Deep reddish brown in colour with a distinctive combination of fruity malt and piquant hoppy aromas. Rounded dried fruit flavours merge with toasty malt, cutting the initial sweetness, finishing with a moderate hit of nutty dryness. Easy to drink and a good winter warmer.
Shows hazy light amber in the glass with green herbal hoppy and nutty malt aromas. Citrus and malty flavours with medium weight in the mouth finish with typical IPA bitter hop character and smoky dryness.
Using German Huell Melon hops exclusively, this blonde amber ale shows a creamy persistent head with yeasty, nutty and floral hoppy aromas. Fruity and nutty malt flavours are balanced by a firm hit of bitterness on the refreshingly dry finish.
Bock beers are sturdy, malty lagers originating from the town of Einbeck in Germany but made famous in Munich in the 1600s. Once a regular spring staple of Ontario’s microbreweries, this beer style has fallen out of favour with craft beer drinkers recently and is tough to hunt down. All the more reason to seek out this Urbock (original bock) from the organic, family-owned outfit of Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company. They take German beer styles seriously and pull them off with flare. Look for this dark, warming and richly malty beer style pouring at bars in February and for sale at the Beau’s retail store in Vankleek Hill.
A blonde lager is the newest release from this Canadian alcohol-free brewery. It pours a clear, brassy gold with tiny bubbles dancing up the glass. Toasted bread and crackers balance hoppy notes of carnations and earth with touch of crisp apple. The malt character takes centre stage and the bitterness is soft and round. The fuller body gives it an edge over other beers in the category and like Partake’s other releases, this one is low calorie, too.
Pouring a vibrant rust colour with a fluffy head, this unfiltered IPA is an homage to Bell’s Two Hearted Ale. Like this beloved beer, People’s Pint’s ale is all about balance: a silky and lush caramel backbone is accented by notes of strawberry jam, and a firm pine-like hop bitterness.
If you’re a fan of juicy, hardly bitter Double IPAs, then 2019 might just be your best beer-drinking year yet! Collective Arts recently launched their DDH (double dry-hopped) IPA series and they’ll release a new DIPA every quarter, each seasoned with a different mix of hops. This one pours with a whipped cream-like cap that adorns the glass and creates intricate lacing with every sip. Aromas of fresh basil, orange Creamsicle and overripe honeydew melon mark the nose. The ale is medium-bodied and creamy with an aftertaste that’s both herbal and fruity without any sticky bitterness. As a devotee of the style, the first release in the series is the best that I’ve tasted this side of the border.