Cigar City: Jai Alai - White Oak India Pale Ale

Cigar City are based out of Tampa Bay, Florida. The good ol' U.S. of A! I've had the opportunity to sample their beers over the past few years and I have to say that they are not just hype. If you don't know about this brewery, go hunt them down. I've lucked into having retired snow-bird parents who head down to Florida to miss at least six months of Newfoundland's ten month winter. Sorry, Nfld! Summer didn't come this year. At least I got some beer out of it and a heat wave too boot...Holy smokes, Toronto, she's warm!





People pass me a lot of beer these days. No, I haven't found a "beer fairy" as Jordan St. John seems to have found. I am merely a low-level brewer working in the trenches every day and still far from the rockstar limelight that some writers and brewers seem to get. This is not exactly why I entered this field of work all the same. I'm already a rockstar for doing what I do best and that is playing drums... ha!? Regardless, I've been sipping a lot of great beers these days. I've grown to love every brew that I brew, or at least have a connection with it. If I know the packaging date or brew #- I generally know what the weather was like that day. Maybe I get way to into what I do. Maybe I just have some strange memory that will observe all surroundings and many things that are the least bit important. I digress... I opened a beer passed to me that will be unnamed and sent to the sea of dead fish, poop, and/or Ninja Turtles. Then I instantly needed something to cleanse my palate and serve as a night cap. My little beer fridge has gone through some cleaning and didn't have much but my own brews and some very special ones. After a longer than I expected evening shift at work quality control wasn't on my mind nor was some sort of celebration.





I saw something special, but not too special. Something that needed to be drank fresh. An IPA. oooooh! An American White Oak Aged beer. Ooooh! A 12 oz. serving?! Even better. No need to share or feel guilty. Or should I feel guilty? Cigar City's American White Oak Aged India Pale Ale.






This pours a rich hazy amber with a very vibrant orange glow. The head is egg-shell white, tight bubbles and fairly thick from a vigorous pour. The head is quite impressive for a barrel aged beer. The haze reminds me of St. John's fog rolling over the harbour. Well, it looks like a real IPA.





I had to comment on the appearance first because I've been debating this aroma for quite sometime now. I've had the opportunity to barrel age beers in new oak for a while along with being able to analysis some wines on new American oak. My initial reaction was " could this be too oaky?!" and then by the time I thought about the appearance I realized, this is just right. There is a lovely dominate fresh wood aroma (morning wood anyone?) but buried beneath the splintery wood there is a great variety of hops and sweetness that comes through. Peaches, lemongrass, lime zest, golden raisins, a little caramel sweetness blended with the piney resins of the hops. Don't be confused by the aroma of oak vs. pine. The pine is an obvious trait of hops, the oak really does carry a lot of weight in this beer for aroma. The hops used accent the oak. I can't say they compliment, but simply accent and make you appreciate what this beer is trying to do. I hate to make this comparison as I may ruin lighter oak aged beers and wines for some but, that lightly toasted oak sometimes comes across as sterile popsicle sticks... you know when the doctor puts that over-sized popsicle stick in your mouth and makes you say "ahhhhhhhhhh"...yeah. well. That kind of aroma. You are saying "ahhh" so you have to inhale at some point and that's through your nose. The same way you appreciate tequila and some other spirits. When you taste and smell the original Jai Alai, it makes a lot more sense. I keep putting my nose in this. It's wonderful!





The flavour follows through with lovely biscuit and pale ale malts that give a great sweetness. The crystal/ caramel and/or caramunich malts are very delicate in sweetness. I get a great deal of peaches or nectarines that linger on the center of the tongue while the oak and woody flavours direct themselves to the tip of the tongue, slightly drying it out. This isn't offensive as that sweetness is in the centre and the IPA bitterness is very subdued and not as bitter as I'd expect. The back of my tongue is not craving water or other flavours. Simply satisfied with the resins left from hops. There is a lot of lime zest or pith, rather. This leads me to believe there could be some sorachi ace hops involved. I'm just really digging that peach, apricot, nectarine sweetness that makes you forget about the bitterness and woody notes that dry out the front and back of the tongue. This beer really centres your palate. It's a dry finish, which should be expected.





