Tag Archives: syrup

Stormy Monday Barley Wine – Bush Pilot Brewing

by Mike

From Bush Pilot Brewing an Ontario Gypsy brewery (brewed out of Nickel Brook in Burlington) comes their “Stormy Monday” a Barley Wine aged in Calvados Barrels.  Unfortunately my bottle was leaking when it arrived and had lost some of its carbonation.  The beer poured a deep cloudy brown colour with a small head.  The aroma consists of caramel, toffee, dark fruits, apple, clove, spices, hint of chocolate and some brown sugars.  The flavour is of caramel, toffee, dark fruits, dried apple, orange peel, orange, cinnamon, clove, spices, brown sugar, syrup, mild coffee, bitterness, vanilla, wood and a hint of what I can only guess is Calvados.  The alcohol content comes in at 10.3% without being super boozy.  This beer was a blend of barrel aged and non barrel aged versions of this beer.  With the unfortunate leakage of the bottle the carbonation was basically lost but the flavour was still really tasty.  I am really enjoying this beer and I hope that if you get a chance to try it you let me know what you think of it with a full carbonation!

Commercial Description:  We started with a clear mission that our first beer had to be a drink that we ourselves would want to seek out and enjoy. See, we are a bit spoiled – an almost decade long background in craft beer importation blessed us with access to some very fine and unique beers. Therefore, when we decided to embark on this long and turbulent journey we knew we had to create something very different. Needless to say though, we had a few Stormy Mondays along the way… With the help of our experienced mentors and collaborators, we managed to pass through some nasty looking clouds.  Our Stormy Monday is a spiced barley wine aged in Calvados barrels. Legendary Danish craft brewer Anders Kissmeyer (of Nørrebro Bryghus fame) created the recipe and supervised the brewing/aging process. We prepared a huge cargo of spices consisting of star anise, bitter orange peel, cocoa, cinnamon, dried fruit (quince, apple, dates, raisins, figs), real vanilla beans, cardamom, juniper berries and the list goes on and on… We also used pure maple syrup from our long time supplier and friend Frank Higgins of Combermere, Ontario. It is fair to say we logged quite a few hours sourcing some of these ingredients all over the world.  The resulting beer was aged for over seven months in Calvados barrels sourced from Domaine Dupont, Normandy, France. A second, non-barrel aged batch was brewed in order to create a rather harmonious presence of oak and Calvados notes. At the end, we settled for the 60:40 blend (barrel vs. non-barrel batches).  Special thanks go to our collaborators Jon Downing, Sam Corbeil, John Romano, Ryan Morrow, Matthew Howell and everyone at Niagara College Teaching Brewery and Nickel Brook Brewery.  Hope you enjoy your bottle of Stormy Monday.

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Glacial Mammoth Extinction – Storm Brewing (Aged 1 year)

by Mike

From the Mad Scientist of beer in British Columbia James of Storm Brewing comes their “Glacial Mammoth Extinction” a beer released on December 5th, 2015 after being aged for 2 years in Oak Barrels.  I aged my bottle for a year until late November 2016.  The beer pours a very deep brown without head.  The aroma consists of toffee, caramel, treacle, sweetness and alcohol.  The flavour is of treacle, toffee, caramel, syrup, port wine, dark fruit, cherries, berries, oak with some mild tartness to accentuate the alcohol burn in this beer.  The alcohol content comes in at 25% alcohol.  While this beer is very extreme in every way it is also very enjoyable by the ounce or two.  Any more than that would just be crazy as it is a freeze distilled spirit! I am so happy that I was able to pick some of this up last year and I am glad I have quite a bit left to sip slowly.

Commercial Description:  The Glacial Mammoth Extinction is the first beer of it’s kind, and the result of freezing a strong sour beer to -30C in two stages over a one month period.  The sweet alcoholic liquid was separated from the extinct ice glacier that was left in the tank, and then aged in French oak barrels for two years until it was ready.  The final product is a rich, complex, and viscous 100% malt beverage that resembles Port more than beer.  Residual sugar: 80 grams per litre Volume produced: 400 litres.

This was the beer dubbed the most expensive beer in Canada as they had special hand blown 1L growlers made that had a Mammoth Tusk pendent that went for $1000. Read about it here.

Here is my review of this beer when it first surfaced.

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When the beer was released on December 5th, 2015 I was there to pick up my beer as were many others.  I was able to view the $1000 bottle in person.  Here are my photos from that launch!

