The Best of 2019: The Dark and Dirty

Because sometimes good things happen to good people. That
would be OG Brew Crew member Curtis (aka "Newman!")
on the left. The lovely lady on the right goes by Nichole. She
is happily also a member in good-standing with the Brew
Crew. Over the holidays, these two Crewsters got engaged.
Which is pretty much the coolest thing ever. Can we take
any credit for this? Absolutely not! But will we? Absolutely!

Okay, a happy holiday story to start today's look at the darkest, dirtiest, filthiest beers I drank in 2019. (But I say that with the unimaginable love that I have for the richest and swarthiest of brews.)

That said, the story of Curtis and Nichole is of a much more golden hue. Despite the fact we had been Twitter buds for a while, I only first met Curtis during our April Brew Crew expedition to Huntsville to create an IPA with the Lake of Bays Brewing folks. Great guy, salt of the earth, that kind of thing.

Nichole, on the other hand, I only kinda sorta saw but never really met during the Ottawa Craft Brewery Invasion. We formally met at Nickel Brook during Day Two of the Halton-Hamilton Craft Brewery Invasion. I believe her original intent was to hang around for a brewery, maybe two, and then bid adieu. She stayed around much longer. Why? She was having a blast. It truly was a rockin' day so she had no plans to let it pass by quickly, basking in the laughs and the comradery.

But she had come into our lives prior to that. Curtis had taken a really nice "surrounded by nature" picture of a Trestle Brewing (Parry Sound) beer and entered it into their Facebook photo contest. The man has a real talent when it comes to taking the pretty pictures.

So our question has long been this. Is Curtis, in fact, nicer than Tom
Hanks? Ladies and gentlemen, Exhibit A. He found this homeless man
in Huntsville, brought him into the Huntsville Brewhouse, asked Lake of
Bays to feed him and give him some beers. Why? When we asked the
staffers of Lake of Bays, they simply shrugged, "Yeah, the guy looked a
little scruffy but Curtis, well, we couldn't say 'no' to him. I mean, he's
just nicer than... who's really nice... oh, Tom Hanks!" I rest my case.

But Nichole reached out to as many as us as she knew to vote for the picture. I thought that was very sweet so I, in turn, reached out to the Brew Crew, GTA Beer Twitter in general, US and German Beer Twitter and finally, Vegas Twitter. Many responded and voted for the picture.

In the end, Curtis didn't win. He was leading and then someone got an army involved and... it's a whole weird story. But he kinda won. He started following some of the Vegas voters, watching their vlogs and I think Curtis might... really want to go to Vegas. To me, that's a Triple-7 jackpot.

But there's one more story about Nichole I have to tell here. So you see, we're all out on the Halton-Hamilton Craft Brewery Invasion. At this point, we're at Fairweather Brewing in west Hamilton. Everyone's having a great time. I'm standing beside her inside and she's - I kid you not - staring at the wall behind the bar. So I say, "What's up?"

So here's Nichole, sporting a Nickel Brook toque. So I
had my boy, David, put on mine. I then showed him his
picture and Nicole's picture side-by-side and asked him
who looked better. David looked and simply said, "She's
beautiful." So I told Curtis he may have competition for
Nichole's heart. He quickly sealed the deal by proposing.

"I'm wondering what it's like back there," she told me. Meh, I said, concrete floors, bunch of tanks... I mean, every brewery is different but in the back, all pretty much the same to varying degrees of size and capacity. Why? She smiled and said, "Bet it would be a lot of fun to have a wedding reception at a brewery."

Now keep in mind, Curtis had not proposed or anything. This was just an out-loud, offhand "Wouldn't that be kind of a cool thing?" musing. Nickel Brook's shiny newish tap room would be a much better fit, I told her. That's where you'd want a wedding reception. It would rock.

So on New Years Eve, when Curtis messaged me to say they were engaged, I remembered that conversation with Nichole. Now granted, as much fun as it would be to hold a wedding reception at a brewery, the chances are slim to none. As someone who has been twice married, lemme tell you why. Because the families get involved. As well-meaning as the parents and relatives of the bride and groom may be, there is a tendency on their end to take over the day.

And I can guarantee you this. One of them is going to say, "There is NO way we are making Nana Molly and Auntie Theresa sit in a stinky brewery all night! It would kill them!"

Thug's Life: Ottawa Style! Here's the Brew Crew at Waller St Brewing
in Ottawa last Summer. From left, Glenn, Curtis (Him? Again?), Ben,
Joel, Josh, Paul, Matty and Danny. It was here I would find a dark and
delicious beauty that would slay me. Their Black Imperial IPA. Mmmm.

But, Nichole, I will always admire you for simply thinking a brewery reception would be fun. (Because it would!) From all of us in the Brew Crew and beyond, a heart-felt congratulations to you both.

Okay, enough mushy stuff. Onto The Dark and Dirty! You know the rules. #1) No repeat winners. #2) Ontario beers only. And of course #3, my 2007 Ford Focus > Premier Ford. Let's get this party started by remembering the sage wisdom of that ancient Greek philosopher (*checks notes*) Kawhi Leonard who said, "What it do, baby?"

Best Black IPA: Well, I fussed so damn much over this beer on Twitter after Ottawa Matty and Joel bought me one, that there possibly was a Butterfly Effect.

If this were a little more accessible (brewery only)
and available (selective release times), I have little
doubt it would have been my Beer of the Year. Yes,
it is THAT good! The Waller St Black IIPA was an
absolute highlight of my Beer Year. So damn good!!

It only intensified when Paul, the Big Peezy, brought me yet another Waller St Brewing Black Imperial IPA after an Ottawa trip. According to April Thibert, the public face and social media liaison for Waller St, it was her belief that people had seen my comments - the rantings of a beer lunatic, really - and began steadily asking for the swarthy beverage when visiting the brewery. I strongly doubt there's any connection to me. However, when someone compliments or flatters me, such as April did, I become like an old-school vending machine that you're trying to stuff a wrinkly old $1 bill into. I won't accept it. You keep trying. It just gets awkward for everyone.

But I can guarantee this. Most who tried it very likely loved it. I sure did. Still do. Have a couple left. You see, the brewery knew I was visiting them in August and had over a dozen bottles, ready and awaiting my purchase. I more than happily complied. One of the best beers I've enjoyed in my going-on seven years of craft beer consumption. It's chocolate and pine and everything fine in a nifty 8.5% package. Well, hell's bells, I might just have one of these some time today. Let's get 2020 rolling dark-style.

A long-time favourite of Kat's, Lady Polkaroo herself, is this
little beauty of a Porter. No bells, no whistles, just a straight-up
damnly fine-crafted coal black bevey. Just the right stuff here.

