Brewery tours and family chores - the best tonic

There's nothing like a little brewery run to get a guy out of the doldrums.

I had been meaning for months to do a proper tour of the Junction neighbourhood of Toronto, home to perhaps the greatest concentration of breweries and brew pubs in Ontario. There are so many breweries here, in fact, that 13 of them banded together to try to get the City to declare the neighbourhood Toronto's official Brewery District.

They're still working on that.

The area in question extends beyond the Junction proper, from Rainhard Brewing in the Stockyard district (a Jose Bautista stone's throw from the Junction) south-east to the legendary Bellwoods Brewery, located in the Trinity-Bellwoods neighbourhood. It's about a 13 kilometre drive from one end to the other, with only a few detours along the route.

Hitting up all the breweries on the list would be an all-day affair and involve a hotel or an expensive cab ride, and with work waiting for me later in the afternoon time was my enemy and money and I are barely on speaking terms, so that 'proper tour' I mentioned earlier would have to wait.

So I visited just four, and only one was new. Oh well. The quest will continue next time.

But first on the agenda was an enjoyable morning spent doing a few chores at my parents' place in the suburban wilds of north-west Toronto. When I was a kid and slugging a thousand pound backpack (it seemed at the time) through the mosquito-infested cottage trail, I wouldn't have dreamed that 'enjoyable' and 'chores' would ever leave my lips.

But time does strange things to one's perspective and even though the 'rents are but a 40 minute car ride away from the Third Floor Loft in the 'Shwa, sometimes it seems they are so far away it hurts. So any time I can spend time with them I'm there, and if Dad wants his grass cut or his attic cleaned out his Number Two Son will make himself available.

Besides, it's really quite therapeutic.

So I was in a far better frame of mind when I decided to reward myself with a few brewery stops on the way home, starting with Rainhard Brewing.

Rainhard is hard to find as it's tucked away betwixt and between a cluster of abandoned factories in what was once Canada's largest abattoir. But I've been there many times and this time I found the place in full roar with people packed inside and out, and the lineups for beer ten strong. I guess I should have done my research but Jordan Rainhard was there in the flesh to enlighten me: it was the release of Hearts Collide Imperial Stout, his first barrel-aged beer.

Rainhard Brewing's tap list

I probably should have bought some, I suppose, but instead I grabbed a couple of bottles of Double Kapow, an 8.1 per cent, 95 IBU brand new Imperial IPA that is part of his Revolution Series. It's also the first new IIPA at Rainhard since Hop Cone Syndrome won silver at the 2016 Canadian Brewing Awards.

I sipped a half-pint of Armed 'N Citra, Rainhard's excellent pale ale, and crowd watched for a bit before heading out to stop #2: Indie Ale House.

This brewpub is only a few minutes away from Rainhard (after you fight your way through the construction) and is a long-time favourite of mine. But I was in a bit of a hurry, so I didn't linger long. I bought a couple of bottles of Instigator IPA ("crisp, dry, bitter and excellent"), re-checked my GPS co-ordinates and headed east towards a new brewery: Halo.

This start-up is already making headlines in the local beer world, winning 'Newcomer of the Year' at this year's Ontario Brewing Awards, an honour that belonged to Rainhard in 2015. Well deserved, too, though I wouldn't be able to confirm that until I took my Black Knight (Black IPA) and Magic Missile (Session IPA) bottles home.

I sampled a malt cider (!) called Elder God (made with Elderberry and Elder Flower) while I was inside and pronounced it ... interesting ... before getting back on the road for my final stop: Bellwoods Brewery.

A world class pale ale from
a world class brewery

One of Canada's truly world class breweries, this brew house is noted for producing unique beers and interesting takes on traditional styles. I sipped on a Roman Candle IPA at the bar while people-watching on Ossington Avenue before venturing into the adjoining bottle shop, where I lucked into a few beers I had never tried before.

A new IPA made with Enigma and Galaxy hops had just been released, so I bought two bottles, and I also went home with a bomber of Monogamy Chinook, part of their single hop pale ale series that are almost always excellent.

And then my phone rang. It was Heather at Tri-Modern Deliveries and she wanted to know when I could be ready for work. "Well, I'm almost downtown," I started to say before she interrupted. "Good. I need you at Mr. Burger right away."

"Downtown Toronto, Heather. Not Oshawa. I'll be a while."

She was slightly less than pleased and I wasn't thrilled either, because that meant I was at the end of the Junction Brewery Tour, October edition.

Will there be a November tour? Maybe. If the criteria is 'whenever I'm in a funk,' then I could do it nearly every day. Then again, I could just visit my Mom and Dad and do a little work around the house. That works just as well.

Cheers!

Beer O'Clock

With the exception of the Instigator IPAs from Indie Ale House, every beer I brought home from my visit to the Junction was a new experience for me. So let's get to them, shall we?

I went with the IPA with Enigma and Galaxy from Bellwoods first because I was fascinated by the idea of  an IPA tasting of basil and black tea. I have enjoyed basil in my beer (5 Paddles: Italian Backyard) and tea (Stone/Baird/Ishii: Japanese Green Tea IPA) so I had high hopes Bellwoods would pull it off.

I'm not that sure they did. It poured a murky yellow with a mango/pineapple aroma. Very interesting flavours. There was a hint of citrus and then BAM! there was this bitterness that was hard to describe. Black tea? Sure, why not. Overall, it was pretty tasty but definitely weird. This might be an accustomed taste.

Halo Brewery Black Knight (Black IPA)

The Monogamy Chinook was a solid winner, so Bellwoods didn't lose any brownie points with me as a result of this visit. This 6.4 per cent American Pale Ale was da bomb, as they say. The aroma was pine and ripe grapefruit with a touch of spice, with more of the same on the tongue, along with tropical fruit. Smooth and really drinkable.

Next up was Double Kapow from Rainhard, a "supercharged" version of Kapow, their excellent west coast IPA. The Double is a seriously powerful beer that drinks like a less imposing brew, not unlike Ronda Rousey after a few post-fight puffs. Citrus and pine on the nose with tropical fruit flavours, soft pine and a little weed gave it some complexity. Balanced and beautiful.

Last to leave my fridge were the two bottles from upstart Halo Brewery. Black Knight, which  just put out a  challenge to Manantler's Dark Prince for Black IPA of the Year, and Magic Missile, a mighty tasty Session IPA.

Black Knight was all coffee on the nose and toast, roasted coffee, a bit of licorice and some citrus on the tongue. Slick, not bitter.

