Hops
Miami Weiss — Great Lakes Brewery, 2013
The nature of the growth of the brewing scene, means that new styles are created, and variations on styles become their own. This is why we now have pales ales, and American pale ales. Brewers play with things, blend …
Orange Peel Ale — Great Lakes Brewery
One of my earliest craft-beer memories from my journey into better beer, was seeing a tap handle that was an orange. I don't know why I was so enamoured by it, but I was. It was, of course, the tap handle for Great Lakes …
Crazy Canuck Pale Ale — Great Lakes Brewery
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 …
Wizard Wolf Session Ale — Bellwoods Brewery
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 …
Fracture Double IPA — Amsterdam Brewing Co.
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 …
Lady Stavoren Wheat Wine — Amsterdam Brewing Co.
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 …
6-4-3 Double IPA — Left Field Brewery
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 …
Hopwired IPA — 8 Wired Brewery
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 …
Omerta Blood Orange Pale Ale — Bellwoods Brewery
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 …
Roman Candle IPA — Bellwoods Brewery
I love a good fireworks display. When I was younger, it was all about lighting off the kind you buy at pop-up shops on the way to the cottage, firing them off over the lake on Victoria Day, Canada Day, and midnight on …
Market Pale Ale — Amsterdam Brewing Co.
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 …
Hops Series Cascade Hop Ale — Alexander Keith's
Well it's New Brew Tuesday (okay it was...), and I'm flying by the seat of my pants! As I type this, I'm actually at a launch party of Alexander Keith's new Hop Series Cascade Hop Ale at the Duke of Westminster. Now, …
VSPA — Cameron's Brewing Co.
Well, new year, right? I needed a big beer for the first New Brew Tuesday. Luckily, I took one such bottle to the cottage for New Year's, and remembered to photograph it and make notes and everything. I'm nothing if not …
Hops and Bolts IPL — Mad and Noisy Brewing (Creemore Springs)
Fact: there is a lot of blustering going on right now in the craft beer scene in Toronto, about what is, exactly, "craft beer". I won't enter that debate here (though I promise I will elsewhere soon). There are sort of …
Tempest Imperial Stout 2011/2012 — Amsterdam Brewing Co.
Today was Amsterdam day, in Amsterdam week. I was able to check out the space that the new brewpub will be in, visit the new brewery in Leaside and hang around with some of my favourite brewers. More on all that tomorrow …
Rye Pale Ale - Cameron's Brewing Company
So, if you're following along, you might already know this, but indulge me. Rye Pale Ales are kind of a big deal. Like, maybe not quite the Merlot of the 2012 beer world, but maybe. Time will tell. The good news is, I've …
10 Bitter Years XI - Black Oak Brewing Co.
Every year, in Munster Indiana, there is a migration of sorts. While it doesn't have the drama of David Attenborough narrating the migrations of the Serengeti, it may well be the largest migration of beer geeks in the …
Conductors Craft Ale - Junction Craft Brewing
If you've been following along with the beer scene in Toronto, you will know that there are a bunch of fairly new breweries popping up. Some are bricks and mortar (Bellwoods is now officially open!) and a few are …
Lake Effect IPA - Great Lakes Brewing Co.
So, I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it: Great Lakes Project X is an awesome event. And it happens every month, so I hardly have an excuse for missing it so damn much. If you're not familiar, Project X is run by …
St Ambroise India Pale Ale - McAuslan Brewing Inc
McAuslan is another one of those breweries, that if you read here enough, you know I've got a bit of a thing for. A big bit of a thing. Their Pale Ale is just amazing, their Oatmeal stout is one of my favourite stouts, …