Tag Archives: lager

Beer of the Week – Creemore Springs Traditional Pilsner

Posted on May 22, 2007 | Comments Off on Beer of the Week – Creemore Springs Traditional Pilsner

This article was originally written in May 2007 for the food & drink website Taste T.O., and republished here in October 2011 (but back-dated to match the original publication date) after Taste T.O. was shut down and taken offline.

Back in 1987, just as Canada’s modern craft brewing scene was kicking off, a small brewery called Creemore Springs opened in their namesake town of Creemore, Ontario. Unlike most of the other microbreweries launching around the same time, they decided to concentrate their efforts on a single brand, Creemore Springs Premium Lager.

This flavourful lager with a rich amber colour has been praised by beer drinkers and writers from around the world, and is often listed with Brooklyn Lager and Samuel Adams Boston Lager as being a landmark lager in the North American craft brewing scene.

It took ten years from the brewery to add a second beer to their line-up, the dark and malty Creemore Springs urBock which is available during the fall and winter months. Another ten years on, and they’ve decided to mark the end of their second decade with a second seasonal brew, Creemore Springs Traditional Pilsner (LCBO 53686, $2.55/473 mL), which will be available from May through October.

While this may seem like a redundant brand extension given that the original Premium Lager was said to be inspired by the classic Pilsner Urquell, it’s actually quite a different brew from its predecessor. To start with, the colour is a clear yellow-gold, capped with a good sized snow white head. The aroma has some similarity to the Premium Lager, likely due to the same or similar yeast strain being used, but it’s softer, with notes of bread, honeyish malt and zesty herbal hops. It’s medium bodied, with a slightly sticky finish, which causes it to be not quite as refreshing as it could be, but still pleasant. The flavour starts off sweet and somewhat delicate, and finishes with grassy, herbal hop notes that get quite bold and dry as it warms up.

Is it as good as the Premium Lager? That’s probably a matter of personal preference. Is it a good beer in general? Well, if you’re looking for a pilsner that is an equal to Urquell or Czechvar, you’ll probably be disappointed, as it just doesn’t have the same character as those classics. But put it up against some of the other European pilsners available at the LCBO such as Wernesgrüner, Radeberger and Staropramen, and it holds its own quite nicely. And at the very least, you’ll probably be getting a fresher beer for your money.

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Beer of the Week – Brooklyn Lager

Posted on February 20, 2007 | Comments Off on Beer of the Week – Brooklyn Lager

This article was originally written in February 2007 for the food & drink website Taste T.O., and republished here in September 2011 (but back-dated to match the original publication date) after the Taste T.O. blog was shut down and taken offline.

As a beer lover in Ontario, I have lots of things to complain about. Most of those complaints are directed towards the LCBO, where quality beer tends to be given short shrift while prime shelf space is given over to an avalanche of indistinguishable pale lagers from around the world.

Especially embarrassing is the remarkable lack of American craft beer at LCBO outlets. I mean, here’s a country that is producing some of the more exciting beer in the world right now, and they’re our biggest trading partner and our next-door neighbour. Yet here in Ontario, there are only two US craft beers on the general stock list at our retail liquor outlets: Samuel Adams Boston Lager and Anchor Liberty Ale.

Actually, make that three, because joining them this month is Brooklyn Lager ($12.40/6×355 mL, LCBO 26997). The flagship beer of the Brooklyn Brewery, this vibrant and flavourful all-malt lager was first released in 1987, a couple of years after the similar Samuel Adams Boston Lager was launched a bit further up the coast. Alongside the products of a handful of other craft brewing pioneers (including Ontario’s Brick, Upper Canada and Creemore Springs Breweries), these beers proved that not all lagers were pale, flavourless and full of cheap adjuncts like rice and corn.