Magic Missile was tropical goodness on the nose. Lighter in body than I expected but quite delicious. Citrusy and a bit dank with melon and some grassy notes. Not a lot of bitterness. Nice.

U.S. Trumped

As I write this the United States of America is waking up to the fact they have just elected  Donald Trump as their next President.

I am not terribly alarmed as what The Donald can get up to in the Oval Office. Presidential powers are usually overstated so I fear not of buttons and the pushing of same, and the thought of him shaming or embarrassing America over the next four years (pretty much a given, no?) doesn't bother me. I am, after all, Canadian. Trump is not my problem.

If I was American I would be more worried by the Republican majorities in both the House and the Senate, because there is a chance some good things - such as  health care reform - can be undone by a party anxious to push their weight around after eight years away.

But what  really scares me is this election may serve as a validation for all the racism, misogyny, homophobia and all-round hatred that had been released by Trump's supporters during this campaign. 

That's what is truly scary about a Trump Presidency. The wound goes deep and I don't know if American can heal itself.

I hope so.

Thank God I drink.

Beer Pressure

(and the last of the Octopus)

beer pres·sure

noun

1. influence from members of one's peer group to drink really awesome beer

I'm feeling some pretty strong beer pressure these days. I blame the brewers.

I'm sure the changing of the season has something to do with it, as brewers rush to get the last of the summer IPAs off the line before the dark beers of winter get their undivided attention I'm equally sure I am also to blame, as loose change previously spent on beer is now being funneled into other projects, like rent and stuff.

But I still blame the brewers.

And bartenders too, as it all started when Samantha at Buster Rhino's told me to finish up the keg of Swamp Juice from Great Lakes (GLB) because they had one small keg of Octopus Wants to Fight in the back: perhaps the last keg of this Beer-of-the-Year front runner left in the free world.

So, just to recap, the brewers and the bartenders are to blame.

While I'm doing my duty by drinking the Swamp Juice, I'm hearing that GLB is re-releasing Karma Citra and even though it will eventually trickle into the LCBO system (so they say), I have no choice but make a pilgrimage to Toronto's south-west corner and get some. Immediately, if not sooner.

I'm also responding to a message from Trevor, the World's Sexiest Cellarman, who told me Liquid Swords, Manantler Brewing's excellent IPA, is back at the brewery, along with "the best batch" of Dark Prince Black IPA they've ever produced.

Dude. You had me at 'Liquid.'

The lovely and talented Octopus
Wants to Fight IPA

There was more social media beer pressure. I'm on Facebook and Beer Bro Don and I are raving over a beer just released by Brock Street Brewing: Fox's Two Thumbs West Coast Unfiltered Triple Dry-Hopped IPA.

Yeah, that's a big step up from their usual Blondes, Browns and Reds.

I also had tentative plans to make a Toronto beer run, with the Junction neighbourhood on my radar. Rainhard Brewing, Indie Ale House and promising newcomer Halo Brewing make this the best four kilometre stretch of breweries (seven if you keep driving south-east to Bellwoods) in Ontario.

I don't know if I can handle all this pressure. I don't know if there's enough loose change in my couch either.

My priority, as it should be, was the Octopus and I returned, ever hopeful to see it on tap, to Buster Rhino's on the following Monday, only to find Big Rig Brewery's Alpha Bomb IPA where my Octopus was supposed to be.

Alpha Bomb is an excellent IPA; but it's no Octopus. Still, I had a made a sworn oath to do whatever I had to do to get Octopus back on tap, so I had to get back to work.

"A pint of Alpha Bomb, please."

I was back mid-week and and found the tap taken over by another interloper, this time No. 1 Pilsner from brand new Scarborough brewery Common Good.

I looked at Sam like, what the hell? and she threw her hands up in the air. "I had a plan," she said, looking skyward. "I really had a plan."

She assured me that the bar really, really, did have a keg of Octopus and it will be tapped really, really soon. Which was good to hear, because I was starting to seriously have some doubts. So I drank the No. 1 Pilsner and pronounced it a really, really good Pilsner. But it was no Octopus either.

The next day I received a message from Jessica, "I hear there's an Octopus who wants to fight you tomorrow," she said.

Finally.

With all this Beer Pressure, there had to be some sacrifices made. The Junction beer run, for example was postponed to a later date and that Two Thumbs (triple dry-hopped) IPA from Brock Street didn't last one day after its release.

(Don and I were still talking about it on social media, in fact, when Paul Thebeerguy jumped on the thread to tell us it was already sold out.)

I did make it to Manantler, but too late to find any Liquid Swords in the fridge. I did, however, enjoy it on tap and it was a glorious as always. The Dark Prince, which I got into that evening at home, was exactly as advertised ("the best batch ever"), with its fantastic aroma of chocolate pie, licorice nibs and ripe citrus.

Me: Is the Octopus on yet? Sam: No. But
let me distract you with this Pokemon Jynx

The GLB Karma Citra run was an unqualified success and I nursed those 12 beers most of the following week. I also ran into Troy, GLB's community, sales and social media star, at the brewery and he told me I was doing a great job with the blogs (aw...shucks!) and he assured me that despite everything I'd written about him, Brewmaster Mike Lackie still loved me.

"I'm pretty sure, anyway," Troy said.

But it was the last keg of Octopus that was my focus so I was at Buster Rhino's the next day after work and every day thereafter for a pint or sometimes two. I wouldn't even have to say a word when I walked in. Samantha or Jessica or whoever was behind the bar would just set me up with an Octopus Wants to Fight IPA.  And I would happily drink it.

It was actually a new bartender who served me first, though Jess and Sam were both there at the time when Kimmer - the history-making first-ever male front-of-the-house hire at Buster's - asked me what I wanted to drink.

"He'll have the Octopus," Jess told him, and Kimmer quickly figured out who I was. "You're the guy who keeps talking about this."

Yup. That's me.

The wait was worth it for the aroma alone. Just an incredible bouquet with this beer, with big helpings of  mango, pineapple and pine tickling the nostrils making it, to quote myself, "the best smelling beer ever."

And when I stopped in Saturday for lunch and the Octopus keg was empty I was only momentarily disappointed. It had its run (several, actually) and I had my share. I was satisfied.

Besides, there was a pretty good replacement on tap.

"Karma Citra, please."

.

*

1. 
   
2. .

Finding David (at last) and more U.S. beer

I was sitting at the bar at Rib-Eye Jack's in Burlington, enjoying free beer courtesy of my buddy Don, and thinking I should be somewhere else.

