Here's a few more beer ratings. More great products from Bellwoods brewery, Brick Brewing's Waterloo Spring Tasting Pack, a St. Paddy's day Irish Red from Beaus, an American Strong Ale and a fantastic and interesting wood aged Sour Red from Panil in Italy.
Bellwoods Common
650 mL bottle. Pours a hazy cider color with a foamy white head. Aroma is lightly hoppy, biscuit and hay style malt. Light and quaffable, clean, only a slight bitter hop flavor left on the palate. Good carbonation. A flavorful session ale, would be great in the summer.
Bellwoods Hellwoods
650 mL bottle. Pours opaque, with a thin brown head. Aromas of dark chocolate, coffee, vanilla, wood, prune, fig and alcohol. Richly sweet and well hopped. A thick coating mouth feel, medium to full bodied with low to medium carbonation. A warming alcohol tinged finish. Needs some rich roasted meat to stand up to this.
Bellwoods Farmhouse Saison
750 mL bottle. Pours cloudy straw with a massive soapy white head. Aroma is sour and yeasty. Big spicy nose, citrusy esters, lemongrass and ginger. Mildly sweet and grassy with a creamy champagne like texture. A tasty typical saison.
Brick Waterloo Classic Pilsner
473 mL can. Pours a clear straw with a huge puffy white head. Clean, malty nose with cereal, lemon, honey and gentle hop aromas. Sweet but crisp with a touch of hop bitterness. A real quality pilsner.
Brick Waterloo Authentic Amber
473 mL can. Pours a medium amber with a moderate white head. Big butterscotchy nose with caramel, rye and a boozy bite. Sweet and medium full bodied with average carbonation and a creamy mouth feel. Delightfully malty.
Brick Waterloo Iron Horse Bock
473 mL can. Pours golden with a lacy white head. Aroma is a pleasent blend of malt and citrusy hop. Flavor unfortunately, is not what I have in mind for a bock beer. Slightly sweet with wet cardboard malt flavor. Medium bodied with average carbonation and a sticky unclean palate. Had high hopes for this one.
Beau's Strong Patrick Irish Red Ale
600 mL bottle. Pours a red copper with a soapy beige head. Aromas of malt, caramel, oak and estery hop. Medium bodied with high carbonation. Malt forward and rich.
Lakefront Bridge Burner Strong Ale
651 mL bottle. Pours a Dr. Pepper kind of color with a thick beige head. A great big American hop nose, pine, citrus, but nice caramel and biscuit notes as well. Good and malty, all kinds of brown butter, caramel and dark bread. Less hops in the mouth than on the nose. Tasty nonetheless.
Panil Barriquee Sour
750 mL bottle. Pours a dark mahogany with a thin white head. Aromas is sour and woody; yeast, sour cherry, vanilla, earth and clove. Palate is smooth and gently carbonated. Very complex. Different and tasty.
For anyone looking for above average everyday beers, the Waterloo Spring Tasting Pack offers great value. For someone who might want something different than usual, the Panil Barriquee will be unlike any beer you have ever had; but make sure you serve it cool, not cold, fridge temperature accentuates the sourness to a point where you can't enjoy the lovely malt profile and wood flavor.
We should be bottling batch one of our beer within the next week, and three weeks from now we should be able to drink it. Expect photo documentary part two!
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Grand Electric
When I told my girlfriend that I would be posting a review on Grand Electric, her response was "mmmmmm good call". Anything that receives her seal of approval carries a certain level of respect in my mind: happy wife, happy life.
The place is impossible to find unless you know what you are looking for. With the exception of a small logo on the door, it is totally unmarked. Once inside you will likely have to put your name on the waiting list, and walk across the street to any of the bars and sit down for a drink. Wait times are usually 30 minutes to an hour, depending on when you go. As for your choice of bar, The Rhino is less than one block east of here on the other side of the street. It sports an enormous beer list and at least 25 taps. Once someone calls you back you need to settle up your tab as soon as possible, and run back to the restaurant. (Not because you will lose your table, but because you are starving, and their food is so worth the run). You will be promptly seated. You will also promptly notice loud rap and R&B blaring in the background. Take a look at the west chalkboard for a beer and cocktail list, and the east one sports their bourbon selection, well over 30 bottles long.
Most importantly, stare lustfully at the back wall where you will find their menu posted. The left column features a rotating selection of both authentic and original tacos, the right a set of composed dishes and desserts. Ordering the guacamole is mandatory, it arrives with half foot of chicharon (think Mexican pork rind) jammed into it, a side of spicy pico de gallo and mountains of chips. Tacos I have witnessed there included sweetly spiced braised beef cheek, piquant and traditional pork tinga and chicken with arbol chile, super lightly battered Baja fish as well as creative options like crunchy cauliflower and scrapple. As for the other end of the menu, keep an eye out for their tuna ceviche, albacore gently cooked in lime juice and dressed with what seems to be a blend of mayonnaise and buttermilk. 'Dr. Octopus' was a tasty hit as well with shredded radish salad and a juicy grilled tentacle. Order the chorizo and brussels sprouts carefully, crispy and tender sprouts come well soaked in a puddle of delicious rendered chorizo fat and sausage bits: tasty, but painfully greasy. Desserts are all done in small mason jars, trifle style, and look tasty, but I have never had room for one.
