The Best of 2016 - Part Two

Back in May 2014, it was suggested that super-model
Kate Upton, shown here with late-night TV host Jimmy
Fallon playing Flip Cup, may have helped Brew Ha Ha
reach 10,000 hits because I had earlier included a photo
of her with a beer nestled in her upper region of her
hourglass swimsuit figure. She's quite famous. Turns
out that picture connected to this column was the first
hit if you Google-imaged "Kate Upton and beer" Ooops.
My Google fame was short-lived as the pic is now linked
to some Pinterest account. It was good while it lasted...

Well, something interesting happened yesterday. As some point when I was writing this year's Best of 2016 - Part One column. which was no doubt a fascinating and educational read (My Brain: "Seriously, you just said that? Dude, you're an asshat."), this little horse-and-pony show called Brew Ha Ha crossed 100,000 hits.

Now in terms of beer blogs - or even blogs in general - that's probably small potatoes. I honestly have no idea. But I do know this. If I had 100,000 dollar bills (dollah, dollah bills, y'all) in my bank account, I would be a happy camper. Well, actually, I'm kind of a happy camper already but that's mostly because I don't camp.

Me: "If only there was a way to camp without the outside stuff and potential of bears..."
Morgan Freeman Voice-Over: "Howard Johnson Hotels... for all your camping needs."

The last time I talked about reaching a milestone was the 10,000 hit mark back in May 2014. That was until an eagle-eyed buddy, Joe, pointed out that a Brew Ha Ha column was linked to a Google Image of Kate Upton with a beer propped up in her cleavage. (Don't even try it. I ended up with beer all over me.) I thought that was maybe a bit of a cheat being linked to an Upton pic so I have refrained from using her pictures since then. Oh, I still check her pics out from time to time. Because I have a keen interest in the swimwear industry.

The best mixed pack of 2016 goes to Muskoka Brewing
for their Winter Survival Pack. There's a delicious
lager, cream ale, session IPA, actual IPA (and one of
my favourites), a stout and a Winterweiss. That's a
whole lotta different flavours in one excellent package.

I meant to acknowledge my 25,000th hit here but missed it. And again, I was going to say something about my 50,000th hit but missed it, too. This time, I was paying attention. I told Beer Bro Stevil St Evil earlier in December that I might hit six-digits by Christmas. Meh, I was off by a few days. And lemme tell you this, now that I have crossed that awesome threshold? *Looks around at messy apartment* Yeah, nothing's changed. Same old, same old. My toilet didn't magically clean itself. Oh well.

But I'm not here to talk about my dubious achievements as interesting as I, no doubt, am. (Brain: "Seriously, man, just shut the hell up!") No, I am here to honour all that is good and pure and holy in the Ontario craft beer industry for the year 2016. And when I say "holy," there are no Biblical connections. It's just that there were more than a few beers I drank this year and exclaimed, "Holy shit, that's good!" So the blasphemous version of "holy" because while we might all be Hell-bound, I got my ticket first. So let's jump into Part Two of the Best of 2016, shall we?

I enjoyed the hell out of Collective Arts' 3 X 2  Summer
Mixer with its Hefeweizen, Gose and Papaya Saison. It
was, quite simply, the kind of beers that are meant for dog
days of Summer - all light, all refreshing, all damn good,

Best Mixed Pack: The Muskoka Brewing Winter Survival Pack beat out another mixed pack this year - their Summer Survival Pack, which I had earlier earmarked for this award. What made that Winter pack a tiny bit better? The inclusion of their Shinnicked Stout with its rich infusion of Lumberjack Coffee from local beanery, Muskoka Roastery. Half coffee, half chocolate, all delicious. A great party pack because it has something for everybody, including your drunken, racist Uncle Bob (we all have one), who was passed out in the Lazy Boy two hours before Christmas dinner. More for you! Also, smarten up, Uncle Bob, it's 2016, not 1956. (Previous Winners: Okanagan Spring's Craft Variety Pack, Muskoka Hoptorial Mix-Six.)