Even today, when there are so many other great craft beers on the market, Brooklyn Lager remains a standard bearer in its style. It has a beautiful deep orange-amber colour with a soft white head, and a fresh aroma of bready malt and orange & lemon notes from the hops. The flavour has some slightly fruity sweetness off the top, before those citric and slightly floral hops kick in towards the finish. Some have described it as seeming like a hybrid between a malty lager and a hoppy pale ale, and having finally tried it, I can see where they’re coming from. Hybrid or not, it’s one of the best lagers we’ve seen in Ontario in a long time, and I can only hope it’s a sign that the LCBO may be looking to bring in more brews from south of the border – but I’m not holding my breath on that one.

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Five From Half Pints

Posted on February 17, 2007 | Comments Off on Five From Half Pints

Last fall, I got word of a new brewery starting up out in Winnipeg called Half Pints Brewing. Initially, I didn’t pay much attention to the announcement. I mean, it’s always good to hear about a new micro starting up, especially in Canada. But since the odds of ever seeing Half Pints beers available in Ontario are next to none, my reaction was basically “oh, that’s nice, maybe I’ll try some of their stuff if I ever make it out to Winnipeg”.

But then I learned that the president and brewmaster of Half Pints was David Rudge, a man who is semi-legendary amongst Canadian craft brew fans. Mind you, most of us had never actually tried any of his beers, but we’d heard fantastic things about the stuff he did at Bushwakker Brewpub in Regina, Saskatchewan from those who were lucky enough to visit the pub. So I knew that I needed to get my hands on some bottles of his Half Pints offerings.

Luckily, I was able to find someone from Winnipeg on RateBeer who was willing to do a trade, and back in December, I got a nice big box packed with a bomber each of five Half Pints beers along with a few other goodies. I’ve made a point of sharing them at several different tastings and get-togethers over the last couple of months, and now that I’ve finally tried ’em all, here’s what I thought:

Bulldog Amber Ale
Orange-amber colour with a small white head. The aroma holds some very nice woody hops, well balanced by some slightly grainy malt. Body is a bit light, but OK for the style. Once in the mouth, it proves to be a nice, simple, clean, balanced UK style ale with a well-hopped finish. A fantastic session ale – if the LCBO carried this (hint, hint!), it would be a regular in my fridge.

Little Scrapper IPA
Maybe all of the Double IPAs I’ve drunk have caused me to build up some hop resistance, ’cause I didn’t find this nearly as hoppy as the description on the label promised. Oh, no doubt that there was a healthy amount in there – some great notes of orange rind and pine resin in both the aroma and flavour proved that – but I actually found it to be quite well balanced. Another one that I could drink a lot of if given the chance.

Oktoberfest Lager
I’ve generally found Oktoberfest beers to be pretty boring, but after having this, I think it’s because most of the ones I’ve tried have just been mediocre beers, regardless of the style. It has a slightly hazy copper-amber colour with a medium head, and a quite malty aroma with sweet caramel and some interesting earthy/leafy notes. The flavour starts quite sweet, develops some bready notes in the middle, and finishes fairly dry with a hint of cocoa.

Stir Stick Stout
A coffee stout made with Ethiopian Yirgacheffe?!? Dude, I am SO there! Very dark brown colour with ruby hints and a couple of fingers of off-white foam. Nice aroma – very roasty with a good hit of coffee, some light woodiness and a bit of chocolate. This body is thin, which is the beer’s one main weakness. Thankfully, the flavour makes up for it – good roasted malt and coffee notes off the top, sweet in the middle, and a well bittered finish. With a bit more body, this would be a fantastic stout. As it stands, it’s just a very good one.

Sweet Nikki Brown
Brown ales are a much maligned style – somewhat deservedly, as most of them are boring as hell. But when they’re done well, they’re a real treat. This particular example pours a dark ruby-brown with a good sized mocha head. The aroma is great, with lots of sweet roasted malt, cereal (specifically, Honeycomb cereal), and herbal hops, all well-balanced. The flavour is roasty and nutty off the top, with a slightly watery middle, but a nice bitterness in the finish that makes up for it.

So, a big thumbs up on this first quintet from Half Pints. I have a standing order in with my new trading buddy for any of David’s future releases, and there are already four more waiting to be shipped – a winter seasonal Burly Wine, and the “Holy Trinity” series of The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit – plus a couple more planned for the next few months. I expect you’ll see another Half Pints post here soon enough.