The best part of all is the price, of the two times I have been there, dinner for 2 with drinks was $70 tip included, and dinner for 9 with a mix of cocktails and Mexican Cokes, a meagre $280.
Grand Electric
1330 Queen Street West
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Bellwoods Beers!
As promised, here are the beers I purchased from the bottle shop at Bellwoods Brewery. Enjoyed them all surely!
White Picket Fence
650 mL. Pours golden, a fluffy white head. Aromas of banana, toasting spice, cut grass and pear. Dry and easy drinking with medium carbonation and a good clean mouth feel. A quencher.
Lost River Baltic Porter
650 mL. Pours black with a thin coffee colored head. Aromas of deep roasted malt, prune, dark chocolate. Creamy mouthfeel with low to medium carbonation and a long finish. Sweet but cut well by the intense roasting.
Blitzen
750 mL. Pours a cloudy orange tinged iced tea, with a massive white head. Sour aroma, lots of spicy clove and ginger, mandarin orange, lime, yeast and biscuit. High carbonation and a smooth effervescent mouth feel. Complex and tasty, a great beer.
Witchshark Imperial IPA
650 mL. Pours a dark amber with a sudsy white head. Nose of pine, butterscotch, citrus peel. Hugely sweet, but well balanced by a great bitter hop bite. Full on the palate with a long complex finish, grapefruit, toffee and toasty malt. A big tasty beer.
Exprimidor
650 mL. Pours an hazy orange brown color with a thin white head. Aroma offers a typical APA nose, caramel malt, citrus peel and wax. Flavor is mildly sweet with a thick chewy mid palate that has a definite peanut note to it. Medium bodied with a well hopped finish and a lingering nuttiness. Tasty.
Grizzly Beer
650 mL. Pours a dark and murky coffee color with a thick white head, lots of lacing. Aroma is roasted with notes of cocoa, coffee and black malt, as well as lots of hop pine and citrus. Medium to full bodied with a coating mouth feel and good carbonation. Looking for steak and kidney pie here
Roman Candle IPA
650 mL. Pours a cloudy orange with a dense white head. Pine, honeycomb, yeast, wax, grapefruit. Highly carbonated with a sticky medium bodied mouth feel. Medium dry with a clean finish. A good flavorful IPA without being too aggressive.
Belgian IPA
650 mL. Copper with a thick white head, lots of lacing. Caramel, yeast and citrus, beeswax and pine, fruit esters, spice and cough syrup. Pleasantly clean mouth feel with high carbonation. Sweet but well balanced by both hops and yeast. Complex and tasty.
As usual:
http://www.ratebeer.com/user/169526/ratings/
White Picket Fence
650 mL. Pours golden, a fluffy white head. Aromas of banana, toasting spice, cut grass and pear. Dry and easy drinking with medium carbonation and a good clean mouth feel. A quencher.
Lost River Baltic Porter
650 mL. Pours black with a thin coffee colored head. Aromas of deep roasted malt, prune, dark chocolate. Creamy mouthfeel with low to medium carbonation and a long finish. Sweet but cut well by the intense roasting.
Blitzen
750 mL. Pours a cloudy orange tinged iced tea, with a massive white head. Sour aroma, lots of spicy clove and ginger, mandarin orange, lime, yeast and biscuit. High carbonation and a smooth effervescent mouth feel. Complex and tasty, a great beer.
Witchshark Imperial IPA
650 mL. Pours a dark amber with a sudsy white head. Nose of pine, butterscotch, citrus peel. Hugely sweet, but well balanced by a great bitter hop bite. Full on the palate with a long complex finish, grapefruit, toffee and toasty malt. A big tasty beer.
Exprimidor
650 mL. Pours an hazy orange brown color with a thin white head. Aroma offers a typical APA nose, caramel malt, citrus peel and wax. Flavor is mildly sweet with a thick chewy mid palate that has a definite peanut note to it. Medium bodied with a well hopped finish and a lingering nuttiness. Tasty.
Grizzly Beer
650 mL. Pours a dark and murky coffee color with a thick white head, lots of lacing. Aroma is roasted with notes of cocoa, coffee and black malt, as well as lots of hop pine and citrus. Medium to full bodied with a coating mouth feel and good carbonation. Looking for steak and kidney pie here
Roman Candle IPA
650 mL. Pours a cloudy orange with a dense white head. Pine, honeycomb, yeast, wax, grapefruit. Highly carbonated with a sticky medium bodied mouth feel. Medium dry with a clean finish. A good flavorful IPA without being too aggressive.