Best Summer Sampler: There were a few contenders for this crown, including packs from Mill Street and Cameron's, but in the end, I had to go with the Collective Arts' 3 X 2 Mixed-Six. Why? Because the beers here are absolutely Summer beers! Start with their German-style Hefeweizen, follow that with their light, refreshing Gose and finish up with the best of the three, their Papaya Saison. I bought this six-pack so many times that I probably paid Collective Arts' hydro bill in August.

When Junction Craft Brewing moves to Symes Road this
coming Summer, they can expect to see me as a frequent
visitor. Granted, the fact that they are a stone's throw from
Rainhard Brewing and Shacklands Brewing doesn't hurt.

Best Specialty Wheat: I didn't include this in yesterday's Best of 2016 list because it's a little off the beaten trail. But what would happen if you mixed a red ale with a German wheat? Well, Junction Craft Brewing's Olympia Looping Red Wheat kind of answers that question. Like a good wheat, there's banana and a whiff of bubble-gum on the nose while on the tongue, the 5%, 18 IBU (international bitterness units) ruby-red treat is tangy apple, fruity and dry. Combining a red ale and wheat made this the world's most perfect Autumn beer. The best season of all now has a complementary beer. Excellent job.

Best Fruit Beer: I have never honoured a fruit beer before because, frankly, most of them are gross. Far too sweet for my liking. But every once upon a blue moon, someone gets it right. That was the case with Wellington Brewing's Rhubarb Saison. Rather than sweet, it was tart. A little spice on the nose with no discernable fruit, the 5% beer had light rhubarb on the tongue but with a really nice dry finish. How about that? Morgan Freeman Voiceover: "Rhubarb: It's not just for pie anymore."

There are lagers and then there was this. Lake of Bays took an
 amber lager and decided to oak-age it. What was the outcome?
Well, you're reading about it here so it must be pretty damn good.

Best Specialty Lager: Let's be honest here. Lagers are a perfectly safe style. Yes, they can be goosed nicely as I noted yesterday but it's seriously tough to really jazz them up. Well, then, trust my favourite Baysville, Ontario brewery to give it the old college try. I should say "try and succeed" because their Lake of Bays' Stamp Hammer Oak Aged Amber Lager was a little slice of small batch goodness. There was a deceptive note of sweetness on the nose that initially spooked me but on the first sip, I knew this 6.5%, 20 IBU lager was cut from a different cloth. Both fruity and tangy on the tongue, the oak doesn't come through until about the halfway point. And when it does, you go full Matthew McConaughy, smile a little, sit back in your patio chair and simply say, "Well, alright, alright, alright..." Frankly, nobody makes specialty beers quite like Lake of Bays. I am constantly on the look-out for any new singles they release because they always bring the Funky Cold Medina.

Witness, if you will, in the full majesty of this Paul The
Beer Guy photo, the glory that was Old Tomorrow's
Monty's Golden Ryed Ale. Aged in ryed oak, this was a
full-flavoured deeply rich ale with a whole lotta kick.

Best Specialty Ale: To be honest, I was leery of this, simply because it was aged in used rye (Canadian Whiskey) barrels. I actually hate rye. So I bought a bomber of Old Tomorrow's Monty's Golden Ryed Ale more as a measure of support to the young brewery rather than anything else. And it sat there in my fridge... for quite a while. Then one day as I was, no doubt, buoyed by a few tasty IPAs, I thought, "Well, how bad can it be?" and cracked it open. I noticed a little rye on the nose because to a beer drinker, that's a particularly distinct and not all-together pleasant odour. So with some trepidation, I took a sip of this 5.2% ale and was surprised with the smoothness. You do notice the wood instantly on the tongue and the rye influence is subtle at best, giving it a, well, earthy taste. This was unlike any ale I had in 2016. Had the rye influence been any stronger, I probably would not have enjoyed this but man, it was just right. In the end, I bought a few more because I really enjoyed it. To be frank, I could not drink these all afternoon, despite the low ABV. It's firmly in the ranks of a "once in a while" beer. But it was the one that surprised me the most... well, that is until I get to a wine barrel aged sour beer further down.

