February 7th

Ah, the Super Bowl. The one night a year I get to watch football without being harassed by Soph. And for the game that gets overhyped with American patriotism, it only seemed appropriate to drink Anchor Liberty Ale. A lightly malted ale with a respectable backbone of piney hops and mild bitterness, it is the sort of beer that goes well with pizza and all other foods usually reserved for watching sports. Tasty but not overwhelming; an all-around respectable American pale.

I followed that up with a couple of bottles of Mill Street Coffee Porter, just because. The beautiful thing about the Coffee Porter is that it tastes like the perfect mug of java: plenty of roasted flavours with some caramelized sweetness and just the right amount of bitterness in the finish. The carbonation seems a little too much, but that’s the only problem. Out of curiosity, has anyone tried this warmed up?

Anchor Liberty Ale on Ratebeer

Mill Street Coffee Porter on Ratebeer

Today: 1.08L. Year-to-date: 58.78L.

February 6th

A revisit to Duggan’s Brewery had to be postponed to Saturday after the late night Thursday left no desire to do it all again the next day. This time we sat in the pub area, which I didn’t know even existed. Definitely felt more low-key, but still classy. My first choice was the Duggan’s Brewery #6 ESB, which was disappointing. There wasn’t enough malt or bitterness to give it any sense of purpose, leaving it seeming like that teenager who hasn’t defined themselves yet. It was also watery and had an off-putting flavour that I couldn’t define.

Up next was the #7 Stout, which claimed to be a dry, Irish-style stout (i.e. in the style of Guinness). However, what showed up in my glass tasted more like a smoked beer than a stout. The taste was almost identical to Yves Veggie Ham, with some roasted barley notes in the background. It did have a wonderful creaminess that was very much of the style. We also shared a plate of the curry poutine, which was absolutely fabulous. The “gravy” was more of a spiced tomato puree, which worked well with the paneer-like texture of the curds.

If you’re a regular on the Bar Towel forums, you’ll know much has been made of their glassware. Basically, the glasses they use are smaller than normal pint glasses. The cost is less than most pints elsewhere (save for the half-glass of their tripel, which over five dollars), so it all works out in terms of money, but it just seems odd drinking out of a baby pint glass in a big, open brewpub. My assumption is that the oddly sized pints are meant to allow people trying a variety of beers without consuming as much, which would be an interesting strategy. I don’t really mind, except that it just looks strange.

If you’re heading down, Saturday night might not be the best time to go. With the brewpub closed on Sunday, they were out of both pilsners and the Asian lager was finished before we left. The #9 IPA is now also available in bottles ($8.75/4-pack). And yes, you do have to buy from a particular counter and leave out a certain door. Only in Ontario!

Duggan’s Brewery #6 ESB on Ratebeer

Duggan’s Brewery #7 Stout on Ratebeer

Today: 800mL. Year-to-date: 57.7L.

February 4th

Thursday was a friend’s birthday, so another Winterlicious dinner was followed by going out for drinks. The Dakota Tavern had an outrageous cover ($20 for Holly McNarland? Really?!), so we were left to search the Dundas and Ossington area for a bar. It didn’t take long, as a chalkboard sign advertising half-pints of Mill Street Betelgeuse drew us in from the cold. The bar was Opera Joe’s Public House, a dark but welcoming local with a strong cottage feel, right down to the various knick-knacks lining the walls. Lots of sports paraphernalia (especially Toronto FC), but with a feel of being put together by an actual fan rather than someone looking to operate a sports bar. The tap lineup was decent, even beyond the Betelgeuse: Creemore Lager, Steamwhistle and a slew of other Mill Street offerings (Cobblestone Stout, Tankhouse and maybe the Organic). The macro stuff seemed to take up most of the bottle fridge, but I did spot a Coffee Porter. The bartender was friendly and we were quite pleased with the service.

The Betelgeuse was available in half or full pints ($3.50 or $7, respectively). I knew ordering a half would only lead to another half, so I saved time just got the full. It came in the branded Mill Street shaker glass, the only thing to complain about (though not really surprising). The beer was served at a nice temperature, slightly warmer than Soph’s Tankhouse, which made up for the glass. It is a very clear blonde and came with only a small, creamy head. Aromas of honey and pear, which carried through to a very sweet taste. The finish was slightly bready with a smack of pepper, but not dry enough to balance the sugars. A decent beer, but it doesn’t compare to the really good tripels.