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Beer of the Week – Steam Whistle Pilsner

Posted on January 30, 2007 | Comments Off on Beer of the Week – Steam Whistle Pilsner

This article was originally written in January 2007 for the food & drink website Taste T.O., and republished here in September 2011 (but back-dated to match the original publication date) after the Taste T.O. blog was shut down and taken offline.

For this inaugural instalment of Beer of the Week, it seemed fitting to take a look at a beer that is synonymous with Toronto for many drinkers. Since its launch in 2000, Steam Whistle Pilsner has become one of Canada’s fastest growing craft beer brands, but even as their popularity has spread beyond our city’s borders, they’ve still managed to build and retain a reputation as Toronto’s hometown beer.

It’s a reputation that has been well-earned, as Steam Whistle founders Greg Taylor, Cam Heaps and Greg Cromwell were all employees of Upper Canada Brewing, one of Toronto’s first microbreweries. When Upper Canada was bought by Sleeman and the original brewery closed down, the three friends moved on to other things, but the brewing world pulled them back in, and they began concocting plans in 1998 that led to the launch of Steam Whistle two years later. With it’s iconic 1950s-style branding and the picturesque brewery in The Roundhouse where they host numerous art and social events, it didn’t take long for their painted green bottles to become ubiquitous around the city.

Ah, yes, the green bottles. It’s hard to deny that they look snazzy as hell, but they are also one of the reasons that some beer aficionados have a problem with Steam Whistle. ‘Cause if there’s one thing that can ruin a beer – especially a light lager like Steam Whistle – it’s putting it in a green (or clear) bottle. Leave it sitting under light for even a little while and the beer will become light-struck or “skunky”, which is obviously not an ideal state for beverage enjoyment. In fact, the very first Steam Whistle I tried soon after its launch was completely skunked, and it took me a couple of years to give it another shot.

When I did try it again, it was on draught from a fresh keg, and I found it to be an enjoyable and refreshing pint. The colour has a nice golden hue, the aroma holds some inviting grassy hop notes, and the flavour is fresh and clean with a mellow maltiness and a nicely hopped finish. The flavour isn’t quite as full as some of the classic European pilsners like Czechvar and Urquell, and it also has a less prominent hop character, making it less bitter. But if you can find a place that has it on tap and keeps it fresh, it pairs well with many pub foods, and provides a fine accompaniment to warm afternoon on a patio.

I still stay away from the bottles, though…

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¡Viva Vienna!

Posted on September 8, 2006 | Comments Off on ¡Viva Vienna!

Like wine, many classic beer styles – especially those from Europe – are named after the area where they were first produced. Pilsner was born in Pilsen, Czech Republic; Kölsch in Köln, Germany; Dortmunder in Dortmund, Germany; and Vienna Lager in… well, that one should be pretty obvious.

But unlike the others, Vienna Lager had a pretty short history of being brewed in its hometown. It was first brewed sometime around 1840 by Viennese brewmaster Anton Dreher, who found that the city’s soft water allowed him to use lighter malts in his beer, lending it a mellow amber colour that was unique for the time. His methods and recipes ending up being borrowed and refined by brewers in Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic), leading to the creation of Pilsner, which in turn led to the creation of pretty much every pale lager beer in existence today.

Despite the popularity of the beers that the style spawned, the original Vienna style dwindled in popularity by the late 19th century, and probably would’ve died off completely were it not for its revival at the hands of a group of Austrians who had emigrated to Mexico. Even today, the most popular examples of the style – Dos Equis Amber and Negra Modelo – are Mexican, and while more and more North American microbreweries are crafting their own versions of this crisp and malty lager (including Ontario’s Ste. Andre), it’s rare to find a Vienna that is actually brewed in Vienna – or anywhere else in Europe, for that matter.

