Best of 2020: The Mild But Still Wild

 

This beer is getting special mention simply because it is a special beer.
Several times over the course of 2020, Muskoka Brewing dropped the
price of their Tread Lightly Light Lager so that it was actually cheaper
than macro mainstays suck as Coors Light and Bud Light. This was the
perfect opportunity to show Macro Uncle how much better craft beer is.

This is the time of the year when I typically reflect back on the previous year and talk about the beers that wowed me.

Except last year was 2020. I suspect most of us would prefer to leave that year in the dustbin of history. In 25 years, this will amount to dinner-table conversation. "Mom, when it was 2020, did you...?" "Beyonce, how many times have I told you 2020 never happened? We went from 2019 directly to 2021 due to the glitch in the Gregorian Calendar!" Yeah, it was pretty bad. That said, there were some shining moments and surprise, surprise, to me, most of those involved beer.

Several years back, we had a Brewery Invasion in and
around Barrie, venturing north of the city's limits to head
up to both Muskoka Brewing and Sawdust City Brewing.
Yeah, it was damn cold out but those breweries threw out
all the stops to keep our rag-tag group cozy at their places.

But in the end, one beer very much stood out to me for the oddest of reasons. You see, even though I work at a Beer Store, I seldom know the prices of our beers. They change too rapidly to keep up so I just push the buttons on the machine, tell the customer what their total is and simply move on to the next person.

However, one day in September, a customer walked up with a 12-pack of Muskoka Brewing Tread Lightly Light Lager 355-ml cans. I rang it up. It was $23.95. I was a little startled, realizing it was less than $2/can. So I rang in 12 cans of Bud Light ($24.95) and Coors Light ($25.20). Like I said, I don't keep track of prices.

Granted, Tread Lightly was on sale but a craft beer that cost less than a mass-produced macro? Frankly, to me, this was unprecedented. I announced it far and wide on Twitter, suggesting that this might be an excellent purchase for your Macro Dad or Drunkle. Tell them it's a beer "that tastes like a beer," You know, the kind that appeals to them. 

From that day forward, I made a point of grabbing a dozen cans of Tread Lightly on my way out the door. Turns out I quite enjoy cracking a lighter beverage as my starter to unwind after work. Even though its regular price is now $25.95 ($49.95 for a case), it's still just nickles more than the macros. It didn't win my 2020 Beer of the Year but by the end of 2020, it did end up being my Most Purchased Beer of 2020. Ask any Ontario brewery which means more to them.

Okay, onto the Best of 2020... but first, the rules. Rule #1) Ontario beers only! I am big on shining a light towards our local breweries, especially now that they could use our help more than ever. Rule #2) No repeat winners! That means if a beer won any category from 2013 through 2019, they are no longer eligible. That said, I repeat the previous years' winners at the end of each category so you can see some shining stars of the past. And Rule #3) Even if you are celebrating Dry January, that doesn't preclude you from drinking Brut IPAs! Just call it Ridiculously Dry Finish January instead. Hell, have mine, too. I'm just that generous. Okay then, let's get this party started, shall we?

Best Pale/Blonde Lager: I kinda jumped back into lagers in a big way in 2020.

This is possibly due to Boston Adam (now in Fergus by way of Guelph) yelling "LAGAHHH!" every second day on Twitter. I think it kinda got stuck in my noodle. But yeah, I feel like I came back to the style more than ever in 2020. So over there in Stoney Creek (aka Polk Land), there's this award-winning brewery called Clifford Brewing run by this amenable chap named Brad. And this Brad fellow makes some amazing beers. One of those I enjoyed most last year (of many) was his Devil's Punchbowl India Session Lager! Now THIS is a lager with some bite to it. Still light at 4.8%, this kicks up a beautiful citrus punch with the faintest whiff of grapefruit in the mix. This ain't your Grandpapa's Pabst Blue Ribbon. Just a gem. (Previous winners: Wellington Crispy Forever Helles, Muddy York Helles, Amsterdam Pale Rider, Cameron's 12 Mile IPL, Hogback's Vintage Lager)

Best Amber/Dark Lager: Okay, yes, certainly a tumultuous year for our friends at Cowbell Brewing up there in Blyth but like the rest of us, they pulled through. In part due to the efforts of our Beer Diversity friend, Ren Navarro. (Yay Ren!) 