The carbonation seem a little lower than normal for a bottled beer. It really makes a smooth, crushed velvet (have I heard the Mill St. radio commercial too much today?) mouthfeel. There is nothing all that astringent about it considering it's a oak aged beer. Keep in mind, the purpose of this beer is to sense the woody notes.





If I were to pair this with anything I'd go with an avocado and brie sandwich on a very hearty multi-grain bread with a whole grain mustard. The avocado has a great buttery and earthiness that would greatly compliment the oak and cut the bitterness.
If you must pair it with meat...smoked anything. Seriously, a great smoked pulled pork sammy on Wonderbread would still make this beer come out on top.

Founders Nemesis 2009: Maple Bourbon Barrel Aged Wheat Wine

This is an Anti-Establishment Ale which is right up my alley. "Every batch diabolically brewed to decimate ordinary-average-run-of-the-mill tasting beer."

Maple bourbon barrels... I drool just looking at the label. I had one of these back in April of 2010 and I've been eying one in the back of my fridge ever since. It's easy to get excited about beer when it comes from Founders and I'm curious about how this aged. My valentine this year is a beer and I'm okay with that.

This pours a beautiful dried apricot-rusted yellow with a brilliant, yet hazy orange glow, with flakes of yeast, potential calcium flakes, and proteins swirling around lightly like a snow globe. The head is tight and protein dense, eggshell white and slowly fades to a film coating the top of the surface. This beer looks stunning.

There is a very nice caramel sweetness that tingles the nose at first, followed by that oak, bourbon and earthy maple notes just perfuming through the wheat bite. Wheat sometimes has a way of being grainy, bready and fruity. Banana break and maple glazed walnuts are a predominate aroma in this beer that weaves between the boozy 12% alcohol. I'd be lying if I said you couldn't sense the alcohol from a few whiffs of this brew. Granted, bourbon barrels have a way of adding to this boozy, dried apricots and berry warmth. I'd like to stress that this is a warm dried berry warmth not a cherry hotness. Like any good Canadian, I love maple syrup and this just has such a gentle, earthy maple character. It's woody and adding to a little hop balance to all of the wheat and malts. The barrel gives it a little oxidized aroma that simply gives this beer depth amongst the easily depicted aromas.

The flavours of this beer seem to start on the back of the palate with a lovely bitterness and sparged wheat astringency. This light tingle slowly sinks into the pocket of the tongue with apricots, peaches stewed in caramel. The caramel turns to an oaky, woody dry-sweet and watery glaze on the tip of the tongue. For the most part those tingles of maple in the nose are lost in the depth of this brew. The banana is lost but that lovely wheat and nut bread just glazes over the tongue and pinches the cheeks with the splintered-barrel flavours. The bourbon is the over all lingering expression of this beer that finishes very clean and slightly sweet. The finish is not much different than a nice bourbon that just lays nicely on the back of the tongue.


The carbonation is very moderate and the body is fairly thin considering this looks like a chunky beer and at 12% it's surprising me. Trust me that it's full bodied, but I love the bourbon characteristics that it holds in the mouthfeel. Maybe "full" is wrong to describe this, as it reminds me more of a fluffy marshmallow that is simply dissolving in my mouth. Bourbon has a sweetness that dominates the back pocket of the tongue, there are enough hops to leave that bitter coating on the very back of the tongue, and the roof of my mouth and tip of my tongue just splash in the light watery residues left over. This is something you just have to sense in the mouth all the flavours are spiked by where the sugars, wood, or lack of sugars tend to remain after every mouthful.


This is a great style of beer that isn't over done not to mention the creativity of the brewers to have it aged in maple bourbon barrels is this reason why Founders rule. I drink this and I think of an outstanding weissenbier blended with a dunkel on steroids with a marshmallow mouthfeel and sweetness that just tickles the palate.