I was on my second pint - a sessionable Naughty Neighbour from nearby Nickel Brook Brewery - when it hit me: I was supposed to be at work in Oshawa. Right about...aah now.

Sorry Heather. I'm on my way.

It was the end of a border run and I was dropping off a care package of U.S. beer for Don. He was the one who suggested we meet at Rib Eye's and I didn't argue: I was thirsty and he was buying.

It was the second run in two weeks for me, which is more often than my bank account can take but necessary because the last trip was a bit of a disaster. Not so much for the beer - though I struck out on both brews on my wish list - but because the real reason for the trip was to visit my Father-in-law David, who has Stage 4 cancer and was recovering in a Hamilton hospital from recent surgery.

That 'visit' didn't go so well. I thought I was doing fine when I made it to the right hospital after a wrong turn or two and found a man I thought was David . Less so when I discovered the man I had just spent twenty minutes with was not the David I was looking for.

Embarrassing, yes, but just a day in the life for me.

Anyway, I had to make things right so another trip to the Hammer (and to the American border) was in order.

Premier Gourmet in Amherst, N.Y.

I got away earlier, which was handy because I had planned to head in the direction of Buffalo if my usual go-to store in Niagara Falls didn't have the beers on my list. No traffic issues or customs delays on this day either, and I made it to Consumer's Beverages (Niagara Falls,NY) in record time.

I found one of the Stone Brewing (Escondido, Cal.) beers on my list - the 20th Anniversary Citracado IIPA - but not the Unapologetic IPA re-release. So I filled up my basket with a few American beauties and pushed on to the Premier Gourmet store in suburban Amherst, just a stone's throw from the Buffalo city limits.

I think I've found my new go-to U.S. beer store.

Most of the store is devoted to fancy foodstuffs, but the beer aisles had plenty of IPAs and their friends to offer - all conveniently organized by state. The price was right as well: I had resisted buying the wonderful Stone Ruination 2.0 IIPA at Consumer's Beverages because the $19.99 US price for a six-pack was too rich. Here? $10.99.

So I filled up my basket (again) and headed back to Canadian soil with thoughts of my Father-in-law on my mind.

This time I found St. Joseph's Hospital in Hamilton and David's floor easy enough. But no David and the nurses didn't recognize his name. Sure. Give me a goddamn heart attack, why don't you.

Turned out he had been moved out of the recovery/intensive care ward and into a regular room just down the hall. And of course he wasn't in his room either, but no worries, I was told. He could be found in the TV room.

Damn, it was nice to finally see him. And David looked better than I thought he would. I was happy.

St. Joe's - My Father-in-law's home for just a little while longer

We ran into Lene in the hallway and I got taken up to speed on the condition and prognosis of David, her husband for more than 35 years. And then I told her about my visit a fortnight prior.

"I was almost sure I saw you here two weeks ago," Lene told me as we sat with David in his hospital room. "I remember the nurse saying he had a visitor and then no one showed up."

"Yeah, that was me," I admitted sheepishly as I showed her the blog I wrote (I'll be Back), which had all the details about me consoling the wrong man on my previous visit.

Ah well. I am here now, I thought. And that's the main thing.

With my work deadline looming I said my goodbyes and jumped back on the highway to deliver my care package to Don, with the now amended destination of Rib Eye Jack's in Burlington.

I don't even remember what was in his beer package, but I know there was a bomber of the Stone Citracado IIPA, a Stone RuinTen (Triple IPA) and a couple of bottles of the bargain-priced Ruination 2.0, which just happens to be Don's favourite U.S. brew.

It's no wonder we call Stone The Brewery That Can Do No Wrong.

I threw in one of each of my other smuggled goodies and we went inside to talk about them, as well as my visit with David. And to drink some beer, served to us by the lovely, talented and dynamic duo of Cara and Kylie.

But when I saw on my phone that it was already 4:30 and I had a long drive ahead of me I said my goodbyes and went on my way.

And wouldn't you know it? I hit major traffic jams and had to detour off the highway twice (okay, once was because I had to pee really bad) before I could finally make it to Oshawa and my delivery job.

I was nearly two hours late but I made it. And that's the main thing. Right Heather?

Beer O'Clock (U.S. standard time)

It was Beer O'Clock all week for me, what with an extra-large bounty of U.S. beers from two different beer stores.

I had so many beers, in fact, I had to share.

Beer Bro Don, as mentioned, received his care package, and I also found time to stop by Manantler Brewing and deliver a few bottles to Trevor (aka the World's Sexiest Cellarman). A die-hard Dogfish Head fan, I made sure he scored a nine per cent ABV 90 Minute IPA, as well as a bottle of Ballast Point's Habanero Sculpin (spicy!) and a Duet from Alpine Brewing.

I would have brought him a Grunion Pale Ale from Ballast Point, but by the time I saw Trevor I had already drank all the Grunions. They were that good.

Grapefruit and tropical fruit on the nose, with a little pine as well. Pungent. Taste is citrus and mango with some peach and earthy notes. More like a wonderful session IPA and right up there with Naughty Neighbour for my favourite Pale Ale of all time.

I want more.

The Mango Even Keel Session IPA was an eye opener as well. With mango added to the boil, this came with an incredibly strong mango aroma. Mango and her buddy pineapple dominate the taste buds, with a tropical fruit candy sweetness. It was like a sessionable dessert IPA!

The Habanero Sculpin was something different entirely. The beer smelled like peaches and tropical fruit but the taste is where this beer brings the heat. It’s like a craft beer Caesar! Some pine and citrus in the background but it’s mostly hot pepper and lots of it. A little too spicy for me.

The 90 Minute IPA from Dogfish Head was stellar, with dark fruit and pine, ripe orange and loads of sweet malts. Big malt bill with booze.

There was my first IPA from Oskar Blues (Longmount, Colorado) and it did not disappoint. Lemon zest and grapefruit with a hint of spruce. Very well balanced and beautifully bitter.

I have enjoyed Alesmith Brewery's IPA before but this was the first time drinking their delicious Double IPA. Pine and tropical fruit on the nose.Smooth on the tongue and resiny on the finish, with more pine, ripe citrus and a  solid caramel malt base.

The Duet (Alpine Brewing) tasted sweet, with grapefruit, caramel and pine. Dry finish.

Citracado, the 20th Anniversary Imperial IPA from Stone, was made with Citra hops (natch) and avacado flower honey and it was smooth as silk sweet and resiny, too. Beautifully done.

Cheers!

To David: I'll be back

I swear on everything that is wild and wonderful in this world, I thought he was my Father-in-law.

