Thrust by Great Lakes Brewery

First, it burns into your visual cortex the image of a beer with a deep copper hue topped with a rocky white head. Soon your olfactory bulb should be awoken as the massive dry-hop propels a penetrating aroma of grapefruit, mango, grape, stone fruit and lychee hurling into your forebrain. Resisting the impulse to keep smelling the beer, you pound back a gulp which elicits a poking and prodding of tropical fruit and resin on your taste buds. Your palate soon succumbs as THRUST! penetrates and perforates, eventually becoming your new reality.

THRUST! an IPA pours a hazy yellow in colour with a slight hint of fuzzy peach shining through while producing a pillowy crown, much like the glowing clouds a rocket leaves in its wake. We've heard astronauts would rather this than that other drink as they orbit the planets due to the aromas of grapefruit, plump white grape, fresh mango and strawberry. A creamy soft mouthfeel provides flavours of lychee, kiwi and grape that are joined by some light crackery/biscuit notes. The 6.5% is deceptive - well hidden thanks in part to the juice forward qualities that THRUST! exemplifies with each sniff, each sip. Yes, much better than a glass of Tang - it's outta this atmosphere.

Fried chicken sandwich, Tikka Masala Roti, Hawaiian pizza, creamy brie (and, if you're feeling posh, add some cranberries)

https://youtu.be/tDF2PxNQ7nY

 

Born This Way IPA

To celebrate pride this year, Muskoka Brewery is supporting The Get REAL Movement with their May Moonlight Kettle by staff trio Brittany, Sarah, and Scott. Proceeds from each can sold are donated to support Get REAL's programs that combat LGBTQ2S+ discrimination and promote acceptance for all.

Bright and juicy with flavours of mango, peach, an passion fruit. Underlying malt sweetness is mildly toasty with a hint of cracker.

Full of aromatic hops bursting with tropical fruit and floral undertones.

Food Pairings:

Peach & Tomato Salad, Red Snapper Fish Tacos with Guacamole

https://muskokabrewery.com/

Dawn Patrol by Whitewater Brewing Co.

The beer that signals summer is back.

Out at first light, before the sun fully rises, is the golden hour paddlers, and surfers alike, call Dawn Patrol. With colour reminiscent of a breathtaking summer sunrise, and a taste that teases your taste buds with punchy tangerine, Dawn Patrol delivers everything you need to beat the heat of summer.

https://whitewaterbeer.ca/

Whitewater Brewing Company was founded by three good friends in 2011 on the banks of the Mighty Ottawa River. The three of them have had many adventures that have taken them from the incredible rivers of Ontario & Quebec to the mountain-fed creeks of British Columbia, from the deep canyons of the Colorado River, to the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. One constant that has remained strong throughout this journey is their return to the heart of the Ottawa Valley to share their great adventures with great friends.

Their epiphany came on a rafting trip: The Ottawa Valley was already home to some of the best natural ingredients involved in creating true hand-crafted beer, as well as great people deserving of a local beer to share with friends. Whitewater Brewing Company was conceived. The next three and a half years took a lot of hard work, learning and living out of vehicles to get to where they are today.

My friend, you are now a part of the story, it’s time for you and their beer to tell the rest.

Lost Craft Quench and Tropical Radler

Quench is a Lemon-Lime Sour that is light and refreshing with soft sour flavor offset by a hint of lemon-lime sweetness. Quench is an approachable sour that pairs well with tangy cheeses, seafood, citrus salads and fresh fruit.

They collaborated with Canadian juice pioneer and best selling vegan cookbook author Ruth Tal, founder of Fresh Restaurants, to develop their Tropical Radler which blends their award-winning Revivale Lagered Ale with all natural organic fruit juices.

https://lostcraft.ca/

Lost Craft is a Toronto based craft beer company that focuses on brewing world class session style craft beer. They travel the globe to source beer styles from around the world to inspire their recipe development. They think global and drink local

Founder Shehan De Silva, extensive traveler and beer aficionado, left a career in finance to follow his dream of creating a craft brewery promoting session style artisan brewing inspired by interesting beer styles from around the world. To immerse himself in the craft, Shehan traveled through Europe meeting with several breweries with centuries of brewing experience. Upon his return, Shehan connected with renowned Canadian brewmaster Jamie Mistry and Lost Craft was born

Based in Toronto, the world's most multicultural city, Lost Craft embraces diversity and is committed to being active in the communities where they operate.

https://youtu.be/T_XUca3dkl0

https://youtu.be/T_XUca3dkl0

Firefly

It is a flavourful, vibrant and highly quaffable Belgian White/Witbier. Corriander and lemon peel notes on the nose lead into a nice medium body beer with refreshing citrus flavours and a dry finish.

THEIR STORY

It was a hot summer day and they were kicking back on a dock near Bobcaygeon. They were deep in a craft beer discussion when it dawned on them – why not start their own brewery? Sure it would take a ton of a hard work with long hours, recipe creation, branding and financing, but it’s doable, right?

In August 2017, they laid eyes on the old post office at 17 Bolton Street in Bobcaygeon, Ontario – what a fine brewery it would make. They submitted a proposal to flip the building into a brewery and were lucky enough to get the green light.

Now they’re on track to bring Bobcaygeon to Bobcaygeon. They’re working hard at renovating the building, and when they’re done they’ll have a full production facility, retail store and tap room offering their core line up of delicious beer along with a variety of seasonals and one-offs. To say they’re excited is an understatement. They're dream of making great craft beer to be enjoyed among friends has come true.

In the meantime, they’ve opened their Innovation Lab in Peterborough at 649 The Parkway, Unit 4. The focus here will be on unique offerings, with plenty of one offs and different beers to try. Brewing will happen on site, or you can try the beers in their tasting room and purchase beer to go in their Gift Shop. Visit them today!

https://bobcaygeonbrewing.ca/

Juiced Up

Beau’s Juiced Up is a hazy pale ale that doubles down on delivering big, New England style juicy hop aroma and flavour, at a laid-back 4.5% ABV.  It’s soft on the palate, and really refreshing with a bright finish. It hits all the right notes of citrus, tropical and fruity, with a hint of those dank, sticky hop resins.

https://beaus.ca

New England style pale ales (NEPAs) are relatively new in the North American craft beer landscape. They are purposely hazy with a defined juicy hop character. They focus on the expression of bold hop flavour and aroma, while limiting hop bitterness. Juiced Up is a lower-ABV and certified organic version of this style.

This NEPA pours hazy gold, with a thick white foam. The aroma offers citrus juice impressions. The flavour is equally fruity: a mix of citrus, tropical and stone fruit impressions, with a pleasing hint of dank resin. The mouthfeel is soft, and the finish is bright and refreshing.

Food Pairings

Blackened ahi tuna with pickled ginger, BBQ ribs, Shropshire blue cheese, pecan pie.

K&P Ale

We added this to the lineup just prior to the birth of the blog. We probably sell more Calabogie than anyone and this Amber has been flying of the shelf as well. Imposed on British shell production workers during WW1 a Session referred to one of two allowable drinking periods during the work day. Workers would drink these lower ABV beers during the restricted four hour Sessions without becoming legless and return to work.  We don’t recommend you do this.  However, this well balanced full bodied malt forward easy drinking amber ale, is perfect for brewing great company.

https://calabogiebrewing.com/