Pour chocolate into me and lick me clean …. Rating → 84 points Stats: Oatmeal Stout. 5.6% ABV. 30 IBUs. Ottawa, Ontario. Size: Half-growler Colour: Dark, dark brown — impenetrable Mouth Feel: Medium, very natural carbonation; light in the mouth, creamy in the middle, clean finish Purchased: From Brewery Price: $7 (plus $3 bottle deposit) Pairing Notes:…
“Winter Beard” (Double Chocolate Stout), Muskoka Brewery
If our current culture has hit ‘peak beard,’ then this is surely the crowning glory … at to that some ‘peak chocolate’ and you have sin in a glass. Rating → 95 points Stats: Chocolate Stout. 8.0% ABV, Bracebridge, Ontario. Size: 750mL Colour: Dark, nearly impervious deep brown with the slimmest of ‘red’ when backlit…
Outburst (Imperial IPA) Pyramid Breweries
Not all those with imperial blood get to be king … Rating: 85 points Stats: Double IPA. 8.5% ABV. Seattle, Washington. Size: 650 mL bottle Colour: Perfectly clear, warm amber Mouth Feel: Medium-low carbonation, creamy with a dry finish Purchased: LCBO Price: $4.95 Pairing Notes: n/a It seems only right that after my tepid review of an…
Diable au Corps (Imperial IPA) Les Brasseurs du Temps (BDT)
“The Devil in the Flesh” … or in these malted waters at least. Rating: 83 points Stats: Double IPA. 10% ABV. Gatineau, Quebec. Size: 750 mL bottle Colour: Unfiltered orange-blonde Mouth Feel: Medium carbonation, creamy and smooth finish. Purchased: Brouehaha Price: $10.25 Pairing Notes: n/a So to all the red-headed women out there, no, this bottle is…
Ale No. 2 ~ “La Vache Folle RyePA” (Rye IPA) Microbrasserie Charlevoix.
Second up in my “Ales Bells” series is a beer that takes a twist on the most popular style that has been sweeping this continent: the IPA, or India pale ale. The original IPAs were one of those intentional accidents that grew from innovation by necessity into something that has become anything but an accident. As…
“Burnt Rock” (Vanilla Porter) Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company
Hmm … Yes, hmm… Not exactly the way one starts a great tasting. It’s taking many sips to figure this beer out. I’ll grant you, I was confused out of the gate by the incongruence of this being a porter that only weighs in at 4.9%. While I did drink a lot of Porters while…
“Screamin’ Beaver” (Double IPA) Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company
It’s an airplane — let’s get that straight from the beginning. I have to say, Sceamin’ Beaver is a great name for a Canadian beer. In the true fashion of company that is proud of it’s roots but humble in its beginnings, Beau’s Brewery has taken de Havilland’s iconic Beaver aircraft and created a striking…
“La Vache Folle” (Imperial Milk Stout), Microbrasserie Charlevoix.
On Monday, and on what turned out to be a rather despicable day in terms of weather, it was appropriate that I decided to turn to the last winter beer I planned to review before next winter. It may not be entirely appropriate that I also decided to do a slow barbeque full for baby…
“Raccoon” (Imperial Black IPA), Microbrasserie Le Naufrageur
A cool, cloudy day with still lots of snow on the lawns seemed as good as any for a return to winter … and to Imperial Black IPAs. I grabbed this beautifully styled bottle Le Naufrageur’s Raccoon out of the fridge thinking at first this was an imperial stout. The capped popped, the smells immediately…
“La Marée Noire” (Black American Ale), Microbrasserie Saint-Arnould
Torrefaction: “the act or process of torrefying or the state of being torrefied.” Not so helpful … humph. God I hate such definitions. Let’s try that again …. Torrefying: “to subject (ores) to scorching heat so as to drive off volatile ingredients; to roast.” Ah … there’s the ticket. “Huh?” you ask. “I read it…