David has Stage 4 throat cancer and is recovering in a Hamilton hospital from recent surgery to remove all his talking bits. I had not seen him since his diagnosis and I really wanted to pay him a visit.

I miss him.

I've known him for more than 20 years and he is a fantastic human being, so when I did a border run for beer two weeks ago (it had been a while), I worked in a visit to the Hammer for the way back.

It seemed like it was going to be one of those days, however. I was late getting started and then I hit traffic on the highway, which was unusual for a Saturday morning and also a little annoying as I had time restraints: I had to be back in Oshawa by 4:30 for work.

I crossed the border without incident and then hit my next snag when I rolled into the Consumer's Beverages outlet on Niagara Falls Boulevard in Niagara Falls, New York. I had two beers on my need list and both of them were absent from the shelves.

Stone Brewing's Unapologetic IPA was a collaboration Imperial IPA that was one of my top beers of 2014 - my  first year in craft beer - and  had been tweaked and re-released August 22 in honour of the brewery's 20 years in business. It  had been out nearly two weeks but had not yet been shipped here, so I was told, anyway.

That sucks. At least they'll have Stone's Citracado, the official 20th Anniversary beer that I decided I must have. But not on this day.

Hell's Bells, man.

I bought some other goodies and headed back to the border, with my next stop Hamilton and my father-in-law's hospital bed.

Grandpa David and the J Man

Which is where my next problem reared its ugly head. I never asked Christian-Ann which hospital David was in because I just assumed Hamilton had only one. Turns out the city has several hospitals and the first one I found - Hamilton General - was not the hospital I was looking for.

I discovered that inside at the nurses station, so I called my ex-wife, who steered me towards  St. Joseph's Healthcare on the other side of the city.

At least it was on the way home.

Once inside St. Joe's I made it up to the fourth floor and David's department. I got buzzed in, but there were no nurses about to ask where I could find dear old David.

So I poked my head in the first room I saw. I found a man who I thought was David.

He looked like David - a lot - and he had tubes running out of his throat, as befitting a man who just endured a total larynngectomy. So I naturally thought he was David.

He looked like he had put on some weight but I attributed that to bloating.

I asked him how he was doing and he shrugged. I asked him if was getting any sleep and he shook his head no. I asked if he was in pain and he nodded yes and I actually considered alerting a nurse when I heard that. I asked him if Lene (David's wife) had been in today and he looked at me funny, and I remembered Christian-Ann telling me he suffered from periodic bouts of delirium, so I didn't give it much thought.

I didn't know what else to say so I put my hand on his shoulder and I stayed with him for ten minutes while making occasional small talk.

And then I said I would leave him to rest and made my way out of the hospital and back to my car.

It was an emotional experience.

On the way back to Oshawa I called Christian and told her about my visit and casually mentioned I thought her Dad had put on some weight. I nearly drove off the road when she said he had lost about 50 pounds.

Oh. My. God.

I told her where the gentleman's room was and she started to laugh, explaining that David's room was on the other side of the nurses station.

I felt terrible and more than a little embarrassed. I had come all that way to see my Father-in-law and I never got to see him.

"Look on the bright side," Christian said, doing her best to cheer me up. "You probably made an old man's day."

I hope so. You hang in there David: I'm coming back to see you tomorrow. For real.

The best part of border runs? Sharing the beer

I may not have found the beers I was seeking in suburban Niagara Falls, N.Y., but I still made out like a bandit with some quality IPAs.

The sheer number of different beers found at U.S. beer stores - especially my cherished IPAs and their friends - is incredible and with all due respect to the LCBO, The Beer Store and various and sundry grocery stores, there's no contest when it comes to selection.

So I found some winners. A six of Ballantine IPA; a six-pack of 60 Minute IPA from Dogfish Head; a six of Tangerine Soul Style IPA from Green Flash; a bomber of Hop Stoopid from Lagunitas (eight per cent ABV); a bottle of Mach 10 (an Imperial IPA from Bear Republic); and because I couldn't walk out of there without something from Stone, a couple of bottles of RuinTen, their excellent Triple IPA.

That would be Paul Thebeerguy, Trevor and me

I was planning on dropping off a care package to Beer Bro Don on the way through Burlington, but we couldn't hook up because, well, time was my enemy, as I mentioned earlier. Sorry Don. (As a consolation, I do have a bottle of Legends Imperial Stout with my face on it, saved just for you.)

So when I got back I messaged Trevor - Everyone's Favourite Cellerman - and told him I had a few 'extra' bottles from my trip and would he like some?

He said he would be at Manantler in 15 minutes.

Trevor is a massive fan of legendary Delaware brewery Dogfish Head - if he had his way he'd kick Brewmaster Sam Calagione into retirement and take over his job - so I made sure he had a 60 Minute IPA in his gift pack, along with a Ballantine and the Tangerine Soul Style.

I had forgotten how delicious 60 Minute (East Coast Style, baby!) could be. Bitter and resiny, with marmalade and tropical fruit and a bit of honey-like sweetness. I could drink this all day and so could Trevor, but he thought the Ballantine was pretty cool as well.

Turns out he has a pal named Ballantine who is actually a distant relative of the Newark, N.J family who founded the brewery (now owned by Belgium's Duvel) way back in 1840.

That IS pretty cool.

I called Paul Thebeerguy next and we met at Buster Rhino's for a trade. My extra (like there is such a thing) Ruin Ten, a 10.8 per cent mega hop monster from Stone Brewing (Escondido, California), for a couple of brews from Paul's recent trip to Ottawa Valley brewery Calabogie: Black Donald, a Stout, and K & P Ale, a British Session Ale.

I'd of done the deal as a gift, but who am I to say no to free beer?

But those beers were for later and we were in a craft beer bar, so naturally we had to raid the new beer fridge, where I found (staying on the Ottawa theme) Bravado, an American Pale Ale from Tooth and Nail Brewing ("sweet, with subtle hop flavours"); and Covered Bridge Brewing's The Lumbersexual, a 3.8 per cent ABV Session IPA that sports one of the best labels I've seen this year. It was also damn good, with a great bouquet of tropical fruit, citrus and pretty flowers.

Paul opted for the Sweetback's Milk Stout from Rainhard (a hard yes to this one) and Rabble Rouser, a 6.8 per cent piney IPA from Tooth & Nail.

Lots more great beers in that new beer fridge. The rest will be for another time.

