Underdog's All or Nothing shows off on beer festival circuit

It was a long time coming in giving the Underdog its day.

Musketeer Don had tipped me off about Underdog Brewhouse in Oshawa months ago, and I soon paid a visit to their offices in an industrial park in the Motor City’s southwest corner. That’s when I met Jeff Doman, one-half of the brother team-up determined to bring the Better Beer Revolution to Oshawa.

The offices were beer-free, unfortunately, as the beer is brewed under contract at Railway City Brewery in St. Thomas. Something about a severe lack of tank space in Ontario, Jeff said. He also told me that he and his brother Eric were going to concentrate on just one style for the foreseeable future – the All or Nothing Hopfenweisse – and they were scouting out locations for their own brewery, with downtown Oshawa and 2015 as the target location and desired date.

Now it was just a question of finding the damn beer.

But, like with most good things, I had to wait and there were a few misses along the way before I got my hands on one of their beers, piquing my desire to drink it even more.

The first miss was on Underdog’s part, as the boys weren’t quite ready to bottle when Oshawa’s own Durham Craft Beer Festival came to town July 12. The next two misses were on me, as Underdog's hit the festival tour immediately after, debuting their beer at the Burlington Beer Festival and following that up with an appearance at the mammoth Toronto Festival of Beer on the last weekend of July.

Sadly I was not to able to attend either of those two events, being otherwise engaged with more mundane tasks like work. But my pal Don - damn his oily hide – was at both festivals and he brought Musketeer Cat to the Burlington party as well.

And I quickly got the word on Oshawa’s newest beer. “Outstanding,” Don said, followed by “a dynamite beer that Cat and I went back for twice” (“three times,” Cat later corrected him), and, “count the pair of us as fans.”

(The following weekend in Toronto Don made Underdog his first stop, where he was greeted by name by Eric Doman. “They remembered,” said Don, with a slight catch in his throat.)

In the meantime, I learned that Underdog’s had sold their first keg to an upscale pub in Brooklin called 1847 Wine and Beer Bistro. So I headed there the Saturday Don and Cat were in Burlington, hoping to beat them to the punch.

Which brings me to the third miss, that which I blame on the Bistro. They hadn’t tapped the keg yet. “We’re waiting for a line to come open,” said the bartender, seeing the look of disappointment on my face.

So I had to wait. Later that week I called the pub. “Not yet,” I was told. The following week I tried again. Same answer.

Every dog has its day. Especially an Underdog

Finally, on August 9 I heard through Underdog’s Facebook site that the beer was flowing in Brooklin, so off I went once again. With Jake staying in the car (hey – I offered to buy him ice cream!), I ordered a half pint of  All or Nothing from the same bartender, who remembered me and noted they opened the keg the week before and were already on their second round. “It’s been pretty popular,” he said.

Now if you’re reading this you know I love India Pale Ales – the ‘IPA Tales’ at the top of the blog should have given that away – but I’ve been developing a soft spot for wheat beers this summer. None of them wowed me, but many were good.

All or Nothing, however, made me sit up and take notice. The beer smells of spices and bubblegum – especially the spices. Coriander I think, which is interesting because I’m one of the few people who hate coriander (also known as cilantro) in cooking. It poured a hazy amber and I could pick up a touch of citrus bitterness on the finish.

A very nice brew and an excellent wheat beer.

All those spices made it seem very much like a Belgian Wit instead of the German Weisse that it is, and the American hops added to give it a bit of a kick (25 IBUs) really balance out this beer.

All or Nothing is really a Belgian, wearing German clothes and speaking with an American accent. And made right here in Ontario.

Count me as a fan as well.

*

My first visit to 1847 Wine and Beer Bistro was not totally in vain, as I sampled a beer from another newcomer to the Durham Region beer scene, Old Flame Brewery of Port Perry. Their Blonde (a Helles style traditional Munich lager) was crisp on the palate and quite smooth with a hint of some spices.

No kick to speak of, but still, a nice summer beer.

And speaking of wheat beers, I gave Side Launch a go last week. This Bavarian-style wheat from newcomer Side Launch Brewing was tangy with spices (cloves) that were muted at first before coming on strong at the finish. A strong banana taste as well.

Rate Beer scores it 98 (with a perfect 100 for style) and I’m not going to disagree much. A really good patio beer.

Rich, dark and complex - and tasty

Another new beer I tried recently is one that Don had raved incessantly about: Wellington Brewery’s Imperial Russian Stout. I am not a stout lover – not yet, anyway – but this beer may have me going over to the dark side.

I asked Don, who loves him some stout, if he could guarantee I would love this beer. His response? “I ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY GUARANTEE IT (Disclaimer: This is not a guarantee). So I guess I was on my own.

It was dark and scary looking with a thick creamy and mysterious-looking head, and I got the usual coffee and chocolate on the nose, as well as something else. Dark fruits, maybe plum, as well as some nuttiness and toasted malts on the tongue.

A real nice bitter finish as well. I may be a convert.

Cheers!