As for food pairings, this beer needs an arugula salad with a cilantro & yogurt salad dressing topped with pinenuts, walnuts and golden raisins. The arugula has such a grassy, earthy flavour that would just be perfect for the oaky flavours that linger from the beer. Cilantro also has that green flavour that will cut the beer flavour yet compliment the light hopping of the beer and the bourbon finish. I think salad due to the residual water left in the front of the mouth. This pairing could happen with either beer or salad coming first. You can break this flavour orgy in the mouth with an artisanal wheat bread made with grated beets. A nice dry bread and sweet soil beets with a light olive oil dip will simply cleanse the palate without disrupting the flavours that can blend. Keep in mind, wheat is dry and astringent. This beer has a slight astringency from the wheat and a nice bread with a little oil can go with almost any beer of this depth. (I'd also recommend this with salmon sashimi and a little wasabi.)


For those craving a little more sugar, I wouldn't judge you for popping a big fluffy-white-anti-establisment marshmallow in your gob while drinking this sucker.

Dig in. Indulge. Enjoy.

Alley Kat: 15th Anniversary Cascadian Dark Ale

*Before we start I'd like to make a note about my feelings on "Cascadian Dark Ales" or "Black IPA's"... I just don't like them! The label, the genre, the style, the flavours, etc. "Why are you a hater?" Well, when you consider that in the early 1700's Porters or "Stout Butt Porters" were around 6-9% ABV and 65-85 IBU's this seems to fit these Black IPA's pretty well. This sort of recipe carried on into the early 1900's with a few speed bumps along the way. Rock n' Roll had similar experiences. I do understand the idea of the carafa(de-bittered/de-husked black malt) but some are not using this. Also, "Black IPA" doesn't make sense. I-India... this beer has nothing to do with voyages or trades to India or whatever myth/legend/fact/history you want to believe. P-pale, well dude, Black ain't pale. A-ale, well 1 out of 3 ain't bad. As for "Cascadian" I see that as being lame. Everyone makes a pale ale and they use whatever hops they want. Good for them. Don't make a style as complex as this and base it on the one and only hop you can/should use. You don't see single hop IPA's being labeled as SPA (Simcoe Pae Ale) or CIPA (Centennial India Pale Ale). Okay! Yeah! I totally get the idea of what the beer should be when you get the name, but I still see this just as much as a bastardization as Keith's calling their sugary-beer (most likely a lager) an IPA. Just sayin'. If the B-A or BJCP needs another style call it a Black Bitter or X-TREME ROBUST PORTER. Now I'm being foolish, and I am not trying to take away from the quality of the beer.




This is apart of the 15th Anniversary series that Alley Kat has put out along with a Belgian Tripel, Apple Wit (Cider?), Smoked Porter, and Ginger Beer. A great idea and a lot of work for the brewers. This particular Cascadian Dark Ale is a salute to Cascade hops and the brewers of Cascadia.




I'm guilty of a heavy pour that flowed pure, opaque, jet-black, with a rocky-eggshell white head. The head was a little large (due to my aggressive pour) but great retention none-the-less. The head is similar to when you pour a rootbeer float.




The aroma is very interesting off the top. I've been sticking my nose in this for a while and it keeps getting more and more interesting, yet less and less complex every time (Tip for tasters: The olfactory system has a limit for senses and will become fatigued very quickly. So when you are not sure what you are smelling in your glass anymore, smell the skin of your sleeve, and it kind of resets everything). First on the nose, I get a cola like sensation that reminds me of Crush Birchbeer (only available in Nfld and some Sobey's across Canada where Nfld'ers are abundant...think: Fort Mac). Now, that quickly changes to roasted barley, sweetened coffee, chicory (think smelling a Tim Hortans cup that used to be full of black coffee w/o sugar and has time to cool down), then citrus and tobacco. More tobacco than citrus, it comes across like flavoured rolling papers, where the paper part is leaning towards light oxidation followed quickly by licorice root or star anise and as it warms it takes on characteristics of spiced rum. The citrus is lemon-lime and CO2. Overall I perceive the nose to be very simple despite how "loud" it is.




