A Year Of Beer!

Weekly Pics – Un-Robbie Burns Edition

ayearofbeer — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:27:08 +0000

Apparently everyone is busy celebrating Robbie Burns Day with beer and haggis, while I have nothing thematically to go on. I don’t quite understand the fuss, except that it gives people the excuse to drink and eat. It seems likely that it will eventually morph into St. Patrick’s Day – Scottish Edition! (Or, How to Bring in Customers in Shitty Weather!) And do we really need another one of those?

Book Review: Brewed Awakening

ayearofbeer — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:45:54 +0000

My heart goes out to anyone trying to write a beer book these days. For starters, it seems that beer has been covered from every possible angle – history, styles, social aspects of – that it is nearly impossible to cover new ground and not tread over another book. The beer scene and culture is also changing at such a rapid pace that attempting to unearth the latest breweries will make you and your book seem outdated very rapidly. While I have admiration for Joshua Bernstein’s Brewed Awakening in its attempts to be different, the overall effect is a book that misses its mark.

Brewed Awakening is a book that is obviously aware of the problems in trying to be different from others on the market. It tries to be different by imagining the reader as a new beer geek, one that has a general idea of beer basics but hasn’t taken their obsession to the next level. At least I hope that is the group the author is targeting, because the first fifty pages largely focus on hoppy and sour beers, not exactly two types of beer that are usually recommended for the beer novice. The book then goes on a tour of recent brewing phenomena (nanobreweries, organic beers or one with locally sourced ingredients, the resurrection of cans), meandering through subjects that are interesting at times, but often tedious and not really necessary to the enjoyment of beer. It also prays to the evils of listing beers that fit within each category, which often have a limited range of availability even for someone living in the States.

The book may be a nice gateway for those who have discovered Stone or Dogfish Head and are looking to expand their knowledge, but most of the information in the book could easily be found online through forums or blogs (yes, this could hold true for many subjects, but the dominance of Ratebeer and Beer Advocate make it especially true for beer). Some sections, like beer and food pairings, take up space without really saying anything at all. Bernstein would have been much better off injecting the book with more personal flair and opinions, rather than name dropping breweries, bars and restaurants.

If you’re looking to kill some time in a book store before a movie or have a public library that owns a copy, the book is worth a quick flip through. There are much better books out on the market that provide much better information, even if they are not as current.

What I Drank Last Weekend: Publican House House Ale

ayearofbeer — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:30:10 +0000

The winter, though relatively mild so far in Toronto, has turned my fridge into a wasteland for low-to-moderate ABV beers. Most bottles read upwards of 7% alcohol (and one goes up to 18%), leaving me very few options for watching football all day and not have me be passed out in a bowl of chips by the end. Luckily a colleague from work is often in Peterborough and was kind enough to bring me a couple of cans from the Publican House brewery. The Publican House Square Nail Pale Ale should be familiar to anyone in Toronto that regularly visits barVolo or beerbistro – it’s a well made American pale ale that is a textbook example for how to balance malts and hops. But their House Ale was brand new to me and was perfect for an afternoon of sports, clocking in at a nice 4.8% ABV.

The problem with my choice was that the House Ale is a golden ale, a style not particularly suited to winter drinking. (Ed. note: The can says golden ale, their website says “German table beer,” which would make me think lager. Never a good sign when a brewery confuses ales and lagers.) It poured a pale straw colour and a good inch of fizzy white head, an impressive feat in a shaker pint glass. (A quick note on the glass: it was a wedding gift from my dear friend Maggie, who has converted me into a Packers fan, cheesehead and all. Sunday was a sad day and the photo brings back painful memories.) The aroma was heavy on cereal grains, but it also had a distinct element of starch, as if the beer was not fully fermented. The flavour could work for a lager or golden ale – wet grain, slightly grassy and a trace of bitterness in the finish. Very carbonated and thin, which is more akin to the lager side.

Not the greatest beer, but not the worst. A can of this would go a long way while watching a game of baseball, a harsh reminder that bigger beers are a natural fit in the season of ice and snow.

