The Garden Party – Wheat Beers

The pale ales were all gone, and though some pad thai still remained we needed to soldier on to the next beer style: wheat beers. Like the other categories in this tasting this one also has an “odd man out”. Two of the beers are German hefeweizens and one is an American wheat.

Wheat Beers

1. Muskoka Hefe-Weissbier – Bracebridge, ON – 5% abv – can

The Muskoka Hefe is one of my go-to beers for stocking the fridge in the summer. Full of beautiful esters creating flavours of cloves, citrus, banana and bubble gum it is complimented by a subtle hop profile and caramel and bready malts. Unfiltered, it pours a golden haze with a fluffy white head. When describing this beer to others I often indicate the flavours are very vibrant and ‘colourful’.

2. Great Lakes Miami Weiss – Toronto, ON – ? abv – bottle

Since this American wheat ale was the odd one out I thought it would sandwich it between the hefeweizens (hefeweisses?). This choice was also unfiltered and was quite bubbly. There were two notable qualities to this ale that separates it from its German counterpart: by design it has less esters and is considerably more hopped. The Project X conceived Miami Weiss is generously hopped (as well as dry hopped) with noble hops and has a spicy, grassy quality to the nose and palette. Grapefruit qualities are also a big part of this beer’s character.
*BREWERY FRESH!

3. Denison’s Weissbier – Toronto, ON – 5.4% abv – can

What else can be said about a locally produced, world-class beer that hasn’t already been said? This Ontarian draft staple was released in cans in 2009 and this meant it would only take a fraction of the time to get the tasty hefeweizen to my lips compared to heading to my local. Unfiltered and filled with wonderful spicy, cloveyy, and banana-y esters this weissbier is slightly tart yet mellow. In contrast to the above noted Muskoka hefeweiss the overall profile would be a little more refined. Hot weather, cold weather – this beer is always a treat in any weather.
*BREWERY FRESH!

Food pairing: Bruschetta with grilled Halloumi
When trying to plan this pairing I over-thought it. I was trying too hard to find a food item to match well with the properties of the wheat beer. It was not until the 11th hour that I realized I was on the wrong track: I was trying to find a food to go with the beer.  I concluded that wheat beer goes with just about anything! So for this pairing this bruschetta was a)  reasonably simple to make, b) did not have conflicting flavours with the beer and c) was incredibly delicious. The food and drink did not have any flavours that were too strong which would conflict with each other.

My winner:
I opted for the tried, tested and true. Denison’s Weissbier. It’s just so good.
Tasters poll winner: This one was a landslide! The hopped-up Great Lakes Miami Weiss took this one with 75% of the votes! This Project X brew was a great success – hopefully it makes it into their seasonal rotation!

Next, and last up: India Pale Ales…

The Garden Party – Pale Ales

Lagers and Fruit beers are done…

Pale ale is not too descriptive as a beer style. On its own I do not think it is a beer style (at least not as recognized by the BJCP). It is usually accompanied by a regional name (English, India, American, etc) which is then subdivided into further categories. Two of the beers sampled in this category are American Pale Ales and one is an English Pale Ale (best bitter). All three sampled were fresh from the breweries.

Pale Ales

1. Black Oak Pale Ale – Toronto, ON – 5% abv – bottle

Whenever I see this on draft I gravitate towards it, though I do not often buy it in bottles. Visiting the brewery to buy enough for my party (plus a bit for me) I was informed that it was available at my local east-end LCBO but made it clear it was my task and duty to get it direct from the brewery for my party-goers. This straw coloured pale ale is sessionable time after time. Piney, grassy hops combined with light, caramel/toffee malts provides an excellent balance. Moderate in both bitterness and sweetness this is a great all-around beer that can stand up on its own or be paired with a wide array of food items.
*BREWERY FRESH!

2. Granite Brewery Best Bitter Special – Toronto, ON – 4.5% abv – growler (CASK!)

This sampling combined three of my favourite things about the Granite Brewery. Growlers, cask beer and best bitter special (hand drawn into the growler on request). This copper coloured brew is deliciously dry-hopped which dominates the flavour. There is a high malt component which balances out the high hops. There is bitter finish on this beer and possibly notes of black tea. This growler was purchased late in the evening before the tasting party and received the usual caution to consume this beer within 24 hours. Though refrigerated until the time of sampling this beer did not fare well and many proclaimed it had gone off. I did not feel it was undrinkable but it certainly was not up to its usual high standards.
*BREWERY FRESH!