(Previous winner: Manantler's Death's Tar: That's No Moon, It's An Imperial Black IPA)

Best Porter: Absolutely my favourite stop of the 905 Halton-Hamilton Craft Beer Invasion was Clifford's Brewing in Hamilton's east end. First of all, the lay-out of the place with its tanks-beside-the-folks strategy. No walls, no windows to peer through. You wanna go hug a vat? Have at it. Secondly, the people, namely owner Brad Clifford and his pops, Barclay. Both finestkind... all the way! Barc's enthusiasm for his son's endeavour is truly inspiring and infectious. And lastly, the product. Yeah, technically, that should come first but this is definitely one of those "the sum of the parts is greater than the whole" dealios. (Yes, I recognize I have that quote back assward but I like it better that way and I'm the one at the keyboard so...) For me, it's tough not to break down this brewery into its key components. But the 'whole' rocks, too.

If ever there was a beer style saved by the emergence of crafts beers in North America, I believe it would be the Porter.

So this one from Bandit Brewing in west Toronto is a
little different. Rather than take a traditional Porter
and add fruits or vanilla, the brewery opted for a
less-traditional course. They brought in the big heat.

Clifford Brewing Porter is a classic that any Brit would be proud to hold high. Licorice, coffee, 5.9% and just plain solid. I would suggest that three golds and two silvers at the Ontario Craft Brewing Awards and Canadian Craft Brewing Awards speaks volumes about this one. (Previous winners: Fairweather's Silky Oat Porter, Forked River's Full City Coffee Porter, Innocente's Charcoal Porter, Highlander's Blacksmith Smoked Porter)

Best Flavoured Porter: A few months back, Brew Crew n'er-do-well Greg messaged me to say he was stopping in at west Toronto's Bandit Brewing and did I want anything? Pulling up their in-retail availability list, I selected a couple of IPAs and a Porter. I'd have to go back in my Twitter posts to remember the names of the IPAs, even though both were very good. The Porter, on the other hand, I can recall all too well. And lemme tell you this free, when I remember a Porter over a couple of top-flight IPAs, well, my friends, that is one very special Porter.

When we did the Halton-Hamilton Craft Brewery Invasion at
the beginning of November, we landed at Collective Arts. Once
there, Drunk Polkaroo urged us strong to get their four-bottle
Origins of Darkness series, each of them being a collaborative
effort with an international brewery. Because Ryan Morrow
is that well-known throughout North America and beyond...

It was called Cake Monster Pastry Porter. Okay, now I know what you're thinking because I was thinking the exact same thing. Pastry Porter. Probably up the vanilla quotient a lot, give it a pastry-like sweet edge to offset the coffee bitterness and add to the chocolate flavour.

Ummm, no. They went a very different route and added habanero. As in the pepper. Now on their website, Bandit told us it added a "subtle kick." You know, a kick in the nuts can be subtle. Still gonna hurt and leave a mark. This one brought the damn heat!

Granted, my extreme-foodie coworker, Trishan, whose family originally hails from Sri Lanka, tells me when it comes to food or beverages, there's real heat and then there's "white folks in the suburbs" heat. I obviously fall into the latter category. Okay, tons of chocolate, 6.5%... and I'm white-boy sorry but hot! And in the end, very, very delicious. (Previous winners: Maclean's Ales' Cherry Porter, Big Rig's Tales From The Pumpkin Patch Porter, Mill St Vanilla Porter - now nitro-charged so give it a fresh try, Nickel Brook's Pissed Off Pete Pumpkin Porter)

I feel like both myself and a number of the Brew Crew
have enjoyed this beer before. Way back in April. Both on
tap and on nitro at the Huntsville Brewhouse. I would say
that Brewer Andrew has replicated the recipe nicely here.

Best Imperial Porter: It happens to me every time I'm about to fly down to Vegas. The night before, I always get very anxious to be there (rather than here) and I have trouble sleeping. Brain churning a mile a minute in anticipation. Thoughts of fun, neon, warmer weather and big American craft beers. That's usually when I turn to some bigger beers with high ABVs to help me settle down and nod off. Fortunately, this past November, I left for Sin City just shortly after our Halton-Hamilton Craft Brewery Invasion. While we were at Collective Arts in Hamilton, Drunk Polkaroo strongly urged us to get the quartet of beers that made up the brewery's Origins of Darkness series. He even suggested the best order to drink the quartet so I dutifully lined them up on the left side of the top shelf. I decided to crack one open and started with the first that he suggested - the Rum Barrel-Aged Baltic Style Porter, a collaboration with Siren Craft Brewing, an outfit out of Berkshire, Great Britain. I'd have to double-check but I'm 99% sure this is the first rum aged beer I've ever had. Plenty of bourbon barrels have played a key role in my darker beers, to be sure, but rum? Not so much.

I think Danny has gifted me to me every time I received one of his
Sudbury Beer Mails and to that, I simply say... keep 'em coming!
Danny really only has access to Stack Brewing up there but
fortunately, they make some dynamite beers. He is well-served.

Now I'm not much of a rum drinker (although the exact same thing could be said of bourbon) so I was a little concerned that the distinct liquor flavour might overpower the beer. Turns out that while the rum melded nicely into the background, this beer was fully powered by the dark fruits used - raisins, dates and prunes. Rich, deep, dark and damn delicious. And yeah, the 9.6% ABV probably did help me nod off. (Previous winner: Collective Arts Imperial Porter)

Best Stout: I think most of the Brew Crew has a sneaking suspicion that we've enjoyed Lake of Bays' Twilight Hour Coffee Stout once before. You see, back in April when we descended upon the Huntsville Brewhouse, they had a beer on tap called Java The Hutt Stout. It was all nitro-ed up and was the only beer that could distract us from the copious amounts of Starboard New England IPA that we were downng. (They actually had to change the Starboard keg when we were there. That was a point of personal pride for us.)

When Brew Crew member Glenn went in to
have his left knee operated on a few days ago,
Hamilton artist-cartoonist David Buist sent
this cartoon to him as a suggestion of other
leg attachments that could be helpful. The
compass is a cheeky nod to Glenn's constant
questioning of where the St Lawrence River
was located while we were in Ottawa (which,
of course, is nowhere near the St Lawrence.)

But every once in a while, someone at my end of the table would mention how fantastic the Java The Hutt was. So, of course, a few beers in, I gave it a shot. They weren't wrong. We asked Brewer Andrew why it wasn't among their regular canned line-up and he simply shrugged. The brewery already had a top-notch stout out there - the Nightwatcher Oatmeal Stout - so he suggested perhaps the higher-ups thought that was enough on the market. He seemed happy enough that it was simply on tap. However, when Lake of Bays released Twilight Hour Coffee Stout in the late Autumn, there was a bunch of us saying, "Wait a minute, could this actually be...?" This is a straight-up, no-nonsense solid stout. Chocolate, coffee and a very reasonable 5.5%. It's become something of a go-to for me as the temperature dips. (Previous winners: Town Brewing's Foreign Extra Stout, Lake of Bays Nightwatcher Oatmeal Stout, Stonehammer's Oatmeal Coffee Stout. Stone City Ales' Ships In The Night Oatmeal Stout.)

