Beer O'Clock: Cody's Brew

I'd been looking forward to trying this brew for a while.

Even though DW suggested to my family and friends that my birthday party, in March, was a no-gift event, some people brought something anyway. From lush wine to hand-made, knitted toques, my friends and family are thoughtful.

Among the generous gifts, I received a pack of assorted beer from various breweries in the east end of Orleans—an Ottawa neighbourhood that I don't get out to often enough. The pack included brews from two of my favourite breweries, Stray Dog and Broadhead, as well as from a brewery I have yet to visit and whose beer I have only tried a couple of times.

OBC: Orleans Brewing Company.

As I moved the cans of beer from the wooden crate that held the gift pack to my beer fridge, I read the labels of each can, and I gave an "oooh!" as I looked at one can. It was an oatmeal stout with coffee.

I don't drink as often as I used to. Now that I'm retired, it could be too easy to open a beer at lunchtime or keep a pint next to me while I work on my novel. And I promised myself that I wouldn't do what it did at the start of the pandemic, when I always kept my beer fridge full and would drink a few pints a day.

My gut is big enough, these days, and I want to focus on my writing.

More than seven weeks after my party, I decided that the time had come to try this coffee stout. I had already enjoyed some of the other brews from the gift pack but I wanted to give this stout a proper review. My hopes were high as I cracked it open.

Cody's Brew: Oatmeal Stout with Equator Coffee (4.6 % ABV; 22 IBUs)
Orleans Brewing Company
Ottawa ON

Appearance: pours a near black with a foamy, deep taupe head that settles to a fine lace. Within a couple of minutes, the head was completely gone and the effervescence disappeared. I thought the stout might be flat, but it wasn't.

Nose: strong coffee with a hint of chocolate.

Palate: there was almost a sourness right away but the coffee followed up. A bitter chocolate brings the short finish. I was almost put off by that sourness but on subsequent sips, it disappeared. While the brew wasn't flat, there wasn't much fizz action going on in the mouth. It made me wonder how long the can had been sitting on the OBC shelves before it was added to my gift pack.

Overall impression: there's good coffee flavour in this stout and not much else to distract you from it. Equator Coffee Roasters make great coffee and their beans make this a much better brew. It's a fine stout but perhaps my expectations exceeded what I received. Was it a good stout? Yes. Would I drink it again? Perhaps. Would I seek it out? No.

In my opinion, Stray Dog and Broadhead make better stouts.

Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺🍺

OBC offers online ordering with free shipping on orders of $60 or more and within a 30-km radius.

Thanks to my friends, Bee and Marc, for the lovely brew pack. I still have more cans to savour.

Cheers!

Beer O'Clock: Emerald Stout

I'm not gonna lie: July was tough.

I've done a couple of Dry Julys in the past but this one seemed harder. It was hotter than usual. I went to a brewery with a buddy. I spent times on patios and in pubs, and visited friends at cottages.

And I did all of that without having any alcoholic beverages.

I think what made this Dry July so tough was that just before the start of the month, I visited a brewery and purchased a case of beer. I also had other beer in my basement fridge, in addition to several cans of non-alcoholic beer.

Every time I went to my beer fridge, I had to look at all of these tempting cans of true-brew. In past years where I've challenged myself to a Dry July, my fridge was emptied of real beer and I only kept a few cans of non-alcoholic beer.

For the most part, I drank sparkling water, lemonade, or the odd soda. But I really started craving one of those cans of beer in my fridge.

On my last weekend of July, DW and I were invited to a cottage, and I started giving some thought to what I'd want to drink while we relaxed with our friends. I had a couple of cans of a non-alcoholic lager but I was already tired of it and wanted something new.

While DW and I picked up other supplies at our neighbourhood Farm Boy, I made my way down the aisle of alcoholic drinks. Farm Boy made their own selection of NA cocktails but I wasn't in the mood for a mock paloma, mojito, or Moscow mule.

But to my surprise, in this aisle of regular beer, Farm Boy also made their own IPA and pale ale. I'll review the IPA, which I picked up but haven't yet tried, in an upcoming post.

What really caught my attention was that the shelf also had some NA brews from one of my favourite Ontario breweries, Collective Arts. They had their Hazy Pale Ale, which I've already reviewed, an IPA, and a stout.

My eyes focused on the stout and I proceeded to take half of them off the shelf.

I brought several up to the cottage and have been finishing up my Dry July with them. Let's take a closer look.

Emerald Stout (0.4% ABV)
Collective Arts Brewing
Hamilton ON

Appearance: pours a dark walnut with a foamy, beige head that quickly settles to a fine lace.

Nose: dark-roast coffee and cigar

Palate: smoky cedar immediately hits the taste buds, followed up with espresso and cocoa powder. The finish is dry, with a medium body, though a bit watery at the very end, but it had me eager for my next sip.

Overall impression: if I had been poured a glass of this stout without being shown the label, I would have sworn this was a regular stout. Emerald Stout is awesome.

Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺🍺🍺

I've said this many times before: Collective Arts never puts out a bad brew and this non-alcoholic stout is no exception. Had I discovered Emerald Stout at the start of July, I would have made it my go-to bevvy.

It's way better than Guinness 0.

You can find Emerald Stout at your friendly neighbourhood LCBO and at fine grocery stores, like Farm Boy.

Cheers!

Beer O'Clock: Zero

I've said it before: Dry January is easy; Dry July is a challenge. 

In January, it's cold and I tend to stay indoors. I don't socialize as much and, therefore, drink less. In July, it's hot and the patios are open. It's fun to socialize and, therefore, I tend to drink a bit more.