The flavour hits roasty right off the tip of the tongue, flows to a milk chocolate, molasses, licorice sweetness in the centre of the tongue, and finishes with that dry tobacco, mint, and light lemon-lime citrus bitterness on the finish. The finish is surprisingly dry and kind of makes me grin despite the acidity of this beer. There is a sourness (which is in every beer, hopefully) that makes the middle-back of my tongue tingle in good ways. Overall there is a big Coca-Cola flavour going on with lots of root-like qualities, roasty bits, and a long lingering sweetened licorice that remains closer to the front of the tongue. The bitterness is there as a sheet that coats the back half of the tongue but it is not as powerful as I'd like it to be. The sweetness never covers the back of the tongue or palate. Think of oil on a hot pan that moves away from the heat, well the sugar is moving away from the bitterness and flows to the front of the tongue yet remains pocketed in the bucket of the tongue.




A lot of what I described in the later half of flavour contributes to the mouthfeel, which is a nice carbonation, which I'd consider quite high for the style. The body is full, but not rich. It is really dry, but not astringent other than a little roast kicking around. This beer puts a test to the palate to wonder if you are sensing bitterness or astringency due to roasted grain or hop bitterness. This is a dry beer, but even so it's slightly watery on the finish, which aids in drinking this beer quickly.





This beer as a whole was very well done. I really dig it for what it is. It says exactly what it says it is. If this were a regular offering at a reasonable price I'd buy this in 6 packs of 12-packs. Seriously, great beer and bravo to the brewers. I look forward to sampling the other 15th Anniversary beers from Alley Kat. again, bravo on a well crafted brew!




As for food pairings: I'd put this with a bag of Doritos Sweet Chili Heat or Hawkins Cheezies, put the feet up and watch the game. Life is simple sometimes, no matter how complicated a label may seem.

New Belgium: Fat Tire

First off, I really have to say how awesome New Belgium is as a brewery in terms of it's energy conservation. It has water recycling, using natural gas, it is greatly wind powered and damn near self-generating power. The brewery really cares about the earth. That alone is worth checking out this brewery.





Secondly, the packaging is great. The Belgian style brown bottle with a ring around the neck, neatly labeled "New Belgium."





What can I say about the Fat Tire Amber Ale? It was named after Jeff Lebesch's (The founder and brew master) mountain bike trip through Europe, traveling from brewery to brewery. This was his original homebrew recipe, and his claim to fame. From basement brewery to a "mass" produced commercial beer, it has kept it's integrity and original recipe. Props!







This pours a crystal clear rusted orange that shimmers in the light, topped with a tight bubbled eggshell head, two fingers deep from the rim of the glass. It has wonderful retention as it dissipates to a fuzzy film over the beer and lacing rings down the glass with every sip. Well, I'm impressed. This isn't the kind of head you expect on an amber ale, Belgian inspired or not.





The nose is soft and very delicate with many subtleties. The spicy yeast sparks the nose and opens up for the rest of aromas to waft in. When I say "spicy", think of the essence of cloves or pepper wrapped in aromas of freshly baked rye bread and hints of sulfur. This is followed by lovely caramel notes, and almost buttery (not diacetyl). There are low levels of apple and an earthy pear skimming across the beer that finishes on the nose as a grassy hop finish for balance. The yeast and the munich malt sweetness are so crucial for this beers bouquet. Toasty, caramel, apple, and just the right amount of earthiness from the hops. It almost has a bit of shiitake mushroom note hidden in there. I will note the beginnings of oxidation present in the aroma, though it's not offensive, simply present.