I recently met up with a fellow RateBeerian who had a weekend stopover in Toronto on his way from Mexico to Scotland where he goes to school, and he was kind enough to bring me a couple of beers from his home country that happened to be Viennas: Noche Buena from the large national brewery Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma/FEMSA (also the producer of Sol and Tecate), and Santa Fé from the Beer Factory brewpub chain. I thought it would be interesting to sample them alongside the aforementioned Dos Equis Amber (Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma/FEMSA) and Negra Modelo (Grupo Modelo), so I brought them all along to a tasting with my usual crew the other night, and here’s what we thought…

Dos Equis Amber
This one is almost as ubiquitous as Corona and Sol at most Mexican restaurants, so we all knew what to expect. It has a light caramel-amber colour with a small white head. The aroma holds sugary malt with some stale vegetal and cardboard notes – not very appealing. The body is watery, and the flavour is mild, tasting mainly of light caramel & sugar. Bland and inoffensive, just like a mass produced beer should be.

Negra Modelo
This beer is new to Ontario, but I first tried it when visiting San Diego last fall. It pours a dark, clear ruby-brown colour with a small tan head. The aroma is a bit stale, but still nice, with inviting malt and cocoa notes. The flavour is quite sweet, but also a bit roasty, with more hints of cocoa and a bit of caramel. Thin body, but it’s otherwise more enjoyable than I expected, and certainly a step up from Dos Equis.

Noche Buena
This is a Christmas beer from the same mega-brewer that produces Dos Equis. It has a higher alcohol percentage than its more mainstream cousin (6% vs. 4.7%), and a slightly darker colour as well. The aroma has the expected sweet malt notes, along with an interesting herbal edge. The flavour starts quite sweet as well, but has a quickly appearing herbal bitterness, followed by a very short finish. Not bad, but the finish in particular is disappointing.

Santa Fé
Mexico is a country that is not exactly known as having much of a micro/craft beer culture, but the Beer Factory brewpub chain is one of a few brewers who seem to be trying to change that. Based on their take on the Vienna style, it appears that they’re at least doing a better job at making beer than Mexico’s big two. Santa Fé has a clear, dark amber colour with a small off-white head. The aroma isn’t as sweet as the macros, but still has good hints of caramel and malt, with a faint smokiness as well. The flavour is very clean and fresh, with some bready malt and herbal hops. Simple, but enjoyable, and the unanimous favourite of the quartet.

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Lech Premium

Posted on August 11, 2006 | 1 comment

Since it is a government agency, the Liquor Control Board of Ontario – a.k.a. the province’s alcohol retail & wholesale overlords – has to be as politically correct as possible when it comes to selecting what products will appear on the shelves. It’s therefore quite easy to correlate Ontario’s immigration patterns with the LCBO’s stocking patterns.

For example, I live in an area of Toronto that is quite close to a neighbourhood full of Polish shops and restaurants. As a result, my local outlet always has plenty of Polish brews on hand, including Tyskie, Okocim Lager and Strong (although sadly, they no longer carry the fantastic Okocim Porter), Zywiec Lager, EB Premium, Lezajsk Lager, Warka Strong, and Dojlidy Zubr.

The newest addition to this line-up of generally middling Polish imports is Lech Premium, which has the distinction of being the first of the bunch to be offered in cans (more evidence of the LCBO’s somewhat questionable new policy to give preference to cans over bottles when selecting new beers for their general list – a topic for a future blog post, perhaps…). Like Dojlidy Zubr and Tyskie, Lech comes to us from Kompania Piwowarska, the Polish arm of SABMiller that stirred up controversy a while back when it took on some of the brewing of Pilsner Urquell, the classic Czech beer that defined the Pilsner style. But that’s just the sort of thing that happens when multinational brewing behemoths keep chomping up the little guys…

Anyway… even though it’s produced by an evil conglomerate, this Lech Premium is a decent little beer. It pours a pale, bright yellow-gold with large white head that disappears pretty quickly. The aroma holds soft herbal hops and a bready maltiness – quite nice. The flavour is fairly sweet off the top, with lemon cookie notes in the middle, and a good balance of herbal, grassy hops and biscuity malt in the finish. This will be a good option in the future when I’m in the mood for something light and refreshing, especially since cans tend to keep beers like this in better shape than bottles.

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