Beer O'Clock: Neapolitan

I can't think of Neapolitan ice cream without thinking of my father. As a kid, we always seemed to have a container of it in our freezer.

Personally, I wasn't a fan of the three-flavoured treat. I felt it forced me to choose a flavour. I have always loved chocolate ice cream, and felt that vanilla ice cream was only good if you doused it in a sauce, such as chocolate or butterscotch. It was also fine in between the two soft, cake-like layers of an ice cream sandwich.

But I was never a fan of strawberry ice cream and so if I ever spooned myself a bowl of Neapolitan, it was heavy on the chocolate with enough vanilla to say that I wasn't hogging the chocolate.

There was never any strawberry ice cream in that bowl.

Until my father showed me how he prepared it for himself. He'd measure out three equal samples of pink, white, and brown, and then mix them until he had a unified colour: a light brown. With all three flavours combined, he created a new flavour.

Going forward, I would only eat Neapolitan ice cream this way, and only if he was the one who blended the flavours into a creamy, monochrome mixture.

The can caught my eye, with its tri-coloured label. I hadn't had many brews by Toronto brewery, Lost Craft (though, I recently reviewed a lovely IPA), but in reading that label, I was immediately intrigued. They had taken that ice cream, mixed it just as my father used to do, and placed it in my favourite style of beer.

Tempting.

Neapolitan Ice Cream Stout (6% ABV; 23 IBUs)
Lost Craft
Toronto ON

Appearance: a deep walnut brown with a latte-coloured head that started off almost fizzy, as I poured it, came to a tall, foamy high hat as it first sat in the glass, and then settled to a solid, creamy cap as the ale settled down and the bubbles stopped clinging to the inside of the glass.

Nose: chocolate was dominant as I poured the stout into my glass. We were off to a good start. After the head settled, I could detect ripe strawberries on top of the chocolate, and rich, French vanilla gently holding it all together.

Palate: the chocolate and strawberry blended together beautifully and coated my taste buds in a creamy mixture. I clearly detected the lactose, making this a true milk stout. The vanilla became more pronounced with subsequent sips and gave the stout its sweet, dessert-like finish.

Overall impression: my father will love this stout (clearly, I'm going to have to give him my other can and will have to get more). As with the stirred bowl of Neapolitan ice cream, this stout provides all three flavours in equal parts and delivers something that each of them couldn't do on their own. It brings back memories and is a true treat.

Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺🍺🍺

You can find Lost Craft beer in many fine grocery stores but I've only seen the Neapolitan Ice Cream Stout in the LCBO. Treat yourself to some soon.

Cheers!

Beer O'Clock: Orange CreamsicALE

Photo: Google

One of the things that I miss about being a kid in the summer is the Dickie-Dee person. I remember hearing the bells ringing from their handle bars long before you saw the person on the three-wheeled, freezer-forward cycle coming.

My friends and I would drop what we were doing and rush to our homes, begging our mothers to give us some coins so that we could get our favourite cool treats.

For me, I loved the Orange Creamsicles. I haven't had one in decades but I'll never forget the taste: a juicy orange popsicle shell with creamy vanilla ice cream inside.

Last year, when Farm Boy, our local grocery store, came out with its own line of sparkling water, I tried the orange-vanilla flavour and it brought back memories of my childhood summer treat. Of course, without any sugar, this is not a sweet beverage but it does quench my thirst and is my favourite flavoured sparkling drink.

When I learned that a Southern Ontario brewery came out with a creamsicle-flavoured ale, I had to try it. Would it remind me of my childhood? Let's see...

Orange Creamsicale (4.8% ABV, 5 IBUs)
Railway City Brewing Company
St. Thomas, ON

Appearance: a pale, hazy orange, like a watered-down Orange Crush, with a white, foamy head that settles to a loose, fine lace. There are fine beads of effervescence, similar to that sugary soda.

Nose: the aromas are quite closed, and it took some time for me to discern anything. At first, I caught hints of the malted wheat and gradually I could discern orange zest. But the aromas are subtle and I had to get my nose right into my glass to detect anything. As I drank more, I could detect hints of vanilla, but not much and I really needed to breathe in deeply.

Palate: again, the flavours in the mouth are subtle, though I could discern mild orange. I expected some creaminess, hoping that there was added lactose, which would make this more of a milkshake cream ale. I don't get any, can't see lactose on the label, nor can I find any mention of the use of lactose on Railway City's Web site. There's a bit of vanilla that comes through in the finish, which is short, but my mouth is not left with much in the way of residual flavour. It's a very light, thirst-quenching ale with light flavours.

Overall impression: on a hot day, this will quench your thirst. But if you're looking for a burst of flavour, if you're looking to be reminded of the flavours of a childhood ice cream treat, you may be disappointed. The orange is light; the vanilla is faint; and the cream is absent. This is not the Orange Creamsicle of my youth.

