IPA is Dead - Single Hop IPAs - BrewDog

BrewDog... Why  are we not getting any of your beers in Ontario?  The Punk IPA comes in for a lousy couple of months and thats it?  I get it, you have a ton of orders coming in from around the world... but for for real, toss a Commonwealth brother a goddamn bone.

I really like BrewDog's ales.  The Hardcore IPA and I Hardcore You (Mikkeller collaboration) are hoppy-ass beers that I drank regularly while I was jiving in Europe over the Winter / Spring.  The Tokyo is equally pretty awesome.  I will be writing up reviews for several BrewDog beers, including those mentioned, when I do my feature on the Beer Temple American Beer Bar in Amsterdam.

This review however, is all about the single hop IPAs.  Re-fined and de-fined.  These ales let you zero in on a particular varietal's contribution in terms of flavor and aroma.  IPA is Dead; good name.  

The IPA is Dead 4 pack includes 4 different single hop IPAs made with Sorachi Ace, Citra, Bramling Cross and Nelson Sauvin.  I regrettably consumed the Sorachi Ace in a somewhat confused and dissociated state during a random night in a hotel room in Haarlem.  I can't really recall what it tasted or looked like but if it was anything like the other 3, it must have been really tasty.   These sort of confused situations are common for Canadians visiting the Netherlands.  

Once back home and in the safe and controlled confines of my home Groningen, I was able to pull off a proper tasting of the other 3.

First down the hatch was the Citra.  Why Citra first?  Well, because I absolutely love this hop.  I like drinking beer made with it and I use it in my home brew all the time.  Having experimented with this variety a fair bit, I cannot imagine it would be easy pulling off a single hop with it.  My personal preference is to use Citra almost exclusively for dry-hopping and generally avoid putting any in the boil unless at flame out.

The appearance was perfect.  Bright white, soapy head that sprung-up strong and never faded.  Body was nearly a bright orange with a tinge of copper.  My home-brewed IPAs envy this color.  Only a slight haze with moderate to low carbonation.  

Smell is straight up fruity goodness; mango, melon, grapefruit, peaches.  A touch of pine resign rounds it out nicely and the biscuity malts creep through to add some balance.  Taste follows suit with a strong but clean bitterness hitting the palate up front.  Not harsh or astringent at all but instead really pleasant while still being pronounced.  Mid way through all the fruitiness comes out.  Very tropical with a shade of herbal grassiness.  Finish is a lingering bitterness which is dry.  The malts have a graham cracker character to them, somewhat bready and not really that sweet.  Awesome IPA.

Next up was the Bramling Cross.  I am not really all that familiar with this hop.  Never used it and do not recall any beer in specific that was made with it.  I do know that it is an English varietal that is similar to EKG or fuggles.   

This one was way better than I expected.  Definitely different than the Citra in terms of aroma and taste.  Appearance is almost identical to the Citra, which makes me suspect they used that same wort for all the beers.  Smell is pretty hard to pin-down but it is not at all like other English / Nobel hops.  Smell is somewhat grapeish maybe raspberry or blackberry with a little bit of spice.  Taste is a lemon rind bitterness with a touch of the grape/berry flavor.  Finish is lingering, herbal / floral bitterness.  Malt shines through nicely, the same profile as noted above.  Quite stellar and enlightening.

Nelson Sauvin.  Some say it smells a bit like cat piss and the name is apparently derived from its taste profile being similar to sauvignon grapes.  Not sure about the grapes but I've noticed other beers using this hop have a unique aroma to say the least.  

Appearance is the same as the others, although the above picture makes me wonder if it wasn't a tad hazier.  Smell is really nice and somewhat unique, although there was no cat piss.  A little citrus rind and a little pine.  Very refined and straightforward smell.  Taste is quite nice. Similarly simple with grapefruit and orange rind dominating over pine resin.  Malts seem more pronounced in this one and lend a slight candy-like flavor rather than bready.  Plenty of bitterness to satisfy the fear when jones'n for alpha acids.  

Overall an awesome 4 pack definitely worth buying.  These guys are getting better every year.   Now if only I could get some of their product without moving back to Europe..... fucking hell.

ZG

Revelation Cat / Brasserie 4:20 / Mikkeller Single Hop Festival - Rome

ITALY!!!!   As promised this is part 2 of 3 of my Italian beer escapades.  In much contrast to the elegant and expectedly fashionable vibe of the Milan beer scene, Rome presented a host of weirdness, language barriers and a somewhat grimy but visceral experience.  

I feel truly lucky to have had the opportunity to visit Brasserie 4:20 / Revelation Cat and particularly so during their Mikkeller Single Hop Festival.  Did someone say mad hops?....I'm there, big time.