It's not easy to restrain yourself from reaching for a cold brew on a hot July day. And yet, this July, I tend to do just that.

Now, I've tried a few non-alcoholic brews and there will be some that I will likely pick up for the month, but I find it hard to locate a good zero-alcohol stout. Sure, they're out there, but they're often not easy to find.

Over the months, however, I've seen online friends raving about a non-alcoholic Guinness, and I decided to try some out in preparation for Dry July.

Here's what I've thought.

Guinness 0 (0.05% ABV)
Guinness & Co.
Dublin, Ireland

Appearance: It pours exactly like a Guinness. It has a nitrogen widget that creates a cascading foam, which turns to a deep-walnut brown. As soon as I cracked it open, I poured it quickly into my glass and created a perfect, creamy-taupe head that was the perfect height.

Nose: dark-roasted malts with a hint of milk chocolate and espresso. Had I not known better, I'd swear I was given a traditional Guinness.

Palate: a light-roasted coffee and notes of caramel, with a bit more sweetness than a standard Guinness and a waterier body. The sweetness, though, isn't cloying and the finish is flavourful.

Overall impression: while it looks and smells like a traditional Guinness, it doesn't exactly taste like the true stout. Sure, it does taste undeniably like a stout, there's something different from the old faithful Irish brew.

Still, it's a very good stout. And because the standard Guinness is only 4.2% ABV and you can't really taste any booze, the non-alcoholic stout can pass for one with a slight kick.

I think I've found my stout for Dry July. Though it's funny how the warning on the label still tells you not to drive after consuming it.

Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺🍺 + .5

You can find Guinness 0 at your friendly neighbourhood LCBO.

Cheers!

Beer O'Clock: Breakfast Stout

My heart wept.

I haven't been drinking very much beer, lately, and what I have consumed has been mostly non-alcoholic. I don't know why that is.

I mean, yeah, I haven't made many visits to our friendly neighbourhood LCBO since before our vacation (actually, I've only made one trip, when I picked up only two cans) and I haven't stopped by the beer section in our grocery store, except for that one time when I saw some non-alcoholic beer on a shelf and picked up two cans.

Until this week, I hadn't even placed any online beer orders. As I said, I don't know why that is.

Even on St. Patrick's Day, when DW, my parents, and I headed to an Irish pub in the ByWard Market (when did we start capitalizing the W?), I limited myself to one Guinness while we listened to live music. I was considering having an Irish whiskey but in the end, decided to call it quits after the one pint.

Drinking stout on St. Paddy's Day is something that I rarely pass up. Drinking a stout whenever one is available is something I'm hard-pressed to say no to. So when I saw that one of my favourite Ottawa breweries had released a new stout, I had to get my hands on some.

This is getting to where my heart wept.

On the day that my beer arrived on my doorstep, I was excited. I had ordered six cans of this limited-release stout, six cans of another new release (which I may review next week), and six cans of their NEIPA, which is one of my favourite of their standard brews.

I carried the box to our basement, where I keep a small beer fridge. Before this order, there were only three cans of beer taking up scant space. The 18 new cans weren't going to fill the fridge but they would come close.

As I took the cans from the delivery box to the fridge, I accidentally knocked the box from a table that's next to the fridge onto the concrete basement floor. Four cans landed on the ground.

There was no sound of gas or liquid exiting a can, no spray or puddle. All four cans seemed intact, though badly dented, and I thanked my lucky stars as I picked them off the floor and put them in place in the refrigerator.

That evening, I decided that I would have one of the cans of beer and returned to the basement to grab a can. When I opened the fridge, I immediately saw a small puddle of brown liquid beneath two cans of stout. These cans were on a shelf immediately under the cans that did not fall from the table.

Yes, this was when my heart wept.

I picked up the two dented cans of stout, wiped up the mess, and then put one of them back, another on a tray on the door of the fridge. I grabbed a different beer (one that I'd had in the fridge for a couple of months), and decided to have that one instead.

Later, I returned to the beer fridge to see which of the two cans was leaking—I was really hoping that it wasn't both. It was the can that I returned to the lower shelf, so I brought it upstairs, saddened at the loss.

I cracked the can open and took a sip. There was no pssst from the can as I popped it open. I took a sip.

It was tasty, with flavours of coffee and a bit of spice, and slightly sweet, but flat. I took a couple more sips before dumping the contents. What a waste.

Yesterday, I opened one of the first cans that I had transferred to the fridge, one that hadn't been dropped. And that's the one I'm reviewing (finally, we get to the review!).

Breakfast Stout (4.5% ABV; 18 IBUs)
Broadhead Brewing Company
Orleans (Ottawa), ON

Appearance: this can also didn't make much noise as I opened it. The stout pours a deep brown with a thin, fizzy taupe head that disappears into a fine lace and then vanishes altogether, with some bubbles that gather at the top like a cola.

Nose: there's an abundance of coffee and minute traces of chocolate, but there's a sweetness that reminds me of buckwheat honey.

Palate: hmm... this stout almost tastes flat. There's very little effervescence in the mouth. If the previous night's can hadn't leaked, I might have thought that this was the can that had been damaged. I checked the label to see if I was supposed to have shaken the can before opening it, but that wasn't the case.

I've had old bottles of Imperial stout, where the fizz had long left the liquid, and that didn't detract from the enjoyment of that vintage brew. So while the lack of bubbles caught me off-guard, it was no slight against this stout.

Back to flavour: the coffee is lighter on the palate than on the nostrils, so this is definitely not a beer that is specifically a coffee stout. It's a breakfast stout, which means there's more to it than java. There's a slight spiciness to it, which I later learned is cinnamon. There's also some maple syrup in the mix, though I don't specifically detect it in my mouth. I got more sweetness from the aromas, rather than the bouquet. But there is definitely a faint sweetness in the finish.