Recommended If You Like: Cheerios. Drinking while playing sports. Using the word “publican.” Slowly converting friends to craft beer.

Predictions for the Ontario Craft Beer Scene in 2012

ayearofbeer — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:31:22 +0000

After asking a number of brewers and industry folk about their predictions for 2012, it seemed only fair that I make some predictions myself. For the most part I’ve tried to stick to tangible predictions that can be empirically evaluated at the end of the year and not vague statements like, “Amsterdam will be the new Great Lakes.” (Though I think this will be true, there is no way to accurately judge this. Unless Iain McOustra grows a chin beard, a la Mike Lackey.) For the most part, I’m also making these predictions without any prior knowledge of plans that breweries have for 2012. (Rumours I’ve heard: a Great Lakes feature in the LCBO and that Nickel Brook is trying to get their Headstock IPA available in cans. The Charlevoix Lupulus will be a seasonal release. Amsterdam moving to bigger digs.)

Two Canadian breweries will be bought by larger companies. One of those breweries will be in Ontario
One Ontario brewery will shut its doors
Three American-style IPAs will be added to the LCBO general list this year
Two new imperial stouts from Ontario will see time on the LCBO shelves. (Hopefully one is the Amsterdam Tempest.)
Two Ontario breweries will bring out home delivery systems similar to the BYBO delivery that Beau’s now runs
Five new breweries will be announced in Ontario. (Indie Ale House, Hogtown, Bellwoods and other already planned breweries do not count.) They do not have to start making beer.
Black Oak will put at least one seasonal beer into the LCBO
There will be two beers from Ontario breweries in the LCBO that are barrel or oak aged
Two beers or breweries will be started by the macro breweries that attempt to masquerade as craft beer
Utopias will appear on actual LCBO shelves
I will move away from the Bellwoods brewery just as they are about to open their doors

That’s my list – mostly optimistic, often over-shooting expectations. I recently had a conversation about whether or not session beers will be making a comeback in Ontario, which I think is a couple of years away. We’re just starting to leave the age of the session beer and the British dominance over the craft beer market. Things are going to get a lot bigger, in terms of taste and ABV, before people start yearning for milds and bitters.

Weekly Pics for the New Year

ayearofbeer — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:49:41 +0000

The start to the New Year has been a little slow around these parts, but this week should see a couple of posts and hopefully getting back into the rhythm of writing and posting. Before the month is out I’ll run this years version of the Ontario Craft Beer Tiers, which will be a massive undertaking because of all the new breweries. I’m also curious what sort of beer coverage people would like to see – more reviews, videos, news, event recaps or anything else. Feel free to email any feedback to me at ayearofbeer.mike@gmail.com or leave a comment.

Year End Roundup – 2011

ayearofbeer — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:11:07 +0000

Progress is not linear. Some years there is rapid change and advancement, other years stagnate or there is attrition. This can be evident in the history of beer – North America was home to hundreds of breweries in the early 1900s, but most were eliminated in the mid-20th century by the beer giants that dominate the industry today. From a taste perspective, this was undoubtedly beer taking a step back, though perhaps you would see rapid advancement if you were in the business (The fact the Belgian wit style was almost completely lost is evidence to this fact.) But these Dark Ages are quickly being forgotten as we move into the Craft Beer Renaissance – where progress had once declined, or at least flat-lined, it is now booming with a tremendous increase in innovation. [Note to self: write posts about a) the link between craft beer and European history, and b) a sa-beer-metric post about beer innovation. Also, start using footnotes.]

The quality of Ontario’s craft beer scene has long trailed that of the United States – this has long been documented in books, blogs, forums, scrolls and illuminated manuscripts. And while 2010 started to show major signs of progress in this regard, 2011 might become the true turning point in our beer history. Here are some of the reasons:

The Discovery of (India) Pale Ales

Many people, from those in the industry to your average craft beer drinker, thought that the first brewery to come out with a really good IPA would quickly have overflowing coffers. Well, a number of breweries came out with a number of great pale ales at the same time and none are going anywhere. The first to hit shelves was the Muskoka Mad Tom, which I would bet has had a better six months than any other beer in the history of the brewery. The Flying Monkeys Smash Bomb would have been first if not for a little government run-in – unfortunately the market was almost saturated by the time it did hit stores. The wonderful Great Lakes Crazy Canuck was an American pale ale, but probably my favourite Ontario beer this summer. ($2.50 for a 473mL can made it easy to buy a lot.) Spearhead’s Hawaiian Style Pale Ale came out in June and was another strong entrant. Then the LCBO decided to send a gift from BC in the form of the Central City Red Racer IPA. (Whether it was a gift for beer drinkers or the LCBO is a toss-up – they ended up selling thousands of cans in no time at all.)