The Calabogie beers were enjoyed at home and for the record, the Black Donald tasted of roast graham cracker and minty freshness and was unlike any Stout I have ever had. And still very tasty. But the real winner was K & P Ale, which was "smooth and nutty and just a little bit sweet," which also describes my former wives. The best (and only) British Session Ale of my life.

Remember Kindergarten? The teacher was right. Sharing is good.

Cheers!

We are Legends

"A lot of legends, a lot of people, have come before me. But this is my time." Usain Bolt

The Olympics are over, Bolt, so step aside. Now it's my turn.

I am a Legend. Says so right on this bottle.

And it's not just me: there are six of us who have their faces plastered all over four different labels of Manantler Brewing's newest brew, Legends Imperial Stout.

It was a wonderful gesture from the Bowmanville boys and I can tell you I'm over the moon with this. I've told every one I know about it and  I've even taken to telling total strangers. "Look at this man! My face is on a bottle of beer!" I shout, and they respond by saying things like "cool" and "awesome" and "excuse me, but this is the women's washroom, sir."

And I had no idea they were doing this.

Trevor messaged me Saturday morning and said I should pop in to the brewery sometime after four and said no more.

Real mysterious.

Yes indeed. That is my mug
on that bottle of beer

So I went at the appointed hour, where I found a half-dozen people milling about the cash register with bottles in their hands, and I craned my neck to see what was on the label. And a few craned back with looks that said, "there he is. It's that guy" or something.

And then Trevor brought me a sample (tasty), a handful of labels with my mug shot on them (wait, what?) and finally, a bottle.

I didn't know what to say. I even forgot to bro-hug him. 

As Trevor put it, it was the brewery's way of thanking the "regulars" who were "the real legends of Manantler."

By putting our faces on bottles of a nine per cent Imperial Stout.

The idea came from Trevor and brewmaster Jim, and they started with 25 people before narrowing it down to the final six.

And I made the cut? I asked. "You made the cut," Trevor answered.

I'll let Trevor explain the thought process behind the naming of the beer.

"This ... was inspired by the six - of many - Manantler regulars on the label who, in our eyes, are the real legends of Manantler. Without their relentless pursuit to quench their thirst with anything we make, we wouldn't be where we are."

I think there's something in my eye...

"Thanks for continually trying to empty our fridge, for bringing everyone you know to the brewery, for making awesome BBQ sauce with our suds, for mentioning us in (almost) every blog you write, for taking pictures we couldn't`t capture in a million years, but most of all, thanks for being our friends."

The Legends

"Cheers, this brew is for you!"

There's definitely something in my eye.

My fellow Legends include Amanda and Josh, a local couple who come into the brewery at least once a week. "They love our beer and they tell all their friends about it.," enthused Trevor. "And they make BBQ sauce out of our beer."

There is also Dave Hughes, a retiree who comes in almost every day. "He always has a big smile on his face - I mean, look at that face! - and he spends his entire pension on our beer. We think."

And there is Jeremy and Michael Clay. "Jeremy is a professional photographer and has done a lot of promotion for Manantler," Trevor noted. "Michael is a die-hard Root of All Evil fan."

(Jeremy is also a pretty good smack-talker. When I asked Trevor to make sure to save a few more of the bottles with my face on them - I bought just two - Jeremy was quick to point out that the "Jeremy Clay bottles" are in short supply, "due to sheer sexiness.").

For the record, Legends Imperial Stout was most excellent. Roasted coffee on the nose and coffee, bitter chocolate and a touch of licorice on the tongue. Smooth and rich and delicious.


And now if you'll excuse me, I have to go back to the brewery to buy five bottles for my mother.

Step aside Swamp Juice - Octopus is back!

"I have some good news," the lovely Samantha said to me at Buster Rhino's last week. "If you can finish this keg of Swamp Juice, there's something I know you like next in line."

"Octopus?" I said, a huge grin making its way across my face. "I thought that was done for the year."

"We have one left. A small keg. But you have to finish the Swamp Juice first."

No worries. Swamp Juice is a blend of IPAs and Pale Ales (generally) released on a semi-regular basis by Toronto's Great Lakes Brewery, a two-time Canadian Brewery of the Year and one of the world's finest producer of IPAs and their friends, in my legendary,  albeit humble, opinion.

Octopus Wants to Fight IPA

This batch, #28, is a mix of Octopus Wants to Fight IPA (my Mid-Summer Beer of the Year), Canuck Pale Ale and Sunnyside Session IPA and clocks in at 4.8 per cent ABV. It smells like Octopus (wonderful) and while lighter in body, it is heavy on taste and is delicious.

But I was going to need help to finish the 50 litre keg and I put out a distress call on Facebook, asking for volunteers.

The call did its job as Samantha said sales of Swamp Juice have been brisk. And I've done my part: I've been back three times since.

The keg appears to be almost done as it is getting cranky and prone to rude and obnoxious behaviour. I popped in today for a quick one and while Sam was filling my glass the tap gurgled and belched and kicked back a sudsy shower for her enjoyment.

I tried to suppress a laugh ( I did ask her if she was all right) and she announced that it was the third time that had happened today.

I think we're all ready for the next Great Lakes Brewery keg in line.

Cheers!

Good vibrations and The Hip too at the Clarington Beer Fest

It came in hot, with a blazing sun greeting the early patrons, and it went out wet and wild when a mini monsoon forced an slightly early end to the musical portion of the festivities.

But in that time between, the Clarington Craft Beer Fest, held August 20 behind Manantler Brewing in downtown Bowmanville, was all about the chill.

A few brewers (and radio personalities) certainly felt it when they hit the drink in the Dunk the Brewer event (always a big hit at beer fests), but that's not the kind of chill I'm talking about. There's a relaxed atmosphere - an aura, if you will - that is ever-present at Manantler Brewing (especially around brewers James and Chris and Everyone's Favourite Cellarman Trevor) and that mood just naturally became part of the beer fest.

But don't take it from me: listen to another brewer.

Sean, the founder of William Street Brewing in nearby Cobourg, has known the Manantler team for a few years and he raved about the atmosphere at the festival.

"These boys are great, they really are," he said. "There's such a wonderful, relaxed vibe here."

William Street was my second official stop on arrival, as Sean brought Wheat King IPA, which is a) an IPA and b) named after a Tragically Hip song, so it was  a no-brainer for me. Except when I joined the line everyone (okay, the trio of beautiful and clearly influential women standing in front of me) was going on about the Orange Cream Cycle beer and I got that instead, figuring I better snap this up before it was gone.

It's a beer fest. You gotta get your good thinking in early.