3. Great Lakes Canuck Pale Ale – Toronto, ON – 5.2% abv – bottle

Initially introduced at the time of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games this beer quickly became a favourite of mine. It was an easy beer to share with friends because it was very well balanced and not TOO anything (hoppy, yeasty, etc) except it being TOO delicious. At a housewarming during the later winter months I was astonished and pleasantly surprised to see approximately 10 bottles of this beer in the fridge brought by a number of people, myself included. This current incarnation (released for Canada Day) has solved some of the diacetyl issues experienced during the first batch and continues the dry-hopped goodness. Nice dry hopped flavour (cascade?) with some piney hops and bready malts. Though not a low abv I find it quite sessionable.
*BREWERY FRESH!

Food pairing: Pad Thai
This category was up in the air for food pairing until I picked up the beers. When I went to Black Oak and Great Lakes I was able to speak to the brewers to weigh in on their opinions of what to pair with the beers (Ron Keefe was no in when I went). Both Adrian (BO) and Peter (GL) suggested I pair their respective beers with something spicy, like Indian or Thai because generally spicy foods have complex flavours that will hold up to the hop bitterness of the beers. Though the pad thai was not spciy (someone forgot the sriracha – me) the busy-ness of the pad thai (spices, veg, meat, seafood, etc) provided the desired contrast. This pad thai is famous in my circle of friends and guests started gobbling it up before the beers were even served!

My winner: All three are top contenders and I would gladly accept a pint (or growler) of any at any given time. As noted above the Granite BBS was below par, which narrows it to two. I have to give my vote to my perennial favourite: Black Oak Pale Ale. It is consistently a delicious beer.
Tasters poll winner: Again we had a landslide victory in this category. Great Lakes Canuck Pale Ale got top marks from tasters with double the votes of the other two combined. If the pad thai got a vote in this category it may have won.

Next up: Wheat beers…

The Garden Party – Fruit Beer

The lagers were done and second up was fruit beer. Like in the last post I have taken liberties in this category (with #2) but it was a matter of fit it in here or duplicate a raspberry beer.

‘Fruit’ Beers

1. KLB Raspberry Wheat Beer – Toronto, ON – 4.5% abv – can

Though also a wheat beer I think I can get away with this beer in this category without anyone crying ‘foul!’. This light bodied ale smells and tastes of sweet raspberry candy. My personal guess is that they don’t use fresh raspberries, but perhaps a concentrated raspberry syrup instead. Regardless, this beer is quite pleasant and refreshing on a hot afternoon.

2. Great Lakes Green Tea Ale – Toronto, ON – 4.2% abv – bottle

This is the non-fruit offender and is not technically a fruit beer. This beer is light bodied with a very slight bitterness. Flavours detected are biscuity malts, light grassiness, sweet grains as well as very faint hints of green tea. If I were not told this was a green tea ale I would have a hard time naming it as such.
*BREWERY FRESH!

3. Mill Street Lemon Tea Beer – Toronto, ON – 5% abv – can

This beer pours golden-amber and has a significant haze on it. The name correctly identifies the major flavours found in this brew: lemon and tea. Both of which provide a bitterness that allows the hop presence to be slightly diminished without compromising on flavour balance. I contemplated going down to the Mill St brewpub shop to grab this beer as part of my ‘fresh from the brewery’ mantra but I don’t think it was brewed and canned there so it was purchased at the LCBO.

Food pairing: Watermelon, Mint & Feta Cheese salad
Pairing fruit with fruit beer initially seemed sensible but also required something to make it ‘pop’. Since the beers do not have strong, complex flavour profiles feta cheese was a perfect choice. It did not interfere with the flavours of the beer, and on the contrary the inherent salty flavour profile complimented the refreshing tastes of the other ingredients in the salad (watermelon & mint) and also made the beers seem more refreshing in contrast.