Best Flavoured Stout: This category is for the stouts that go a little farther than the traditional chocolate, coffee, oatmeal route and jazz it up with either funky fruits or so much cocoa that it transcends your traditional stout style. Once again, from Sudbury Danny's Beer Mail, another stand-out from Stack Brewing up there. Their Chocolate Cherry Stout is insane (in the membrane.) Aged on French Oak, Stack jacked this up with so much organic cocoa nibs and Montmorency cherries from Michigan that this is practically a 7% Black Forest Cake in a can. Roasty, toasty, chocolate and cherry jammed and even a bit tart. Just stupid good. Once again, Danny, for a guy who has only a small pond to fish from, you always manage to land us all some of the biggest winners. Just keep Stack-ing up your Beer Mails for us!

Beside having one of the cooler labels from 2019, Royal City Brewing
had one of the best Imperial Stouts out last year.  It was dangerous.
It was dirty. Mostly, the Abyss Walker Imperial Stout was delicious.

(Previous winners: Brock St Brewing's Chocolate Milk Stout, Muskoka's Raspbeery Coco Lait)

Best Imperial Stout: Once again from a Beer Mail, this time courtesy of Curtis and Nichole - I believe there might be some brief mention of them at the beginning of this. But this is so damn long that I can no longer remember. So, anyway, prior to the Halton-Hamilton Craft Brewery Invasion, the pair went to various Guelph breweries to grab beers not available to the rest of us. When they went into Royal City Brewing and explained their quest ("We seek the Holy Grail"), according to Curtis, both the staff and customers said one thing. "Get the Abyss Walker Imperial Stout!" As I plucked one out of their trunk (seriously, it would have looked like a drug deal going down to a passing cop), I asked them how it was. Neither knew. They hadn't even tried it themselves, relying totally on word of mouth from the crowd inside the brewery, instead.

So when Sawdust City Brewing looked at the The Blood
Of Cthulhu Imperial Stout, at some point, Brewmaster
Sam wondered, "Hey, I wonder if a bunch of fruit could
make this even better?" Umm, yes, apparently it could.

Well, lemme tell you this for free. They weren't mislead. This was outstanding. I've only had a small handful of Royal City beers, basically whatever has been available in my LCBOs, but this single beer puts them on a whole new plateau. As expected of the style, totally packed with chocolate and coffee, at 9% filled with enough dark warmth that you could hibernate through the Winter with this. And gladly do so. Well done, Royal City. (Previous winners: Wellington's Imperial Russian Stout, Grand River's Russian Gun Imperial Stout, Nickel Brook's Kentucky Bastard, Walkerville's Barrel-Aged Milk Stout, Bellwoods' Hellwoods Imperial Stout)

Best Flavoured Imperial Stout: Yay, the last category. Well, like most Ontario craft Stout lovers, I've had my fair share of Sawdust City Brewing's The Blood of Cthulhu (some kind of mythical squid beast) Imperial Stout. It's pretty much a gimme if you love Imperial Stouts. And this wouldn't be the first time that Brewmaster Sam Corbeil has jacked a traditional Stout of theirs with some fruit.

I will never argue with Calvin because he's
pretty much bang-on here. I think Ontario
craft brewers surprise us daily or weekly by
creating beers that are world-class. The thing
is that we never know until we try them. Like
Calvin says, we discover our destination only
when we arrive and 2019 was great for that. 

Way back in January 2014 at the Steam Whistle Roundhouse Winter Craft Beer Festival, the brewery offered up a raspberry-infused version of their Long Dark Voyage To Uranus Stout. I still remember it because it was both killer and the first time I'd had a seriously fruit-infused stout. Well, Sam has done it again, only this time with their The Blood of Cthulhu Imperial Stout with Cherries, Raspberries and Cranberries. Okay, I'll be frank. I called the OPP for this one. It was so damn good that I was suspicious it was illegal. So anyway, after the OPP instructed me to never call them again under any circumstances, I settled in and enjoyed the hell outta this one. Yeah, sure, chocolate, coffee, 9.5%, the usual suspects. But the fruit? Good golly, Miss Molly, it added so much oomph. Like, I get they're Sawdust City, right? It's always gonna be good. But this good? Just cray cray. (Previous winners: Manantler Brewing-Boshkung Brewing All Shook Up Chocolate Peanut Butter Imperial Milkshake Stout, Highlander Winter Imperial Stout)

Okay, I'll be back very soon (I hope) to wrap up 2019 with the oddities of the year, the Brewery of the Year, the Beer Executive of the Year and, of course, the Beer of the Year! But Scooby Doo Gang, that's it, that's all and I am outta here! Until next time, I remain...

The Best of 2019: Let's Go To The Hops!

This was pretty much the worst that I saw one of my Flying
Monkeys' Sparklepuff Triple IPAs. It had floaties in it. But
that's it. Because I shrug pretty much everything off, that's
what I did with this. Figured "beer protein" and carried on.

Okay, so Part Two of the Best of 2019 - those hoppy bastards that I know, that I love, that I want to be mine forever. (Women: "What do men really want?" Me: "HOPS!!! Dammit, we want hops!" Also me: "And more Vegas, please!")

But I suppose we have to look at the Hop Elephant in the room first, don't we? Well, we don't have to... but I'm gonna because it was pretty much the Ontario Craft Beer story of 2019. Well, okay, after MPP Sam Oosterhoff's inclusion in a craft brewery owners' picture on the worst possible day but we'll deal with that clusterf**k in another one.

No, today we're gonna look at Flying Monkeys Brewing's Sparklepuff Triple IPA, a beer that certainly divided but most decidedly did not conquer. Quite a... what's that word my grandfather used... ah right, kerfuffle over this one.

My run with this beer is well-known. I went 36-for-36 without a bad one. But my buddy, Steve, from Southern Ontario Beer Boys, well, his second was a nuclear waste disaster.

I remember once, about 30 years old, a friend showing me
a picture of his newborn baby. I thought it was the ugliest
thing I have ever seen. I was wrong. This is even uglier.
And the kid got better looking. Also please don't show me
pictures of a just-born kid with that gooey shit on them.

In fact, it was Steve who first hashtagged it #SparkleChunks and believe me, the name stuck. That's Steve's picture to the left. Let's be frank. It looks like something that would splash the sides of the porcelain bowl after a night of bad sushi.

Anyway, the debate raged. Some people were angry that I kept posting pictures of good ones, pointing out (quite correctly) that I was promoting a product that could be a gut-churning disaster for someone else. Very true. I'll own that. I was caught up in my run of good ones and maybe got a little bit carried away having some fun with it. That's just my nature but it wouldn't be the first time it's rubbed people the wrong way. Won't be the last, either. (Cue The Headstones: "I smile and wave.")