Belgian IPA
650 mL. Copper with a thick white head, lots of lacing. Caramel, yeast and citrus, beeswax and pine, fruit esters, spice and cough syrup. Pleasantly clean mouth feel with high carbonation. Sweet but well balanced by both hops and yeast. Complex and tasty.
As usual:
http://www.ratebeer.com/user/169526/ratings/
Sunday, March 3, 2013
How to Make Beer, Part One; a Photodocumentary (Como Hacer Cerveza, Primera Parte; un Photodocumental)
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| Get a bunch milled grains! Obtene un lote de grano molido! |
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| Put them to your brewpot! Ponerlos a tu olla! |
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| Get a friend to do the same! Pidale a un amigo que haga lo mismo! |
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| Close your pot and steep for an hour! Cerrar tu olla y dejar reposar durante una hora! |
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| Remove your grains and put them in the garbage! Quitar los granos y ponerlos a la basura! |
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| Add hops! Anadir lupulo! |
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| Boil and reduce! Hervir y reducir! |
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| Continue! Continuar! |
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| Cool and strain! Enfriar y colar! |
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| Add your yeast and ferment in a cool space! Anadir la levadura y fermentar a un lugar fresco! |
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Odds and Sods...
A few beers that got rated and lost in the pile. A Maple Blonde Ale that was very much not to my liking, a nice American version of a classic German Kristallweizen, and a pair of beers from Beau's, a coffee infused amber and a Kotbusser (a pale ale flavored with honey and molasses).
Lake of Bays Spring Maple Belgian Blonde Ale
750 mL. Pours orangey gold with a thin white head. Aroma is maple, honey and oversweetened cereal. Thick on the palate with medium carbonation. Too sweet and one dimensional.
Flying Monkeys Stereo Vision
355 mL. Pours a hazy amber with a fluffy white head. Wheat, citrus and a hint of hops on the nose. Dry and quaffable with floral notes, honey, biscuit, and lemon. Clean and sparkling. A quencher.
Beau's WinterBrewed
600 mL bottle. Pours a dark mahogany with a white head. Nose is all coffee, so is the flavor. Medium to high carbonation and a chalky mouth feel. Unique, but I'm not a fan of flavored beers.
Beau's Zins Jo Kokot! Kotbusser
600 mL bottle. Pours a hazy golden color with a firm white head. Aroma is honey, chamomile and golden syrup, light molasses. Apricot and apple. High carbonation with a creamy mouth feel. Very interesting, would be a lively match for cheesecake or a cheese plate.
As promised, Bellwoods beers will be up soon, there are a total of 8 and I still have two left to review.
On another note, tomorrow is day one of brewing. Tyler and I ventured out to Canadian Homebrew Supplies in Brampton and put together a package for starting all grain brewing. Our first batch will be based off a recipe in Brewing for Dummies, and is an American Pale Ale. The brew is supplemented with a little bit of wheat for roundness and hopped with Perle, Galena, Cascade and Columbus hops, and gently dry hopped with Columbus as well. Pictures and procedures will be posted soon thereafter!
Canadian Homebrew Supplies
homebrewsupplies.ca
10 Wilkinson Rd.
Brampton
As always more here:
http://www.ratebeer.com/user/169526/ratings/
Lake of Bays Spring Maple Belgian Blonde Ale
750 mL. Pours orangey gold with a thin white head. Aroma is maple, honey and oversweetened cereal. Thick on the palate with medium carbonation. Too sweet and one dimensional.
Flying Monkeys Stereo Vision
355 mL. Pours a hazy amber with a fluffy white head. Wheat, citrus and a hint of hops on the nose. Dry and quaffable with floral notes, honey, biscuit, and lemon. Clean and sparkling. A quencher.
Beau's WinterBrewed
600 mL bottle. Pours a dark mahogany with a white head. Nose is all coffee, so is the flavor. Medium to high carbonation and a chalky mouth feel. Unique, but I'm not a fan of flavored beers.
Beau's Zins Jo Kokot! Kotbusser
600 mL bottle. Pours a hazy golden color with a firm white head. Aroma is honey, chamomile and golden syrup, light molasses. Apricot and apple. High carbonation with a creamy mouth feel. Very interesting, would be a lively match for cheesecake or a cheese plate.
As promised, Bellwoods beers will be up soon, there are a total of 8 and I still have two left to review.
On another note, tomorrow is day one of brewing. Tyler and I ventured out to Canadian Homebrew Supplies in Brampton and put together a package for starting all grain brewing. Our first batch will be based off a recipe in Brewing for Dummies, and is an American Pale Ale. The brew is supplemented with a little bit of wheat for roundness and hopped with Perle, Galena, Cascade and Columbus hops, and gently dry hopped with Columbus as well. Pictures and procedures will be posted soon thereafter!
Canadian Homebrew Supplies
homebrewsupplies.ca
10 Wilkinson Rd.
Brampton
As always more here:
http://www.ratebeer.com/user/169526/ratings/
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