoy. On a previous visit to Matt's sumptuous underground lair in Bowmanville (Dark Lord Night), I remember gazing longingly at the homebrew that was coming to life in his living room.

"That's a New England-style IPA," he said. "I'll try and save you some when it's ready."

Fast forward a couple of weeks and I get a message from Matt. "It's ready," he said. "I'll try and save you a bottle, as long as Jess doesn't drink it first."

I saw Jessica, Matt's better half and my boss at Buster Rhino's, a couple of days after this conversation and she assured me there was still some left. The next day, after I repeated my question, she told me the sad news.

It was all gone. And she said this without a single trace of guilt.

Good thing she is one of my favourite people in the world and super easy to forgive.

Cheers!