Tag Archives: kenora

Tippy Canoe Wild Rice Ale – Lake of the Woods Brewing Co.

by Mike

From Kenora Ontario’s Lake of the Woods Brewing Company comes their “Tippy Canoe Wild Rice Ale”.  The beer pours an amber colour with an off white head.  The aroma consists of grainy malts, wild rice and mild fruit.  The flavour is of bready grain, wild rice, caramel, mild fruit, grassy hops but no bittering hops.  The alcohol content comes in at 6% with an IBU of 25.  This beer is no world beater but it is well executed and refreshing.

Commercial Description:  This uniquely northern beer is brewed with malted barley & wild rice. Wild rice (harvested in our area) is added to the boil, giving this beer a distinctive nutty finish. Wild rice, also known as Manoomin, which translates into ‘the good berry’ in Ojibwe, has played a major role in the lives of Ojibwe people in our region for centuries.

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Belgian Dubbel – Lake of the Woods Brewing Co.

by Mike

Limited Release

From Kenora Ontario’s Lake of the Woods Brewing Company comes their “Belgian Dubbel”.  This beer pours a deep copper colour with and off white head.  The aroma consists of malts, dark fruits and an overall sweetness.  The flavour is of malts, dark fruits, marshmallows, sweetness, candied sugar and an overall hops bitterness.  The alcohol content comes in at 6%.  This is just another tasty brew coming out of Kenora Ontario.  If you are as stupidly lucky as me to be able to get this beer in the west you should also feel lucky.

Commercial Description:  The style of beer originated at Belgian monasteries in the middle ages. The flavours give the impression of a complex grain bill but it is actually quite simple. Extra special roasted malt and a higher than normal fermentation temperature provide fruity and marshmallow flavors.

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Firehouse Amber Ale – Lake of the Woods Brewing Co.

by Mike

From Kenora Ontario’s Lake of the Woods Brewing Company comes their “Firehouse Amber Ale” oddly enough classed and English Nut Brown Ale on their website.  Not sure what is going on with the name on this one.  The beer pours a deep amber colour with a brownish head.  The aroma consists of roasty malts, sweet toffee, caramel and some nuttiness.  The flavour is of roasted malts, smoke, caramel, toffee, nuts and a mild bitter finish.  The alcohol content comes in at a nice 4.8% with an IBU of 28.  This is a nice easy drinking ale even if it doesn’t know what it is.

Commercial Description:  Our Firehouse Amber is sweet and malty on the pallet. Infused with nutty, toffee like characteristics. You won’t want to rush through this well-balanced, slightly spicy and caramelized amber ale.

History Behind name:  “IT WOULD ONLY MAKE SENSE FOR US TO DEDICATE THE NAME OF OUR FLAGSHIP ENGLISH NUT BROWN TO OUR BREWERY LOCATION IN KENORA’S HISTORIC FIRE HALL (BUILT IN 1912) and to the courageous local firefighters (past and present) that have served our community.  Prior to having a fire hall or a fire department in the area, a roaring fire tore through the streets of Kenora burning down most everything in its path and leaving very few businesses and homes standing. The town was devastated and the local outcry resulted in the formation of a volunteer fire department and the first Kenora fire hall located on Main Street. The next few years were filled with tragic irony as the original fire hall burned down in 1889 and then the second in 1891. The third fire hall, this time made of stone, was built on the current site of the Kenora Public Library. It also burned to the ground.  Over the next year, Fire Chief F.A. Hudson oversaw the design and construction of a new state of the art fire hall, the current site of Lake of the Woods Brewing Company. The new hall, made of brick and stone, was said to be “…as near to perfection as possible.” The Kenora Fire Department used this Second Avenue fire hall from its opening in 1913 until 2010, when the Department moved to its new 14th Street North location.  Thank you to LOW Museum for providing the historical facts for this story. To learn more please contact the Museum at http://www.lakeofthewoodsmuseum.ca/”

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Big Timber IPA – Lake of the Woods Brewing Co.

by Mike

From Kenora Ontario’s Lake of the Woods Brewing Company comes their “Big Timber IPA”.  The Brew pours a deep amber with an off white head.  The aroma consists of malts, toffee, nuts, biscuit and floral hops.  The flavour is of big hops up front with malts, toffee, biscuit and citrus.  The alcohol content comes in at 5.5% with an IBU of 50.  This is a very tasty IPA and I am glad that I have my sources to get beer that has no right being in British Columbia!

Commercial Description:  Big Timber IPA is described as “a bold beer for the bold men that helped forge the Canadian landscape,” and is dedicated to the lumberjacks and loggers who have played a large role in the history of the area. Thanks http://www.canadianbeernews.com/.
A strong malt bill balances the strong hop flavour.  3 types of caramel malt were used.  Aside from caramel, other flavours that may be detected are toffee, biscuit, toast, bread, nut and graham cracker.  The aroma hop used is Ahtanum, named after the valley in Washington where commercial hops were first planted in North America.  Aromas present are floral, earthy, citrus and grapefruit.

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