Favourite New Ontario Craft Beers of 2012
2012 was a pretty good year in terms of both the quality and quantity of regularly-brewed Ontario craft beers hitting the shelves at one’s local LCBO or The Beer Store. I selected 12 of them to quantify as favourites, with a few caveats. First, the beers had to be listed at at least 25 retail outlets.
These 12 Beers Debuted at Retail in 2012.
The beers had to be ones that I’ve published a review for, not just tried at a show or festival. Seasonal and one-off beers were not considered, I’ll try to make a list of those next. Re-branded or re-packaged beers were also not counted, however those that were previously available at a brewery’s retail store or at a licensee were. All that said, here are my selections in alphabetical order.
Iron Spike Blonde Ale: Crying Over You
Iron Spike Blonde Ale from Railway City Brewing Company in St. Thomas, Ontario pours a nice, deep golden colour with a tinge of amber and a medium sized soapy white head that gets retained as a collar without leaving much lace behind. This light American blonde ale smells of honey sweetened grains, corn and has a mild fruit juice tone along with a lemony accent.
Whenever I Read The Name of this Beer I Think of the Band Platinum Blonde
Grains come through in the taste of Iron Spike Blonde Ale as well and are accented here by a light chocolate notes and a mildly acidic fruity tone. This ale is rather thin-bodied with a medium carbonation level. A yeast flavour imparts a biscuit-like sensation on the tongue. The finish is dry and the aftertaste has a hint of bitterness before giving way to a lingering mild sweetness and a buttery diacetyl note.
Dead Elephant IPA: Turn Your Attention to the Centre Ring
This American-style IPA from the Railway City Brewing Company in St. Thomas, Ontario pours a golden-amber colour with a medium-sized off-white head that leaves a moderate amount of lacing and gets retained as a thin collar and film. Dead Elephant IPA has the traditional berry and citrus aromas fans of the style know and love, but here they take a back seat to a warm, toasted grain smell and deep caramel tone.
This Stylized Can Holds a Solid American IPA
A nicely embittered grapefruit flavour is much more prevalent in the taste of Dead Elephant IPA and is joined by a slightly sweet, dark caramel tone, as well as a biscuit-like one. The ale is full-bodied with almost no carbonation beyond the first few minutes after being poured, yet there is a bright pop on the tongue followed by a heavy yeast note. The finish is bitter and the aftertaste is oily and grainy, with a subtle fruit tone.