This is a light to medium-bodied stout that has good flavour with a watery, clean finish.

Overall impression: Broadhead makes some damned-impressive stouts and this is a good addition, but I have to say that it's not among the top of their lineup. Yes, I'll drink it again and enjoy my remaining cans (with fingers crossed for the other dented can that didn't leak). But I prefer their oatmeal stout and absolutely adore their coffee-chocolate-vanilla porter.

Maybe this stout is truly meant to be consumed with a hearty breakfast of bacon and eggs, with pancakes, where the brew is meant to complement the meal but not be the star attraction? Perhaps I'll try that on the weekend and let you know.

Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺🍺

In the meantime, you can find this stout at the brewery or you can order it, online, for free delivery in Ottawa or for a nominal charge throughout the rest of Ontario. As it's a limited release, you'll want to get it soon.

Just handle it with care when you're putting it in your fridge.

Cheers!

Beer O'Clock: The Taste of Costa Rica

Typically, when I find myself in the Caribbean (and by that, I mean the only other two Latin-American countries I've been to: Mexico and Cuba), I don't reach for beer. I'm usually at a resort and tend to opt for easy-to-drink cocktails, like a margarita or a Cuba libre (rum and coke), with the occasional piña colada thrown in.

Cuba is where I discovered the mulata and made it my own when I returned home.

But in Costa Rica, signs for its national beer, Imperial, were everywhere. And in the videos that I watched while researching my trip, people tended to go for this cerveza. Naturally, I'd have to try it.

On our first full day in Costa Rica, we drove from San José to La Fortuna. It was a nearly three-hour trek that had us climbing up mountains and literally into clouds before we descended again and ended up in this popular volcanic town.

Our first goal was to find a place to eat, and we quickly found Pollos La Familia, not far from the centre of the town. I ordered a place of rice and shrimp, and of course, a glass of the flagship lager from Imperial, which was on tap.

It came in a large glass mug and tasted exactly as I expected it to taste: it's an American lager that smells grassy, tastes of grass and corn, and goes down easy. But there's no character to it. Think Miller or Blue or Canadian or any other macro brewery. They all taste the same.

Later, that evening, as DW and I were enjoying a meal at Soda El Turnito, where I had an amazing chifrijo meal, I tried another Imperial brew, Silver. It was lighter in body than their classic lager and had a bit more citrus flavour to it, and I actually enjoyed it. In some ways, it's more like Corona but more flavourful.

Not surprisingly, when I was offered a choice between the classic Imperial and Imperial Silver, my server would acknowledge that the Silver was their preferred choice, too.

But I really strove to find local craft brews from Costa Rica and I actually was quite successful. Some were offered on menus of upscale restaurants or in grocery or liquor stores.

In Uvita, when we were grocery shopping, the store had a huge liquor section that had several microbrewery offerings and I happily filled my shopping basket. I also visited a couple of craft breweries around the country and had some good success.

Here are a couple of brews that stood out from my travels:

• 
  Segua, by Costa Rica's Craft Brewing Company (4.8% ABV; 0 IBUs): this Red Ale had nice malts and notes of caramel, mixed with fruit and floral aromas and a hint of spice. It went down surprisingly well as I sat on the edge of the pool in the pool of our Dominicalito Airbnb, soaking my feet in the cool water, at the end of a long day. I'm not sure I would have been so welcoming of this ale at the height of the heat, but with the sun gone and the distant sound of the Pacific Ocean with the gently buzz of night bugs in the surrounding jungle, it was perfect. 🍺🍺
• 
  Indómito, also by Costa Rica's Craft Brewing (7.6 % ABV; 70 IBUs): this was a heavy-hitting brew and also the best IPA that I had in Costa Rica (to be fair, I only tried four). It was unfiltered but not hazy, with a copper-amber colour that is traditional in a British-styled IPA. The nose presented citrussy hops and the palate was cleansing yet full-bodied, with a lingering finish. I also enjoyed this ale in the evening from our Airbnb, actually while writing a blog post as others went to bed. I liked it so much that I had two, and slept like a baby. I wish I could have brought some home. 🍺🍺🍺
• Tropical IPA, by Papagayo Brewing Company (6.2% ABV; 0 IBUs): it was hard to believe that his fruity, hoppy IPA registers at 0 IBUs, but it did give the impression of more sweet fruit than any bitterness. I ordered it from the patio of a soda on Playa Santa Teresa, on the Nicoya Peninsula, after sunset. Paired with shredded beef tacos, it was a great combination. Even though the IPA is fruit-forward, it did retain solid characteristics of a classic IPA. Unfortunately, because I drank straight from a brown bottle, I couldn't see the colour: I had to go to the Brewery's Web site to see that it was slightly hazy and more golden than a traditional IPA. It was my first IPA in Costa Rica and was initially my favourite beer thus far in our journey, and was only beaten by Indómito later on. I kept my eyes open for more but sadly never saw it again. 🍺🍺🍺
• 
  Murciélago, by Monteverde Brewing Company (5% ABV; 30 IBUs): we visited the brew-pub for lunch, after trekking through the Monteverde Cloud Forest and standing on the continental divide. Surprisingly, we were served by a man from New Jersey who has now made Costa Rica his home. I had started with a session IPA, which was light and refreshing and went well with my burger, but wanted finish my meal with this coffee stout. It was more of a dark-roast ice coffee than a stout: eye-opening on both the nose and the palate. There was also a creaminess to it, no doubt from the nitro infusion. Though heavy on coffee, the body was surprisingly light. It was delicious. 🍺🍺🍺
• 
  Botánica, by Calle Cimarrona (5.5% ABV; 20 IBUs): the last beer that I had in Costa Rica (in fact, the last beer that I've had, period!) was a perfect choice for the perfect end to a perfect vacation. Served at Café Rojo, which I've now mentioned in a couple of posts, this lovely saison had a classic banana nose, mineral palate, with an added flavour of tamarind spice. It was refreshing and matched my pork ban mi perfectly. 🍺🍺🍺

There are many more craft beers that I tried over our two-week vacation but these were the best. If you ever get to Costa Rica, I recommend that you seek these out.

