Monthly Archives: May 2017

Celebrating Canada’s 150th! Hop To The East …

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Across the Nation Collaboration!

Central City Brewers and Distillers has collaborated with twelve other breweries in celebration of Canada’s 150th Anniversary.  What a great idea!

To join the celebration, I’ve decided to use my BJCP skills (National-level certification) to evaluate each of the 12 beers.  I will be using the 2015 Guidelines and scoring each one based on Aroma (12 pts), Appearance (3 pts), Flavor (20 pts), Mouthfeel (5 pts), and Overall Impression (10 pts).  You can see the standard score sheet here.

I’m going to work my way from East to West so the first brewery in the collaboration is Quidi Vidi Brewery in Newfoundland.  From the pictures I see they have a great location–if I can make it happen I may see if I can stop in for a visit! 🙂

The Evaluation.  The beer is called “Hop to the East” Hefeweizen.  According to the description: “Canada’s most eastern province is Newfoundland, and taking a north eastern take on the hefeweizen style, this beer was brewed with new-age tropical hops to give a fruity, aromatic twist on the classic German style.”   Because of this description, I will judge this beer in the Specialty Category with the base style being 10A — Weissbier.

Ok … here goes!  I will add my notes for the categories from above and then score it based on the total points available.

Aroma.  The clove phenols are the first thing I perceive–there is a low spicy (peppery) note as well.  Fruity esters (banana) join early and are well supported by the tropical hop nose.  There is a medium wheat malt character that helps balance the nose on this beer nicely (10/12 pts).

Appearance.  Pours to a straw-color with a big, white long-lasting head.  Haze as expected for a hefeweizen.  Tight bubbles with apparent effervescence. (3/3pts).

Flavor.  Moderately high phenols (cloves, spicy, peppery). Fruit esters (banana) in solid support.  Medium hop flavor (tropical) very complementary of the phenols/esters.  Medium hop bitterness balances well with a moderate wheat flavor.  A perceived medium sweetness follows into a semi-dry finish.  Aftertaste of banana and cloves.  Clean fermentation characteristics.  (16/20 pts).

Mouthfeel.  Medium-light body with high carbonation.  Very effervescent.  Not astringent (5/5 pts).

Overall Impression.  Tropical hop notes fully support this classic hefeweizen.  This is a light, refreshing, well-balanced example of the style (even with the hop additions).  Well done.  (9/10 pts).

That’s 43 out of 50 points bringing this beer into the Excellent category.  The only thing I might suggest to bring it up into the outstanding category is a touch more body.  Otherwise, a great beer!  I hope the other eleven stand out like this one!  A big thanks to both breweries for making this one!

Beer Mentor

Summary Update #5: Growler List – Final

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FINAL ENTRY on the Growler List

Reference:  All About Beer Magazine’s “Growler List.”  125 best places in the world to have a beer.   As I’ve watched the Craft Beer explosion happen over the last 10 years (or so), the number of places to buy as well as drink beer has also exploded!  That’s why I’ve decided to stop pursuing all 125 places on this list.  I will scout out the classic places on the list but not the places I would consider the trendy spots.  For instance, of the four places I’m describing below, three of them (29, 32, and 38) would be classics … they don’t seem to change and are still great.  The fourth (as you can see) is a modification … so, this is my final entry about this particular list.  I will continue to update/describe places and beers … don’t worry.  The Beer Mentor is not going anywhere.  LOL.

Summary: Total (actual) places visited: 66 (59 remain on the list).  I visited 4 places since my last post:

29) Toronado (San Francisco) — well worth the effort … cool place with interesting vibe … cash only so be prepared!  The beer selection is exceptional.

Enjoying a cold one at Toronado in San Francisco.

32) Rogue Brewery (Newport, OR) — Wow!  Absolutely a great tour, wonderful location … and excellent beer!  The menu is also excellent.  I recommend an early stop, have lunch, stay for the tour and enjoy yourself!

Classic Entrance into Rogue Brewery

38) Anchor Brewing “tasting room” (San Francisco) — the history combined with the unique tour location makes this a must do on this list.

Tasting Room at Anchor Brewing

Special instance: #42) Sandlot Brewery … I’ve been to this place four times now and each time it’s been closed … I’m replacing it on my list with one of the newer places in Denver just down from there … the Great Divide Brewing Barrel Bar.    This is a great example of a new place that’s opened since the growler list first appeared.