Three similar styles and three great tastes. Here's an IPA, Extra Pale Ale
and Session IPA from Collective Arts, all three of which are strong beers.
But put them together? Now you got yourself an excellence Triple Play... 

Best Triple-Play: The Best Triple play goes to a brewery with the best three beers of a similar style. Last year, it went to a brewery's pale ale, IPA and Imperial IPA. This year, we're gonna veer off that script slightly and give it to Collective Art's troika of the solid State of Mind Session IPA, their outstanding Rhyme & Reason Extra Pale Ale and their Ransack the Universe IPA, which will pop up later. Hell, you could throw their outstanding Black IPA into the mix and call this tandem a Fab Four. (Previous Winner: Nickel Brook's Naughty Neighbour APA, Headstock IPA and Immodest Imperial IPA.)

Best Collaborative Beer: While I have been keeping this all within Ontario's border, I did mention yesterday that a couple would go beyond this Province.

I shared the Canada Coast to Coastless Imperial ESB with
Beer Bro Glenn one afternoon when he popped by. Neither
of us could believe the flavour that came out of this bomber.

After meeting at the 2014 Canadian Brewing Awards in Fredericton, New Brunswick, respective brewers from Ontario's Flying Monkeys, Nova Scotia's Garrison Brewing, Quebec's Trou du Diable and BC's Philips Brewing decided to collaborate on a beer or as they called it, a Quad-Laboration. To that end, they decided to create a high-test English Special Bitter that they called Canada Coast to Coastless Imperial ESB. But this was not your traditional British ESB. No, at 7.6% and 50 IBUs, the four breweries, which all made their own batches, using identical ingredients, created something far beyond a regular ESB. While the hops used vary from report to report, they were definitely there as this fairly burst with flavour. Mine came from the good folks at Flying Monkeys and was shared with Bro Bro Glenn during one of his visits to Donny Bar and Grill. He, in turn, reviewed it on RateBeer, giving it an impressive 17/20 (I would have turned that dial up to 19) and noted that it "poured an impressive dark red with a thick and creamy head. Lots of semi-sweet malts on the nose with a little plum, some caramel and a little bit of sweetness on the tongue. Hoppy as well."

This is an actual photo of Unfiltered Brewing
top-dog Greg Nash. During a recent trip to
Halifax, I had the opportunity to try three of
his IPAs, the highlight of my trip. Well, I
guess the wedding of my niece was big, too.

The Beast Of The East; The Best Of The West: Okay, a quick peek beyond our provincial borders for the next two. Let's start out in BC and look at the beauty made by Driftwood Brewing from Victoria that regularly adorns the shelves of our local LCBOs. That would be their Fat Tug IPA, a big favourite of Beer Bro Glenn and coworker Jonny. Well, throw me in the Fat Tug Fan Club (wait - this isn't some weird prison thing, is it?) because on occasion, I overlook my guilt at not buying Ontario beer and grab myself a couple off the shelf. Hey, at $6/bomber, it's a steal. Five different hops goose the jungle juice, which features notes of grapefruit, mango and melon. At 7% and 80 IBUs, this bright orange brew curls your toes with big taste. And for some beers I do not feel guilt over, let's look to Unfiltered Brewing in Halifax. You will not find any of Greg Nash's dynamite IPAs on the LCBO shelves. Nor will you find them on the shelves of the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation. Nope, the only place you can get the goods is to visit the brewery at 6041 North Street. It is available exactly two ways - at the brewery bar or in one and two-litre growlers for take-away. While in town, I had a chance to try his 7% Riddle of Steel IPA (very good), his 8%, 100 IBU Twelve Years to Zion Imperial IPA (exceptionally good) and his 7.5%, 100+ IBU Double Orange Double IPA (OMFG!) Bursting with Citra hops, the Double Orange is one of the best IPAs I have ever had. Orange, citrus, the kitchen sink - you name it because it had everything. This beer was, indeed, the Beast of the East. As I told the kid at Walmart who was looking for the Arnold Schwarzenegger action figure, "Aisle B, Back."

You see this nice lady holding a Side Launch
Wheat? Her name is Garnet Pratt Siddall and
she is a good person who did a good thing even
though it was a costly decision. Cheers, Garnet!