Cheers!

Beer O'Clock: Black Oil

Ever since I created my fictional character, Roland Axam, I've had a great love for Scotland and its people (hard to believe that Roland is almost 40 years old!). And while I do have some Scott's blood in me, it's so little that it's hardly worth mentioning, though I do feel a close connection to this miniscule part of me.

I've been to Scotland a couple of times and I've been hooked on Scottish author Ian Rankin's books for nearly two decades. It was Rankin who got me into Scotch whisky and he even gave me a personal recommendation for what is one of my favourite malts.

Scotland even makes some pretty outstanding beer, and whenever I see a new label in my friendly neighbourhood LCBO, I feel obliged to become familiar with it.

Last weekend, I picked up two Scottish ales and an English one, too, and over the next few weeks I'll share my thoughts on all of them. But for this week, I thought I'd try the bottle that seemed the fanciest of them all, one that combines both beer and whisky.

This heavy-hitting dark ale, Ola Dubh (pronounced ola-doo), was matured in 12-year-old Highland Park whisky casks. They also produce this award-winning ale from barrels that are 16 and 18 years old but I didn't see any of those on the store shelves, though I did find a 21-year reserve listed on the LCBO site that isn't listed on the tag that hung from the neck of my bottles.

Let's look at this version.

Ola Dubh Special Reserve Oak-Aged Stout (8% ABV)
Harviestoun Brewery
Alva, Scotland

Appearance: pours a deep walnut brown, almost black (Ola Dubh, after all, is Gaelic for black oil), with little fizz and almost no head (hardly even some loose lace). Bubbles are miniscule, with nothing clinging to the sides of the glass. It had lost almost all of its fizz before I was finished my glass, though it retained all other characteristics.

Nose: intense flavours of whisky, dates, caramel, and dark-roasted coffee. There's a definite burnt sweetness about the bouquet.

In some ways (and thanks to DW for noticing), there are aromas that bring an aged (possibly over-aerated) port wine to mind. Once she mentioned it, I couldn't get those thoughts out of my head.

Good thing I love port.

Palate: after the initial smell and knowing the alcohol content, I expected a boozy punch in the face. Instead, I was warmly greeted with dark chocolate and coffee, with a follow-up of fruitcake and toffee. The finish is short but comforting, leaving a hint of whisky with chocolate.

And though I said that the fizz was gone before I finished my glass, it was by no means flat. There was still plenty of luster and life in the glass.

Overall impression: I have to admit that I've had Highland Park 12-year-old whisky before and have always found it too balanced and smooth, compared to my usual Islay malt preferences. But because it's coming off from the barrels in ale form, that smoothness makes this dark ale just right. It's bold yet easy to drink.

I loved it.

When I was still writing my novel, Songsaengnim: A Korea Diary, I'd often sit in a pub with my laptop, sipping both a stout and nursing a whisky. They seemed to make a perfect marriage of liquids that kept my creative juices flowing. Ola Dubh does just as nicely in one glass. I've returned to fiction writing and kept a glass of this whisky-flavoured stout at my side.

Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺🍺🍺

I also loved how the bottle comes with so much information, not only on the front label but on the tag around its foil-wrapped neck. I saw the signatures of the master brewer, the master whisky maker, the bottle number and the date that the stout was bottled (February of 2022). The care that they put into the packaging is a direct reflection of the care that they put into the beer inside, and I'm going to keep my eye out for more beer from this excellent brewery.

Just one more thing to bring out my Scottish pride. And I'm sure Roland would want to enjoy this brewery, were he a real person.

Cheers!

Beer O'Clock: Big Pour

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.

Big Pour Stout (5.8% ABV; 28 IBUs)
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!

Beer O'Clock: Over the Tap

DW has a lush vegetable garden that's growing in our backyard. Every summer, she plants various squash, tomatoes, peppers, and more, but this year, she seems to have gone overboard and the garden is thriving, thanks to the ample rain we've received.

She's added cucumbers, watermellon, and various other green, leafy items, but so far the biggest harvest so far has been zucchini.

In my late teens and early twenties, I'd go to pubs with friends and we'd pig out on deep-fried zucchini sticks, so much so that after one night of heavy drinking and a bad batch of zucchini, I had vowed that my days of eating this veg were done. I couldn't help but associate the zed-veg with the mushy, slimy pulp that ended up coming out of me later that evening.

I had gone overboard with zucchini—some may say 'over the top,' and it took a few decades before I would venture to try it again, though the memory of that night is still a sore spot with me.

Well, DW decided to take her zucchini and turn it into a rich, moist chocolate cake that isn't too sweet. And do you know what goes really well with that chocolate zucchini cake?

A rich, dry stout.

A short while ago, I visited a Toronto brewery and came away with a brew that has been made in collaboration with one of my favourite Ottawa breweries, and I couldn't wait to try it, because they made my long-time favourite style of beer.