In short, 2011 was the year that IPAs became popular in a big way. And that’s just a small sampling, as there were too many other new IPAs to list in one space. If pale ales are a common gateway beer into craft beer and they form the basis for the craft beer industry, then 2011 did a lot to establish the future of Ontario’s beer culture.

Other Breweries Took Note

It also became quite clear in 2011 that Ontario’s beer industry is largely reactive by nature. Not only did quality pale ales with American hops take off, but so did the practice of creating experimental, one-off brews. Great Lakes started the trend in a major way in 2010 and it has finally spread to breweries like Cameron’s that had become fairly stagnant. This has led to an increase in breweries making funky/sour beers, barrel and/or oak aged, and the aforementioned hoppy beers. It has taken a long time, but Ontario breweries seem to be understanding that consumers are no longer choosing a brand of beer and then drinking it for life. Innovation is key now and you’re losing your market if you’re not coming out with new beers. (Funny that the macro breweries learned this years ago. See: Ice, Dry, Lime.)

Starting a Brewery Just Got That Much Easier

Ontario saw a lot of new breweries start in 2011, but few actually started from scratch with their own brewhouses. Spearhead, Junction, Kensington, Hogtown, Indie Alehouse and Saw Dust City all went the contract route to start, though the latter two will have their own facilities in 2012. As much of the start-up costs for a brewery go into the facilities, both equipment and property, the contract method (where the beer is brewed at an existing brewery, like those of Wellington, Cool or Niagara College) has allowed these breweries to start with less capital. The contract brew system isn’t new (see: Duggan’s, Denison’s) and it will take another year or two before we see if this becomes a trend or merely a fad. My hope is that it sticks around, allowing more breweries to start and advance the Ontario beer scene.

Events! Events! Events!

The only part of me that hated the number of excellent events in Toronto this year was my liver. (My local breakfast spot and Shopper’s Drug Mart did very well from the number of events.) The events have been covered previously in the blog, but let’s run through them in a chronological order: Dieu du Ciel! dinner at beerbistro, Great Lakes tap takeover at barVolo, House Ales launch (and the rest of OCB Week), Session 99, The Brewery Market, Hart House Craft Beer Festival, Funk Night at Volo, Toronto Beer Week (featuring the inaugural Barrel Bragging Rights) and Cask Days. That’s really just a small sampling of what went on in Toronto, which is phenomenal. A lot of those will be repeated in 2012, so expect another crazy year.

Select Favourites

I’m not a meticulous note taker when it comes to beer, though improving upon this is one of my resolutions for 2012. Trying to pick my favourite beer of the past twelve months is hard because there is no record of all the beers I’ve tasted. Consider these to be more of a ‘top beers off the top of my head’ selection. Amsterdam Tempest Imperial Stout. Cheshire Valley Mild. Central City Red Racer IPA. Panil Barriquee. Beau’s Festival Plus Bourbon Barrel Aged. Spearhead Hawaiian Style Pale Ale. Stillwater Cellar Door. Great Lakes Heavy Bretting. Unfiltered Pilsner Urquell in the caves under the brewery. (For the most part these were beers I got to try more than once, which meant that could leave a greater impression.)

So yes, it was a great year. There is a great deal of excitement around the Ontario craft beer scene and should make for an exciting year to come!

To finish, let me say thanks to everyone who has read this blog, Tweeted a link, made a comment, emailed me and everyone I’ve had the chance to share a drink with in 2011. Beer people are the best people and the past year has cemented that fact. A special thanks to my wife for being awesome in too many ways to list.

