Beer O'Clock: Burden of Proof

I had such a great time at karaoke night at Stray Dog Brewing, last Friday. But then again, I always do.

The talent pool is quite deep, with so many great singers, including Brewmaster Marc Plante. Even my karaoke buddy from Hummingbird Hall—and before that, the man who invited me to join his singing peeps at Conspiracy Theory—James, came along and added his voice to the participants.

Stray Dog is in my top three breweries in Ottawa, right up there with Broadhead Brewery and Bicycle Craft Brewery. But there are two things^* that I'm not crazy about with this beer shop: first off, it's too damned far from home.

In good traffic, I can get there in just over 30 minutes, half of which is highway driving, along the Queensway and Highway 174, out to the far end of Orleans. If traffic isn't ideal, I'm looking at almost 45 minutes.

If I want beer from them, I tend to order it online and have it delivered. But I'll almost never drive to check out a new release. It's just too far.

But karaoke night is always fun and worth the drive. You should check out their schedule and keep an eye out for the next one.

The second thing that works against Stray Dog, for me, is that I have to watch my beer consumption when I'm there, because I have to drive home. And I tend to stick to beer that is under the six-percent alcohol content.

On my last visit, I had two 14-ounce glasses of their new pale ale, Tariffied, a juicy and easy-drinking ale. (I feel stupid for not picking some up while I was there!) I had a third drink, their Jeanne D'Ark stout, which is my personal favourite of Stray Dog's lineup. It's only 4.5% ABV, so it's also an easy-drinking brew.

While I was singing, I found my throat was getting dry, but not wanting any more alcohol, I took a look at their non-alcoholic lineup, and chose their IPA. It was refreshing but it was clear that it was a so-called near-beer.

I was chatting with Marc about his non-alcoholic selection, and as I settled my tab, at the end of the evening, he slipped me two cans: the IPA and a pale ale.

Let's look at the latter.

Burdon of Proof Pale Ale (0.4% ABV; 65 calories)
Stray Dog Brewing Company
Orleans ON

Appearance: pours a clear, deep gold that had me thinking of a strong ginger beer. There are large bubbles that cling to the glass, further simulating a soft drink. A fizzy, white head leaves no cap, but a loose lace that quickly dissipates.

Nose: I detected pears right off the top but it had a flintiness that made me think stringent hops. After a few minutes of settling, a nice citrus aroma came forward.

Palate: this pale ale has that watery, light body that tells me right away that there's no alcohol in the glass. There's a flavour that I pick up in lots of near-beer (I'm thinking of Partake), and this one is no different. Stray Dog is not trying to fool you. But it is refreshing and easy to drink.

Overall impression: while I needed something to keep my throat moist for singing, I didn't want any more alcohol, and Burden of Proof IPA hit the spot. But I think I prefer the pale ale version, which is also refreshing but I found the aromas to be more enticing. The IPA is good: the pale ale is better.

Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺🍺

Burden of Proof is a great alternative to actual beer. I'd gladly add it to my repertoire for non-alcoholic suds.

But I won't drive to Orleans to get it.

I would, however, consider adding it to my next online order. Deliveries in the Ottawa area are free on orders of $60 or more; otherwise, there's a $15 charge to get it to your front door.

Many thanks again to Marc for the cans. You are a gentleman and great brewmaster.

And you're a great singer, too!

Cheers!

^* To be clear, my two strikes against Stray Dog are said tongue-in-cheek: I'd never hold anything against the great folks of this Orleans brewery.