I couldn’t handle a second pint of that and really needed a Mill Street Tankhouse for the bitterness it provided. Definitely what my palate needed after too much sweetness, though the Tankhouse had a creamier mouthfeel than normal and this emphasized more of the caramel malts. Still a lovely beer and a steal at $5/pint.

Mill Street Betelgeuse on Ratebeer

Mill Street Tankhouse on Ratebeer

Today: 1L. Year-to-date: 56.9L.

February 3rd

My work schedule hasn’t been the greatest for the past two weeks and it’s not getting any better – lots of 9am-12:30pm and 5pm-8:30pm shifts, usually on the same day. One of the few nice things is that I can sometimes make my lunch at home and enjoy a Black Oak Nutcracker Porter at one in the afternoon. Once again, let me repeat how great this tastes: espresso, cinnamon, a nice bitterness to the finish combined with a great body. There’s only one bottle left and I’ll be sad when there’s no more Nutcracker in my house.

Today: 341mL. Year-to-date: 55.9L.

The five month mark of this blog was hit a couple of days ago, meaning that seven months remain in this year of beer adventure. Most of the seasonal releases are covered and it’s at least another month till the Spring beers start hitting the shelves, which means it’s time for me to take my Metropass and start heading straight to the micros and bars. The cellar list will probably also shrink during February, especially the Quebec beers.

And one last reminder in case you missed it: the Mill Street cask night is not starting tonight but will begin next Friday, the 12th. Soph and I have a trip to Mike Duggan’s planned – I need some of the #9 in bottles.

February 2nd

Perhaps the thing most mocked about the macro breweries by the beer geek is the use of the phrase “cold-tasting” in their advertising. Yes, LOL, cold is not a taste, but rather used as a way to dampen any tastes the beer may have. The colder it is, the less you get any of those disgusting traces of beer -it helps with the “drinkability,” or so says the big boys. But nothing says you have to drink beer cold and sometimes it’s fun to let it warm up to see what flavours are really lurking beneath.

Obviously Wellington Arkell Best Bitter is not macro lager, but I still wanted to run this experiment with it seeing as I didn’t think too highly of it before.  Unfortunately, it didn’t taste much better – lots of caramel malts and a good amount of orange, which didn’t really go together. A little metallic as well, making for a strange, unusual brew. Perhaps it was best left cold.

Wellington Arkell Best Bitter on Ratebeer

Today: 341mL. Year-to-date: 55.56L.

News & Brews

I’m still figuring out when I want to put up these news posts – I like Saturday, but Wednesday gives enough notice for those who are anal about planning their weekends (like me!). Either way, here’s the latest:

• Bar Volo is bringing in a good amount of beers from Stone Brewing this Sunday from 2-8pm. No idea on price, but don’t expect it to be cheap (though probably not Westvleteren expensive). The buzz is pretty high and the beers have a great reputation, so it will probably be worth it.
• Another one of my anal qualities is continuously checking the LCBO site when seasonal or special releases are about to hit the shelves. Luckily, drinkers in Ontario no longer have to worry about missing out on seasonal beers thanks to Drinkvine. The site allows you to track your favourite beers and receive notifications when seasonals arrive. And no, it’s not run by the LCBO, but by a member of Bar Towel.
• Great Lakes Brewery have a new beer in bottles. According to their blog, the Canuck Pale Ale is now available at their retail store and will be in LCBOs sometime next week.

EDIT: Mill Street won’t be tapping their first cask night this Friday after all. Look for it to start on February 12th @ 5pm.

January 31st

Sunday is not the normal night for fancy dinners, but it was the best night Soph and I had for our Winterlicious date at beerbistro. A three-course dinner for $25 left lots of wiggle room for trying various beers. We both opted for the butternut squash soup to start our meal, though I was having an Urthel Hop-it and Soph was drinking a Rodenbach Grand Cru (which has a disgusting aroma of malt vinegar). While the soup was more cheddar cheese than squash, the sweet hoppy finish of my beer did a nice job accenting the flavour. The beer itself was pale yellow and an odd mix of honey and hops – a balancing act between sweet and bitter. A little spicy and dry, but not quite as much as a tripel.