Why on earth is this Cowbell Oatmeal Vanilla Black
Lager in the tumbler of my dryer? Well, that was
part of the Glenn Hendry Appliance Series of Beer
Photos, an exercise where we showed our friend that
it doesn't really matter what your environs are, you
can always set up a fun beer photo! Or a ridiculous one.

Their Big Winter Mix-Six Pack last year included three beers from their Renegade Series, all of them top-flight. To my mind, the best of the three was their Oatmeal Vanilla Black Lager. Huge vanilla added to the traditional coffee, light licorice of your regular Black Lager. If the brewery decided to make any of their Renegade Series a part of their regular line-up, this one would be my vote! (Previous winners: Beau's Night Marzen, Napanee Blacklist German Lager, Four Father's Shevchenko 9 Ukrainian Dunkel Euro Dark Lager, Lake Wilcox Mad Quacker Amber Lager, King Brewing Dark Lager, Mill St 100th Meridian Amber Lager.)

Best Pale/Blonde Ale: Way back on February 22, 2020, a bunch of us traveled to Kingston to take part in Spearhead Brewing owner Josh Hayter's Kingston Brewery Invasion. Beers from that event will pop up throughout this.

However, in actual fact, this beer was purchased on the drive home with Greg and Cartoonist/Artist David. We popped in Whitby's 5 Paddles Brewing because, as I recall, Greg had promised to grab a specific beer for our Oakville mate, Kimmy. While there, I snagged whatever IPAs and Porter-Stouts were on hand but noticed something called Double Double Coffee Blonde Ale with Lactose. I seldom buy Blonde Ales as I prefer ales either much darker or much hoppier. But I thought, hey, Double Double is how I take my coffee so why not? Grab one. If it sucks, it's just one. Afterwards, I wish I'd bought a dozen of them. Coffee, lactose mimicking the cream, this was dynamite. Never mind coffee, I could start every morning with this! (Previous winners: Whiprsnapr Mick Maple Cream Ale, Grain & Grit Bee's Knees Blonde Ale, Nickel Brook Cause & Effect, Lake of Bays Paddle On Session Ale.)

Best Amber/Dark Ale: Okay, going way back to last January for this one.

I believe this was the second collaboration with Henderson Brewing (out of west Toronto) and the Society of Beer Drinking Ladies, which saw all of their great extracurricular activities pretty much grind to a halt. Like the rest of the world, I suppose. (Mark down October, SOBDL, as I'm betting that's when the social wheels will start to turn again, pitting this timeline against that of the 1918-20 Spanish Flu but factoring in the vaccine.) Back to the beer. Good Golly, Mz Mollie, the collab Vanilla Orchid Brown Ale was some kind of tasty! Nutty but sweet on the nose, more nuttiness, oatmeal and a light spice. At first, I assumed the vanilla was lactose but I think it's from the Vanilla Orchid Rooibos Tea, provided by TeaAlchemy, an independent tea company. Not sure 100% but I know good when I taste it. Way back on January 11, I said this would be the Dark Ale to beat in 2020. Some came close but none surpassed. Just outstanding. (Previous winners: Wellington Old Buddy Espresso Brown Ale, Redline Brewhouse Leather Interior Brown Ale, Cameron's Dark & Sticky India Brown Ale, Mill Street Tankhouse Ale, Parallel 49's Gypsy Ruby Tears, Wellington's Terrestrial India Brown Ale, Cowbell's Doc Purdue's Bobcat West Coast Red Ale.)

