Crafted in a church converted to a brewery in the picturesque Niagara region, this black lager is one of my favourites. On the nose there’s baguette crust, a medium-roast coffee and a whisper of lemony florals. On the sip there’s a hint of lemon-hop bitterness, with roast coffee; finishes with a crisp and clean finish signature of the lager style.
Session-style IPAs clock in at between 4-5% ABVs, and are hugely popular because they pack in big, juicy hop flavour without the soaring ABVs. Welter Weight has beautiful aromas of peach, pineapple juice and some floral notes. It’s light golden, with a bright white foamy head and lots of delicate bubbles dancing in the glass. It drinks like a tropical fruit cup, with pineapple, pear and some juicy sweetness on the finish, and no residual bitterness.
New to Canada, this brewery is based in Stratford and is known for its assortment of award-winning beers crafted by Master Brewer Phil Markowski and his team. A mix of 4 American-grown hops pack a huge pine-and-lemon-punch and are complemented on a caramel malt backbone. It pours a deep amber, with a building bitter finale.
Formerly Machine Ales, this small Vancouver-based brewery had to change their name due to a copyright issue. Happyness is the juicy IPA of the moment that west coast beer lovers are queuing up for. It’s juicy in every way, from its dried apricot hue to its full body and fruity aromas like orange rind and ripe mango bursting from the glass. Expect to taste apricot, sweet carrots, grapefruit rind and pine with a prickly carbonation, creamy mouthfeel and a big, bitter finish. Take it out of the fridge for 15 minutes to let the beer warm up a little; you’ll miss out on the flavour complexity if you drink it ice-cold.
4 years ago, Cameron’s brewmaster Jason Britton put some of their award-winning Doppelbock (a dark, lightly sweet, higher-alcohol lager) into bourbon barrels. 4 years later he decided it was perfection and the brewery released its Deviator Doppelbock Vintage 2012 — an unblended 4-year-old version that is swoon-worthy. Dark chocolate and molasses dominate the nose. The sip starts with dried prune and moves to dark, sweet molasses mid-palate before drying out on notes of black liquorice, light baking spices and roast coffee. The best part is the finish — unlike a bourbon barrel-aged stout this finale is short and sweet, making the beer a ruminating sipper that is dangerously quaffable.
The Oktoberfest lager, or Märzen, was originally brewed in March and then lagered (a German word meaning “to store”) in cold caves until fall. Brewed with rich, toasty Munich malts, these “malt-bombs” are soft and creamy with a clean finish, thanks to the long aging times in cool temperatures. Beau’s Night Märzen is a soft and full toasty lager with hints of caramel and a floral, grassy hop finish.