Muskoka Harvest Ale

MUSKOKA HARVEST ALE

If there was ever one bottle of beer that I had hopes of saving for a special occasion, it was to be my sought after and coveted bottle of Muskoka Harvest Ale.  After watching Edge 102's Fearless Fred (@fearless_fred) review the beer in one of his beer Friday videos, I knew that I had to give it a try. Unfortunately, this past Saturday night was so uneventful that it has claimed my one and only bottle of this seasonal goodness.  So here's a review to honour its glory.

Harvest Ale is one if those simply unique gems that comes around so rarely that it must not be missed.  This assault on the senses grabs you first with its stunning bouquet of earthy and grassy hop aroma.  I guarantee you that this is unlike anything that you've ever put under your nose before.  

It's head is subtle and the body is a mostly transparent orangy-red hue.  Now, upon first sip, the complexity of this beer is immediately apparent.  It flows through the palette in so many layers of complex deliciousness.  It's mildly tart, very boozy (9%), mildly hoppy (guessing around 50 ibu's), and it runs that gamut with flavours that include toffee, malts, pine, and a very light hint of citrus. It's outstanding and well within a league of it's own.  

If you miss this beer you will definitely regret it!  One of the best beers I've ever had and one of the most memorable.  I can't say enough good things about this beer and rate it an A+(91) in my books.  It's a little late in the season to find it, but if you do, you won't be disappointed.  

Learn more about Muskoka at http://www.muskokabrewery.com

Support your local brewery!

Chris

Railway City Brewing: Dead Elephant

   

     This review has genuinely been a very long time coming.  Dead Elephant is a beer that I often seek out to ensure that it makes an appearance in my fridge every single weekend.  This is a very bold beer that has a very bold story.  A friend of mine named Heather (@heation), a former resident of St. Thomas, explained to me the true story behind what inspired this epic IPA.  I'm not going to waste your  time by reinterpreting the story, instead I'm going to borrow an except from the St. Thomas Public Library to bring you up to speed.



"September 15, 1885 - The circus stops in St. Thomas after a performance in Chatham. St. Thomas is a booming railroad town and its position on the railroad facilitates the circus stop here. The St. Thomas show is another success with large crowds coming to see the spectacle.

After the show, the elephants are being moved from the circus grounds to their train. It is 9:30, but the elephants are meant to have been loaded after 9:55. Along the Grand Trunk railroad track, Special Freight train #151 is travelling with its engineer, William Burnip.  Several hundred yards down the track Jumbo and the little elephant Tom Thumb are the last elephants being loaded in. They are walking along the tracks to reach their train cars. Burnip sees the elephants but it is too late. He sounds the warning horn and puts the train in reverse. It screeches to a halt and strikes Tom Thumb first. He is struck by the cowcatcher and is thrown into the ravine. Jumbo is struck on his hind end, causing the train to derail. His trunk is impacted and his injuries are fatal. Scott manages to leap free of the incident, but now tends to the mortally wounded Jumbo, weeping as he strokes his head. Eyewitnesses would relate how Jumbo reached out and gently clasped his trainer with his trunk. Jumbo dies in a few minutes."



   
     Dead Elephant IPA.  This is a very bold beer that hops lovers will cherish for a long time.  It pours a perfectly clear golden hue with a foamy head and citrus infused hop aroma.  At first smell, this beer is curious and inviting.  The taste is a little bit convoluted.  Don't get me wrong, theres just a lot going on here.

     Its a strong beer that packs 6.5% and nearly 50 ibu's of bitterness.  This beer doesn't have a straight forward bitterness though, it has a complex hop texture that takes time to dissect.  The flavour is mainly citrus based with what I can only describe as possibly apricot or peach, and it includes a mild grapefruit undertone.  I would LOVE to know what hops they used and the process that achieved this exclusive blend.  If you haven't tried this IPA yet then stop wasting your time reading this and go get one already.

     As a man who absolutely loves IPA beers, this is a crown jewel.  This beer is unparalleled in style, intricate in its layers, and has a legen.... wait for it... DARY story to boot.  Larger then life in every dimension is how this brew lives.  I adore this beer and I'll confidently rate it an A+ (91).  If you love IPA's like I do (Spearhead Hawaiian Style IPA, Hop City Tap Room IPA, Amsterdam Brewery Boneshaker, etc.) you are going to keep this beer close to your heart.  Simply put, its awesome!  If it turns out that you happen to like this beer, keep an eye out for Delirium Tremens by Brouwerij Huyghe.  You'll thank me for it later.


Check out more from Railway City Brewing 




Support Your Local Brewery!


Chris

Kensington Brewery: Augusta Ale

Tonight I'm watching hockey.

Its game 7, anxiety is high and The Toronto Maple Leafs are deep in a clinch battle with the Boston Bruins.  I take my dog for a quick walk, pick up 3 beers and a pizza, and I'm set for the game.  Luckily, my local LCBO has got tall boys of Kensington Brewery's Augusta Ale right near the cash. I make a quick purchase and then escape back to my couch.

I've got a SUPER soft spot for this young brewery.  I used to live just north of Kensington and I spent a ton of time in the market.  Places like Patty King, Big Fat Burrito, Freshmart, Kos, and Oishi Kada were just a few of my regulars.  Kensington Market has a special place in my heart; I even played a few shows on the streets of Kensington with my good friend @locnesbeats during Pedestrian Sundays.  For those who don't know, Kensington Market is the last of a dying breed of independent small business neighbourhoods in Toronto.  There's a unique kind of autonomous vibe and culture that could only belong to a place like Kensington.  I expect nothing less then these core values from the Kensington Brewing Company.

Let's talk about Augusta Ale.  Aptly named after Augusta Avenue (a road that is the backbone of Kensington Market) this Pale Ale is the first beer I've tried from The Kensington Brewery.  It pours a rusty golden copper hue with a subtle head.  It has an inviting aroma of mellow notes of spice and grassy hints.

This hybrid Ale is a delicious blend with layers of grassy tones and nutty inklings.  It has a medium bitterness, I'm guessing around 30 ibu's, which is enough to keep the hop head in me interested without  overpowering me with bitterness.  Its a tastefully done Ale with a unique and flavourful palette.  This is a great beer.  This Ale is different and it offers something that is both unconventional and familiar at the same time.

My first adventure into the beers of The Kensington Brewery is a success.  Augusta Ale is a hit in my books, I'll rate it a B+ (78) for its favourable combination of style and select choice of bittering hops. I'm interested in learning more about these guys and what the future of this young brewery has to offer.  There's also an extra hopped version of Augusta Ale that I'd like to get to know as well!  Let me see if I can hunt down their Watermelon Wheat beer for my next review.



Support Your Local Brewery!


Learn more about the Kensington Brewing Company at http://www.kensingtonbrewingcompany.com/the-beer/