Best Pilsner: A bit of a break from the past winners for one reason. It's dark. But I can guarantee you this - Greg remembers this beer just as fondly as I do. You see, during the Kingston Craft Brewery Invasion of February 2020 (where we all just jumped into a bus, sitting mere feet apart, without masks - the good old days), Greg and I were at the same table when we stopped in at Stone City Ales. Their Nocturnal Czech Dark Pilsener was one of our samplers and after our taste, we looked at each other and nodded in hushed agreement. This beer was stellar! Roasty toasty malts, medium body, a gobsmack of licorice. Technically, this belongs in the Amber/Dark Lager category but the label says pilsener so I don't care. My list, my rules. (Previous winners: Fairweather Barbarossa Dry-Hopped Imperial Pils, Brock St Bohemian Pilsner, Great Lakes' Improperly Hopped American Dry-Hopped Pilsner, Steam Whistle Pilsner, Steamworks Pilsner, Black Oak Epiphany No 2 Pilsner, Rainhard Unfiltered Pilsner)

Best Saison: It was Drunk Polkaroo who suggested strongly if I ever got the chance, I should grab some of Shacklands Brewing's killer beverages. Well, the only problem with that is after March, I was somewhat reluctant to stray too far from home, much less the west end of Toronto, lest the nasty-ass Covid Cooties attach themselves to me.

Because he didn't have a cool Shacklands Brewing
bumper sticker for my ride, the Red Rocket, Jason
instead brought me a sweet Shacklands Brewing
glass, which is totally dope, too. Maybe when the
weather gets nicer, I'll just duct-tape it to the car.

Well, that little dilemma turned sideways on its head when owner-brewer Jason Tremblay messaged me in late November and said he had to make two deliveries to Stoney Creek. Being as Oakville is along the way, he wondered, did I want anything? YES, PLEASE!!!! I very quickly placed my order (#3121 - still remember) and was all set for the brewery with the reputation of making the Best Belgians in Ontario. Part of my order was a couple of his flagship beer, Saison Davenport. Whoa. Clove and pepper nose, a nice fruitiness that I guessed was maybe wild raspberry. Just perfect for the style. After I posted it, Jason confirmed that, yes, the red berry flavour came from the Alsatian hops. If you haven't tried it, do so. After I posted it, Homebrewer Graeme, the Brew Crew's Saison Guru, noted, "It's a really well done Saison. I'm a big fan. Cheers to one of the most underappreciated styles." If you want a sense of what a Saison should taste like, this is the one. (Previous winners: Beyond the Pale Saison Tropicale, Little Beasts Really Good Friends, Little Beasts La Saison D'ete, Nickel Brook-Sawdust City 11~05 Saison, Four Winds' Saison, Collingwood Brewing's Saison Farmhouse Ale.)

Best Belgian Style Wit: First, backstory! As a kid, maybe eight or so, my family rented a houseboat for a couple of weeks one Summer and traveled through Trent-Severn Waterway. I feel certain that one of the Locks - a structure in the waterway with steel gates on both ends where your boat sits and either rises or drops to the level of the next section - was in Fenelon Falls. I had the town's pennant (and others from that trip) pinned to my bedroom wall for years until they were later replaced by posters of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Farrah Fawcett in a one piece red bathing suit. (*Thinks about that poster for a second* Ahhh, the 70s.)

But back to Belgian Wits. Greg got me this one, among others from Fenelon Falls Brewing. This Belgian Wit called Rural Jewel is exactly that - rural and a jewel. Light spice, slightly peppery, citrus and a medium body, which (I think) is quite rare for the style. Well done, Fenelon Falls gang!

(Previous winners: Brock Street Blueberry Belgian Wit, Amsterdam Spotted Cow White Wheat, Black Bellow's White Witbier with Elderflower, Railway City's The Witty Traveler Pint.)

