Beereviews

A bit of a mixed bag!  Oddly enough the stars of the show are variations of stouts or porters.  Flying Monkey's Chocolate Manifesto is lengths better and more complex than their previous chocolate beer BNL. Outstanding examples of a Sweet Stout and a Porter from Beau's and Founders respectably, and a delicious Black IPA from DDC (they have a hard time making bad beer there...).

Rochefort Trappistes 10
330 mL bottle. Pours a dark prune colour with an endless beige head of champagne like bubbles. Aromas of over ripe stone fruit, plum, date, dark brown sugar, bubble gum and spicy yeast phenols. Dry and boozy, with a spicy alcohol kick and a hint of hop bitterness and yeast tartness. Full bodied but light on the palate. Seems mildly disjointed; enjoyed the 8 a lot more. Grabbed another bottle to age.

Flying Monkey's The Chocolate Manifesto
750 mL bottle. Pours thick and black with a thick head of beige foam. Big chocolate on the nose; truffles and hot cocoa with bittersweet notes of tobacco and bourbon like alcohol. Balanced sweetness and a slightly roasted finish. Big chewy mouthfeel with moderate carbonation and a hint of boozy bite. Much better than expected, well done.

Great Lakes Brewing Pompous Ass
Cask. Light brown with a thin white cap. Earthy hop, bread, caramel and floral tea notes on the nose. Moderate body and carbonation. Light sweetness balanced by fair hopping. Sessionable.

Wellington Brewery Chocolate Milk Stout
Cask. Black with a thin tan head. Cocoa, bourbon, licorice and a touch of smoke. Light carbonation and moderate body. Sweetness just in check. Full mouth feel. Enjoy in moderation. One of Welly’s better brews.

Beau's Tom Green Beer
600 mL bottle. Pours black with a nice beige head. Nice aromas of chocolate, anise, coffee, lactose and a hint of herbal hop. Moderate sweetness kept in check with a touch of roast and hop. Moderate carbonation, full body, sits heavy on the palate. Enjoyed.

Founders Porter
355 mL bottle. Pours opaque black with a thick beige cap. Aromas of chocolate, breakfast blend coffee, vanilla, raw sugar and brown spice. Lightly sweet and mildly bitter. Coating mouth feel and lasting finish of cocoa. Moderate carbonation and above average body. Delicious.

Dieu du Ciel Penombre
341 mL bottle. Pours black with a hint of brown around the edges, a nice beige head of foam. Aromas of roasted malt, coffee, dried herbs and spicy hop. Very dry with a strong bitter finish. Lingers on the palate: sticky. A surprising amount of hop bitterness but little flavor or aroma. High carbonation. An interesting beer, not quite what I was expecting; more like an aggressively hopped porter than an IPA with dark malt character.

Founders Dirty Bastard
355 mL bottle. Pours dark mahogany with little to no head. Deep malt notes of amber caramel, raisin and dark honey. Smoky phenolics and heather herb like hop notes. Moderate sweetness offset by a bitter hop bite with a touch of roast. Full bodied with below average carbonation. Very much a love it or leave it style of beer for me.

Founders Backwoods Bastard
355 mL bottle. Pours dark mahogany with a khaki cap of head. Massive nose of bourbon, oak, vanilla, char, and deep caramel malt. Smoke and cherry cough drop like phenolics. Moderate sweetness offset by the heavy oak and a nice hop bite. Full bodied with average carbonation; warming alcohol. An absolute monster of a brew. Prefer this many times over the original.

Muskoka Detour
355 mL bottle. Pours golden straw with a white foam. Citra hop forward; notes of guava, mango and pinapple, caramel malt. Slightly sweet and fruity, only subtly bitter. Light bodied, average carbonation. Tasty and sessionable, no doubt, but feels a bit of a one trick pony.

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Biere de Garde Ambree

Originating from the farmhouses in the North of France (at the Belgian border), Biere de Garde is one of the very few authentic French styles of beer.  It was brewed in the cool winter or spring for the summer ahead.  It comes in a few different profiles; Blonde, Ambre and Brune (Blonde, Amber and Brown respectively).  The name originates from the brewing process: Biere de Garde translates to 'beer for keeping', a reference to the fact that the beer was cellared cold during and after the fermentation process.

There's no hiding the fact that I love Belgian style beers.  Despite it's origins, Biere de Garde shares a lot in common with its cross border cousins, the Belgian Saison and Belgian Pale Ales.  The cold storage process involved in brewing a true BdG seemed like a good step towards brewing a lager style beer as well.

I wanted to keep the beer authentic so I chose a mildly complex grain bill that would offer layered, bready, caramel notes and a touch of dry fruit.  I chose French hops and a yeast strain that purportedly was taken from popular producer Duyck (who produces several tasty variants of BdG under the name Jenlain).  I kept true to the process as well, fermenting at the bottom end of the yeasts comfort zone, and then lowering the temperature for a month of lagering before bottling.