My main was veal cheek tikka masala, which was partially paired with the Urthel then a Brooklyn East India Pale Ale. The EIPA was more malt-forward than I’m used to in an IPA, with a strong toffee component. This overpowered the citrus on my palate, perhaps because of my main. The bitterness of the finish was pleasant, but lacked intensity. Not a great beer, but enjoyably quirky.

By this time, the amount of food and drink was catching up to me and I was too full to match anything to my bourbon brownie ice cream. The ice cream was delicious and extremely sweet, making their suggested pairing was Unibroue Ephemere Cassis somewhat puzzling. Personally, I wouldn’t want to match sugar with more sugar, but maybe it works better in real life than in my mind.

Overall, we were quite pleased with our meal and beers. One of the complaints about Winterlicious is that some restaurants skimp on portion size or service, but this was not the case at beerbistro. The staff were friendly and courteous, the meal was filling. Our only complaint would be that the crumble was served cold. Heat that stuff up and you’d have a perfect dinner.

Brooklyn East India Pale Ale on Ratebeer

Urthel Hop-it on Ratebeer

Today: 730mL. Year-to-date: 55.22L.

January 30th

The Victory is probably the closest thing I have to a local and I could do a lot worse. For a fifteen-minute walk, I can find an all-Ontario tap lineup with a guaranteed cask ale, plus some friendly service. My complaints about it are those of the nit-picky variety (taps could change with a bit more regularity, they don’t bring in heavy-duty beers). It can also be packed on a Saturday night, but when I’m just looking for a post-work pint while reading a book, it does quite superbly. On cask was Durham Triple X IPA, which arrived with a lovely, brittle head. Combined with a cloudy, hazy straw colour, this was definitely real beer. The fruit flavours were particularly evident, with lots of apricot and peach. The hop finish is definitely subdued, but refreshing. More of a softer IPA, especially compared to their Hop Head and Hop Addict. Still tasty, though!

A sign of a good beer is when you have a hard time not ordering it. Such is my current relationship with Mike Duggan’s #9 IPA. It just tastes better the more I drink it. Not exemplary but consistent, reliable and a fine beer from beginning to end. Can’t wait to have bottles of it sitting in my fridge.

Durham Triple X IPA on Ratebeer

Mike Duggan’s #9 IPA on Ratebeer

Today: 1L. Year-to-date: 54.49L.

News Roundup

Now that I’m all caught up in my drinking posts (thanks to four shifts in a row that ended at 8:30), here’s some news from around the interwebs:

• Great Canadian Pubs and Beer brings word of weekly Friday Night Cask Nights at the Mill Street Brewpub, starting this Friday with an extra dry hopped Scotch Ale (confirmed by Mill Street’s Twitter). No word on when it’ll be tapped, but Soph and I have Friday off and this is pencilled in. It’ll also give me a chance to try the seasonals I’ve been missing.
• Time is running out if you live in Ontario and want some Half Pints beers. HMH Negotiants have a private order going for the Little Scrapper IPA, Burly Wine and Stir Stick Stout. Haven’t tried ‘em myself, but I remember Nick Pashley having some nice things to say in Cheers! Order closes on Monday, February 1st. They’re also now representing Les Trois Mousquetaires in Ontario, so hopefully those will also be showing up for private order soon.
• If you’re looking to learn more about pale ales, check out the About Beer session with Adrian Popowycz of Black Oak happening at The Only Cafe on Sunday, February 7th. Tickets are $25, so get in touch with The Only if you’re interested. I’ve been meaning to head to one of these monthly sessions, but will be waiting for the Mike Duggan one in March.
• Finally, beerbistro is participating in this year’s Winterlicious. Soph and I have reservations for Sunday night, so look for a review next week!

January 27th

Note to all drinkers of the Westmalle Dubbel: don’t drink it straight out of the fridge. No matter how desperate/impatient you are, let that baby warm up or else you get a metallic and tart beer that is an improper tasting of a fine Trappist ale. After letting it warm to cellar temperature, you’ll find a beer full of dark fruits, candied sugar and some herbal notes. What amazes me about the Westmalle is how is manages such complex flavours while not overwhelming the palate. A fine example of the work done by Belgian monks.

Westmalle Dubbel on Ratebeer

Today: 330mL. Year-to-date: 53.49L.