My buddy, Drunk Polkaroo, on the other hand, posted two videos about Sparklepuff. The first was when it was just released and he got a couple of beauties. He sang its praises. The second, about a month later, he got a nasty-bad clunker and had little problem posting a video, decrying the inconsistency issues with the beer. His point? If you pay $5 for a beer, it shouldn't be a crap-shoot. Beer is not a lottery ticket. You deserve a good - and guaranteed - pour every time for five beans. A very legitimate point, yes? Welllll, that didn't stop Flying Monkeys fans from dumping all over him for literally months. They may still be. But the world is full of windmills to tilt at for the angry online warriors so... carry on, my wayward son. (Getting kinda musical all up in here.)

Okay, back to the Best of 2019. Y'all know the rules. #1) No repeat winners. #2) Beers from Ontario only because Shop Locally. And #3) Something, something... Doug Ford probably did something horrible. I can't keep track.

So how was Beyond The Pale's Yummy! North East Pale Ale? Duh,
it says it right in the name. I mean, yeah, as marketing goes, that's
a little too on the money but here's the thing. If I pour a beer into a
Vegas glass, it means two things. One. I don't have a glass from the
brewery. And two, it is worthy. It's basically the Mjolnir of glasses.

Okay, let's get this One Trick Pony started with...

Best Pale Ale: After Session Ales, where I had literally 20 worthy contenders for the crown, this was the next toughest category for me this year. I mean, Ontario craft brewers have their Pale Ale Helmets on, baby! Beyond The Pale Brewing in Ottawa is a very cool set-up. This is not a small place. Set up in an old warehouse in the... Old Warehouse District of our nation's capital, this brewery has (I forgot to count) about seven washrooms, all in the same hallway. That'll give you a pretty clear indication of the anticipated numbers. It's justified. When it was Stop #3 of the Saturday during the Ottawa Craft Brewery Invasion, the place was jammed. Every table taken. But, and this will astound me until the day I die, there was no one sitting at the bar. So we took it over, pretty maids all in a row style (third music reference - Eagles song) but without the pretty or the maids. Disheveled beer guzzlers all in a row? Probably a little more accurate.

It's entirely possible that Stack Brewing and my
man, Danny, may take issue with me referring to
this as a British-Style IPA. But the fact is this beer
has an insane malt-forward taste (I mean, look at
the colour) but a pine back-end that'll kick your
ass. I'll tell you this for free, it's a damn good beer!

Now here's the thing. I think it's more than likely that Ottawa Matty and Joel had included a Yummy! North East Pale Ale in one of my Beer Mails before the Brewery Invasion. I don't know for sure. But I'm thinking that's a strong possibility simply because when I got to BTP, once I saw it in the retail fridge, I was somewhat laser-focused on the idea that Yummy! would be my beverage of the day at this brewery. That would indicate previous exposure. And Holy Frijoles, what a beer. Orange, melon, tropical whatever, this is a fantastic pale ale. Pretty much one of the best ever out there or at least, certainly enjoyed by me. One of those "If you could take three beers to a desert island" beers. A job... so very well done. (Previous winners: Dominion City's Paper Salesman APA, Redline's Clutch APA, Spearhead's Hawaiian Style Pale Ale, Cameron's California Sunshine Pale Ale, Sawdust City's Golden Beach APA, Rainhard's Armed 'N' Citra Pale Ale)

Best British-Style IPA: Okay, before I start, lemme tell you a little story about my beer brother, Danny. We were getting ready for the Huntsville Beer Mail Exchange way back in April. I think Danny felt perhaps outgunned. I have access to the best breweries that the GTA and Hamilton have to offer. The Ottawa boys? Don't even get me started. Danny's in Sudbury and really only had access to Stack Brewing. I think he felt kinda badly about that.

This was absolutely a contender for Best Pale Ale of 2019
but I found another category that I could slot it into. The
history behind Patrick Corrigan's label alone makes it a
cool 2019 story. Everyone in the GTA remembers this show.

None of us gave a right-royal shit. We all basically shrugged and said, "So bring us Stack beers." It's not like there's tons of access to them down here. I may see the odd one. And he did. *Kaaa-ching!* Man, this is one sterling Northern Ontario brewery. One of the beers he brought us was their Stack '72 Imperial IPA. This beast has some serious British roots to it. Deep copper colour, very malty up front. It's like you took a dive into a vat of melted toffee. But (and it comes later rather than sooner) a humongous whack of pine on the back-end. To be certain, it's not unusual for anyone's Imperial IPA to have a stronger malt base. You have to just to balance off the higher hop level. To me, a British-style IPA is one that basically smacks you upside the face with malts but throws a North American element in there, like say, pine, to remind you, "I'm an IPA, dammit." Danny, you just keep bringing me those tasty-ass Stack beers and you stay in my will. Glenn already has dibs on the comic book collection. But you get the seriously killer beer fridge... plus the contents. Ka-ching, indeed. (Previous winners:  Market Brewing Bear Hug IPA, Walkerville's Geronimo, Longslice's Hopsta La Vista, Junction Craft's Engineer.)

It was June 25. I had received a message from Kyle Riddell,
Director of Sales at Cameron's Brewing just down the hill
from me, saying, "Are you around? We have something big
here." I had the day off so I scooted down the hill. It was the
new Jurassic IPA, top left in this Drunk Polkaroo video shot
the exact same day. Polk also drove in to grab some himself.

Best Great Lakes IPA: Okay, I think I started this category four years ago because I was concerned that Great Lakes Brewing with Mike Lackey at the brewing helm was just gonna keep winning Best IPA over and over. At the time, it was a pretty legitimate concern. But now, like I said, four years have passed, others have caught up so this is a wrap for this annual category. And I'm going out with a fun one. Their Electric Circus New England Style Tropical Pale Ale. Yup, not an IPA but just as good as one. Now I'm not sure how far City-TV's reach extends throughout Ontario, much less the rest of the country. But Electric Circus was this Toronto-based dance show that highlighted the newest rap and hip-hop back when the musical genre was just starting in the late-80s, early-90s. I'd throw it on the TV while I was playing with my Game Boy. (And... I'm... old...) Fun show, beautiful host named Monika Deol. Great background music for an hour and a half. So anyway, this beer is an homage to the show, which was something of a pop-culture touchstone for that era. And it is a beauty. Huge orange up front, followed by mango and pineapple. Hazy, 5%, just a big-ass tasty bastard.

So I would be just fine at this brewery as I see
plenty of variety here. So I'm actually not sure
what the point of this cartoon is at all. Really?