Here’s the complete list of places I’ve visited …

1. Great American Beer Festival, Denver, CO (2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2016)
2. The Grand Place, Brussels, Belgium (2010) (2012)
3. U Fleku, Prague, Czech Republic (2012)
5. Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany  (1998) (2012)
6. Augustiner Keller, Munich, Germany (2012)
7. Abbaye de Notre-Dame d’Orval, Orval, Belgium (2009) (2012)
11. Hofbrauhaus, Munich, Germany (1997, 1998, 2001, 2012)
12. The Brickskeller (now Bier Baron), Washington, DC (2005, 2011)
14. The Market Porter, Stoney Street, London, England (2010)
15. Cat’s Eye Pub, Inner Harbor, Baltimore, MD (2011)
16. Camden Yards (Baltimore) [Substitute] (2008, 2009)
18. Horizon’s Cafe – CN Tower (Toronto, Canada) (2016)
19. Glengarry Highland Games Beer Tent (Maxville, Ontario) (2003, 2011) [Substitute]
22. German Bundesliga (Kaiserslautern) (1997) [Substitute]
24. Hopleaf, Chicago, IL (2014)
25. World Beer Festival, Durham/Raleigh, NC (2011)
28. Zum Uerige, Düsseldorf, Germany (2012)
29. Toronado, San Francisco (CA) (2017)
30. The Olde Mitre Tavern, Ely Court, Hatton Garden, London, England (2010)
31. Cowboys/Redskins, FedEx Field Skybox (DC) (2009)
32. Rogue Brewery, Newport (OR) (2017)
33. The Wynkoop Brewery, Denver, CO (2011)
37. Atelier am Dom, Cologne, Germany (2012)
38. Anchor Brewing, San Francisco (CA) (2017)
39. The Flying Saucer, NC, SC, TN, AR and TX (2010, 2013)
41. Blues Bar, Stone Town, Zanzibar (closed) [sub: mercury’s] (2013)
42. Sandlot Brewery (substitute: Great Divide Barrel Bar), Denver (CO) (2016)
43. Clark Street Ale House, Chicago, IL (2014)
44. Tailgating Frankfurt Galaxy NFL Europe Game (1996, 1997)
45. Selin’s Grove Brewing, Selinsgrove, PA (2010)
47. The Map Room, Chicago, IL (2014)
48. The Blue Tusk, Syracuse, NY (2010)
51. The White Horse Pub, Parsons Green, London, England (2010)
54. Falling Rock Tap House, Denver, CO (2011)
57. Andechs Monastery, Andechs, Germany (2010) (2012)
61. Krcma, Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic (2012)
66. Delirium Café, Brussels, Belgium (2010) (2012)
68. Gösser Bierklinik, Vienna, Austria (2012)
71. Brewer’s Art, Baltimore, MD (2010)
73. Schlenkerla Brewery Tavern, Bamberg, Germany (2012)
77. Die Weisse, Salzburg, Austria (2012)
78. Halve Maan Brewery, Bruges, Belgium (2012)
80. Le Bier Circus, Brussels, Belgium (2010) (2012)
82. Irseer Klosterbrauerei, Irsee, Germany (2010) (2012)
84. Goose Island Brewing, Chicago, IL  (2014)
85. Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2014)
88. Baumgartner’s Cheese Store & Tavern, Monroe, WI (2014)
90. Cantillon Brewery and Gueuze Museum, Belgium  (2012)
91. Dogfish Head Ale House, Rehoboth Beach, DE (2010)
92. Belgo Centraal, London, England (2010)
97. Clark’s Ale House, Syracuse, NY (2010)
100. Steamworks Brewing, Vancouver, Canada (2015)
103. Kelly’s Caribbean Bar, Grill & Brewery, Key West, FL (2007)
104. Rose & Crown Pub, Epcot Center, Orlando, FL (2006)
106. Brick Store Pub, Decatur, GA (2011)
108. The Ghost Bar at the Palms Hotel, Las Vegas, NV (2015)
110. The Gingerman, Austin, TX (2010)
113. beerbistro, Toronto, Canada (2016)
114. The Dubliner, Washington, DC (2010)
115. John Barleycorn, Chicago, IL (2014)
118. Top of the Hill Brewery & Restaurant, Chapel Hill, NC (2011)
121. Old Ebbitt Grill, Washington, DC (2010)
122. 5 Seasons Brewing, Atlanta, GA (2011)
123. Tim Schafer’s at Lake Norman, Sherrills Ford, NC
[CLOSED] Sub–In de Vrede (Belgium) (2010, 2012)
124. Stumbling Monk, Seattle. WA (2011)
125. The Happy Gnome, St Paul, MN (2014)

Beer Mentor