Year End Roundup: Mike Lackey of Great Lakes

ayearofbeer — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 15:35:43 +0000

2011 was a phenomenal year for Great Lakes. They churned out more one-offs than Toronto was used to, led by the try-anything-once approach of brewer Mike Lackey. Barrel aged beers and sours were the height of the experimentation and, though the early results may not have been ideal, it did not deter them from continuing. The Crazy Canuck, an early Project X beer from Mr. Lackey, finally made it to the LCBO in cans, providing a favourite summertime pale ale for myself and many others. This was followed by the Miami Weiss showing up in September for the Ontario Craft Brewery release in the LCBO. Here is what Mike had to say about the year that was for Great Lakes.

A Year of Beer!: 2011 was an exciting year for craft beer in Ontario. What were some of your highlights?

Mike Lackey: Events! We had two tap takeovers this year – first at Volo then a smaller one at Bryden’s – they were fun. It was great to see the number (and quality) of Ontario wild beers at Volo’s first We Live for the Funk night. Toronto Beer Week is one of my favorite weeks of the year (it’s like a roadtrip but I’ve got a free place to crash!). The expansion of The Only Cafe’s taps which led me out there for their 30th anniversary party – it was an awesome bash. But my favorite event was surely Cask Days. The amount and quality of beer was amazing and I was able to make it to all four sessions!

AYOB!: What was your favourite Great Lakes beer in 2011?

ML: No Chance With Miranda, a saison I had a lot of that one this summer.

AYOB!: What was your favourite beer made by another Ontario brewery?

ML: I didn’t get to drink it enough because my local pub is banned from having it but Amsterdam’s Boneshaker is great.

AYOB!: What was the biggest trend in craft brewing this past year? What trends do you predict for 2012?

ML: IPAs are easily the biggest trend from this past year…I think Ontario had been well behind the rest of North America and did a whole lot of catching up this year and will likely continue to do so as you see more hops become more mainstream. I’m hoping 2012 we’ll see the beginnings of more Belgian style brewing in Ontario.

AYOB!: You’ve been experimenting with sour beers. How have the results been so far?

ML: My first attempt at a sour mash was an absolute disaster but I’ve kept with it and tried some new techniques which have led to much better results. I’ve got a nice house blend (and when I say “house”, I mean I literally have to keep it in my basement) of three different strains of brettanomyces that has started to yield some good results. Then I have a corner of the back of my basement set aside for a bunch of lambic style beers that I haven’t tasted but smell pretty funky.

AYOB!: Any hints as to what we can expect from Great Lakes next year?

ML: Continued experimentation of course…more Belgian style beer…more barrel aging and we are working hard on getting some of the beers we’ve liked brewed on a bigger scale…we have tons of ideas actually so I’m pumped for 2012!

Thanks to Mike for shedding some light on the year that was (and the awesome picture of Mike, on the right, with Peter Bulut at the original Great Lakes in Brampton, circa 1991). Expectations are high for Great Lakes in 2012. This is the last in this series, so I wanted to thank everyone again for their time in answering my questions. Look for my year end thoughts later this week!

Year End Roundup: Kevin Freer of Magnotta

ayearofbeer — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 14:02:00 +0000

Magnotta is one of the quieter breweries in Ontario. They go about their business, making some fine beer and… continue to make more beer. Kevin Freer, brewer for Magnotta, takes us into the year that was and gives some hints into the future.

A Year of Beer!: 2011 was an exciting year for craft beer in Ontario. What were some of your highlights?

Kevin Freer: One of my favorite events this year were the Grand River Breweries beer club events. They are always a great time and feature local and not so local beers of a certain style in a tasting. The great thing about them is all the people who show up, time after time, and sell out the events every month. They’re all really passionate craft beer fans, and it’s great to see that kind of passion. Also the Pumpkinfest they had to release their Pumpkin beer was a lot of fun. Live music, a cask of pumpkin ale served from a pumpkin, and even a catapult built by their Brewmaster Rob launching pumpkins down the side of the building.