But the label by Patrick Corrigan took me back, too. You know, women with the big 80s hair. But there was this one guy on the show. He was like their centre-piece. Buff black guy, humongous smile, wore a cowboy hat, really great dancer and seemed thrilled as shit to be there. I always just called him Happy Cowboy. When I posted the picture of the beer, Troy over at Great Lakes replied, "Dancing Cowboy is Kenrick Pompey, father of Dalton Pompey." Uh, wait, until very recently, Dalton Pompey was an Ontario-born pinch hitter-runner for the Toronto Blue Jays. And I just got a little older... again. I used to watch this kid's father dance (as a young man) with the big-haired 80s ladies while I was playing Tetris. Gawd, pass me the Metamucil. (Previous winners: New England Style Octopus Wants To Fight, Meanwhile Down In Moxie, Thrust! An IPA and Octopus Wants To Fight)

Best West Coast IPA: Sorry, I recognize I get a little long-winded doing these (as in that's a hella long explanation for a GLB pale ale) but it seems every winner has some personal memory or event attached to it. My bad. I'll try to stop doing that.

I was 12 shades of happy this past Summer
when after 22 years, Cameron's released
not one, not two but three IPAs over the
span of two weeks. Finally! Thank you,
brewmaster Jason Britton! You saved me!

So, anyway, completely ignoring everything I just said, here's another personal anecdote. On June 25th, Kyle Riddell, director of sales for Cameron's Brewing just down the hill, messages me to see if I'm around. Got something big here, he tells me. I had the day off so I said hold tight, be right there. Three minutes later, I'm walking through their door. Holy shit, it was bigger than I had anticipated!! Not one but two new IPAs in their fridge. After 22 years of no IPAs, brewmaster Jason Britton finally relented and brewed some up. One was their Evil Genius Session IPA by a separate wing, Skeleton Crew Brewing (we'll get to that further along) and the other was Cameron's Jurassic IPA. For their first ever IPA release, the brewers went full west-coast. Grapefruit, a bit of orange on the nose, big-ass pine on the back end. I had it up on Twitter within milliseconds where my buddy Drunk Polkaroo pretty much instantly spotted it. Again, within the minute Kyle was messaging Polk, asking if he was around. Polk messaged back to say stay put, he'd book off early and head over to the brewery himself. And that's how quickly big news travels in Ontario craft beer circles. By that evening, Polk had his video review of Jurassic IPA on You-Tube. So anyway, that's exactly what Kyle and Polk and I were doing on June 25th. How about you? Anything fun? (Previous winners: Anderson Craft Ales IPA, Beau's Full Time IPA, Nickel Brook Headstock IPA, Flying Monkey's now discontinued Smashbomb Atomic, Big Rig's Alpha Bomb Unfiltered.)

When we arrived at Orleans Brewing Company on
the Friday night, the very first beer Matty and Joel
steered me towards was the Juicy McHazy IPA. Holy
shit, it was some kinda fantastic! It's mostly what I
enjoyed at OBC, where we hung well into the night.

Best New England Style IPA: Way back in the middle of August, a number of us descended upon Ottawa where our buddies, Matty, Joel and Ben, had arranged the Ottawa Craft Brewery Invasion. It was a fantastic two-day session, the bulk of which was held on the Saturday. But the guys had a few breweries lined up for Friday to accommodate those of us who arrived early. Josh Hayter, co-owner of Spearhead Brewing in Kingston and I were the first to arrive in the nation's capital. With others slated to arrive much later (Glenn never takes the A-to-B route, opting instead for 17 stops along the way), Matty and Joel spirited us off to Orleans Brewing Company, literally just down the road from Ben, who pulled Daddy Duty on the Friday night. Once there, we were greeted by owners Celia and Jann Lemieux, both friends of Josh's. Jann ended up spending a good portion of the evening with us, later being replaced at the table by head brewer Adam Marsh. But as soon as we arrived, both Matt and Joel, who know my beer tastes pretty damn well, told me simply, "Get the Juicy McHazy New England IPA, Donny."

Awww yes, my long-time Beer Store Bro Paul,
aka The Big Peezy, dropped into my store with
these beauties, most notably Barncat Artisan
Ales Space Juice Double IPA. Quick question:
Does Barncat actually even make a bad beer?

Well, do I look like the kind of guy who would fall prey to that level of peer pressure? Of course I am. (Actually, a friend once told me to never succumb to peer pressure. So I didn't. I realized afterwards that by listening to him, I actually had.) Brewer Adam's first-ever attempt at a NEIPA, this 6% hazer was pineapple and orange on a soft, oat malt body. Frikkin' delicious. I'd tell you that was the only beer I drank all night, as we never ended up leaving, but the simple truth is they also had Sid's Vicious Imperial IPA on tap so you know, I changed it up a little. From one to the other. It's all about variety, right? But man, a lot of Juicy McHazy came home with me. (Previous winners: Dominion City's Sunsplit IPA, Beyond The Pale's Aromatherapy NEIPA - Ottawa's kinda crushing this category.)

Best Imperial IPA: It's always a pleasure getting together with my Newmarket Beer Store Bro Paul, the Big Peezy. He's always game and in attendance for one of our Craft Brewery Invasions but like Glenn, he does not drive in an A-to-B pattern, opting instead to travel the byways and alternate highways. Oh, he always shows up in the end, a little tardy perhaps but you just know he's stopped at a dozen different breweries along the way. The dude is a Craft Beer Explorer of the first order and you gotta admire that in a person. As well, just like myself, he's been to Las Vegas a number of times and found some Murican beauties down there.

As everyone's favourite Canadian Soldier Boy Hago Vanayan wisely
once said, "If it looks like orange juice, well then, you know it's gonna
be good!" Well, this gift from the Big Peezy looks so much like OJ that
I'm kind of surprised it didn't drive its way to me in a white Bronco.

Well, if the result of Peezy's scattershot craft beer purchasing means I land with a beer as outstanding as Barncat Artisan Ales' Space Juice Double IPA, I'll hand him the keys and pack him a lunch any day. I've only been to Barncat once with Steve from Southern Ontario Beer Boys and Ken Pyper, the Ontario Beer Guy, way back in January. But somehow Peezy, who lives twice as far away from the brewery as me, has been there 92 times, despite the brewery's hours, which feels like they are "Open for 27 minutes on Friday and 53 minutes on Saturday." Okay, not quite that bad but it is a limited window, trust me. But the Space Juice is a hefty 8.2%, pineapple and tropical fruits on the nose, thick, rich back-end that must have come from oat malts or flakes and (this is rare for the New England IPA styles, I find) a wee touch of pine. Just crazy good.

Courtesy of my Beer Bro Glenn comes the Little Beasts
Brewing Kraken Triple IPA. When I opened it, outside as
you can see, the ground shook a little. In the distance, I
heard strange growling noises. A howl rang out. Man, I
gotta lay off the edibles. Anyway, this was pretty insane.