As soon as this hits the tongue all of those very interesting characteristics in the nose are amplified. Not to 11, but they become fuller and round on the palate. There is a nutty flavour that dominates the back of the tongue and the upper part of my mouth and the tip of my tongue. The middle is holding that nice toasty sweetness of caramel, the pear and apple are not present, though that earthy, grassy hop simply tickles the tongue cutting the sweetness. The munich malt is giving this a lovely biscuit flavour. This is a semi-dry finish, a sweet balanced beer that cuts and leaves very little residual sugars on the tongue. The sweetness is there just long enough before you crave another sip.





The carbonation is moderate, a nice round body, slick and slightly filmy. Just balanced in the way it dances sweetly over the tongue.






This beer may not be mind blowing, but I think this is the kind of beer that defines "balance" when all the big shot critics talk about beer. I think round. I think of the way that Sibelius uses timpini parts in his Symphonies (particularly Symphony No. 1 in E Minor) so interwoven within the orchestra with an even known presence of moving things forward. A delicate touch of "wow... I'm impressed."






This is a beer I could party with...respectfully.





This is a beer I would love to pair with portobello mushrooms sauteed lightly in olive oil and rosemary on a bed of aromatic rice. I love the texture of mushrooms when they just get a little soft, the earthiness of the fungi, and the oil and rosemary would just blend beautifully with the sweet and toast of this beer.





Also, think Thai eggplant. The kind of sloppy, soft, buttery eggplant with spices to defy the sweetness. The beer then becomes a little over powered, but the beer will instantly seem a little sharper in the finish. This isn't a very acidic or bitter beer, so it will not cleans the palate, simply add some sugar in the mouth.



Also think lamb,a bit of black pepper and rosemary would do just fine to garnish the flavours within.


I picked up some semi-soft surfaced ripened Oka cheese with mushrooms and it's got a buttery, yet slightly soft chew that is very nice compliment. Not too sharp... balanced.






I'd ride this bike again.






Thanks to Lackey for the brew!

Goose Island: Matilda 2009

Goose Island: Matilda 2009

Matilda. What a beautiful name. I doubt it's after the movie directed by Dani DeVito or the book by Ronald Dahl. It's actually an old German name that means "mighty in battle." Seems odd to have a German name on a Belgian beer. However, Germany did enjoy invading Belgium and the cross of Belgian yeast and German hops would make sense.


Well, let's see what the beer has in store.


Pours a very interesting rusty, copper-orange, with golden hues. A nice white head that thins to a light film on top within seconds. There is a light haze, making this quite eerie. I was expecting a little more head on this one.


The nose is very fragrant. It perfumes flowers in a summer garden, followed by gooseberries, light and tart. There are some funky over-tones that give it the soapy Belgian character. There is a sweetness similar to peaches and golden raisins, which I'll give hint to some sulfur. Though, I'll remain firm with gooseberries ripe on a bush to sum this up. Wait, brett! Oh beautiful brett, you are hiding in there somewhere with that sour horse blanket and leather. I almost missed you with all of those fruity aromas. Warming the beer brings out wonderful things.


This is a smack of Belgian fruitiness. It hits with the peaches and even raspberries, stewed in candied ginger. This slides over the tongue to reach the alcohol warmth that rises up the cheeks, while the bitter endings slide back and down the hatch, leaving a soft warmth, that when exhaled though the nose comes that fragrant soap of roses and noble hops. The tartness of this fools you into thinking it is of a higher percentage than what it is. It's ripe berry forms give it a light medicinal quality, often found in Ports or sherry, yet not as strong. It has that ever lasting earthy, brett tingle on the tongue. It's candied alcohol, with a semi-dry tart finish.


The mouthfeel has a moderate carbonation for the style, as light bubbles tingle the sinuses, but this can go down smooth. The sweetness that lingers helps the ease of drinking. The body is fairly rich as well. The residual sugars a that of a soda spritzer, but leave more of that real barley sugar residue right in the middle of the tongue.