The Orange Cream Cycle was orangey, vanilla-y and tasty. Thank you, ladies.

But before that visit I was at the host's booth, manned at the time by both Chris and Trevor, to try Old Man's Paddle Pantry, a beer brewed for the festival with pals 5 Paddles and Old Flame breweries and Matthew Chellew of brewer's supply store Brewer's Pantry.

OMPP, a Belgian-style Spiced Table Beer, was dark and spicy and extremely sessionable at 3.8 per cent.

Trevor and Chris at the Manantler booth

There was an unofficial stop before the OMPP as well, as I came on the scene a little early and started the day downstairs in the tasting room with a Steady Horse, a Session IPA that I loved last year and had been tweaked a bit for this year's version with the addition of Eldorado hops.

I enjoyed my first Steady Horse - 2016 version - a couple of days prior, and got a free brewing lesson from Trevor at the same time.

"Most beers we don't brew that often are changed each time," he said. "They're ideas. We can't guarantee the same hops will be available and even if we could get them they don't always taste the same each time. The malt profile will usually stay the same but the flavour profile will change."\

For the record, Steady Horse (4.5 per cent), was just as juicy and delicious as always.

Back on ground level and the festival, I eventually returned to William Street for the Wheat King IPA, which tasted of citrus and cereal and tropical fruit, with a little hazy wheat flavour as well. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this beer go towards the Gord Downie Brain Cancer Research Fund, so drinking this beer was a win-win for me. Also, my crack research team (Google) discovered the song (🎵Wheat Kings and Pretty Things...🎵) was playing on the  radio when Sean proposed to his wife.

Awwww....

William Street's tribute
to the Tragically Hip

Sean also had an announcement to make as he was pouring this for me.

"This is my last beer fest. I'm retiring," he said solemnly.

He did later clarify his statement, noting that this was his last beer festival as a brewer. With a background in sales and marketing he decided it was time to hire a brewer to do most of the heavy lifting while he concentrated  on sales.

He will still brew from time to time though. (I asked.)

I hit up Beau's All Natural next where I found myself chatting with David about the family brewery's decision to sell shares to employees. Did you get in on this action, I asked?

"Oh yeah. I'm good for my retirement," he  said with a grin before adding he was part of the family. "My cousin is the boss."

I tried the Patersbier, a 4.7 per cent Belgian-style ale that is part of their Farmhouse Table series. It was decent, but I had my eye on another of the Van Cleek, Ontario (Ottawa area) brewery's Farm Table beers: the IPA.

This has become one of my go-to beers lately, partly because it is cheap ($4.55 for 600 ml at the LCBO) but mostly because it is damn good.

I'll get to it later, I  said to myself.

I paid a visit to Church Key Brewing as well. This Campbellford, Ontario brewery (#5 of 12 things to do in Campbellford - Trip Advisor) has been friends with Manantler since the beginning as it was there James and Chris brewed their now retired  Pursuit of Abbeyness beer while the Bowmanville facility was under construction.

The early crowd at the Clarington Beer Fest

I enjoyed Church Key's Pale Ale and pronounced it most excellent.

And then I was out. I had plans for later that afternoon and I also had to finalize my evening. I was coming back to the Beer Fest, which ran until 10, but I wasn't going to miss the final-ever Tragically Hip show, scheduled for 8:30 that night.

Similar thinking was going on in the minds of most Canadians, as the concert, live from the K-Rock Centre in the band's hometown of Kingston (less than two  hours east of us on Hwy 401) and live on the CBC for the rest of us, was simply the biggest thing going on in Canada on this day.

A strategy was therefore in order (though I was already breaking my rule about not doing any hard thinking after a beer fest had begun), but that would have to come later.

So I did a walkabout at the Clarington BluesBerry Festival - going on at a closed-off downtown Bowmanville a couple of blocks away the same time as the beer fest - with the highlights being a blueberry butter tart from KCC Catering (delicious) and an authentically cool jazz trio (Ray Charles, meet Joe Cocker) doing a soulful rendition of Sweet Georgia Brown.

After a stop at the Third Floor Loft in Oshawa to re-charge my batteries, I picked up my son Matt and we headed to his buddy (and new daddy) Tiy's place, where I chilled with his pals for a bit (having friends from childhood is cool, but when they're all awesome people to boot, that's priceless) before leaving them to their Hip viewing plans and returning to the beer fest.

Astronaut Beer from Manantler

I found the festival in full swing (I missed brewmaster Jim's turn in the dunk tank, damn the luck) and headed straight for Old Flame, the one brewery I missed earlier, for their Blonde, an easy-drinking Helles lager.

I paid a return visit to Manantler next, where I found festival organizer-extraordinaire Tasha gushing with delight over the turnout, and enjoyed a Roberta Blondar Blonde Ale, or Astronaut Beer, as I call it, as well as a wild boar slider or two from Three-Six Kitchen & Lounge.

I also spent some time chatting with Matthew and his trusted assistant Jess (who also moonlights as the bar manager for Buster Rhino's in downtown Oshawa) and the lovely and talented Ashley (a former Buster Rhino's bartender) at the Brewer's Pantry booth.

Matthew and I talked about our mutual love of the Hip and with showtime fast approaching by this point, I went inside and settled by the screen, watching the Olympic coverage and drinking another Steady Horse.

It turned out to be an excellent decision, as a few minutes later all hell broke loose outside and volunteers, musicians and roadies started coming in with equipment as the heavy rains hit the festival.

Huh. Maybe thinking after beer festivals have begun really is the way to go.

When the U.S. Women's 4x400-metre relay team took to the podium at 8:30 (Hip time!) and the last notes of the Star Spangled Banner drifted off into the ether, I thought that was the perfect segue to go live to the concert, that most Canadian of all things.

Alas, they were late and it was more Olympics for five minutes or so before I went back outside, figuring technical difficulties was going to delay my Hip experience. The scene at the fest was slightly chaotic, as the festival-goers were doing their best to escape the rains.

The beer was running out anyway, as I found out when I went back to the Beau's booth to find the Farmhouse IPA keg empty. "All gone. Sorry," was what I heard from David.

Damn.

So I went back downstairs to learn the Tragically Hip show was on after all, and I had missed the first two songs.

Double damn.

But as the melancholy refrain of Wheat Kings greeted my ears, all my worries faded away and I stayed in the bar for a few songs, enjoying At the Hundredth Meridian and In a World Possessed by the Human Mind before I made my way out.

It had been a fantastic beer fest and a wonderful day, but I decided the best place to see the rest of this show was from the comforts of home.