(Previous winners: Left Field Laser Show Vermont Style Imperial IPA, Indie Ale House Cockpuncher, Nickel Brook's Immodest, Innocente Brewing Two Night Stand)

Best Triple IPA: Obviously, this category doesn't pop up every year. The reason? Triple IPAs are unicorns. They show up when they show up, which is so-very-rarely that you often find yourself wondering, "Did I just dream that or was it real?" The reason? They are so heavily hopped up the wazoo that you also need to hammer malt them right in the ying-yang just to balance the flavour. (That's official brewers' jargon, just so you know.) As such, they're a costly endeavour, which are then priced accordingly to offset that. So what I'm saying here is they're an every-once-in-a-blue-moon brewers' vanity project. Because it's there. A mountain to climb. Something like that. Anyway, the best thing about owners Erin and John over at Little Beasts Brewing in Whitby is that they do what they want. Whatever, eh? Decided to make a Triple IPA so they did. Gifted to me by Beer Bro Glenn, their Kraken Triple IPA was just stupid huge. Humongous grapefruit and orange, big west coaster at 10% and 85 IBUs. A seriously resinous and piney back-end beyond belief.

Okay, to be very clear, I went from no IPAs at Cameron's
Brewing down the hill from me in Oakville to three IPAs
in the space of two weeks back in June and July. How does
this happen? Well, it's certainly not because I have lead a
pure and chaste life. At times, even sinners get rewarded.

I truly thank Beer Bro Glenn for getting this beast to me. But even more, I thank brewer Erin for sitting down one day, looking around at their many kettles and simply saying, "Meh, f**k it. Let's do a Triple IPA..." (Previous winner: Dominion City's Needless Luxury IPA.)

Best Triple Play: Usually this goes to the brewery with the best Pale Ale-IPA-Imperial IPA combo but like everything else around here in this annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show (Note: Never bet on a Beagle - just trust me on that), it's fluid. Nothing is carved in stone. So, okay, I have explained the significance of June 25th to Cameron's Brewing, myself and Drunk Polkaroo - the day of their first released IPA and Session IPA after 22 years of non-IPA existence. Super huge deal, massive fireworks and repeated singing of "O Canada." But, of course, there's more to the story which, as you should expect from me at this point, there always is.

No one captures Ontario Craft Beer quite like our friend,
Hamilton artist and cartoonist David Buist. Here, he gives
us his rendition of the Skeleton Crew Skull Mobile, which
in actual reality, is a 1966 Cadillac redone as a hearse...

You see, at that exact moment, we realized that Cameron's now had a secondary brewery under the same roof - Skeleton Crew Brewing. As it was explained to me, Skeleton Crew would now brew the less-traditional beers - your various sours, Brett beers, Lambic beers, barrel-aged stuff and, of course, their first-ever New England IPA. (No one actually said the last one - I'm just planting a seed here. I hear they're very popular.) So on June 25th, they released Cameron's Jurassic IPA and Skeleton Crew Evil Genius Session IPA. They weren't done. Two weeks later, Skeleton Crew's Knucklebone IPA was released. From no IPAs to three within a two week span. If that's not a Triple Play worthy of the World Series itself, I don't know what the hell is. (Previous winners: Dominion City's Sunsplit IPA, Fidelis Double IPA and Needless Luxury Triple IPA, Redline's Clutch APA. Air Ride IPA and Double Clutch IIPA, Nickel Brook's Naughty Neighbour APA, Headstock IPA and Immodest IIPA, Collective Arts' State of Mind Session, Rhyme & Reason APA and Ransack The Universe IPA.)

If you didn't think the Muskoka Brewing Hopsonic IPA Mixer Pack was
going to win my favourite mixed-pack of the year, well, you're just a very
special colour of crazy, ain't ya? Six styles of IPA in one single package.
 Does an anvil actually need to drop on your head... like Wile E Coyote?

The Best Mixed Pack: Okay, basically I'm just posting this as a formality because let's face it, anyone who follows me on Twitter could have called this one as the winner a month ago. Basically, it's a Mitch Marner breakaway on an empty net. Rubber's gonna hit the twine.

This is not to say there weren't other great mixers out there. Both Wellington Brewing and Amsterdam Brewing put out some late-year beauties. But the Muskoka Brewing Hopsonic IPA Mixer Pack was a stand-alone stunner. A west coast IPA named Mad Tom, a west-coast Imperial IPA named Twice as Mad Tom, a Brut IPA named Rose Cheeks, a New England IPA named Hazed & Confused, a New England Imperial IPA named Lunar Haze and, undoubtedly, the First Star of the game, a Milkshake IPA named Berry Springer.

"Hey, David, show everyone in the Brew Crew what Daddy was so
excited to buy this year!" That's right, buddy, it's that Muskoka
Hopsonic IPA Mixer Pack. Six IPAs in one pack so no losing here!

Back sometime in the late Summer, I was praising the Hazed & Confused Juicy IPA for being, well, fantastic when my friend, Sarah, at the brewery tweeted that, hop-wise, I hadn't seen anything just yet. She meant this and she was not wrong. Simply phenomenal! (Previous winners: Wellington's Welly Re-Boot Vol 5, Nickel Brook's Mystery Pack, Muskoka Winter Survival Pack 2016, Okanagan Springs' Craft Variety Pack 2015, Muskoka's Hoptorial Mix-Six)

That's a wrap on Part 2 of the Best of 2019 and to be honest, this should have been out days ago. Like last Thursday. The winners were set so I just needed the words to wrap around them. However, a whole big bunch of my Vegas Twitter gang descended on the Golden Nugget late last week for a "group pull" on a single slot machine on Saturday. So from Thursday on, I fell down the Vegas Twitter rabbit-hole of vlogs and tweeting fun provided by a crazy cast of characters. Part 3 and Part 4 will be out very shortly so I can then concentrate on 2020's beers, not to mention 2020's Vegas trips. But Scooby Doo Gang, that's it, that's all and I am outta here. Until next time, I remain...

The Best of 2019: The Mild But Still Wild

According to Steve, this may be the only photo with all the Southern
Ontario Beer Boys in one place. Keep it handy. The boys might need it as
an alibi one day. But I'll tell you this for free. The SO Beer Boys have
done a whole lotta good for the community in two short years. Besides
that, they put on the best baseball tournament ever with the Brewers
Ball now having finished its second year. Just a great group of guys...

Well, it's that time of year when we all look back, reminisce on the simple marvel of having made it through another and quietly say, "Wow, whatta hunk of shit that craptastic year was!" Then we happily look forward to the next year... which is likely to be as bad if not worse.

Wait... have I suddenly and unexpectedly joined the already-far-too-swollen ranks of the many Beer Twitter curmudgeons and cynics?

Nahhhh, just yanking your chain. I've always been a glass half-full kinda guy... with a light side salad of weird. For instance, right now, I can't stop thinking about the fact that there's one person in the world who has eaten more mayonnaise than anyone else on the planet.

When the Southern Ontario Beer Boys held their now-annual Christmas
Crawl through Hamilton this past weekend, did they ever get a group of
happy participants. Shown here at Grain & Grit Small Batch Beers, the
group went well into the night, socializing and drinking some great beers
from our Hamilton breweries. I was working so I missed it but is there
anything like a cool event to kill that dead time between Christmas and
New Year's Eve? Apparently yes and the Christmas Crawl is exactly it!