A sticker that covered the top of the short can advised me to shake the can, open it quickly, pour the contents out "hard," and serve cold. I really appreciated the instructions on the sticker, as too many times I've opened a beer can the normal way (without shaking it) and pouring the beer out gently, tilting the glass and slowly letting the liquid roll down the inside of the glass, to avoid creating a huge, foamy head, only to later discover that for a particular stout, this is the wrong way to do it.

I shook the can over the sink, cracked it open and then immediately turned the can upside down over a level glass.

What did I get? Let's take a look:

The Craic Was 90 Dry Stout (4% ABV)
Blood Brothers Brewing, Toronto ON
Dominion City Brewing Company, Ottawa ON

Appearance: as the beer flooded out of the can and into the glass, a milky-brown foam was all that was visible until the can was empty. The base of the glass turned a deep walnut as the foam cascaded downward. A perfectly creamy, taupe head lay the thickness of a pinky finger when all was settled.

Shaking and dumping delivers the perfect pour.

Nose: mild espresso and cocoa.

Palate: the body immediately comes off as light. There's nothing cloying about this stout. There's a watery coffee tone that is backed up with what I would call cocoa powder. This stout is that dry. On subsequent sips, the coffee comes out more boldly and there's a slight burn at the back of the throat from an acidity, but it's not unpleasant.

This is a dry, perfectly balanced stout. The flavours in the mouth are fulfilling but are cut short in the dry, cocoa-powdery finish. You can't help but want to take another sip.

And with the chocolate-zucchini cake? It was heaven. I would take a mouthful of the stout, swish it around my mouth, swallow it, suck in some air as if I was reverse-whistling, and then take a bite of the cake. Because the cake isn't overly sweet but moist, it almost reset my taste buds for more stout. You've got to try this decadent combination.

Overall impression: The Craic Was 90 is a perfect stout. As simple as it appears, it is complex in its serving instructions, flavours, and palate-cleansing dryness. At only four-percent alcohol, it's an easy-drinking, crushable brew. I wish I had picked up more while I was at the brewery.

Much more.

Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺🍺🍺

Because of the simple label that seems to highlight the Over the Tap Fest, which happened at the end of January in Toronto, I have a feeling that this stout is a one-off from these two breweries. Neither of their Web sites provides any information on this beauty of a brew. I hope that this isn't the end of it. I hope that they make more and offer it as a seasonal. It would be a shame to let this stout fade like its finish.

But we'll always have cake.

Cheers!

Beer O'Clock: Shaken Stout

It goes against my intuition. But somehow, it works.

I grew up learning that you never shake a can of carbonated liquid before opening it. As a kid, we used to prank each other by shaking up our friend's soda behind their back, only to howl with laughter as they cracked it open and were showered in their fizzy drink.

A few years ago, when I picked up a can of stout from an Ottawa Valley brewery and cracked it open at home, I was disappointed by how flat the dark beer tasted. Usually, when I get a new beer to try, I avoid reading the label beyond the brewer and what style of beer it is, so that I'm not influenced by any descriptions or tasting notes that the brewery may have added to the label.

After trying this underwhelming stout, I read the label and found that I had to shake the can before opening it. That was a shocking discovery.

I shook up the next can and everything changed. The stout came to life: there was not only a creamy fizz but the flavours popped.

The same thing happened to me when I tried another stout, this week, from a different brewer. I was disappointed by the thin head but at least the stout had some classic flavours. It wasn't until after I was halfway through the brew that I read the label and, again, discovered that the can needed to be shaken before opened.

My bad.

I opened another can, and here's what I found:

Irish Stout (4.2% ABV; 41 IBUs)
Ridge Rock Brewing Company
Carp ON

Appearance: pours a deep, walnut brown with a foamy taupe head that comes out thick when the can is shaken, but settles to a respectable finger's depth, and eventually becomes a thin but solid, creamy cap.

Nose: rich, roasted malts that give an aroma of espresso.

Palate: the stout is bone-dry with hints of cedar and tobacco. The finish is short and clean.

Overall impression: this is a classic, perfect dry stout, well-made in an Irish style. Guinness has a run for its money; in fact, I'd take this stout over today's Guinness every time.

Even though I have to remember to shake the can before opening it.

Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺🍺🍺

I picked up this stout directly from Ridge Rock, when I was passing through Carp with DW and some friends, and we decided to have dinner at the brewery (the food is pretty good, too). But they also deliver to anywhere in the Ottawa area and it's for free with orders of $50 or more.

Sadly, the stout isn't listed with the LCBO. But you should definitely shake a leg and get some.

Cheers!

Beer O'Clock: Ah Stout

It was something that my mom would only get for us every once an awhile, as a special treat to take with us in our lunch bags as we headed off to school. Though a single package contained two mini cakes, she would give us only one, each.

(At the time, there were only three of us: did she keep the fourth cake for herself?)

I loved the Ah Caramel! cakes, made by Vachon. The combination of chocolate and caramel on a white sponge did for me then what cheese and bacon on a burger do for me today.

I can't remember the last time that I tasted an Ah Caramel! cake. Did DW and I buy a box, once, to give to our own kids as a treat in their school lunchbox?

But I'm now reminded of these cakes as I take a sip in a special stout that I found in my local LCBO.

Ah Stout Chocolate Caramel Cupcake Stout (5.9% ABV; 25 IBUs)
Sawdust City Brewing Company
Gravenhurst ON

Appearance: deep mahogany-brown with garnet highlights and a latte-coloured foam head that settles to a tight lace.

Nose: dark cocoa hits the nostrils straight away and a sugary sweetness of butterscotch.

Palate: the chocolate and caramel mix and mingle immediately. There's a sweetness that covers the tongue but a dry cocoa that hits the back of the throat and gives this stout a well-balanced, medium finish.

