City and Colour from Flying Monkeys

I was torn when I spotted City and Colour at the liquor store. On one hand, I've never had a maple beer that I liked; on the other hand, I've never had a Flying Monkeys beer that I didn't like. Ultimately, I couldn't resist picking up one of the individually boxed 750ml bottles.

I'm, like, 90% sure the lumberjack in the Canadian Guitar Forest is Dallas Green.
I'm definitely not your #1 source for Canadian Music Information.

 

This is the second beer in Flying Monkeys' Treble Clef series. The first, BNL Imperial Chocolate Stout, was my spirit animal. I tried to stockpile it, but couldn't leave it alone. It haunts my dreams.

I miss you, bosom friend.

This collaboration with City and Colour (aka Dallas Green) is an Imperial Maple Wheat, brewed with Ontario Maple Syrup and fair-trade organic bourbon vanilla.

The maple syrup is abundantly evident in a quick sniff of the beer. It is excessively evident in the first sip - kind of like swilling maple sugar candies some kid has melted in their sticky little fist . It's super-sweet with a silky texture.

I do not like this beer. I tried. I finished a glass, just in case, and I may even polish off the rest of the bottle another time. Maybe. If I do, it will be primarily on principle; I can't bear to waste beer, especially such a pricey beer.

Bright spot: This was the cap wisdom

I liked this more than the maple offerings from Mill Street or Lake of Bays - that's not exactly high praise, as the Lake of Bays' Spring Maple Belgian Blonde Ale is one of only two beers I've ever purposely left unfinished. It might be good for people who prefer sugary coolers to beer? I make no guarantees.

Blech. A thousand times, blech.

So now there is one Flying Monkeys beer I don't like. Sadness.

They can make it up to me by bringing back the chocolate stout.

Cheers!

Emily


City and Colour
Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery in Barrie, Ontario
Available at the LCBO
11.5% alc./vol.
750 ml bottles
1 Bottle $13.95

Sunny & Share from Creemore Springs

I found it! Creemore Springs' Sunny & Share! One sad, lonely can all by itself on the Beer Store shelf - I was happy to give it a good home.

"I've got you, beer."

Now, there's still no sign of this citrus saison on Creemore's website, but it appears Sunny & Share is the second offering in Creemore's craft beer exploration series, Mad & Noisy - the first was Hops & Bolts. Geography Fact: The series takes its name from two rivers that meet just outside Creemore, Ontario.

The packaging stands in stark contrast to that of the brewery's usual offerings - muted colours, traditional fonts, pastoral scene. The Beer Store guy I chatted with actually seemed a little put out by the louder, tattoo-inspired design of the Mad & Noisy series. It's definitely not something you would quickly identify as a Creemore.



Part of me really likes this package design.
Part of me can't tune out the announcer voice in my head saying "This isn't your daddy's Creemore."

The beer's based in the tradition of Belgian farmhouse ales, and incorporates flavour from citrus peels and cloves. It's a cloudy amber-colour with a frothy head, and it smells like lemon candies. The taste is dominated by the lemon and orange playing off the spiciness of the cloves, and it has a lingering sweetness.

I liked this beer when I first sampled it in Stratford, and did again when I started this one. However, about halfway through it started to taste less like beery lemon hard candy and more like beery citronella - it may be that this is best served very cold, or that the "perfect for sharing" suggestion on the packaging should be taken very seriously. It's a nice summer beer, and I'd happily drink it again if someone were to set it down in front of me, but I don't think I'll be scouring Beer Stores for a second can.

Cheers!

Emily

Sunny & Share
Creemore Springs Brewery in Creemore, Ontario
Available at the Beer Store
4.5% alc./vol.
473 ml cans
1 Can $2.85, 8 Cans $22.80, 24 Cans $62.40

Naughty Neighbour from Nickel Brook

As friends and I sang in Philadelphia two years ago today, "America Day! America Day! Hey, everybody, it's America Day!"

Special surprise guests that Independence Day were Boys II Men. Here, this earworm is a special 4th of July gift from me to you.

I was loitering in the liquor store this afternoon, reveling in the A/C, when I spotted Nickel Brook's Naughty Neighbour, an American style pale ale. I have a general "Nickel Brook makes me think of Nickelback" bias against this brewery, but you can't go wrong with a pretty lady dressed as Uncle Sam, amiright?

 

This is a basically ideal muggy afternoon beer. It's smooth and crisp, with a sharp piney-hop bite, taking the edge of the heat rather nicely. At 4.9%, it's wonderfully sessionable too, which is a strong asset when there are so many humid hours of yuck in store.

If you need us, the cat and I will be locked in our only air conditioned room, reading, napping, and drinking another Naughty Neighbour.

Cheers!

Emily


Naughty Neighbour
Nickel Brook Brewery in Burlington, Ontario
Available in Ontario at LCBO and Beer Stores
4.9% alc./vol.
355 ml bottles
6 bottles $12.25