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A six-pack of great Ontario craft beer for the long weekend

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By Brian Yeo

The first official long weekend of “summer” is nearly upon us and like most civilized Canadians, I’ve always celebrated the birthday of Britain’s longest reigning monarch with the traditions of escaping to the great outdoors, scorching tube-shaped meats over an open fire,  detonating recreational explosives, and consuming a beer or two.

There really seems no more of a fitting tribute to a Queen than that, right? And so with the forecast for the weekend looking beautiful and showing 100% probability of beer consumption I’ve put together a quick little 6-pack of Ontario craft beer for your patio, deck, campground or cottage enjoyment.

Denison’s Brewing Company-Weissbier
(LCBO 132480, 5.3% abv, $2.60, 473 ml can)


denisons

A long-time favourite, Michael Hancock’s inspired take on classic German wheat beers, or hefeweizens, delivers all one would expect from this style in spades. True to its unfiltered nature, the Denison’s pours a hazy golden amber and brings all the great signature aromas and flavours of banana, clove, bubblegum, pineapple, vanilla, and stone ground wheat to the table, balanced by bright carbonation and light acidity for a clean, crisp finish that’s ideal for a warm summer afternoon.

Black Oak Brewing-Summer Saison
(Brewery Only, 4.5% abv,  $13.95, 6 X 341 ml bottles)


black oak

This week marked the return of Black Oak’s seasonal Summer Saison just in time for the rising temperatures. Brewed with 3 malts, toasted wheat, orange zest and coriander the Summer Saison proves to be a refreshing summer sipper showing a light body and vivacious carbonation with subtle fragrances of citrus, spice and honey offset by a gentle earthiness. Truly a wonderful addition to your warm day patio regime.

Great Lakes Brewery-Crazy Canuck
(LCBO 242545, 5.2% abv, $2.50, 473 ml can)

canuck


I have always liked this beer as a solid example of what Ontario craft brewers can do with a West Coast inspired Pale Ale and wanted it for inclusion in this post but hadn’t really tasted recently and thought it was a good time for a re-visit. I’m sensing that the fine folks of Great Lakes may have tweaked the hop profile somewhat for the Crazy Canuck as there is now a much more pronounced floral and citrusy nose than previously … and I like it! There is still plenty of sweet malt together with just enough bite and balance to keep things interesting and refreshing. Go ahead, get a little crazy you Canucks.

Creemore Springs Brewery-Kellerbier
(LCBO 134148, 5.0% abv, $2.80, 473 ml can)

creemore


It may be somewhat debatable as to whether Creemore Springs, being a division of the MolsonCoors conglomerate, qualifies as craft beer but I’ll leave that as a topic for discussion around the long weekend campfire. What isn’t debatable though is how good this beer is. First appearing in 2009 as a summer seasonal and as of April it is now available year round and I couldn’t be happier. Kellerbiers are traditionally unfiltered, unpasteurized lagers served fresh from the cellar of the brewhouse and loaded with hops, rich malt, and very light in carbonation drinking more in style to cask ales than standard lagers and Creemore delivers a wonderfully drinkable version.

Amsterdam Brewery-Boneshaker
(LCBO 288506, 7.1% abv, $12.95, 6 X 341 ml bottles)


boneshaker

I had mentioned in  my last post for Wines in Niagara that Amsterdam’s big IPA was beginning to show up on shelves throughout the province and with my chance to lay my hands on some bottles have included it here as part of my long weekend 6 pack. I’ll profess to not being an overt “Hop Head,” there is something about having my palate throttled by over-the-top bitterness that just really isn’t my thing. Now don’t get me wrong, beer with bite is all good but when that bite is equivalent to a rabid pitbull it can all be a little overwhelming. With that being said, Boneshaker comes in around 65 IBU which is getting into the danger territory for me, however the brewers at Amsterdam have masterfully balanced the vibrant bite of Amarillo hops with a rich malt bill and natural carbonation for one of the most pleasing and well integrated IPAs available to Ontario beer drinkers. Well Done!

Great Lakes Brewing Company 25th Anniversary Robust Porter
(LCBO 290635, 7.0% abv, $9.95, 750 ml bottle)


porter

In celebration of their 25th year as part of the Ontario craft brewing industry, Great Lakes has given their fans a truly magnificent present in the form of this Robust Porter. This lovely brew pours to a dense black colour with a billowing head almost reminiscent of marshmallows lightly toasted over a campfire. The nose and palate are filled with tones of coffee, bittersweet chocolate, caramelized sugars, toasted grains, dried pineapple, and freshly chopped fennel. The finish is lingering and leaves you wanting more which may be troublesome as supplies of this delightful beer are limited. I’ve already got plans to pair this beauty up with a nice rib-eye steak dry-rubbed with espresso and ancho chilis … can’t wait!

Thanks so much to Great Lakes for the 25 years of commitment to the Ontario craft beer community and I look forward to what the next quarter of a century brings. Highly Recommended!!

And finally to everyone out there reading, have a wonderful May 24th long weekend! Be nice, play safe, and enjoy responsibly.