In the beer scene, beer names are often based off of puns, or pop culture references, or sometimes inside jokes. Sometimes, understanding the reference is like a rite of passage. Do you know who Johnny Simcoe is? Maybe. Do you know what river got lost near Bellwoods? If you’re a history buff, probably. But who […]
Eat fresh; eat local. Right? How about drinking a beer made with hops picked the day it was brewed? Amsterdam’s Autumn Hop Harvest Ale is exactly that, a “wet-hopped” pale ale. Wet-hopping is a term you may well have heard, if you’re a craft beer loyalist these days. And it’s a bit of a confusing […]
In the onslaught of all the new fall beers at the LCBO, it’s easy to overlook those classics that also come back every fall, like Muskoka’s lovely Harvest Ale. Believe it or not, this was Muskoka’s very first seasonal special offering, now joined by such illustrious beers as Winter Beard, Spring Oddity, and Summer Weisse. […]
I think this is a Toronto Beer Blog first: I’m re-reviewing a beer. And it’s much needed. The beer in this case, Canuck Pale Ale from Great Lakes, deserves it. For one thing, my old review is, well, not awesome. I have grown a lot in terms of both writing and tasting since then. Everything […]
Well here’s (I think) a TorontoBeerBlog.com first: I’m re-reviewing a beer. Actually it’s really not that big a deal, particularly when the beer in question is Crazy Canuck Pale Ale, and the people who make it is Great Lakes Brewery. I’m not suggesting that Great Lakes is inconsistent (far from it), but particularly with a […]
If you’ve ever asked me about beers and quality, one thing that I will often bang on about, is that fresh is best (at least in most cases). So when I dropped by Bellwoods Brewery this morning to chat about some summer stuff, my answer to Mike’s question “Do you want some of the Wizard […]
Fruit in beers, what can I say? They range from light lime lagers to the epic Cantillion Lambics, and lots of iterations in between. In some cases, the fruit is really the only thing you taste, in other cases it used to compliment characteristics of the beer. I used to say I didn’t really dig […]
Well, last month’s Brewmance wasn’t a home run, but this month, we’ve got Iain McOustra from Amsterdam Brewing Co. and a big old jug of Brettanomyces Bruxellensis. Indeed, we’re going with a 100% brett pale ale, and a huge shot of fruity hops to finish it. Full video below, and recipe (sort of) there after.
Single-hop (and indeed, single-hop/single-malt pale ales), are becoming a bit of a “thing” in the beer scene. Using careful hop additions to draw out the characteristics of the hops is something of an art form. It’s not easily done, and it’s even challenging choosing which hop to focus on, right down to which crop or […]
One of the best parts of spring returning, is the return of the dozens of farmer’s markets around Toronto. Nothing is better than wandering around, seeing neighbours, and meeting the people who grow your produce. I take my kids to St Lawrence Market most Saturday mornings, but through the summer month, I alternate weekly, and […]