This joint from the outside looks like a grade A, top choice, dive bar.  The stoner name does not help rectify any first impressions.  Walking up to the place I really questioned the advice I had received that this was the locale to hit up for hops when in Rome.

Fortunately enough, I was greeted with a massive and colorful sign proudly pronouncing that that no less than 19 different single hop beers were available on tap inside; all fresh and recently shipped from Mikkeller in Copenhagen.   Damn Son, I'm game.

Walking into this place was a bit of a shock.  The grimy, low key exterior does not do the sharply designed and beer-geeky-perfect interior justice.  Really nice lighting, if you are into that kind of thing; and I am.  A decent amount of seating and lots of hops strung up everywhere.  Big chalk boards display the daily beer choices and the pretty killer food options.  The staff were super helpful and really knew their beer well.  

This bar is well known for its cask ales and overhead dispensing system.  Zack Avery recently did a video regarding this bar and even confessed to drinking Brit cask beer when in Rome.  When in Rome...but I totally understand.  4:20 has a certain lack of compromise that makes something local seem exotic.

The obvious first choice once seated at the bar was the house brew.  Revelation Cat, the company that owns 4:20, is well known to craft some really amazing ales.  My better-half and I decided to spit 2 glasses of beer; a Revelation Cat IPA and a DIPA (double IPA).  

As you can probably see from the photo above, these beers looked awesome and perfect to style.  Both were an absolutely perfect IPA copper orange with eggshell white, soapy head that stuck around the whole glass.  The DIPA (right) had quite a bit of haze to it, but I almost prefer that in a double...Visual verification of serious alpha acid content.

Smell-wise these beers were similarly phenomenal.  The single presented big grapefruit and orange with a really dank piney / herbally smell.....very 4:20 indeed.  The double was all tropical and pit fruits.  Big time pineapple, mango, peach, apricot and even a little hit of cherry.  Fucking amazing.

The taste of the single was very citrus forward with a nice mix of lemon and pine bitterness that hit the tongue hard but cleared off swiftly and left a clean somewhat fruity but also herbally finish.

The double was ultra rich.  Tropical fruit dominant with a super juicy mouthfeel.  Tastes like drinking mango nectar mixed with sour red grapefruit and a touch on pine soaked in gasoline...but in a good way.

The double has to be one of the best, if not THE best, DIPA I have every tried.  Right up there with Hopslam and Pliny the Elder.  Awesome beer.

I also indulged in some Cantillon Iris (one of my favorite lambics) that they just happen to have on tap.   I'm not going to review it now because I have a large write-up pending about my experience at Cantillon which includes this beer.  However, it should be noted that having this beer on draft in Rome is simply amazing.   

Next step was to head upstairs for the single hop beers.   

The menu was really overboard.  Every hop from ordinary Cascade to "you made a single hop with that?" Super Galena.

I decided to try the Challenger, Simcoe, Nugget and Super Galena just for the contrast.  I had already enjoyed several of the other Mikkeller single hop beers in their bottled form (namely Warrior, Cascade, Centennial, Amarillo and Nelson Sauvin), so these ones were new to me.

The fellow serving up the samples could speak very little english but managed to give me a good laugh when he insisted on making a spectacle every time someone order the Super Galena (see above).  

I'm not going to go through a review of each, but it likely goes without saying that they were all very hoppy and also quite tasty.  I will say that my favorite of the night was hands down the Simcoe (pictured below).  Each beer was very well balanced and I thought the simple, yet flavorful, malt base provided a nice canvas to display each particular hop.

In short all I can do is reiterate what I have said before.  Italy is quickly becoming a haven for awesome craft beer and the people and food there are amazing.  Well worth the trip for any hardcore beer geek.

ZG

Hel & Verdoemenis Wild Turkey Barrel Aged - De Molen

De Molen is a Dutch brewer who really pushes the envelope (at least in NL) in terms brewing big, aggressive IPAs and stouts.  One particular offering that I enjoyed somewhat frequently during my stay in the Netherlands was the Hel & Verdoemenis Imperial Stout.  It is a great beer with lots of roasty malts and little compromise.

During my last few days abroad I stumbled across a couple bottles of the special barrel-aged versions of this already fantastic beer.  In particular, the Wild Turkey version really caught my eye.  So I ended up buying one bottle to consume immediately and one to cellar for a few years.  

This little gem comes in an 18cl bottle (which is clear glass although you really can't tell when its full) with a bright red wax seal.  Typical De Molen label with all the specs.  This one weighs in at 10.2% ABV and was brewed in October 2010 and bottled in February 2011.  This is bottle #063

Poured into a snifter this beer is pitch black with little to no head.  What it does manage to conger-up is tan and fleeting.  Smell is very big.  Lots of roasty malts, coffee, vanilla, oak, leather, fresh tobacco and of course a large dollop of bourdon.  Taste follows the same profile with the coffee edging towards espresso and a little licorice making an appearance.  Damn this is pretty good already.  