This is a mouthful of rusted gold. The bottle says it can age up to 5 years, however, I'd stick to drinking this fresh. There is a very beautiful hop bitterness in this one at this age, but I could only imagine how that would have played out fresh. I'd assume they would dominate the tartness and bring more of that earthy garden into aromas. It's spicy now, but the sugars are dominating, and it is only 7% ABV. I like my Belgians a little crisper, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't give this another go when I see a 2011 bottle kicking around.


If you like really classic Belgian style beers with a little twist, this is for you... that or tart white fruit wines.


I'd pair this with bacon wrapped scallops. There is a complexity in the differences in texture between scallops and bacon that is crisp on the edges with a little chew in the centre that mix salt, fat, and butter and a touch tamari would do this wonders. I personally find a lot of funky Belgian beers that have tartness, or brett to be complimented and boosted by a little salt. So feel free to chow down on some salty pretzels, just leave the garlic hummus out. Garlic is a definite NO! For the vegetarian, try steaming some water-chestnuts or cooking them in a pan with a little salt, tamari / soy sauce, and wrap them in nori. I think sushi rice would actually hinder the barley sweetness of this beer. The Peach and apricots are so nice, why mess with that?


Or for anyone, this would actually pair well with an arugula salad with a thick raspberry vinegrette.


Enjoi

Half-Pints Burly Wine, Not Just A Winter Warmer

It may be the end of August but it's never to soon to anticipate the many winter warmers that will grace the fridges of the beer loving people soon enough. Even break out the ones you stashed from years past.
Today just seemed like a great day to drink something a little different than the many pale beers that gracefully sit on patios and quench the thirst of the people. My table proudly props up a fine glass of Burly Wine (blue wax, 2009) from Half Pints Brewing Company located in Winnipeg, MB.

I'll just start by saying this is one hell of a beautiful looking beer. A murky bog water caramel brown body, rusty golden hues and a tanned head that remains small but full (and laces right to the very bottom of the drinking vessel).

The aroma is earthy, oak-like qualities drenched in a boozy dried fruit cake. Treacle soaked currents, raisins, dates, and lighter apricot notes with a sweet grain bill that comes out like heavy caramel and sugared cereal (Sugar Crisp anyone?!). The hops have a great noble appeal, herbal and almost that of spruce trees.

The flavour is very syrupy/ treacle-like. There is a wood like earthiness on the tongue, but on further sips that flavour appears more nutty than anything else. Big sweet yeast bread flavours, a touch of grain which is dominated by the stewed fruit flavours. Sweet cherries seem to come out more on the tongue than the lighter apricot notes in the nose. The alcohol is well hidden for what is supposedly 10.5%ABV (I will note the outside of the case it came in is marked at 8.5%ABV). I'll assume the latter. There are some bourbon qualities that linger on the tongue with a semi-dry finish. The raisins, plums, and currents are strong in sweetness, while the hops really keep this balanced. 75IBU's and still sweet will give you a good idea of how huge this grain bill must be.

The body is rich and full with a decent carbonation for the style. There is a heavy kick in this one. This is a satisfying mouthful. Granted, this sucker is still a little hot even eight months later.

This is going to be a great beer to age and watch develop over the months and years (if they last that long). It is amazing to have a brewery like this in Canada. Everything I've tried has had amazing quality, standard and consistency while remaining to be very unique on their own within the brewery's line up of beers.

Does anyone else get excited about beer in the cellar? What do you wait for to open one (or two… or three… or…)?

Beau's:Stout Beavers Get Sleepy in Belgium, Eh?

It appears to be a busy time of year for beer. All of these events are getting in the way of just sitting on a patio and enjoying beer... wait, never mind that.

First off I'd like to thank Beau's and Bar Volo for putting the feature together. There were plenty of beer fans hanging around to try a few new beers to the scene of Ontario. One being the Beaver River IP'Eh? and the other being Matt's Sleepy Time Belgian Imperial Stout. Now, The Beaver River had made an appearance last spring and I will now look forward to it every spring.

