Neustadt 10w30 Ale

Finally I get to write a review about an old friend. I initially tasted Neustadt 10w30 at a craft brew celebration at Toronto's C'Est What, nearly 7 years ago. It was one of the first craft brews that I ever tried and It will always be immortalized in my brain by the oil can bar tap handle.

What a perfect balance of tradition and new age style. 10w30 has the character of a traditional English Brown Ale blended the with new age moxy of the Canadian craft brew scene. Neustadt injected just enough malty flavouring to pay homage to this traditional style but not enough to overpower the palette.

It's not mighty with accentuating hops or flavours. The result is a multi grain beer that goes down easy and is highly drinkable. I also don't see this as a specifically summer or specifically
winter beer. I think that 10w30 can easily find its way into a pint on a patio or even by the fire.

Highly drinkable, loaded with character, and I'm sure it would be an awesome pairing with a platter of spicy nachos. I salute you 10w30 with a B+ rating. I'm not a huge fan of English style ales but this is definitely among my favourites in that class. You don't blow my mind but you absolutely deliver a worthy beer. Worth a drink and worth the regular beer fridge rotation.

Learn more about Neustadt Springs Brewery at www.neustadtsprings.com


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Hockley Valley Canadian Amber Ale

In my quest to try everything represented by Canadian craft brewing I occasionally come across a beer that just doesn't float my boat. Enter Hockley Amber Ale.

The thing that I love the most about craft breweries is that they most always produce unique and interesting beers. Sadly, this is not always the truth. Hockey's Amber Ale simply does not deliver anything memorable. It's a bland beer that tastes like several other beers I've had in the past. I do appreciate the fish and chips recipe on the side of the can, but I doubt that I'll ever get around to trying it.

Forgettable, unoriginal, and just not worth the price of admission. Bad form, I give it a D-

Advice: Try Amsterdam Brewery's Nut Brown Ale instead.

Hogtown Brewers Kolsch Lager

I've heard the odd mention of Toronto based Hogtown Brewers from time to time. Until today's lunch excursion, I had yet to find a spot that has either of their fabled brews on tap. In my quest for a cheap meal during a day of errands, I was lured into The Banknote (Bathurst & King) by the promise of a $5 lunch. The food was great but we're here to talk Beer.

One thing that always bugs me is when my beer is served in the wrong glass. This typically happens when it's craft brew beer at a non craft brew type bar. Hats off to you Banknote. Hogtown's flagship "Kolsch style Lager" is a pleasant surprise. It's a pale style lager with a dry aftertaste and very light hoppy finish. I'm honestly not a huge fan of lagers (I'm in my IPA period for the moment) because they mostly have a very limited range of variance.

Kolsch does stand out to me as a lager with a good sense of character and uniqueness. I would definitely recommend giving this local lager a try. It went great with my burger and offers something a little different to the steam whistles and Mill Streets of the Toronto scene. Help the little guy out, his logo even has a pig branded with "I ❤ T.O" on his butt. Gotta love local pride. I give it a solid B+.

Check out Hogtown Brewers at hogtownbrewers.ca

A helpful guide for Beer Pairing