Overall impression: while this is a tasty and complex stout, I'm not quite taken back to my childhood school lunches. I remember the cakes to be overwhelmingly sweet, and for little cakes they sure were filling. In Sawdust City's take on this treat, they've certainly nailed the chocolate and caramel but I don't find it cloying—trust me, for a stout, that's a good thing to not be. The cocoa that I feel at the back of my throat doesn't jive with my memories of the Vachon cake but for this stout, again, that's a good thing. The cocoa tempers the sweetness and gives it a more palatable brew.

I'd take this stout over the cake any day.

Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺🍺 +.5

While this stout no longer seems to appear on Sawdust City's beer lineup, you may still find some cans at your local LCBO. Snap it up while you can.

Cheers!

Beer O'Clock: Dark Series

I'm going to get a bit dark here. But in a good way. (For the most part.)

This is my last Beer O'Clock review of 2022. I've had a lot of good beer this year—no... scratch that. I've had some fabulous beer this past year. From a mind-blowing black currant cream ale to a tasty, peach-flavoured, non-alcoholic gose; from a selection of vintage ales with dear friends to a juicy, hazy pale ale; and from an ice-cream-inspired stout to a stout that was infused with roasted cocoa nibs, I've drunk well.

I even got drunk, once, while reviewing some beer.

My taste in ale styles has grown, as well, and I hope for the better. But when asked what my favourite style of beer is, I think I still have to say, deep down, it's still a good stout. I really love a good hefeweisen or saison, and I can never seem to get enough of the tropical pale ales, but my first true love continues to be the dark ales.

See? I said I'd go dark.

With the Christmas season breathing down our necks, many people in the beer, wine, and spirits business are cashing in with special releases—gift packs of their products. I look forward to cruising the aisles of my local LCBO, during the early parts of December, looking to see which brewery has packaged which of their premium or seasonal offerings that I can sample.

(I don't necessarily buy these gift packs to give to someone: they're gifts to myself.)

While most of the boxed sets of brews were brightly and festively presented, my eyes fell to a black cube that had the familiar, red logo of one of my favourite Canadian breweries. I haven't had a beer by McAuslan Brewing in a while and in particular, my favourite stout, and seeing a picture of it on the box made me want to pick up this Dark Series four-pack.

I have also already tried one of the beers in the box before, but there were two cans that I hadn't had yet—one, that I was eagerly looking forward to trying.

Let's take a look at the whole set, shall we?

I'll start with an old and beloved friend (I'm actually shocked that I haven't reviewed this stout before—or, at least, I couldn't find a review on The Brown Knowser or my old Beer O'Clock blog). And while I pride myself on a good flavour memory, this stout had me wonder if the brewery has played with the recipe.

St-Ambroise Oatmeal Stout (5% ABV; 45 IBUs)
McAuslan Brewing, Ltd.
Montréal QC

Appearance: a deep, dark brown that almost lends itself to black, with a taupe head that pours foamy to start and clings to the side of the glass, but reduces to a thin cap and then a tight lace.

Nose: smoky, roasted malts that almost seem burnt. There's also a dark-roast coffee aroma with which I'm familiar, but there is also a whiff of prunes that I don't remember from the last time I had this brew. Have I been gone from this oatmeal stout for so long that I've started confusing it with other dark ales?

Palate: the roasted malts are an immediate welcome on my tongue but I also detected more burnt flavours and a hint of licorice—something with which I attribute to an Imperial stout or a Baltic porter. Even thought there's only 5 percent alcohol in this pint, the flavour profile makes it seem headier than it should be. There's an acidity that made me think that I had opened the wrong can, but the photo doesn't deceive.

Overall impression: either my senses have deceived me, my memory has faded, or the brewers at McAuslan have changed the recipe of their oatmeal stout. But I have had other oatmeal stouts, not so long ago, and I know what to expect in this style of beer. And this, while still good, ain't it.

Just as a server once poured me a Guinness when I had ordered a St-Ambroise Oatmeal Stout and insisted that she had given me what I requested, I feel as though I'm being led astray with what I emptied from the can into my glass.

This was not the stout I was looking for.

If I'm to blame for my long absence from this stout, my opinion of it has changed. While I liked it, I no longer love it.

Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺🍺

I then had to go for the can that I haven't had before. It was a style of stout that gives me warm fuzzies every time I anticipate drinking one. When I first tried a milk stout, more than 10 years ago, I thought it was the best beer ever.

I still do.

St-Ambroise Milk Stout (5.5% ABV; 28 IBUs)

Appearance: dark-walnut brown with a medium-beige head that initially fizzed like pouring a cola and grew to an almost overflowing dome. After about 10 minutes, the head settled to a thin, solid, creamy cap.

Nose: hints of cocoa and a medium-roast coffee, but the aromas were shy in coming out.

Palate: a bitter coffee that approaches a sourness. Hints of cedar and toffee that carry to a lightly creamy and slightly sweet finish.

Overall impression: I had high hopes for this milk stout but there's something about it that was lacking from my expectations. While it's obvious that there is a milk protein that is added to the stout, there isn't enough creaminess to the flavour. The body isn't rich, and on subsequent sips I felt this stout was a bit watery—it's almost like expecting cream in your coffee but getting skim milk, instead. And the sourness made me think that the milk was slightly off.

I often associate chocolate-chip cookies with a milk stout, and there's none of that here. I'm sadly disappointed.

Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺 + .5

I'm going to be brief about the next dark ale from this four pack, mainly because I've had it before but also because it's name offends me.