'Farmium' Biere de Garde

OG: 1.064

FG: 1.013

ABV: 6.8%

IBU: 27

SRM: 12

VOL CO2: 3

Grain Bill:

7 lbs pilsner malt

3 lbs Vienna malt

1 lb biscuit malt

½ lb carapils malt

½ lb special b malt

Hop Bill:

2 oz strisselspalt (2.3% AA) @ FWH

2 oz strisselspalt (2.3% AA) @ 30 minutes

Yeast:

1 pkg white labs WLP072 French Ale

built to a cell count of ~314 billion

Other:

1 tsp wyeast yeast nutrient @ 10 minutes

1 tsp irish moss @ 10 minutes

Brew Notes:

mashed @ 148F for 90 minutes

Fermentation Notes:

Fermented @ 64F

10/10/13: SG of 1.013, allowed to warm to 68F

13/10/13: SG of 1.013, started gradually lowering temperature for lagering

17/10/13: reached lager temperature of 35F

Tasting Notes:

Pours a lightly hazed, medium amber color with a frothy head of eggshell colored foam.  Aromas of dark bread, medium caramel, raisin, earthy yeast funk and a hint of roast.  Mildly sweet, offset by woodsy hop bitterness.  Thick, coating mouth feel with moderate to high carbonation.

Really want to see how it progresses over the next six months or so.  If I ever get to rebrewing this I would probably cut down the special B to a few ounces, the roast character that it gives just feels out of place here.  More yeast character would be nice, perhaps a slight under pitch or the addition of brett would do this some justice.  Slightly higher carbonation and a drier finish couldn't hurt either.

Beer Ratings!

Merry Christmas everyone!  Here's a round of reviews for you, featuring a lot of beers from the new LCBO winter release.  Be sure to grab the Breakfast Stout from the Founder's feature, a top notch Imperial Stout intensely flavoured with two kinds of chocolate and coffee.  If you are feeling cold, don't be afraid of it's foreign language name, the Sigtuna Brygghus Midvinterblot (Sigtuna Brewhouse Mid Winter Only), is winter drinking in it's essence.  Balanced sweetness, full body and warming alcohol do not disappoint.

Amsterdam Wee Heavy Scotch Ale
500 mL bottle. Dark brown with a thin beige cap. The heather really comes through, some Demerara, a hint of smokiness and medicinal phenolics. Only mildly sweet. Full carbonation, moderate body. Not for me.

Beau's Rudolphus IV
600 mL bottle. Pours hazy golden with a thick white head of foam. Aromas of mango, papaya, melon, orange, biscuit like malt, pine and a hint of yeasty spice. Flavour offers a hint of sweetness followed by a massive bitter hop bite. Hugely carbonated and waxy/sticky on the palate. Long lingering aftertaste of hop goodness. Good stuff.

Garrison Imperial IPA
500 mL bottle. Pours hazy amber with a foamy white head of lace. Aromas of tangerine, honey, beeswax, pomelo and grapefruit. Moderately sweet on the palate, followed by a bracing hop bitterness that balances out quite nicely. Medium plus body with slightly below average carbonation. Leaves a lingering sticky feeling on the palate. Not as dry as many; well done.

Beau's Burnt Rock Vanilla Porter
600 mL bottle. Pours black with a nice cap of khaki head. Aromas of bittersweet chocolate, coffee, Dr. Pepper, vanilla and raisin. Moderate sweetness with very subtle hopping. Thin on the palate with below average carbonation. Reminds me too much of a soft drink, sorry.

Beau's Doc's Feet Dubbel
600 mL bottle. Pours a rich reddish brown with a soapy white head. Raisin, over ripe pear, spicy hop, subtle bubble gum and yeast here. Mildly sweet contrasted well by the hops. Moderate plus carbonation but feels very light. A tasty, if Americanized, example of the style.

Founder's Pale Ale
355 mL bottle. Pours bright gold with a foamy white head that dissipates. Bright citrus and floral notes, herbal hop spice, subtle malt. Dry and refreshing with a long bitter finish. Crisp and clean on the palate despite the hoppiness. Very clean and well made. Average body and carbonation. A nice session beer.

Founder's Breakfast Stout
355 mL bottle. Pours black on black with a thick brown head of foam. Aromas of dark chocolate, rich coffee, almond liquor, cinnamon, deeply roasted malt. Sweet but never cloying, well balanced with the bitterness of all the coffee, chocolate and hops. Massively structured and thick with oats on the palate, moderate carbonation and a long lingering finish. Dangerously good.

Panil Enhanced
750 mL bottle, gushed like mad. Pours a hazy golden orange with a thick white head that never ends. Nose is funky with brett, white peach, ripe pear, cut grass and chamomile. A surprising note of sweetness here, contrasted by the overwhelming carbonic acidity. Moderate body with huge carbonation. Somewhat creamy on the palate with a layered finish of brett character. Interesting stuff; imagine a lambic with no sour.

Sigtuna Brygghus Midvinterblot
330 mL bottle. Pours dense black with a thin beige head. Aromas of rich chocolate, Demerara, sweet roasted grain and a hint of smoky earth. Moderate plus sweetness, balanced with hop and a hint of booziness. Thick and coating on the palate, slightly warming. A delicious winter drink.

Lake of Bays Old North Mocha Porter
750 mL bottle. Pours deep, dark mahogany with a thin white cap. Aromas of cocoa, sweet grain and a hint of coffee. Slightly sweet balanced by a slight hint of roastiness. Thin on the body for what I expect in a porter. Moderate carbonation. Sessionable.

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