My winner: This was also a hard category to choose a winner but for the opposite reason of the lager category: I don’t really care too much for any of them. I will give my vote to the KLB Raspberry Wheat. I didn’t love it but it wasn’t as not good as I thought.
Tasters poll winner: This came as a surprise to me but there was a tie between the KLB Raspberry Wheat and the Mill St Lemon Tea Beer.

Next up: Pale Ales…

The Garden Party – The Lagers

…continued from The Plan

Lager was the first category tasted. All beers were purchased from the LCBO

Lagers

1. Muskoka Pilsner Light – Bracebridge, ON – 4% abv – can

After trying this beer for the first time a few weeks ago I was curious about it. A few cans have been had since then and my love for the beer has grown. Though a light beer, this pils has the grassy hops, light malts and refreshing crispness to it that is expected of the style.

2. Beau’s Lug-tread Lagered Ale – Vankleek Hill, ON – 5.4% abv – bottle

OK, you caught me. This beer does NOT fit the style category as the word ALE is clearly noted in the name. I thought I would take liberties with this one as it IS a lagered ale. That is to say it is cold conditioned (like a lager), but top fermented (as an ale). This beer served as a point of comparison with the pils. I think my point was made.

3. Creemore Springs Kellerbier – Creemore, ON – 5% abv – bottle

Making its way to beer drinkers for the second year, this malt-accented, pale lager is unfiltered and has that ‘fresh’ taste to it.  It’s not your typical macro (or micro) brewed lager. Notes of aromatic whole leaf hops and ease of drinkability were standouts for this choice.

Food pairing: Sliders
The beers chosen in this category were all crisp and refreshing. Fairly uncomplicated, but with hop bitterness profiles that dominate the flavour. These qualities made sliders (aka mini burgers) a good choice. Topped with fresh tomato slices, truffle mayonnaise and spicy catsup these burgs were broiled due to BBQ complications however were moist and the perfect pairing for the lager category.

My winner: This was perhaps the most difficult category for me to choose a favourite, however all factors considered at the time (food pairing, hot summer day, etc) I have to give my vote to the Muskoka Pilsner Light
Tasters poll winner: Creemore Kellerbier was the favourite by a fairly large margin!

Next up: Fruit beer…

The Garden Party – The Plan

Key ingredients to a successful beer party:
-Beer
-People
-Location
-Food
-Planning
-Lots of planning

I can’t quite remember why this particular event got started but it did. I floated the idea of a beer tasting garden party via email to those whom I thought would be interested and the response came back a resounding "YES". The question was now "how" to do it.

There were a number of approaches that could be taken. I have hosted a few beer tasting parties for my friends before. With the help of one or two individuals it’s fairly easy to plan out a beer menu that will satisfy the majority. How that menu is selected varies but it usually boils down to 4 or 5 styles with 2 or 3 beers in each. Generally everyone find’s something they’ve not had before, it’s inevitable that some of the choices will be poo-poo’d (by chance or by design), and everyone will find something they like. I have a spreadsheet template I designed which makes this type of things fairly easy to plan out. Since I’m not made of money or beer this allows me to cost everything out (with the help of the LCBO web site) and tell people it will only cost $x per head. I think once I got it to $10/head but most often comes to $15.

Given the hot summer weather I tried to make the styles appropriate for the season. I am one for having a Russian imperial stout on a summer’s afternoon but generally they aren’t served this time of year, and they certainly aren’t the choice to quench a thirst. The styles for this party were: lager, flavoured beer, wheat beer, pale ale and india pale ale. After browsing the LCBO product search for a while to see what was available I started checking out the sites of local breweries to see what kind of beers they had in their stores (that weren’t kegs). After an hour of two of checking out the local micros’ sites, and still riding high from OCB week, I decided it would be appropriate to make my tasting an all Ontario craft affair. Ontario has plenty to offer in all of the styles I wanted to represent and as a gimmick I could get as much beer as I could directly from the breweries. It does not get much more local that that! (Except perhaps by simply having a pub day at Granite.)

The beer list took a bit of tweaking to make the best selections from what was available. It was decided to pick up beer fresh(!) from Great Lakes, Denison’s (@ Cool), Duggan (@ Cool), Black Oak and Granite. In total 8 of the 15 beers sampled were brewery fresh. More on beer selection next post…