Defibrillator Doppel Bock – Parallel 49 Brewing

by Mike

O’hare’s Beer Club April 2014 Box

From Parallel 49 Brewing out of East Vancouver comes the “Defibrillator” a Doppelbock.  The beer pours a dark mahogany with no head.  The aroma consists of sweet roasted malts, toffee and fruits.  The flavour is of dark fruit, roasted malts, toffee, syrup and sweetness.  The alcohol content comes in at 8.7% with an IBU of 30.  This was an enjoyable dopplebock and I would go back for more.

Food Pairing according to O’hare’s Beer Club notes are as follows: Baked farfalle with prosciutto and mushrooms.

Click here to check out the April 2014 Box

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Utopias 2013 – Samuel Adams

by Mike

Limited Edition
Bottle 6,561 of less than 15,000

From Samuel Adams out of Boston Massachusetts comes the Holy Grail of most beer nerds “Utopias” 2013 Vintage (also the most expensive beer to date).  This beer destroys your perception of what a beer is as not only is it uncarbonated but it is also 28% alcohol and is a blend of beers some of which have been aged in barrels for up to or more than 20 years!  This years edition has been aged in Bourbon barrels, 8 year old port barrels and rum barrels and the finished product is blended together with a small amount of their beer the Komsic Mother Funk.  Before you pour this beer understand it is not meant to be refrigerated and should be served at room temperature.  The beer pours a ruby brown colour and as mentioned is uncarbonated.  The aroma begins with alcohol up front with whiskey, vanilla and some sweet fruits.  The flavour is of huge malts, maple syrup, toffee, plums, cherries, butterscotch, chocolate, honey, vanilla, salt, rum, port, bourbon with a good sweetness.  This beer is quite viscus and feels almost more like a syrup than a brew.  The beer has a strong alcohol warmth and a medium alcohol flavour in the finish.  To say this beer is tasty would be the understatement of the year!  This is a game changer in the brewing industry as not only is is amazingly flavourful but it is also a beer that is brewed to an amazingly strong 28% (IBU is 25).  This beer does not use any gimmicks such as freeze distilling to achieve the alcohol content.  This beer tastes as good as high end Cognac and sherry.

Malts:  Two-row, pale malt, caramel 60, munich
Hops:  Hallertau Mittelfruh, Tettnang Tettnager
Special Ingredents: Maple Syrup, Komsic Mother Funk

Commercial Description:  Utopias is brewed using traditional methods. The brewers begin with a blend of two-row Caramel and Munich malts that impart a rich, deep amber color. Noble hops – Hallertau Mittelfrueh, Spalt Spalter and Tettnang Tettnanger – are also added to lend complexity and balance. During fermentation, several yeast strains are used, including one normally reserved for champagne. The beer is then blended with a variety of different brews, some of which have been aged in different wood barrels for more than 20 years. As a result of the blending and aging, Utopias invokes the flavors of a rich vintage Port, fine Cognac, or aged Sherry while feeling surprisingly light on the palate.

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Tactical Nuclear Penguin – Brewdog

by Mike

Super Limited Edition
Batch Number 918 Best Before 26-06-23 (consumed 18-01-2014)

From Brewdog out of Aberdeenshire, Scotland comes the “Tactical Nuclear Penguin” a beer that puts new meaning to Imperial Stout.  This beer starts out as a 10% alcohol stout that is aged for 14 months in Scottish Whiskey Casks and then is freeze distilled over and over to bring it up to its insane 32% alcohol content!  The brew pours a deep syrupy brown with little to no head present.  The aroma is overly boozy with some molasses and fruits.  The flavour is of syrup, molasses, liquid sugar, dark fruits, oak, vanilla, licorice and yes there is a booziness to this brew but not as you would expect.  What you get from this beer is a flavour reminiscent of a very expensive Liqueur and not of an unrefined monster.  This beer has a mouthfeel similar to a syrup as it is very viscus.  Like it was stated this beer comes in at an insane 32% alcohol content so it is not to be trifled with.  As the bottle states “This is an extremely strong beer, it should be enjoyed in small servings and with an air of aristocratic nonchalance.  In exactly the same manner that you would enjoy a fine whisky, a Frank Zappa album or a visit from a friendly yet anxious Ghost”.  I have heard mixed reviews of this beer but I am completely on board with this beer and would love to get a second bottle.  If you can find this beer and unless you are in Scotland or England I doubt it pick a bottle up if you can stomach the price and believe me it is steep!

Commercial Description:  No Penguins were harmed in the making of this beer; some humans did get very, very cold though.  It was worth it.  The Antarctic name, inducing schizophrenia, of this uber-imperial stout originates from the amount of time it spent exposed to extreme cold.  This beer was initially double barrel aged for 14 months; maturing in the deep, rich oak of Scottish whisky casks.  After this epic maturation the beer was then frozen, then frozen again, then frozen again.

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