A couple of weeks ago, when DW and I were in Stratford with a couple of friends, we participated in the Bacon & Ale Trail, where, for $35 plus taxes, we received five vouchers that allowed us to sample various restaurants, shops, and breweries in the area. Of the list of participating venues, I wanted to take advantage of as many breweries as possible.
My first stop on our first day, as soon as I had the vouchers, was to Black Angus Bakery & Catering, where I received a bag with a dozen maple and bacon shortbread cookies. They were delicious.
Directly afterward, my friends and I went to a place that was just about to open, and we arrived as they were raising the umbrellas on their patio. The place was a brewery along a Via Rail line in an industrial neighbourhood.
The brewery is called Jobsite.
For the voucher, I was given four five-ounce glasses of anything they had on tap. It was a tricky choice because they had so many brews to choose from and I was tempted by most of them. But I settled on my four: Steam Hammer, a sour Berliner weisse; Impact, a classic British-style IPA; High Vis, an Imperial IPA; and last but not least, a stout.
One of the best stouts I've had in a while. I liked it so much that I brought some home. And it's my choice for today's Beer O'Clock review.
Jobsite Brewing Company
Stratford ON
Appearance: pours a deep walnut brown that lets no light pass through. It's head is a darkish taupe that leaves a fizzy, thin head that disappears quickly, but if left to stand leaves a beige, crema-like cap that slowly starts to cover the top of the glass, yet doesn't quite get there.
Nose: espresso coffee (keeping with the crema theme) and rich cocoa. There are even hints of milk chocolate.
Palate: the cocoa and chocolate notes come through stronger and give a slight sweetness, reminding me more of milk chocolate (though this is not a milk stout). The body is full and smooth, and the added vanilla is ever present, and the stout goes down so easily. A coffee flavour, like an Americano, lingers in the finish.
The brewery's tasting notes imply a smokiness that I didn't detect on my own, though there might be a trace of it in the finish. To me, the coffee flavour seems to mask it.
Overall impression: this stout is a real treat. It's both dry and sweet in that there are rich chocolate flavours but it's not at all cloying. It delivers a sweetness up front but the coffee bitterness cleanses the palate at the end without being too bitter. It's so smooth.
It's perfect.
Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺🍺🍺
It's no wonder that Big Pour took a bronze medal at the 2020 Ontario Brewing Awards in the American Porter and Stout category.
Sadly, Jobsite doesn't deliver outside of the Stratford area, so I don't have easy access to it. I wish I had bought more but I had more breweries to visit and only so much trunk space (even though Big Pour came in small cans). And I couldn't find any brew from Jobsite on the LCBO Web site.
But if you live near Stratford, it's definitely worth paying this brewery a visit or having them deliver this and the other brews I mentioned to your door.
This brewery is just one more reason why I should visit Stratford more often.
Cheers!
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