A few years on the other bottle should tone down some of the hot alcohol in the mouthfeel and finish.  It will be hard to keep my hands off of bottle #004.

MMMMMMM.....good.  

ZG  

Weisses Brauhaus - Munich - Beer Bar

Summer is almost here and it is near time to start cracking caps on some refreshing and thirst quenching wheat beers.  Of course nobody makes a finer wheat beer than the Germans.   This past spring I was lucky to find the time to make the trip to Munich in order to taste some of those awesome hefeweisse.  

The location I enjoyed the most while in Bavaria was Weisses Brauhaus.  Located just off Munich's main square, Weisses is owned by G. Schneider and Sohn, makers of the prolific Schneider Weisse.  Schneider no longer brews beer actually in Munich, but you sure can drink a ficken ton of it at Weisses.

The atmosphere at this beer hall is awesome.  Not touristy at all.  Lots of real Germans; eating, laughing, drinking and talking with random strangers.  The decor is straightforward.  Plenty of old and rustic looking items, long beer hall style tables and plenty of seating room.  The waitstaff are all decked out in the traditional Bavarian garb.

The food menu looks equally as amazing and authentic.  How many beer geeks wouldn't want to try suckling pig braised in Aventinus?  Not really any health conscious choices, but seriously, its a beer hall in Munich....not a tofu type of place.

The beer list is as you would expect.  Plenty of wheat beers with some pilsners and some bigger / darker offerings.   I made an effort to try a couple of beers I don't usually see at home (or do I????).

First up was the Hopfenweisse (below left).  I'm not entirely sure how similar in terms of recipe this is with the other Hopfenweisse, which is a collaboration between Schneider and Brooklyn Brewery.  The collaboration was all about tons of Hallertauer hops  bringing their pungent bite to the wheat beer style in an American way, but I think this one is a little less aggressive.  Nevertheless, all the right smells and flavors are there.  The nose is a perfect mix between fresh citrus hops with a touch of herbally pine and a clean yeasty wave of wheaty goodness.  Taste follows suit with bright citrus upfront followed by clove and banana.  Just a tad bit of bitterness.  Really nice. 

Next round I tried the Grunes (above right).  I had never heard of this beer before but apparently it is also known as the Schneider Edel-Weisse which is seasonally available back home in Ontario.   This beer tasted pretty much exactly as the Edel-Weisse I have tried; just like the standard Schneider Weisse but with a little more hoppy flavor and a cleaner mouth feel and taste.  Not quite as yeasty as other examples of the style.  Ultra refreshing.  

To finish off the tasting I decided to go out with a bang.  My last order consisted of an Aventinus Weisen-Eisbock (a 12.5% monster of a beer) and a shot each of the Aventinus Schnapps and the Aventinus Beer Brandy.  I'm not sure what possessed me to order this much in one sitting (especially after 2 beers) but I guess I got a little too into the Bavarian spirit.  

The Eisbock was stellar as I expected.  Its a huge beer with tons of fig, dark fruits, rum and a very strong almost burnt yeastiness.  Taste matches the smell.  This beer is overwhelmingly flavorful, almost stifling but in a good way.  Just a trace of warm alcohol on the finish.  The head stuck around forever and that is really a sight to see on a big alcohol beer like this.  Beer Geeks:  Please note the glass is not chilled, it is simply frosted glass.

I was really impressed by the beer brandy.  The beer flavors actually came through quite well and were complimented by a subtle sweetness.  The schnapps were pretty good too but seemed rather vodka like to me.

All in all, I think Wiesses Brauhaus is the place to go in Munich.  Awesome beer, awesome food and lots of atmosphere.

Mad Tom IPA - Muskoka Brewery

I wanted to get my review for Mad Tom IPA up as soon as possible considering how much I was looking forward to having a legit Ontario brewed IPA readily available.  Muskoka has made some really stellar products in the past.  I've always enjoyed their seasonals and recommend their lager to every macro drinker I meet.  In short, I think this brewery has accomplished a ton already and if it keeps heading in the same direction will become a star of the Ontario and Canadian beer scene.

So last weekend I tried their Cabin Fever cask IPA and was super impressed with the flavour.  Lots of citrus and pit fruits.  I wasn't sure what to expect from the Mad Tom given that some of their previously released hoppy beers (think Harvest Ale) tended to be more akin to a strong British IPA as opposed to the American / West Coast style that everyone loves so much.

