It was never my intention to abstain from beer consumption in January.
In fact, on New Year's Day, as we hosted dinner for my folks and Kid 2, who wasn't able to join us over the Christmas holidays, I had two pints over the course of our evening. They were cans of beer that I had reviewed in early December and I wanted to make space in my beer fridge, so wanted to use them up.
My father and Kid 2 helped me use up several cans, too.
And yet, after making space in my mini fridge, I didn't replenish the void for a few more weeks. I wasn't drinking beer at all, even though my fridge wasn't completely empty.
No, I wasn't participating in Dry January: it just seemed that I'd feel like pouring myself a can—usually, after work (Work mode: OFF; Beer mode: ON)—but I'd never actually head down to the basement to retrieve a can. And with the passing of our New Year's dinner, I only had two cans of beer left in the fridge.
I placed an online order for beer but even after it arrived at my doorstep, I didn't crack open a can. That is, until this week, more than halfway into the month.
(Now, don't get me wrong: it's not as if I've been abstaining from alcohol this month. DW and I have shared bottles of wine and I've had a couple of cocktails over the weeks. I just haven't been drawn toward beer.)
When I thought of Ottawa beer companies from which to place my order, I naturally fell to one of my favourite breweries. But when I saw what they had available, there was nothing new, and I was in the mood for something new.
So I went to another favourite brewery, and this time, I hit the jackpot. There were three brews I had never tried before. In this post, I review one of them.
Stray Dog is certainly a big favourite of mine. I visited this Orleans brewery when they first opened and again at their first anniversary celebration. I've attended various events and will do so again, in a few weeks, when they hold a karaoke night.
Stray Dog makes great hazy pale ales and has one of the best stouts in town, but when I saw that they were offering an ESB (Extra Special Bitter), which is a favourite style of mine but isn't something that many local brewers produce, I had to get me some.
As my first new brew of 2025, let's crack into it.
Stray Dog Brewing Company
Orleans ON
Appearance: pours a clear, copper-red to brown, almost like a good, steeped tea, with a thin, whitish head that quickly settles to a solid lace.
Nose: a caramelly sweetness and steely flint to the aroma, mixed with overripe prunes.
Palate: where there is sweetness in the nose, there is no trace of it in the mouth. A bitter fruit meets the palate straight away, with malt backing it up. There's also an acidity that makes me think of over-steeped tea, which brings about a strong but dry finish that doesn't linger. The body is full but not heavy, making this a somewhat quaffable ale. I'll get to the 'somewhat' element soon.
Overall impression: The can does describe this ESB as 'complex' and I'll give Stray Dog that. Perhaps too complex, in that some of the traditional bitter-versus-maltiness is overpowered by the acidity. A traditional ESB is supposed to be sessionable, meaning it's easy to drink. This one gives a bit of a punch in the mouth.
Maybe that's why Stray Dog gave it the name that they did. The opening notes to The Clash's 1979 hit, London Calling, provides solid jabs of guitar and drums from the get-go, and builds into a solid scream. This ESB is like that: powerful from the first sip.
I have to admit that as I drank more, the acidity seemed to lessen and I was able to enjoy it more. This ale leans toward the upper end for ABV from an ESB (usually as low as 4.6% to as high as 6.2%) and I can taste a bit of the alcohol. It goes down like a spiked cuppa tea.
Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺🍺
London Calling is available from the brewery itself and can be ordered online for delivery, for a modest fee.
Cheers!
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