Toronto Beer Blog

Brewmance Episode 4: The Great Outdoors

chris — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:28:43 +0000

This month on Brewmance, Mark and I are joined by Aaron Spinney from Sawdust City Brewing Co. and we make a Belgian-style Golden Ale with Earl Grey Tea and mangoes! First outdoors brew of the year for me, too! It was a great day. Recipe to follow.

Brewmance Episode 4: The Great Outdoors is an article from Toronto Beer Blog - With your host, Chris Schryer a blog about all things beer in Toronto

Fruit Stand Watermelon Wheat Ale — Kensington Brewing Co

chris — Wed, 15 May 2013 00:58:19 +0000

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]

Fruit Stand Watermelon Wheat Ale — Kensington Brewing Co is an article from Toronto Beer Blog - With your host, Chris Schryer a blog about all things beer in Toronto

Maverick and Gose — Amsterdam Brewing Co and Great Lakes Brewery

chris — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:52:23 +0000

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]

Maverick and Gose — Amsterdam Brewing Co and Great Lakes Brewery is an article from Toronto Beer Blog - With your host, Chris Schryer a blog about all things beer in Toronto

Rickard’s Shandy — Molson-Coors Canada

chris — Tue, 14 May 2013 13:32:33 +0000

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]

Rickard’s Shandy — Molson-Coors Canada is an article from Toronto Beer Blog - With your host, Chris Schryer a blog about all things beer in Toronto

The Loose Moose, Toronto

chris — Wed, 08 May 2013 15:41:47 +0000

“The Mississippi Delta, is shining like a national guitar/ I am following the river down the highway through the cradle of the civil war…” Picture this: you were part of one of the most popular duos of your generation. Parting ways with your partner at the height of your popularity, you go on to be a massive solo act, but a decade later things have lost their shine. “Predictable”. You’re not really winning any new fans. So what do you do? Hopefully, you can pull off what Paul Simon did in 1986, when he released Graceland. One of the best albums of the 1980s it was simultaneously fresh and exciting, and familiar. Blending styles, partnering with other artists (and indeed.... [Read More]

The Loose Moose, Toronto is an article from Toronto Beer Blog - With your host, Chris Schryer a blog about all things beer in Toronto

Fracture Double IPA — Amsterdam Brewing Co.

chris — Wed, 01 May 2013 22:33:51 +0000

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]

Fracture Double IPA — Amsterdam Brewing Co. is an article from Toronto Beer Blog - With your host, Chris Schryer a blog about all things beer in Toronto

Lady Stavoren Wheat Wine — Amsterdam Brewing Co.

chris — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:18:09 +0000

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]

Lady Stavoren Wheat Wine — Amsterdam Brewing Co. is an article from Toronto Beer Blog - With your host, Chris Schryer a blog about all things beer in Toronto

6-4-3 Double IPA — Left Field Brewery

chris — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 20:25:55 +0000

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]

6-4-3 Double IPA — Left Field Brewery is an article from Toronto Beer Blog - With your host, Chris Schryer a blog about all things beer in Toronto

Maverick and Gose

chris — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:11:40 +0000

It’s official: the LCBO will see it’s first collaborative-brew from Ontario brewers (having had Brooklyn/Schneider’s Hopfenweisse), with the release of Amsterdam/Great Lakes Maverick and Gose. What’s extra crazy, is it’s a gose, that old-fashioned, slightly salty tart beer. A big day for GTA brewing! Look for it at LCBOs starting next week, $6.95/500ml bottle! It’s time to buzz the tower! MEDIA RELEASE Amsterdam Brewery and Great Lakes Brewery Collaboration a First in The LBCO (Toronto, ON, April 15, 2013) – The Amsterdam Brewery and Great Lakes Brewery, two of Toronto’s oldest independently owned and operated craft breweries, are set to release their award winning collaboration beer – “Maverick & Gose” in the LCBO later this month. Maverick & Gose is.... [Read More]

Maverick and Gose is an article from Toronto Beer Blog - With your host, Chris Schryer a blog about all things beer in Toronto

Canny Man Wee Heavy — Radical Road Brewing Co.

chris — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:03:48 +0000

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]

Canny Man Wee Heavy — Radical Road Brewing Co. is an article from Toronto Beer Blog - With your host, Chris Schryer a blog about all things beer in Toronto