I'm hip to that.

The Hip and Gord Downie say farewell

Did I just hear that?

Did I just hear three, count 'em, three encores?

Gord Downie at the ACC August 10

I did hear three encores, and to quote the man himself, "I never heard that before." And as it was at the end of the final concert in the Tragically Hip's long and legendary and oh, so Canadian existence, it seemed somewhat appropriate.

The Hip embarked on a abbreviated Canadian tour this year to promote their very likely final album, Man Machine Poem, and to give fans one last opportunity to see them and front man Gord Downie, who had been diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer earlier this year.

It was the last show, held at the K-Rock Centre in Kingston, Ontario - the band's hometown - that attracted most of the attention, though the tour built momentum throughout its run, and it became something of a uniquely Canadian phenomena.

Nearly 12 million people - I am going out on a limb and say the vast majority were moose-kissing Canucks - watched or streamed that final show, with 27,000 viewing the concert on the big screen outside the venue in downtown Kingston.

That's a lot of love for Gord and the boys.

I've been a huge Hip fan for more than two decades but I've only seen the band three times. I had a chance to see them in Ottawa in their early days - '89 or '90 I think - but I foolishly passed on the opportunity. So it was in Barrie at the Live 8 concert in 2005 when I had my first live Hip experience (just a three song set, but it included New Orleans is Sinking: the greatest song in rock 'n roll), and I watched them in Oshawa at the GMC a few years ago.

So when tickets went on sale for this year's farewell tour I snapped up a single (after two days of trying - damn you, ticket scalpers!) for the first of the three shows at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

And on a Wednesday after work (officially declared Tragically Hip Day in the city) I headed into the Big Smoke to get my Hip on. I stopped at my folks' place first, and after crushing a couple of Coors Lights (oh yes I did!) with my childhood pal Gary in the old neighbourhood, I took the subway to the show.

(Riding the subway is dusty work, so I stopped downtown at Beer Bistro to sooth my parched throat with a couple of really tasty Bronan IPAs from Niagara-on-the-Lake's High Road Brewery. Because man cannot prepare for a Tragically Hip show on Coors Light alone.)

The atmosphere inside the ACC was electric and extremely emotional, with a demographic that skewed towards the under-30 crowd and was overwhelmingly white, with both observations quite surprising to me.

The opening number was The Luxury, an obscure song from 1991's Road Apples, but the shiny faces in the crowd got the rest of the body parts up immediately and by the time Little Bones (also from Road Apples) rocked through the speakers the crowd was in full voice.

And we never sat down for the rest of the night.

The Tragically Hip

I'm not going to review the entire show in this forum - that's been done a thousand times already by a thousand other people - so I'm just going to tell you that it was an experience I'll never forget. At times the crowd of 20,000-plus was singing louder than Downie, and there were tears streaming down over tears as fans contemplated seeing them for the last time.

By the time Poets came on -  the fifth song of a two-part encore - we were all drained.

Ten days later, after arriving home following the Clarington Beer Fest, my heart would be touched again as the band put the finishing touches on the tour on home ice in Kingston.

The Hip didn't play New Orleans is Sinking at the August 10 show I attended (they played it at the other two Toronto dates), but it made an appearance in Kingston, kicking off the first encore in style.

As I mentioned at the top, the band played three encores and Downie worked in a short speech on First Nations' living conditions with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the house. The band played 30 songs in total including nine - nine! - in the encore alone, finishing with the classic Ahead by a Century, from the 1996 release Trouble at the Henhouse.

I went to bed happy that night.

Cheers!






















.......

Mid-Summer Beer of the Year (2016)

As the weather warmed the number of absolutely stellar IPAs that have passed my lips in 2016 has been astounding; not surprising considering my love affair with the hops.

But while the diversity of the beers I enjoyed this year wasn't exceptional (I blame budget constraints) there was one non-traditional style (for me) that became a big favourite in my books: Stouts.

The volume of Stouts wasn't high - my usual buy was one bottle at a time - but the quality of this classic winter warmer was off the charts. While IPAs stole my heart long ago, it's the Stout category that gets the honour of kicking off my annual (and a few weeks late) Mid-Summer Beer of the Year blog.

There were five exceptional Imperial Stouts that grabbed my attention this year, including Stone Brewery's 20th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout (rich and ripe dark fruit, bitter chocolate, coffee with lashings of dark malts and molasses); The Imperial Bout from Great Lakes (looks like a chocolate milkshake, tastes bitter yet velvety smooth); Kentucky Bastard Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout from Nickel Brook (impressive beer with a bourbon-boozy finish);  Epicurean Coffee & Fig Oatmeal Stout from Epic Beer of New Zealand (smooth and rich and very good); and Imperium - also from Epic - which boasted a big taste of roasted malts and bitter chocolate.

The Imperial Bout from GLB

Throw in a bottle of Aphrodisiaque from Dieu du Ciel (black coffee, toasted malts and deliciousness at just 6.5 per cent) and I had a helluva Stout season.

The winner, after some arguing between some of my personalities, was The Imperial Bout (Great Lakes)

Another beer style I learnt to truly appreciate this year was the Pilsner. I scored the original - Pilsner Urquell - as well as a few twists on the original: Great Lake's Long Dong Pilsner (a long-time favourite and the defending champ in this category); Awakening from Epic; and Epiphany #2 from Black Oak.

The winner, and still champ, was Long Dong Pilsner (Great Lakes)

There were so many fantastic IPAs and IIPAs this year I decided to establish a  few separate categories, including the one-offs - the one-hit wonders that were especially good but hard to find in quantities. The fruit-infused IPAs got their own slot as well and I'm sure I'll come up with a few more as I write this.

In the One-Off IPA category there were five that were off the charts: Handshake, a collaboration celebrating the union of San Diego brewers Green Flash and Alpine that I called outstanding; Hop Hunter from Sierra Nevada; Armageddon from the great folk at Epic Brewing of Auckland, New Zealand; Moralite from Montreal's Dieu du Ciel; and Bellwoods' Roman Candle.

I chose Handshake, which was very citrusy-sweet on the nose with a spicy, deliciously bitter finish. An outstanding beer I will definitely look for this on my next border trip, assuming they still make it.

There were four IIPAs I considered in the One-Off IIPA class, including Rampant from New Belgium; NxS IPA, a collaborative effort from Sierra Nevada and Stone (aka the brewery that-can-do-no-wrong); Witchshark from Bellwoods; and Stone's Enjoy By 07-04-16. It was tough choosing between NxS and Witchshark - both world class doubles - but I decided on an old favourite for the win.

