Category Archives: Beer Review

Crazy Canuck Pale Ale — Great Lakes Brewery

By chris | Published: June 14, 2013

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 beer like Canuck, I would be surprised if the recipe hadn’t gone through at least some tweaking, if not revision in the three years since I last reviewed it. Certianly, when I last reviewed it in 2010, it came in a glass bottle; now it comes in a tallboy can. Also worth mentioning, my skills as both a reviewer and writer have changed (I’d say…. [Read More]

Posted in Beer Review | Tagged great lakes brewery, hops, ontario, pale ale, top-pick | Leave a comment

Wizard Wolf Session Ale — Bellwoods Brewery

By chris | Published: June 5, 2013

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 Wolf we’re bottling right now?” was a resounding yes (in case you’re wondering, I also had a sip of their new smoked rhubarb Berliner weisse, and grabbed some bottles of the new batch of Omerta Pale Ale. All excellent). I’ve had Wizard Wolf in bottles and on draught, but I’m a sucker for super-fresh. Then I realized I still haven’t done a review on it…. [Read More]

Posted in Beer Review | Tagged bellwoods brewery, hops, ontario, pale ale, top-pick | 2 Responses

Fruit Stand Watermelon Wheat Ale — Kensington Brewing Co

By chris | Published: May 15, 2013

There are a lot of beers out there with fruit in them. To start with, the myriad lite lime type things that seem to have endless marketing budgets. There are also more than a few pleasing beers made in Canada with things like raspberries, apricots or blueberries in them. And, of course, there are the classic Lambics from Belgium, many of which have fruits added like raspberries, cherries, peaches or black currants. I have had more than a few of these varied beers, and have liked some, disliked others, and been madly in love with a few. But until Brock from Kensington Brewing Co told me about Fruit Stand last summer, I had not yet come across a beer made…. [Read More]

Posted in Beer Review | Tagged ale, fruit beer, kensington brewing co., ontario | 3 Responses

Maverick and Gose — Amsterdam Brewing Co and Great Lakes Brewery

By chris | Published: May 14, 2013

You might recall a few weeks back I wrote about how Maverick and Gose was about to become the first all-Ontario collaboration to hit the LCBO. Well, after the usual LCBO bureaucratic hiccup, it is rolling out! If you want me to save you some time, Gose is a style you can be forgiven for not knowing about. Considered the regional specialty of Leipzig, Germany (as a regional beer, it is allowable under the Reinheitsgebot even though it has spices and sometimes salt added to it), it is related to Berliner-Weisse, and is a sour spiced ale. Reading up on Gose is a bit tricky (indeed, there is no reference to it in the Oxford Companion to Beer), but it seems…. [Read More]

Posted in Beer Review | Tagged amsterdam brewing co., collaboration, gose, great lakes brewery, ontario, top-pick | 2 Responses

Rickard’s Shandy — Molson-Coors Canada

By chris | Published: May 14, 2013

Years ago, I was sitting at Castro’s, with a dear friend of mine named Christian. Christian is German. This is important to the story, trust me. At the time his English was fairly good, but occasionally, he would stumble to find a word or phrase. So when he ordered his beer, I assumed there was a problem going on with translation. In not so few words, he was asking for a half Hacker-Pschorr, half coke pint. This couldn’t be right, so the server and I tried to ascertain what he actually wanted. Surely he wanted a Hacker and a coke. Like, he was just really thirsty or something. But after some conversation he explained that, no, in fact drinking mixed…. [Read More]

Posted in Beer Review | Tagged molson-coors, rickard's, shandy | Leave a comment

Fracture Double IPA — Amsterdam Brewing Co.

By chris | Published: May 1, 2013

I love hops, and I hope you do too. In fact, I have three hop plants on order from Toronto Brewing as we speak. I also have a hop vine at my mother’s house. So, you would assume that I was a pretty big hop head. Give me the biggest, brashest, hoppiest thing you can find. No malts, they’re for the weak. Etc. But I’m not. Actually, I value balance and subtlety a lot more, as I spend more and more time drinking excellent beers. Anybody can make a basic beer and chuck a crate of hops in it, but crafting a balanced beer, even if it is hop-forward, is no small feat. Because of this, I tend to prefer…. [Read More]

Posted in Beer Review | Tagged ale, amsterdam brewing co., dipa, hops, iipa, ipa, ontario, top-pick | 3 Responses

Lady Stavoren Wheat Wine — Amsterdam Brewing Co.

By chris | Published: April 30, 2013

It’s always nice when I’m handed a beer, that is a style I’m not familiar with. I admit, it happens less these days then, say, three years ago. But when it does, it reminds me how awesome the beer world is. I felt this a while ago when Kody at Amsterdam grabbed me a bottle of one of Iain’s really small-batch creations, Lady Stavoren Wheat Wine. Quickly I reached for my Oxford Companion to Beer, and sure enough, there was an entry on it. Turns out a Wheat Wine is a modern variation on Barley Wine, seemingly created during the 1980s, but made with (generally) at least half the grain-bill being wheat. They are generally brighter and fruity, with less…. [Read More]

Posted in Beer Review | Tagged ale, amsterdam brewing co., barley wine, hops, ontario, top-pick, wheat wine | Leave a comment

6-4-3 Double IPA — Left Field Brewery

By chris | Published: April 29, 2013

Wow. Just Wow. How about Left Field Brewery? I don’t know if you remember when, a few weeks ago (March 4th, to be specific) I mentioned Left Field Brewery launching. I remember, because it was the single biggest day of traffic on my blog. Seriously. People were jazzed about the new baseball-themed beer. Obviously, I have something of an interest here. Mark and Mandy Murphy, the duo behind Left Field, are friends of mine, and Mark and I do our monthly home brew webcast, Brewmance. But my own interests didn’t prepare me for the onslaught of love and attention they were about to receive. Between savvy branding and excellent products, Mark and Mandy have seen their beers launch, been featured…. [Read More]

Posted in Beer Review | Tagged ale, dipa, hops, ipa, left field brewery, ontario | 3 Responses

Canny Man Wee Heavy — Radical Road Brewing Co.

By chris | Published: April 24, 2013

Last year, I walked into Black Oak Brewery in Etobicoke, and was greeted by a mountain of whiskey barrels. Seriously, like, 80, I think. I knew that many breweries were jumping onto the barrel-aging wagon, but this seemed like a bit much. So I asked Simon (Black Oak’s brewmaster) what the deal was. It turns out, this was the first big move for him and John Hodd, who also brews at Black Oak, to take a stab at contract brewing. Having an intimate knowledge of Black Oak’s system, they coordinated a deal with Ken, Black Oak’s owner, and made a plan. Contract brewers; their intentions are spend-thrifty, right? Well, not quite. You see, they decided to brew a Scottish Wee…. [Read More]

Posted in Beer Review | Tagged ontario, radical road brewing Co., scotch ale, wee heavy | 1 Response

Hopwired IPA — 8 Wired Brewery

By chris | Published: April 18, 2013

Did you ever read The Chrysalids in school? Remember Sealand, the awesome country where telepaths were normal and encouraged? Sealand was New Zealand. It survived the nuclear holocaust, basically because it’s such an awesome place. Even Wyndham knew that it was that awesome. Think about it: It’s Middle Earth; they have the All Blacks; Marlborough makes some of the nicest wines in the New World; they were the first country to elect a female Prime Minister; they have some of the most progressive conservation programs for their endangered wildlife; and of course, there’s Flight of the Conchords. Not only are they growing incredible grapes for wine, but New Zealand has become something of a rock star in the hop production…. [Read More]