Chris' Top Picks

Rebecca — Amsterdam Brewing Co.

Rebecca — Amsterdam Brewing Co.

Well, despite assertions from major beer-writers in Toronto (I’m looking at you, Ben), this is the perfect beer for Valentines Day. Even if it doesn’t hit shelves till tomorrow It’s at the retail stores now! Get it on your way home. Why? Well, for starters, this vDay is on Friday. This is Rebecca Black IPA […]

Barrel Aged Double Tempest — Amsterdam Brewing Co.

Barrel Aged Double Tempest — Amsterdam brewing Co.

You know those imperial stouts, that are like, double imperial stouts?……. So lots and lots of people really like Amsterdam’s tempest Imperial Stout.  Like, it’s pretty normal to hear descriptions like “Best Imperial Stout in Toronto.” etc.  It’s just really really good.  It was even better when they made it Full City Tempest and included […]

Bellwods 3 Minutes to Midnight vs Amsterdam Sour Cherry Imperial Stout

Despite to much evidence to the contrary, I love it when somebody proves me totally wrong.  Such was the case with this pairing.  I know Bellwoods’ 3 Minutes to Midnight well.  We got the first ever cask of it at Castro’s for our 50th anniversary celebration of the Cuban Missle Crisis.  I’m not sure if […]

Great Lakes Etobichoker vs Indie Alehouse Instigator IPA

Great Lakes Etobichoker vs Indie Alehouse Instigator IPA

Okay, I’m the first to admit it: today’s match-up is a totally uneven bout.  Indie Alehouse’s awesome Instigator IPA is a rock-solid American-style IPA, and a constant crowd-pleaser at the brewpub. Etobichoker is a new Tank Ten brew from Great Lakes, and is a Belgian double-IPA.  While they both share three initials, that’s probably where […]

Bellwoods Hellwoods vs Amsterdam Tempest

Bellwoods Hellwoods vs Amsterdam Tempest

Day two of the battle royale.  Today it’s a shaolin vs grasshopper kind of day, with Bellwoods Hellwoods Russian Imperial Stout matched against Amsterdam Tempest Imperial Stout.  You should probably know that both Luke and Mike of Bellwoods worked at Amsterdam before striking out on their own, and opening the immensely successful Bellwoods Brewery.  Luke, […]

Great Lakes Lake Effect vs Bellwoods Cat Lady

So here starts the head-to-head battles between beers.  Before I address the two contenders, let me make something clear:  The four breweries involved are absolutely top brewers in Toronto.  None of these matches are likely to be landslide victories.  In fact, I expect to have trouble picking winners.  Mike and the folks at Great Lakes […]

Nama Cho — Ontario Spring Water Sake Company

Wait a second, why are you reading a review about a rice wine on TorontoBeerBlog.com?  Right? I mean, come on, it’s WINE.  Well friend, let me take a moment to defend myself:  What is wine?  It’s a fermented drink made from the juice of a fruit.  Sound fair?  What is beer?  A fermented drink made […]

Barrel-aged Saison — Black Oak Brewery

Barrel-aged Saison — Black Oak Brewing Co.

One of my favourite perennial beers is Black Oak’s Summer Saison.  A wicked good saison, with lots of bright citrus notes and classic Belgian spices from the yeast, it’s a heck of a beer.  So I was obviously pretty excited when I was by the brewery and Erica told me she had some barrel-aged Saison […]

The Wayward Son — Radical Road Brewing Co.

There was a time when I would have said that this beer had one of the most attractive and interesting packages.  I mean, a real champagne bottle, very minimally labelled, in a beautiful stained-glass motif box?  Just lovely.  But that time is past.  You see, I have had bottles of Radical Road Canny Man.  That’s […]

Shawinigan Handshake — Le Trou du Diable

Shawinigan Handshake — Le Trou du Diable

Probably the best label in the beer world, Shawinigan Handshake pays homage to the choke-slamming PM from PQ.  The last in my mini-series on hopfenweisse beers, following Miami Weisse by Great Lakes and Hopfenweisse by Les Trois Mousquetaires, Shawinigan Handshake is a beer I’ve enjoyed numerous times, both on cask at Cask Days, as well […]