Best Childhood Memory Beer: I'll be honest. I thought the Nickel Brook Dreamsicle Orange Vanilla Pale Ale wouldn't fly - too gimmicky. But again, I support my locals so I grabbed one. Created out of the brewery's Funk Labs under the watchful eye of Funkmaster General Patrick Howell, I thought it would be sweet and, well, nasty. But I was hugely surprised when it turned out to be tart and tangy. The 4.1%, 25 IBU bright orange brew had some orange and vanilla on the tongue but it was subtle and fun. As Patrick himself said, "This beer is my childhood summer memories in liquid form. Eating a melting popsicle on the front porch on a warm Summer night - that was the idea we had when designing this beer." It was tart, fun and well, funky. Great job.

The Buck Stops Here Award: Here's where we give credit where credit is due. When a taste panel at Side Launch Brewing in Collingwood found a few batches of Side Launch Wheat could spoil if improperly stored, brewery president Garnet Pratt Siddall made a hard choice and recalled three separate batches made in July. Within a few weeks, there were fresh batches on the liquor store shelves but for a while, the brewery was awash in bright yellow cans that were recalled. It was not an inexpensive hit. But man, it was a brave move and it was the right move. You are only as good as your reputation and with that recall decision, they only added to their good name. Cheers to Side Launch!

Here's our choices for Best Sours this year. On the left is
mine,  Bellwoods Motley Cru 2016 and the right is Jay's
choice, his very much-beloved Bellwoods Jelly King. To be
perfectly honest here, I forget which one is in the glass. 

Best Sour Beer(s): This is another category where I am ably assisted by my former coworker, Jay-Dawg. I'll start first because of... "it's my blog" reasons. When I was gifted by Rib Eye Jack's Ale House's GM Steve with a Bellwoods' Motley Cru 2016, I had no idea how prized the beer was. While Jay-Dawg is happily splashing in the middle of the Sour Pond, loving the style, I am still dipping my toes in at the edge like the coward I am. I'm still not sure what to make of the style but brewers are putting a lot of time and effort into it so I pay attention. Now the Motley Cru is an open fermentation beer that uses no regular yeast. How is that possible, you ask? Well, the beer is mixed with Gewurztrammer grape must - must being the pulp, seeds and skin of the grapes. Apparently, the wild yeast on the grape skins do the job. This year's, Motley Cru was aged in French oak barrels from Tawse Winery (Vineland, Ontario) for two years and then blended with a sour ale that had been barrel-aged for the same length of time. So how was the end result of the 8% sour? Tart as hell with some white wine notes (obviously) with some really nice apple and woodiness on the tongue.

Nickel Brook's Cafe Del Bastardo had a huge
blast of coffee the minute I popped the waxed
cap. It was so pungent that I put away my beer
glass and poured it into my Marvel Superhero
coffee mug. I'm using this picture instead to
show you the deep colour of this imperial stout

Three years in the making, this was a taste like I have never have before and would gladly have again. The only problem is finding it. Once a year release and it does not last long. They made 5,200 bottles this year - the most ever - and apparently, it was still gone in record time. This beer was also my beer writing buddy Drunk Polkaroo's 1,000th review on Untappd.

Now moving from the hard-to-get beer over to what is clearly their most popular and far more readily-available sour, Jay's choice was Bellwoods' Jelly King. Seriously, as soon as he had his first Jelly King, Jay could not stop raving about it. He was all, "Jelly King this, Jelly King that, Jelly King rules and I forgot to put on socks because Jelly King." To me, the 5.6% sour was quite tasty (not in the same league as Motley Cru though I suspect few are) with a mouth-puckering citrus finish. due to dry-hopping with Citra. I can easily see why Jay would pick this one as his favourite sour of the year. When it comes to sours, I defer to Jay and Drunk Polkaroo. They know their sour stuff.

Best Coffee-Infused Beer: This is a brand new category in this catch-all, wrap-up-for-2016 column (I did all the traditional styles yesterday) because it involves my two favourite liquids - coffee and beer. Some would say those are the only two liquids I ingest. And they would be right. I get the water necessary for humans to stay alive from both. *Checks pulse* I'm fine, thanks for asking.