The Stout is a great release. I may have trouble thinking of it as a "stout", but as a beautiful Belgian Strong Dark Ale it seems to fit my palate more. Regardless of titles, which indeed mean very little, it is a tasty brew, I assure you.

Beaver River IP'Eh? from the cask poured a lovely glowing orange around the edges blending into the copper like body, a huge creamy head that settles amongst the hazy contents. Obviously a little over carbonated while being forced through the hand pump. I Don't complain about this due to the aroma that follows.

The nose is really floral, citrus grapefruits, a hint of mangos, clementines, followed by a slight pine note. You can really get a sent of caramel from the malts and a touch of biscuit. Very cool. The floral bouquet was a little different and interesting. It had a lot of very nice tropical fruit aromas. I enjoy the hops in this one.

The taste was much to follow from the nose. Very bitter and citrusy up front. All the zest and pine just seem to swirl into the caramel malt sweetness. There isn't much hop burn from this. A little sweeter than the tap version, which at first seemed a little hop forward (I ain't complaining on either parts... just a new ball game). The mango returns in the sweetness along with some nice biscuity flavours and returns with that satisfying hop residue on the tongue.

With the over carbonation and the hand pump, this is super thick and creamy. Very frothy, smooth, and totally clean.

I really do look forward to this beer. I get hop crazy sometimes, but this really had the best of both worlds. A fantastic offering from this brewery!

Matt's Sleepy Time Belgian Imperial Stout from the tap poured a dark black and surprisingly clear, there was a little mahogany hue around the edges of the glass, and an ever so slightly tanned head that sunk to a slight film. Not much retention for the head or lacing.

The nose is pretty interesting. The belgian yeast character gives it a nice kick . Front off there is a hefty amount of smoke, charcoal, a little chocolate and vanilla along with a herbal character that is similar of cola nut. The yeast brings out some ripe raspberry and strawberry qualities as if they are stewing in their own juices and just mingle with the roast and chocolate tones.

The taste leans away from the smoke and puts front a very rich roasted cocoa beans, coffee, chocolate and vanilla. There is a little herbal quality that floats over the tongue and is blended with bready notes from the yeast. The finish is very nice and dry and snaps quickly with cloves and pepper and leaves the berry-like sugars resting on the palate. It is fairly complex.

The mouthfeel does end up seeming a little thin with it's high carbonation and why I would lean away from wanting to place it with other imperial stouts, but what's in a name? It doesn't take away from the drinkability of this one.

It seems everyone wants to pair dark beers with the darkest chocolate, or smoked meat or really strong cheeses. Personally, due to the light and crisp body I'd lean more towards pairing it with something simple and light, for example strawberries and whipped cream, with chocolate sprinkles of course, or potentially something like a strawberry shortcake. Let the beer take the food to a new level. If my food is merely blending flavours of the beer, then I'll just stick with the beer and eat before or after. I'm not huge on pairing, but if deemed necessary I really think it should be a complete experience, it should take your taste buds to the next level that the food or the beer could not do alone.

I did not have any of the Lug Tread at the feature, however I did recently pick up a brand spankin' new 4-pack earlier in the week. I did a review of it, however I'll just chalk it up to the time of day, and the whole atmosphere: It really hit the spot on a nice sunny spring day. The packaging is awesome. The bottles look cool, the cardboard is pretty hippy-like, and it looks as good as the contents inside. Good work!

I had a great chat with Steve at the bar. It's really good to see people who are behind the beer 110%. Even if he isn't the brewer, he wants and needs to know everything about it. The idea of being small, independent, and family oriented is a beautiful thing. He seemed really excited about his product because you could tell he loved it himself.

It makes sense. Why brew beer you wouldn't want to drink yourself? If you have a beer for ever mood and season, brew more beer!

I'll finish off by saying there is nothing better than a bar full of people excited about beer. Some may be there just to tick another off the list, rub noses with the brewer, or just socialize, because that's why we drink at a pub.

Cheers!