Another highlight would have to be the Craft Beer and BBQ at Hart House. That was one of the first events I went to as a professional. I got to meet a lot of my contemporaries from other breweries and made some great friends. The Beer was incredible, as was the food! All in all, just a well run event and a good time for everyone.

The Canadian Brewing Awards gets a mention as well. That was so awesome to get to try all these great award winning beers from across the country. Winning a medal for our True North Wunder Weisse felt pretty good as well. It was fantastic to see so many of my friends at other breweries get awarded medals as well.

AYOB!: What was your favourite Magnotta beer in 2011?

KF: My favorite Magnotta beer in general is the True North IPA. It’s a 6.5% abv dry hopped English IPA and is brewed year round. Not a lot of breweries make an English style IPA. It’s a bit more earthy and floral in the hops, and less bitter then an American IPA. I like it alot since so many IPA’s can be just slightly different versions of the same thing, it’s nice to have something that’s still hoppy and bitter, but with that more earthy and spicy hop flavour. Plus there’s something about dumping in a bucket of dry hops and smelling all that hop dust in the air that just makes me think “wow, this is going to taste great!”

AYOB!: What was your favourite beer made by another Ontario brewery?

KF: This is a hard question. We have a lot of great breweries making some awesome beers. I’d be hard pressed to pick a favourite but I’ll list off a few that I really liked. Great Lakes’ Miami Weisse, Muskoka’s Mad Tom IPA, Kensington’s Augusta Ale, and Amsterdam’s Tempest Imperial Stout are all very good beers that all came out within this past year. It’s incredible to see so much quality stuff come out in just one 12 month period. Beyond this year and one offs, I really enjoy Grand River’s Mill Race Mild as kind of a go to session beer at the bars.

AYOB!: What was the biggest trend in craft brewing this past year? What trends do you predict for 2012?

KF: From what I’ve seen of this year, the cask thing is really coming together. More and more places are getting into cask beer, and serving and storing it correctly. That’s nice to see. A few people are getting into the funky beers and sour beers which is also very exciting. What I can predict in 2012 would be more funk, more oak aged beers, more one offs and hopefully more collaborations. The craft beer industry is famously co-operative. It’d be great to see some more collaborations between breweries. As one brewer told me, “No one brewer knows everything, but if you put us all in a room, we can do anything.”

AYOB!: Any hints as to what we can expect from Magnotta next year?

KF: Without getting too into what I can and cannot reveal, you can certainly expect the same year round lineup of premium craft beers. We are pushing to enter more competitions and use that feedback to keep on improving. As well, as many people know, we produce the Festa-Brew pasteurized wort kits. We will be starting to brew the immensely popular Czech Pilsner first thing this next year, and it makes a very, very good beer. All in all just look for the same great quality products, and more of a presence from us out there in the craft beer world.

Thanks to Kevin for his time and all the best to Magnotta next year!

Year End Roundup: Paul Dickey from Cheshire Valley

ayearofbeer — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:58:53 +0000

A sign of a great brewery is that it is impossible not to order their beer when you’re at a bar. That is my relationship with the beers of Cheshire Valley, a one-man operation from Paul Dickey. The Cheshire Valley lineup is filled with excellent English ales that are great session beers. Here are Paul’s thoughts on 2011.

A Year of Beer!: 2011 was an exciting year for craft beer in Ontario. What were some of your highlights?

Paul Dickey: 2011 was the first full year of operations for Cheshire Valley. It was great to see how well each of the products were received and the great bars that carried Cheshire Valley products. A couple of the highlights were the collaboration with Brock Shepard which has resulted in the development of Augusta Ale, and the collaboration with Claude Lefebvre with the development of Hops and Robbers.

AYOB!: What was your favourite Cheshire Valley beer in 2011?

PD: My favourite was a toss-up between the Robust Porter and the Out of this World, Galaxy Pale Ale.

AYOB!: What was your favourite beer made by another Ontario brewery?

PD: This is tough. I like pale ales and so have really enjoyed both Mad Tom and Crazy Canuck, however I keep coming back to Denison’s Weissbier.

AYOB!: What was the biggest trend in craft brewing this past year? What trends do you predict for 2012?