I can safely say that this beer pulls off the American style with flying colors.  The box lists three hop varieties (Chinook, Centennial and Sorachi Ace) and a standard pale ale malt base (2-row pale and crystal).  I was really surprised to see the Sorachi Ace in the mix given that I have yet to see many Canadian brewers wandering into that territory; although it seems to be a popular hop elsewhere this year.  

The nose isn't quite as strong as I expected given the dry-hopping but it does present some very nice fruity and citrus hop aromas along with a clean but complex pine resin note.  The body is a bright and clear, light golden colour.  The head is bright white and sticks around and also to the sides of the glass nicely.   

The flavour of this beer is AWESOME.  I think this is exactly what the Ontario market needed. Plenty of upfront grapefruit, tangerine and pine flavour with a subtle but present herbally undertone.  Finishes bitter but clean.  Mad Tom IPA is a real success for this brewery.  Hopefully there is a DIPA coming down the road in the future.

The packaging of this beer is slightly more edgy and unique compared to other Muskoka products.  I personally like the six-pack format.  The price is equally stellar given what you are getting.

I personally recommend that every Ontario beer geek and cottager give this one a try.  Kudos to Muskoka for raising the bar.

ZG

Crazy Canuck Pale Ale - Great Lakes Brewery - Toronto

Great Lakes Brewery makes some really great ales.  Last weekend their Karma Citra cask IPA won the 3rd annual Bar Volo IPA Cask Challenge.  I tried many of the competitors and they were all pretty good beers (a massive improvement over the last two years), so it is quite an accomplishment.  With their newly released in-a-can Crazy Canuck Pale Ale, I believe they have another winner on their hands.

I tried a version of this beer in a bomber when it was first released a while ago during the Vancouver Winter Olympics.  It was pretty tasty at the time but did have some consistency issues, particularly with respect to a slight diacetyl smell and taste (think the smell and taste of butter).  I also thought that the beer could use a little more hop flavor and bitterness.

The current version that was just released at the LCBO this week appears to have rectified these two complaints of mine and really turned out to be an awesome beer.

Crazy Canuck poured very clear and somewhat lighter in color than what I expected.  A golden beer with moderate carbonation and a foamy, turning almost rocky, white head.  The smell is straight on juicy citrus hops with a tinge of pit fruits.  Once sipped, Canuck hits you with a blast of really fresh hop citrus with both grapefruit and tangerine notes.  The bitterness is really clean and not too imposing.  Overall this beer is super sessionable and really does satisfy the craving for some hoppy bitterness.

I highly recommend trying this one out.  I guarantee that both beer geeks looking for a hop fix and casual drinkers looking for a nice brew for the summer will love this one.

Augusta Ale - Kensington Brewing Company - Toronto

While I was in Europe I generally kept-up with the Ontario beer news.  One new development that really caught my eye was the establishment of the Kensington Brewing Company named after Toronto's infamous Kensington Market.  In addition to their proximity to my place of residence, their flagship beer was being touted as a "west coast style ale"; a style that I think is sparsely (or maybe just somewhat poorly) represented in Ontario. 

So last Saturday I took a trip up to the market and had a burger and a beer...the anti-European beer experience...and it was damn worth it.

Augusta Ale, KBC's flagship pale ale, is not yet available in bottles.  Although I presume from their Facebook page that it will be in the near future.  Don't fear however, there are a few spots in Toronto where this beer can be tried on draft.  Click HERE for locations.

Given that I haven't had a decent burger in half a year, I decided to hit up Burger Bar with a few friends.  Its a low key spot, casual and comfortable.  I was really impressed with their beer menu.  Lots of Canadian crafts, most of them not your usual offerings, such as a 100 IBU IPA from the Taps brewery.  On top of that they had some Italian beers in bottles...how strange.  I leave Canada, travel around Europe, discover Italian craft beer kicks ass only to return to Italian beer on a local joint's menu; I'll go along with it, strange but a good sign.

Before my friends even had a chance to arrive I jumped into the Augusta Ale.  BANG ON.  I mean I really enjoyed this beer.  Augusta could easily fill the void created by the departure of DFH 60 Min from the Ontario market; a really clean, hoppy session brew.

Apologies for the lack of photo...I forgot my camera.

Color was a gorgeous and perfectly clear, light copper.  Head was bracingly white and stayed around until the glass was drained.  The smell was a spot-on blend of citrus and pine notes.  A nice clean bitterness hit the tongue up front and faded quickly to a quenching bitter aftertaste that did not linger too long.  It the background, an appropriately sweet, biscuity, malt backbone carried the flavor into perfect balance.  Awesome.

Hopefully this hits LCBO shelves as soon as possible.  In the meantime, check out this beer on draft.