In this award-winning photograph from Paul The Beer Guy, we see young
Taylor manning the bar at Brock Street Brewing on Hopkins Street in
Whitby. She's just one reason the brewery is the Spirit of Craft Beer 2016.

This one was an easy pick as Nickel Brook's Funk Lab cranked out one called Cafe Del Bastardo. When I opened it, there was so much coffee aroma that it filled my kitchen instantly. And I hadn't even poured it yet. Okay, so what is this miracle of blended coffee and beer that Funkmaster General Patrick and his brew crew created? First, they got their grubby mitts on a crap-ton of coffee, supplied by Detour Roasters from Los Idolos, Colombia. So you know, real coffee!  So they took these coffee beans and put them in Kentucky bourbon barrels with Nickel Brook's Bolshevik Bastard Imperial Stout - the same recipe as their Kentucky Bastard Imperial Stout... but with coffee! Oh, good gravy, this was outstanding. Probably the biggest taste of the year. At 12% and 70 IBUs, there was (duh) coffee and bourbon on the nose with more coffee, bourbon, vanilla and chocolate on the tongue. I wish I had saved this for... well, today, to be honest. Just insanely delicious.

REBUTTAL OF THE YEAR: When I had a laugh at the
fact that artist Garnett Gerry had drawn beloved character
Roland Baggetts wearing socks with sandals on the label
of the Great Lake Brewing's Sunnyside Session IPA, their
social media man, Troy Burtch, fired back this photo on
Twitter near instantly. Don't lie, guys. We've all done this.

The Spirit Of Craft Beer: This is the part of the assembly where we heap praise on a brewery for being, well, fun. And this year, Brock Street Brewing checked off all the boxes for us. While I had been creeping harmlessly following them on social media since they opened in 2015, my first connection with the brewery, located five minutes away from my buddy, Johnny, in Whitby, was back on January 30th. I remember it like it was 11 months ago. The second annual Burlington Winter Beer Festival was being held at the Holiday Inn that's exactly a $17 cab ride away from where I live. One of the booths there was being run by Brock Street dudes Andrew and Phil. They had a miniature 30-inch ping-pong table and were challenging all comers. All I heard coming from that booth was laughter and good-natured trash-talking from both the guys and the drinking public. Then they got a miniature pool table and called me out on Facebook to try my luck. I finally visited the brewery in July and seeing my son, David, peeking in the back, sweetheart server Taylor asked if he wanted to check out the shiny equipment. He was in the back before I could even ask him.

According to my receipts, I have drank more
of Collective Arts' Ransack The Universe
Hemisphere IPA than any other single beer
this year. Good thing it's super-tasty or that kind
of devotion would seriously suck for me personally.

Because they love their customers as much as they love their beer, Brock Street Brewing is the 2016 recipient of the Spirit of Craft Beer award. You guys make me proud of the folks who make our craft beer. (Previous Winner: Longslice Brewing.)

Beer Of The Year (aka The Wingman Award): Well, there's always that one beer that grabs me by the throat and utters, "Say Uncle, dammit." This year, that was Collective Arts' Ransack the Universe Hemisphere IPA. Loaded with Galaxy hops from Myrtleford, Australia and Mosiac hops from Yakima, Washington, this 6.8%, 85 IBU hop monster is all tropical fruits, mango and citrus on the nose and tongue. But it was also that sneaky voice on my shoulder. If a lady liked a photo of mine on Facebook, Ransack was there, whispering in my ear, "Dude, wake up! She totally wants you!" If someone posted a political view that I disagreed with but ignored, Ransack was there to tell me, "Argue with him! People love their political views being challenged! Don't be a wuss!" It was my best buddy this year and the bromance will continue long into 2017. The year's best. (Previous Winner: Muskoka Mad Tom IPA.) 

But folks, that's a wrap on 2016. I'll be back just into the new year with a look at the labels we loved this year... and much much more. But guys and dolls, that's it, that's all and I am outta here! Until next year, I remain...