And I mean, seriously, the dude doesn't even know it! (Ladies, doing you a solid here by assuming it's a guy. Doing myself a favour by also not assuming it's me.)

So before we begin our descent into the Best of 2019, let's take a quick pause and look at some of the good in the year. To me, that starts with the Southern Ontario Beer Boys - Neil, Mike, Paul and Steve. Now together for a couple of years, these fellows raise money. Lots of it, too, for the McMaster's Children's Hospital Foundation. How much is a lot? Try $29,000 in two years. Through countless events, including their ongoing Cans4Kids initiative (whereby we donate our empties to them and they turn that into something good for needy kids) to their now-annual Brewers Ball, where breweries slug it out for Softball Supremacy at the diamonds near Collective Arts Brewing.

Another lager pretty much had this
locked up until I tried the Wellington
Crispy Forever Helles Lager. This one
really should be a year-round release.

It's always easier to look at the bad because let's face it, there's no shortage of that. But it's also nice to focus on the positive like Southern Ontario Beer Boys, basically a drinking organization with a charity problem. And we - but more especially the kids - love them for that. Good work, guys! I hope you carry on well into the Roaring 20s (Part Two).

Okay, the Best of 2019. As always, there are rules. Rule #1 - Ontario beers only! Lots of great beers out there but even more within our borders so let's discover those by drinking locally. Rule #2 - No repeat winners! If you were my Best IPA or Imperial Stout two years ago, you're not gonna be this year's Best Beer of the Year. You had your moment. Let others step up. That's why I include previous winners. So you can see that. And finally, Rule #3. Doug Ford's a dick. Nothing to do with beer and not so much a rule, I suppose. Just sayin'.

Okey dokey, let's get this annual shitshow started with...

Best Pale/Blonde Lager: Wellington Brewing out in Guelph is a bit of an anomaly for me. For starters, it's the only brewery in Ontario that if you asked me which are my favourite beers from them, they would both be stouts - their Imperial Russian Stout and their Chocolate Milk Stout. However, in Autumn, they proved that they're pretty damn good with the paler styles. They took their award-winning Helles Lager recipe and then tweaked it with Citra, Amarillo and Cascade hops.

I was first given this Beau's Night Marzen from my Beau's rep
Adam. To be honest, I was surprised by how much I loved it. So
much so that I went out and bought about seven or eight more.

The result? Their Crispy Forever Helles Lager, one citrusy beauty of a lager. Part of their Small Batch Seasonal releases in November, this one deserves year-round status as far as I'm concerned. (Previous winners: Muddy York Helles, Amsterdam Pale Rider, Cameron's 12 Mile IPL, Hogback's Vintage Lager)

Best Amber/Dark Lager: A classic German style, traditionally brewed in March, cellared for the Summer and released in the Autumn, Beau's All Natural Brewing's Night Marzen is a bready, malty beast of a beer. Beautiful clean finish and just heavy enough to carry some weight to its body. As soon as I finished it, I found myself wondering out loud, "Why are there not more Marzens?" Then I stopped talking to myself and had another. (Previous winners: 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.)

Released towards the end of 2018, I got my hands on Fairweather's
Barbarossa Dry-Hopped Imperial Pils early this year when I was in there
to buy (most likely) more High Grade IPA. Aside from the fact that it's
7%, this pilsner came with a fruitier aroma and taste than a regular one.

Best Pilsner: This will come as no surprise to the people of Hamilton and the surrounding area but Fairweather Brewing has an extraordinary knack for taking a traditional style and turning it on its head. Such was the case with their Barbarossa Dry-Hopped Imperial Pils. Whereas most pilsners come with that clean, grassy aroma, this one was loaded with a fruit nose. Whiffs of orange, pineapple, bit of melon, they took a pale ale flavour profile and dropped it in an Imperial Pilsner. At 7%, this had some heft to it and a deeper body than the colour would indicate. If it comes back around, grab it. This will show you what a pilsner truly can be. (Previous winners: 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)

This one is not your typical Saison. This is a Saison that you
would enjoy on a Caribbean island. Like the label, it's all
palm trees and tropical fruits. It really, really surprised me!

Best Saison: I knew this would likely have little problem taking this category after I was gifted it by Ottawa Matty and Joel way back in the Summer. The Beyond The Pale Brewing's Saison Tropicale is exactly what you'd think. A Saison bursting with tropical fruit flavour. At a hefty 7.7%, there's orange, mango, citrus and even a little touch of pine (unusual for a Saison) to go along with that spicy Belgian yeast. One of the most Summer-oriented and refreshing Saisons I've every enjoyed. Even at that high ABV, I could see myself drinking these all afternoon. Then I could see myself falling over a whole lot. It's deceptively tropical. (Previous winners: 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: To be honest, the field for this one was a little on the thin side. I don't think Ontario brewers are rushing to get new Belgian Wits out there. I only had a small handful of them this year and I'm totally that "I'll try anything new" guy.

The colour of this alone should say this is not your traditional
Belgian Wit. It's not. It's packed with fruit flavours that might
be considered a little foreign to the style. But it's pretty tasty!

That said, one really caught my attention when I was visiting friends in Whitby this past Summer. I popped into Brock St Brewing, which is just 10 minutes from their house, to grab some of their Traditional Irish Red Ale and Chocolate Milk Stout but also came across their Blueberry Belgian Wit. "A blueberry Wit?" I thought to myself. "Not exactly to style now, is it?" And frankly, it wasn't. But I'll tell you this for free. I went back for more after I had it. This had both a blueberry and blackberry flavour profile. The guy at the counter was telling me there was prominent hibiscus flower, as well, but frankly the dark berries probably overpowered that because I certainly didn't notice. You do lose a margin of that spicy Belgian yeast essence when it's this fruit prominent - actually, to the point that I nearly put this in the Fruit Beer category, instead. But this was one tasty-ass beverage, to be certain. (Previous winners: Amsterdam Spotted Cow White Wheat, Black Bellow's White Witbier with Elderflower, Railway City's The Witty Traveler Pint.)

Ironically, not 60 feet from this deck in Oakville is a river that
travels through the ravine behind my house. When I was a kid,
it was an actual shallow river. Frogs and salamanders and cool
stuff. Now it's a trickle. That tells me we're all gonna die. But
anyway, this is a really great American-style German Wheat.