PD: Cask is certainly taking off. More places are learning to do it right, which in turn is convincing more people to not only try it but to seek it out. More breweries are doing one-offs and it really is exciting to see all the variations. Ralph Morana and sons have done a great job of promoting cask and I think we will see even more cask events next year.

AYOB!: Any hints as to what we can expect from Cheshire Valley next year?

PD: I plan on doing the same basic line-up however will be doing more small batch one-offs.

Thanks to Paul for his time! Be on the lookout for Cheshire Valley beers in better bars across Toronto.

Year End Roundup: Ralph Morana of House Ales and barVolo

ayearofbeer — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:38:59 +0000

Ralph Morana is slowly building a craft beer empire in Toronto. It all started with barVolo, which has become the premier spot for craft beer in the city. From there Ralph and his sons have started importing beer under keep6imports, bringing Dieu du Ciel! and many other great breweries to Ontario. In 2010 they started operating a nanobrewery out of barVolo, which has become House Ales. And let’s not forget that they founded and continue to run Cask Days, the best beer event in Ontario. Here are Ralph’s thoughts on the year that was.

A Year Of Beer!: 2011 was an exciting year for craft beer in Ontario. What were some of your highlights?

Ralph Morana: There were a few highlights that really stood out. I really enjoyed Cask Days IPA Challenge 2011. It really shows the commitment and skill Ontario brewers have when it comes to this style. It was the largest selection of Ontario IPAs ever in one place, this year we had 24 different IPAs – it was fun. I think it’s safe to say that quality of Ontario IPAs has improved, and will continue years to come. Another event that I thought was important was “Funk Night at Volo”. It was the first time ever where we had twelve sour beers on tap, all locally brewed. My sons say “sour is the new bitter,” and this is definitely the beginning of Sour Ales in Ontario. Toronto Beer Week was also another highlight. There were more events this year that stood out from last year and its great to see the industry promote each other to raise the awareness of craft beer. Lastly, Cask Days 2011 was probably the most memorable. It was the largest Cask Festival we have ever done. We acquired casks from all across Canada, making it the first National Cask Ale Festival. The quality of the casks were remarkable, I am really proud that brewers are taking cask-conditioned ales seriously, and excited for next year!

AYOB!: What was your favourite House Ales beer in 2011?

RM: House Ales has definitely brewed a lot of interesting brews this year, some good, some that I thought could be better. But this is what makes it fun, always trying new styles, and constantly improving the quality of our beers through batch testings. My favourite this year would probably be “Ralph’s Bitter.” It was served at the second House Ales Tap Takeover at barVolo.

AYOB!: What was your favourite beer made by another Ontario brewery?

RM: There has been a lot of different beers, especially one-offs this year. But, I think Mike Lackey from Great Lakes is really doing a good job on consistently making one-off styles, and its Karma Citra is really good, probably the best IPA in Ontario right now. Ian McOustra from Amsterdam has also done a great job. I think the Tempest Imperial Stout is one of my favourites.

AYOB!: What was the biggest trend in craft brewing this past year? What trends do you predict for 2012?

RM: Well, we started to collaborate a lot through House Ales; I think that it has opened the doors for other breweries to start doing it. I remember a couple years back, many people dismissed the idea, but I think it’s great. You can learn a lot from other brewers when you collaborate. I don’t think this will ever stop. The trend I predict for 2012 is Barrel Aging and Sours. We already have plans for the next Funk Night at barVolo, so stayed tuned for that.

AYOB!: How has the transition been from beer bar to importer to nanobrewery?

RM: We have taken incremental steps, and the transition has been slow. We do not want to rush anything. There will be a few changes in the next couple of months, and we are really excited to take all areas to the next level.

AYOB!: Any hints as to what we can expect from House Ales next year?

RM: We just ordered new fermentors, so we have a total of 680L. In the new year, we will start double batching, and you will get to see more House Ales available at the bar. There might be a one or two contract brews in the works, but we’ll see!

Thanks to Ralph for his time and insights. One of the next steps for Cask Days will be to launch a cask supply store, selling pins and other cask accessories to bars and breweries, one of many projects on the go for 2012.