That said, I didn't dislike Orange Creamsicale. It was refreshing and easy to drink. But I was disappointed by the subtle flavour profile and the lack of any creaminess. I was set up to enjoy a nostalgic moment and was disappointed.

Kind of like when I ran home for change for the Dickie Dee person, only to find my mom had none.

In all honesty, I actually prefer the Farm Boy Organic Orange Vanilla Sparkling Water. I love so many brews from Railway City that I feel bad for this review, but it is what it is.

Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺.5

You can find Orange Creamsicale at your local LCBO. You can find Creamsicles, if you're lucky, in your grocer's freezer section. And you can find that refreshing orange-vanilla fizzy water at your local Farm Boy.

Cheers!

Beer for Dessert

This will be my strangest beer review. Because it's not really about beer per se.

But there is beer in this review.

Last night, my family and I went to Big Rig Brew Pub for our second time. The first time, we were celebrating Father's Day with a couple of pints. The girls nibbled on some nachos, while I focused on the beer.

However, while I savoured the suds I did peruse the menu and thought a second visit was in order; hence, our visit last night.

Straight away, I went for my favourite brew, their Big Rig IPA: with lots of intense hops, I just love this stuff. I drank this pint while I ate their Fort McMurray burger: Angus beef with aged cheddar and bacon. What's not to like? Their fries are quite good. I highly recommend coming for the food and the beer.

We're getting to the beer review, right?

Sort of.

I'm not much of a dessert craver when I eat out. If I chose a set menu that includes a dessert, fine. If my wife wants to split something with me, fine. But I don't look at the dessert menu on my own.

This time, I did.

Oh, boy.

Big Rig has a Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream with a Double Chocolate Stout Float. Stout. Ice cream. Together.

GTFO!

I happen to know from experience that beer and ice cream don't go together. Sweet and bitter don't match. But Big Rig's stout has a nice chocolaty sweetness that seems to balance with the creamy ice cream.

But not at first.

I started with a sip from the straw, and what I tasted was a bit of sourness, almost like buttermilk. I don't like buttermilk, unless you are using it in baking. My taste buds were turned off a little, so I took the long spoon proffered me and gave the tall milkshake glass a stir.

That did the trick.

The ice cream and beer float works. When stirred, you get the chocolate creaminess right off the top. As it finishes, you are left with the maltiness of the stout.

It's delicious.

If you haven't been to Big Rig yet, wait no longer. Enjoy their beer. Savour their food. And combine the two with dessert.

Welcoming in May

I love beer release parties. Not only do you get to taste something that isn't about to go away (not right away, at least), but you also get to learn more about the beer, see the facilities in which the beer is made, and speak to the folks that have a hand in making the brew.

It's a festive celebration.

Jillian pours a pint of 1855 at Kichesippi Beer Co.

So, I found myself at a beer release party, sampling new beer and trying some of the brewery's regular fare. Some local food was also on hand; namely, pastries from Life of Pie, Pascale's Ice Cream (I never thought I'd ever try cheddar and bacon ice cream in my life—until this weekend), and fabulous sandwiches and stew from The Piggy Market. By the time I left the event, I was stuffed.

Wasn't that a party?

Honestly, I haven't been to many beer release parties, but so far my favourite has been the release party that I attended yesterday at Ottawa's Kichesippi Brewery. And the beer that was released is their seasonal beer, Maibock.

Maibock, also known as helles bock, is a traditional German-styled strong lager. And this offering from Kichesippi follows close suit. Here are the details:

Maibock

Kichesippi Beer Company

Ottawa, ON

$11.75, 64 fl oz growler (plus $4 deposit); 6.3% alc/vol

Maibock has a lovely light copper colour with a lingering, white foamy head. And this strong lager is incredibly clear. It's a gorgeous beer to look at.

On the nose, I caught very faint hops: not what I expect in a maibock. With a maibock/helles bock, I expect more hoppiness (hoppiness is a robust maibock). The aroma was clean and light—not that I'm complaining or anything.

In the mouth, the hops came to life. They were plentiful without being overpowering. I also detected some citrus—perhaps some orange. The finish was clean with no lingering aftertaste.

I picked up a growler from the celebration and tried more of the beer when I got home. I found that as I let my glass open up, the hops became more pronounced on the palate, but not on the nose.

Kichesippi Maibock is an extremely drinkable lager. It is well-balanced with its hops, its citrus tones, and its alcohol level. Though it's a strong beer, you wouldn't know it to taste it. And that's a very good thing.

This maibock will be available, in growlers, directly from the brewery. And if you contact the brewery, I'm sure they'll be able to tell you which pubs and restaurants will be offering it.

But it will only be available for the month of May, so don't wait too long to try it.