Best German Wheat: Here's the problem with picking out a solid German Wheat. I am too big a fan of the German Wheats that come from Germany! Particularly the world's oldest German Wheat, Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier, a beverage that Jordan St John, author of 71 beer books, declared is "on year 996 of their dominance in the category." So okay, the bar's set pretty high. I mean, yeah, I do pick a winner every year and they have all been pretty good Wheats but it's tough to match the Germans. Close enough will usually do to win this. But that plucky Grain & Grit Small Batch Beer in Hamilton, owned by Joe and Lindsey Mrav, actually had a built-in Deutschland home-field advantage I had never previously considered. Their young Brewmaster Alex Sporn actually hails from Germany! Well, then, mach schnell! Let's talk German Wheats!

Me, Lloyd Dobler, in 2020, outside of 2019's house.

Okay, their Zigge Zagge German Wheat might be the best Canadian version I've ever enjoyed. Not to downplay the others. Several were quite good and you're about to see previous winners. But remember, we're on the Weihenstephaner Scale here and I measure other German Wheats on that very scale. The banana, the clove, the mildness, the initial faint whiff of bubblegum. This belongs on that scale. Outstanding, especially considering what I am measuring this against. Close your eyes, man, you're in Munich now. (Previous winners: Stalwart Brewing Down By The River American Wheat Ale, Chronicle Brewing-Wave Maker Craft Brewing Hasheeshian Hop Hefeweizen, Big Rig's Big Boot Hefeweizen, Side Launch Wheat, All or Nothing Hopfenweisse, Creemore Spring's Hoppy Hefeweizen, Howe Sound King Heffy Imperial Wheat.)

The Beau's Lug Tread Honourary Best Kolsch: Okay, this category is named after Beau's Lug Tread Lagered Ale (because we're not supposed to say Kolsch here in North America) because I ignored Kolschs when I started these lists. Why? Well, I found the style kinda bland, to be honest.

Now I'm not throwing shade because Kolschs (as well as craft lagers, pilsners and Blonde Ales) are the ultimate cross-over styles for macro drinkers. That's how we bring 'em to the Dark Side. But long story short, I stumbled across a few Kolschs I really enjoyed and thought it was time to add the style to the Best Of mix-tape a few years back. But Lug Tread, Ontario's best-known Lagered Ale, has never won because by the time I added Kolschs, it was too late. Except it kind of did this year. You see, Beau's took the Lug Tread recipe, added Caramunich malts to give their Country Vibes Amber Lagered Ale a big caramel bite, a suitable darker hue. One malt made that much difference? Probably a little more to it than that but ohhhhh yeahhhh. Much more malty and toasty than a Kolsch, this is leaning in the Altbier direction without landing there. I was very pleasantly surprised by this one.

(Previous winners: Braumeister Brewing Rheinwasser Kolsch-Style Ale, Sawdust City's Adaptation Vic Secret Dry-Hopped Kolsch, Beau's Haters Gonna Hate Imperial Kolsch, Cowbell's Absent Landlord County Kolsch, Old Tomorrow Track 85 Lagered Ale.)
 
Best Session/Light Beer: Once again just like the previous two years, an embarrassment of riches in this category. Brewers are going out of their way to crank out the low-ABV beers. The trick, as always, is to keep the alcohol low but retain that full body quality. No one wants a thin beer. If I wanted Bud Light, I'd drink Bud Light. I wouldn't be alone. Many do. As I sifted through the couple dozen I quite enjoyed this past year, one popped out at me. Nickel Brook's Creeper Reaper IPA. Despite being just 4.1%, this bad boy, their Halloween offering, was jacked with flavour and body! With one of the four hops being Sabro, this had that bit of coconut, as well as a huge serving of grapefruit and back-end pine. Just a fantastic hockey beer. (Previous winners: Muddy York Switchboard Session IPA, Grain & Grit Light Ray Session IPA, Muskoka Detour, Great Lakes' Sunnyside Session, Flying Monkeys' Genius of Suburbia, Great Lakes Citradiction Extra Pale Ale.)

Well, that's a wrap on Part One but Part Two will drop in a day or two and it's my favourite with all those hoppy bastards that I do so love! But until then, Scooby Doo Gang, that's it, that's all and I am outta here. Until Part Two, I remain...