The winner: Witchshark

I found a couple of solid Fruit-Infused IPAs this year, including Disco Soleil (Kumquats) from Dieu du Ciel; and my winner, Hop Nosh Tangerine from Uinta (Salt Lake City), with, you guessed it, Tangerines.

I had a couple of world class Triple IPAs in 2016. Four Horsemen of the Hopocalypse - a collaboration between New Zealand brewers Epic, Hallertau, Liberty and Fork & Brewer; and Life Sentence, a Great Lakes/Amsterdam team effort that has been gone from this world since last winter. It was Life Sentence for the win.

I also cried tears of happiness over my annual tasting of Cockpuncher, an 11 per cent hop boss from Indie Ale House that is my winner in the Triple IPA disguised as a Double IPA category, and enjoyed my first Quadruple IPA, the rare and intimidating 120 Minute IPA (18 per cent) from Dogfish Head.

Beau's Farm Table IPA

Brew Dog of Scotland's Punk IPA repeated as Hybrid IPA champ, while my winner in the just created Best Bang for your Buck IPA is Farm Table IPA from Beau's, which is $4.55 for 600 ml of six per cent goodness and has become my go-to IPA lately. There was just one finalist and winner among Black IPAs: The Dark Prince from Manantler.

I can't forget the Belgian IPA category, which featured La Formidable (Beau's/Gigantic) and Catherine Wheel (Bellwoods) this year. Beau's wins again with the always reliable and usually available La Formidable. It's also a beer that sounds awesome when you say it in French: For-me-dab. Very sexy.

There were several Session IPAs that stood out this year. Daywalker from Rainhard was magnificent; Sunnyside from Great Lakes was  delicious, All Day IPA  from Founders (Grand Rapids, Michigan) was tasty as always and I happily welcomed back Steady Horse from Manantler just a few weeks ago. The winner was citrusy yet creamy and one of my favourite beers of the year: Daywalker.

A new category this year is Vermont-Style IPA and I found my champion on my way to the Tragically Hip concert earlier this month: Bronan from High Road Brewery of Toronto.

Because I cannot live on IPAs alone there were other category winners, including:

Old Ale -  The Observer (Epic)
Hopfenweisse - All or Nothing
Imperial ESB - Coast to Coasters (Flying Monkeys/Phillips/Garrison)
Brown Ale - No Agenda (Epic)
Soured Beer - Coriolis Effect (Sawdust City)
Saison - Takes Two to Mango (Indie Ale House)

There was also the India Pale Lager category ('cause why not) and we have a clear winner with Cameron's Brewing, who has created the outstanding 12 Mile India Pale Lager.

Two One-Off Solo Finalists that Knocked My Socks Off also shone this year, causing me to run out and buy more socks. There was 24 Carrot Golden Ale (Stone/Juli Goldenberg/Monkey Paw), a Stone-sponsored Imperial Golden Ale homebrew winner (tweaked a bit with the help of Stone and Monkey Paw) that tasted EXACTLY like carrot cake, icing and all. Fantastic and unique.


The second is a Kolsch - a 'Country Kolsch' from a Sarnia brewery that twisted the Kolsch rules (the yeast was added at warm temps rather than cold and there was a big addition of non-traditional hops) - that proved too much for the snooty raters on Rate Beer. They trashed it. I loved it. Tart and fruity and smooth, I did my best to bump up the score of Absent Landlord (Cowbell).

There were several top notch Belgian Ales/Pale Ales, including Neon Wasteland (Rainhard) and Legendary Muskoka Oddity (Sawdust City), as well as Continental Drift, an excellent Nickel Brook beer billed as a Belgian Pale Ale. My winner is Neon Wasteland.

Two Porters stood out as well: Smoked Porter (Stone) and Stranger Than Fiction from Collective Arts. It was Stone's Smoked Porter for the win.

Five American Pale Ales rose above the rest this year: Simcoe Lollihop and Mosiac Lollihop from Manantler; the always awesome Naughty Neighbour from Nickel Brook; Rhyme and Reason (an old favourite from Collective Arts); and Golden Beach Pale Ale from Sawdust City. The winner is last year's Beer of the Year: Naughty Neighbour.

And there be more IPAs...

I narrowed the Imperial IPA category to nine, which was difficult with so many magnificent doubles out there. I loved Hop Cone Syndrone from Rainhard; Seismic Narwhal from Manantler  was outstanding as ever; Twice As Mad Tom was just as delicious as always; Hop Zombie, which came all the way from New Zealand (it's a long and oft-told story), was spectacular; Twin Pines (Sawdust City) was brilliantly bitter; Robohop (Great Lakes) was a revelation; The Calling, a recent addition to the LCBO's repertoire from Boulevard Brewery of Kansas City was a wonderful surprise (thank you Duvel of Belgium for bumping up distribution); and Nickel Brook's Immodest was divine. As per usual.

The shocking winner (to me) was the beer with the almost unrivalled aroma: Robohop.

The 2016 Mid-Summer
Beer of the Year: Octopus
Wants to Fight (GLB)

There were even more finalists in the IPA category: 14, in fact. I threw Boots Electric and Liquid Swords (Manantler) in the mix, along with My Bitter Wife, Lake Effect, Karma Citra, Thrust! and Octopus Wants to Fight - all from Great Lakes. There was Instigator (Indie Ale House); Headstock (Nickel Brook); Ransack the Universe (Collective Arts); Sculpin (Ballast Point); Fat Tug (Driftwood); Kapow (Rainhard); and Smashbomb Atomic (Flying Monkeys) rounding out the list.

That's too many finalists, so I pared that list down to a more manageable five, with three coming from Great Lakes: Octopus Wants to Fight, Karma Citra and My Bitter Wife. Headstock and Fat Tug also made me deliciously happy this year.

Despite all this greatness, the decision was easy. Winner: Octopus Wants to Fight (Great Lakes).

I made a list of eight finalists (half came from Great Lakes Brewery) for my Mid-Summer Beer of the Year: Robohop, Naughty Neighbour, 24 Carrot Golden Ale, Daywalker, The Imperial Bout, Long Dong Pilsner, Octopus Wants to Fight and Headstock  - but there could be just one winner.

This beer smelled divine, with mango, pineapple and pine tickling the nostrils and plenty of juicy citrus and delicious bitterness to excite the tongue, and is one of the finest IPAs ever produced. The winner, in a landslide, is Octopus Wants to Fight from Great Lakes.

Cheers!