Maybe offends is a strong word: it bothers me to the point of distraction. What does India have to do with this style of ale? WTF does the P stand for if it's a black ale??

There's nothing about this beer that resembles an IPA, in my opinion. What's wrong with simply calling it Black Ale and leaving it at that? That's what it is: nothing more.

St-Ambroise Black IPA (6.5% ABV; 58 IBUs)

Appearance: pours a root-beer brown, with a slight tinge of garnet red. The light-beige head starts foamy but settles to a thick, creamy cap. The oatmeal stout is darker, so I can't even call this ale black.

Nose: roasted malts and espresso coffee.

Palate: burnt toast and over-roasted coffee beans, with a bitter finish of orange peel.

Overall impression: this dark ale is really in your face with bitterness but that's all that it has in common with an IPA. The coffee and roasted malts are more in-line with an Imperial stout. I used to think that anything that McAuslan makes is good, but this is not very. I only drank half of it before putting it down the drain.

Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺

The final can in this release is a style that I have a healthy respect for but it's not really one that I choose to reach for. But I can still judge it fairly.

St-Ambroise Baltic Porter (8.2% ABV; 38 IBUs)

Appearance: pours a near black (more black than the so-called Black IPA) with a creamy taupe head that lays down as a solid cap.

Nose: smoke, burnt toffee, and prunes. None of these aromas is overpowering and the combination makes a pleasing bouquet.

Palate: the sweet prunes are forefront, followed by roasted malts and coffee. I was expecting a strong hit of licorice with the powerful alcohol, but I didn't get that. Instead, I got a bit of cedar and tobacco that provided a rich and lasting finish.

Overall impression: I was expecting to think that meh, another Baltic porter, but the flavours that I find tend to slap me across the face merely rested a warm hand on my cheek. There are a lot of classic flavours but they are somewhat tempered with the fruit characteristics of prunes. It's quite a nice Baltic porter. And though the alcohol level is high, it's not a boozy brew.

Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺🍺 + .5

Should you pick up the Dark Series four-pack for the holidays? I would suggest that you pick up some of the oatmeal stout (even though my memory tells me that the recipe has changed, it's still a decent brew) and treat yourself to the Baltic porter, but skip on the milk stout and black ale. They're okay but not worth the four-pack.

I said that this would be a dark post and I mainly meant for the beer, but I'm sorry to be so harsh on one of my favourite Canadian breweries. I expected a lot from this gift set and it let me down for the most part.

Whatever alcoholic beverage you go for over the holiday season, don't forget to drink responsibly and have a safe and happy holiday. I can't wait to see what brews are in the offering for 2023.

Cheers!

Beer O'Clock: It's a Stout

I should have never opened my first can when my kid was in the kitchen, making chocolate pudding.

I should have known that the intoxicating aromas of sweet chocolate would interfere with my senses as I tried to discern the bouquet of my glass of stout that was infused with roasted cocoa nibs. But man, did those two aromas ever mix well.

As the winter months draw near, I tend to move from lighter, fruitier beer to those with more body and depth—not that an IPA can't have that and still quench my thirst on a hot summer's day. But I tend to go with darker, malty brews in colder weather.

This week, with Ottawa's first snowfall of the season (yes, it's still autumn), was the perfect time to dig into a new stout. And while I had my first can of this stout when Kid 1 was making that rich chocolate pudding, before the snow, I had my second sampling of it yesterday, with no other aromas to interfere.

Some of my initial observations, regardless of the pudding's interference, still hold true.

Let's take a look at this stout in detail.

It's a Stout (5.8% ABV)
Kensington Brewing Company
Toronto ON

Appearance: dark walnut, like black coffee, with a foamy, crème brulée head that settles to a creamy, thin, taupe cap that clings to the side of your glass as you tilt it forward to drink.

Nose: the first time that I stuck my nose into my glass and took a sip, I detected a rich, roasted coffee and perfectly contrasting milk chocolate, but that was the pudding interfering with my senses. The second glass, a day later, still gave me the espresso notes but they were backed by more pronounced cocoa and hints of malt. Still intoxicating.

Palate: the coffee comes first and foremost, a product of the roasted malts. The cocoa is there but is not as strong on the tongue as it is in the nostrils. The cocoa comes more into play with the dry finish that includes a bit of tobacco.

Overall impression: this is a beauty of a stout, and it's no wonder. It took the gold medal at both the 2021 and 2022 Canadian Brewing Awards. It reminds me of a classic, dry Irish stout, with the added flavour of cocoa.

It went perfectly with the pudding, by the way.

If Kensington Brewing doesn't mind, I'd like to quote their label, as it really did strike a chord with me and summed up my thoughts as well:

Face it, summer's over. Get ready for another 5 months of getting up in the dark and coming home in the dark. Do you like wet feet, frozen fingers, and salt stained shoes? SURE HOPE SO! Look, we didn't ask for this either, but we've got something that'll do the trick.

I agree. Kensington's It's a Stout is the perfect brew for the upcoming winter, when we tend to spend our evenings in the warmth of the indoors, hopefully with friends and loved ones. If you love stout, you'll love this one.

Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺🍺🍺

You can pick this brew up at select grocery stores or your friendly neighbourhood LCBO. Of course, it's also available for online orders directly from the brewery.

Cheers!

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!

A Perfect Day in Lagos

When my alarm sounded, at 6:45 am, I almost thought I would say, "Screw it, I'm going back to sleep. I've seen countless sunrises. What's so special about this one?"

I had never watched a sunrise in the Algarve before. That's what was so special about this one.

I drew the curtain back in our guest house bedroom, and it seemed fully overcast. Perhaps I wasn't going to get a sunrise anyway. Still, it was worth a shot.