German Style Wheat Beer: Okay, as opposed to Belgian Wits, there was absolutely no shortage of damn solid German Wheats this year. Probably had a couple dozen solid ones from Ontario brewers during 2019 so we have a pretty good field here. In the end, the one I enjoyed the most was a gift from DJ Jazzy Jeff Mitchell, the fellow who mans the beer fort, as well as other managerial responsibilities at Brown's, Your Independent Grocer, in scenic Stittsville, Ontario. (I'll admit I'm assuming it's scenic. It certainly sounds that way. Got that whole Petticoat Junction vibe to the name. But I'm picturing century-old homes with killer wrap-to-the-side front decks.) So another beauty from the Ottawa area, this time it's Stalwart Brewing's Down By The River American Wheat Ale. Very floral nose, a wee whiff of banana and citrus, just 5.3%. It was one of those Wheats where, on a hot day, you instantly think, "Yeah, man, I could go for another of those." An interesting Wheat in that it also uses oat malts-flakes in the mix. Gives it that extra oomph. Looks thin but sure doesn't taste that way. Really nice job, Stalwart.

Look, I'm not gonna say it's a total honour being paired with one of my
roast beef and Swiss Cheese on a super cheesy bun sandwiches. But, well
frankly, it is. Bask in the glory, dammit. I seldom dip into the Kolsch well
but there are some very solid ones out there, including this Braumeister
Rheinwasser Kolsch-Style Ale. Yes, yet another gift from DJ Jazzy Jeff.

(Previous winners: 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, How Sound King Heffy Imperial Wheat.)

The Beau's Lug-Tread Honourary Best Kolsch: This category is named after the industry gold standard Beau's Lug-Tread for a reason. For the first few years of this, I ignored Kolsch-style beers altogether. Why? It's not a style that excites me. That said, I eventually realized through both customers and friends that it is an excellent gateway style from macros into the craft beer world. So I can't underscore the value it has within the craft beer community.

"Switchboard Susan, won't you give me a line?" Oh my, this
beer, what a Summer it and I had together. As 2019 was truly
the Summer of Sessioners for me, this one kept landing in my
fridge over and over and over again! I broke the glass (but I
think Polk has a replacement for me.) Don't care because I'll
keep buying it. This has as much flavour as any actual IPA.

Once again, courtesy of DJ Jazzy Jeff Mitchell comes the Braumeister Brewing (Carleton Place, Ontario) Rheinwasser Kolsch-Style Ale. To my mind, this is an exceptionally good example of what this style can be. Again, I'm not trying to damn with faint praise here because they're not exactly my go-to beers. This is a time-honoured German style. I mean, we're going back centuries here. Now does it help a little that a Germany-influenced brewery in Carleton Place is making it? Not gonna lie, doesn't hurt because you know Braumeister is gonna take a Kolsch pretty seriously. This is as crisp and clean as even the best lagers. On the nose, grassy, cereal, on the tongue, super light citrus, refreshing and ultimately, easy drinking. (Previous winners: Sawdust City's Adaptation Vic Secret Dry-Hopped Kolsch, Beau's Haters Gonna Hate Imperial Kolsch, Cowbell's Absent Landlord County Kolsch, Old Tomorrow Trach 85 Lagered Ale.)

Best Session/Light Beer: As crazy as it sounds for a dude who likes his IPAs big and his Stouts Imperial, this was actually the hardest category from which to pick a winner.

So to be clear, a Cream Ale won the Best Blonde Ale category? Really?
It would seem so. Whiprsnapr Brewing in Nepean, Ontario, found a way
to make a Cream Ale with maple syrup that I actually enjoyed. That, my
friends, is no small feat. They used it judiciously which certainly helped.

Why? Because if Ontario craft brewers have got one thing nailed down tight, it's session ales. There were literally more than a dozen, even two, I would consider potential winners in this category (which I'm sure is gonna make 2020 just as tricky.) In the end, I had to kind of stand back and simply look at what landed in my fridge the most. Though it was a tight race between this and another great one, it would appear that Muddy York's Switchboard Session IPA took up more fridge real estate than Number Two. That's not surprising. This is a fantastic beverage. At a reasonable 4.9%, this has all the flavours you would want in an IPA leaning on the hazy side. Orange, melon and citrus, this is the ultimate hockey-watching beer. The one that'll let you stay awake even if it goes to overtime and then a shoot-out. Is there any higher praise than that? Oh, I think not. Canada! Hockey! Yes!

I don't drink a ton of Brown Ales but apparently, when I
do, they're all killer. As a single in Wellington Brewing's
Re-Boot Mix Four, Volume 7, Old Buddy Espresso Brown
Ale was rich, deep and also on par with a Porter or Stout.

(Previous winners: Grain & Grit Light Ray Session IPA, Muskoka Detour, Great Lakes' Sunnyside Session, Flying Monkeys' Genius of Suburbia, Great Lakes Citradiction Extra Pale Ale - now revamped as a tasty-ass New England style.)

Best Blonde Ale: Want me to hate a beer? Put maple syrup in it. That stuff, as preciously Canadian as it is, belongs on pancakes and French Toast, not beer. So anyway, this year's winner has maple syrup in it and is a Cream Ale to boot. Rules are meant to be broken, I guess. Because the best Blonde Ale I had this year came courtesy of my Nepean Beer Store Brother Ben and it's actually a small brewery from his town. Whiprsnapr Brewing is not a big name in Ontario circles... not yet, anyway. But their The Mick Maple Cream Ale? Oh my, that was some kinda tasty. Just a lightest taste of maple syrup in this 4.5% offering added a whole dimension to a traditional Cream Ale. I really loved this. (Previous winners: Grain & Grit Bee's Knees Blonde Ale, Nickel Brook Cause & Effect, Lake of Bays Summer Session Ale - formerly Wild North Summer Sunset Session, now Paddle On Session Ale.)

Is this a true Ontario Craft Beer bromance? Oh yes,
I should say so. After both getting splashed in the
dunking booth at this year's Southern Ontario Beer
Boys' Brewer Ball, held in September at the softball
diamonds beside Collective Arts Brewing, our guys
Drunk Polkaroo and Sawdust City Brewmaster Sam
Corbeil cuddle up for bro-warmth. (It was chilly!)

Best Amber-Dark Beer: I didn't enjoy this until near the end of the year but once I did, it was game over for this category. As part of their Welly Re-Boot Mix Four, Volume 7 (Wellington had three Re-Boots in 2019 and yes, we got spoiled), their Old Buddy Espresso Brown Ale was a freakin' gem. I wouldn't know an espresso if a pretty waitress handed me one in a Paris cafe but I know coffee all too well. Roasty, nutty, licorice, coffee and deep-bodied, this beer has some serious flavour guns. When it comes to dark, rich beers, Wellington just keeps on knocking it out of the park. Fantastic job, gang. (Previous winners: 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.)

Well, folks, that's it for Part One of this annual opus I call "Best Of." Next up, those hoppy ones we all know I favour. After that, it's the dark and dirty ones... that I also favour. And then finally, the people and places that made Ontario craft breweries such cool destinations. So yeah, long story short, you have three more of these to endure. Be strong, be brave. But to you and yours, a very Happy New Year and we'll see you again when January 1st, 2020 rolls around and suddenly, we can all see without reading glasses. But Scooby Doo Gang, that's it, that's all and I am outta here. Until next time, I remain...