And besides, the sun was set to rise a few minutes before breakfast was ready, anyway. I might as well freshen up. I went down the hall to our bathroom, washed my face, brushed my teeth, and combed my hair. I put on some clean clothes and then returned to our room, where DW was just getting up. I grabbed my camera, tripod, remote shutter release, and a neutral-density filter, and headed up to the rooftop patio of the 3 Marias Guest House.

As I passed the kitchen, I met our other host, Maria, who was busy preparing food. Her helper, Charlotte, was also occupied with her duties. On the patio, João was setting tables and straightening up from last night's storm. He offered to make me a coffee but I declined, telling him that I would have one when breakfast was ready to be served.

I set my tripod up in a corner that didn't interfere with João's work and pointed my lens toward Igreja de São Sebastião de Lagos, one of the town's oldest churches, dating back to the 14th century. Every hour on the hour, its bell rang out across Lagos. In the foreground was a cluster of white buildings with a scattering of red tiled rooves, and in the distance I could make out blue hues of far-off mountains.

It looked as though the sky was going to clear enough for sunlight to peek through and I was heartened. Sunrises and sunsets are always more dramatic when they are accompanied with clouds. But it also looked as though the sun was not going to line up with my composed frame. I was pointed more to the northeast than to the east: to frame my shot for the sun, I'd have to point to the backs of neighbouring buildings, which just didn't make for a good shot.

I'd just have to rely on the sun to paint the clouds over St. Sebastian. I don't think I was disappointed.

Not wanting to miss the sun entirely, I took a couple of shots with my smartphone.

DW joined me as I was collapsing my tripod and we were seated at one of the tables that João had prepared. Other guests were emerging from their rooms and taking seats at various tables. Maria came and offered us bacon and eggs, and directed us to a table that had various assortments of breads and jams, coffee, tea, juices, fresh fruit, and more. It was a perfect homemade breakfast.

Our plan for the morning was to hike the trail along the coastline from Praia da Batata (Potato Beach) to Ponta da Piedade—essentially what we had paddled in kayaks, the day before, only from above and on foot.

I threw my Nikon D7200 with a 70–300mm zoom lens in my backpack, clipped my D750 with a 24–70mm lens to a shoulder strap on my backpack, and carried my Insta360 One R video camera, with the 360 module, on a three-metre selfie stick. I also put a two-litre bottle of water in my backpack. It was a lot to carry but I knew that I'd use everything.

People were just starting to show up on the beach. We had the first part of the trail to ourselves but some of it ran onto private property, so we had to take to the main streets and find our way back. By that point, more people were on the trail but it was by no means crowded.

It was interesting to see a group of kayakers, below, doing exactly what we had done the day before. It gave us a great perspective of our adventure.

Not until we reached Farol da Ponta da Piedade, where there is a lighthouse and several lookout points, as well as Miradouro da Ponta da Piedade, a lookout with steep stairs that lead down to the water. Everybody wanted to be there, and several people asked us to take photos for them.

We couldn't resist taking several photos, too.

Not ready to turn around, DW and I continued along the boardwalk paths until we reached Praia de Porto Mós, further west along the coastline. We had travelled at least as far to this beach as we had from Potato Beach to the lighthouse.

By then, we were tired and hungry so we grabbed some snacks and drinks on the patio at Campimar Restaurant. By then, I was falling in love with Super Bock Stout, ordering it wherever it was available, and even claiming it as my official beverage of choice on our trip.

(Except when a good glass of port wine was available.)

We were close to a bus stop and decided to wait for the next one, but when it didn't arrive, we ordered an Uber, instead. It cost us four euros, which was just over a euro more than what the bus would have cost the two of us (€1.40 each), but it was faster and took us directly to our guest house.

DW wanted to do some shopping and I was feeling too tired to wander stores (I hate shopping), so I took our laptop onto the rooftop patio and wrote out a few blog posts while she ran her errands. I helped myself to some of the fruit-infused water and another patron was lounging on the hammock. I later learned that he was a fellow Canadian, from Montreal, and had been in Lagos for nearly a week.

DW returned just as I was finishing the last of my posts for the week, so we decided to wander the town to explore and take more photos and video. We had hoped to visit St. Sebastian Church but it was closed, even though both Google and our tour guide said it was open (never trust Google for hours of operation).

We made our way to the marina, from where we made a FaceTime video call to our kids, and then checked out the Infante Dom Henrique Plaza, which gives a nod to Prince Henry the Navigator. On one end of the plaza stands Igreja de Santa Maria, a Catholic church; across from it, the Mercado de Escravos – Núcleo Museológico Rota da Escravatura, a museum that remembers the slave trade and Portugal's role in human trafficking. The building is the old market house for when Africans were sold off to the highest bidders.

Dinner hour was approaching so we decided to take one of João's other recommendations and went to the restaurant that was directly across from Taninos, Taberna da Mó. Like Taninos, Taberna da Mó offered a tapas menu that was tasty and fresh. It's a larger restaurant and seemed to lack the same cosy atmosphere that we had experienced the night before, but perhaps the thunderstorm added to that ambience. The owner was friendly and recommended some good dishes, and when we told him that we had been given a recommendation from the 3 Marias, he said "I know João and Maria. They're good people."

They really are.

We strolled the darkening streets for a bit longer before returning to the rooftop patio of our guest house, where we finished the bottle of wine that we had started, the night before, and made our plans for the next morning.

Again, I wanted to get up early, but this time I wanted to head to a beach to watch the sun rise over the Atlantic. I wanted to find a good setting and I knew just the place.

Stay tuned to see where that spot was.