Great White North Brews

[Quoodle]

Ok so lets start this for the CAnucks on the BB - and I think that is only me - but I would like an international - or at most American view of what are the best Canadian brews

try and name one stout or bock or porter and one other

heres my 2 cents

Macaulsons Oatmeal Stout
Kawartha Lakes Brewery Pale Ale

[chazwicke]

I have enjoyed fine beers at both locations of the Granite brewpubs. One in Halifax and one in Toronto. I hope they are still open. Upper Canada always had good beer as well. I don't know if the Amsterdam and Rotterdam brewpubs are still open in downtown Toronto. Both had large selections on tap and not just their own brews. Niagra Falls Brewing made some interesting beer as well. I think they were amoung the first to brew an Eisbock years ago. I was in Vancouvre and Victoria last summer and went to at least five brewpubs. A couple were chains. I do not recall any beer being super outstanding from any of them. All were decent but not great. I enjoyed both towns very much. Of course we have all good things to say about Unibrou as evidenced by the other thread on that brewery. I have also had good beer from McAuslan. The woman who was running it brought several of her beers down for a tasting at the Brickskeller several years ago. I remember I liked the beers but don't really remember the specific beers. I think there may have been one called Griffin?

[mmmBeer...]

Creemore and Miskoka Cream Ale are my two favourite lagers. I like Warthog and Buzzards breath (can't get it Ontario, but i love it).

The Kingston Brewing Company makes a wicked cask conditioned pale ale called dragon's breath that is so hoppy it will dry out your mouth...I love it!

[Quoodle]

The granite is still open it Toronto Chaz and I also think they make wonderfull beer. Upper Canada I tend to think is a bit overated but I do love their Rebellion, Creemore which MMMbeer mentiions is one of my favorites along with McAuslan. Does anyone like - tried - the wellington county brews - they are available in cask form and for my money are worth it.

[mmmBeer...]

I love wellington counties brew...never had it out of the bottle though, only cask conditioned! very yummy

I agree that upper canada is over rated, they seem to have toned down the amount of hops they use in thier beers. I remember the first time i tried it, seemed nice and hoppy.

[tangent]

Here are just a few of the best beers made in Quebec (and in Canada):

MacAuslan Oatmeal Stout
MacAuslan Gryphon Rousse
Unibroue Maudite
Unibroue Ephemere Peche

If you're in Montreal, I highly recommend a stop at the Dieu du Ciel! brewpub.

Check my website for reviews of the best brewpubs and pubs in Ottawa and Montreal.

[Jughead]

And for those of us around Calgary - anything by Brew Brothers - www.brewbrothers.com

[evilredlight]

Favorite East coast beers

Propeller Best Bitter (love a good bitter)
Garrisons Jalepeno(?) ale (no need to eat chicken wings to get that burn)

Favorite central beers

Growlers Unfiltered wheat (beautiful colour, clean taste, after-taste of bananas)

Favorite west coast beer

??? don't know the name but it was organic (didn't really like it but it was organic)

[drunk_monkey]

Canadian beer is by the best beer in North American...thats a fact. From a chicks point of view..the best of our beer is Moosehead! but hey..im just a girl...i know nothing

"american beer is like making love in a canoe, its fucking close to water!"

[croc4]

I think your a little off base there monkey, I've had some brews
from canada, some were very good, but there is also some good brews in the U.S. also (I'm not an american so I feel I have no real stake either way).

I think no matter were you go there are good and bad brews
,even in canada.

But I will say that there are alot of pretty women in Canada, maybe more so in than the U.S ;-)

[Quoodle]

I started this thread to hear some ideas about Canadian beers but I have to take exception (is that too forcefull for a Canadian?)to anyone who uses it to bash US beers - especially if they love Moosehead. No offense, but that is at best a good bad beer.

I lived on the US west coast for 3 years and in terms of variety - I am not sure if any country can touch US beers (It kind of goes with the territory of being a country of 300 million with a huge disposable income) and I say more power to them in terms of diversity of beer production. Of course they produce the typical A-B chemical fiz (not unlike Moosehead in Canada) but this is more than offset by hundreds of quality micro-breweries. Anderson Valley boont Amber is one of the best bottled beers I have had hands down, and I also remember with fondness Buffalo Bills pumpkin ale in Hayward Cal. Go if you are ever in the neighbourhood - you be glad you did

With that little diatribe - continue with the great suggestions on good Canadian beers. I am drinking a Unibroue Trois Pistoules right now and enjoying it immensley. Each time I venture into the liquor store I enjoy trying to find (and drinK) alot of the beers I have read about on this board - thanx all!

[Blazer79]

I started out with blue... well I got bored soI tried many different beers.Bud ...naw... coors....naw.... canadian,export......yup.I am a diehard fan of molson(with the exception of sleemans) canadian beer rules...

[shaken]

I enjoyed the Unibroue 11 and Unibroue 10
If you cellar them for about a year, it's a whole new taste.
Unibroue Trois Pistoles made a good showing in the ranks.....

[Quoodle]

Most Unibroue products I really enjoy. The last few visits to the beerstore (and that is rare since I often drink homebrew) have had me only purchasing Unibroue. I tasted the Unibroue 10 about a year ago and loved it - although it was not aged for a year

Blazer I have not really enjoyed Molson's since my high school days. ( I will drink the Stock Ale when I find it at a bar/ and I have read the Signature Series Amber rates quite high although I am yet to find it) I've stayed true to choosing Ales over Lagers ever since Export but pretty well everything else has changed in my beer tastes

[jaycie]

I must say that being Canadian, and there for a conasure of beer (or as my wife saies just a sewer) Creamore if by far the best that Canada has to offer!

[hades_ibex]

I'm a little embarrassed when Canadians praise Molson or Labatts beer. I wouldn't wash my dog with those products. Sure they are a little better than Coors or Bud (the US Bud not the real Czech Bud), but that isn't anything to brag about. The US has an awesome and innovative microbrewery culture. Here in Vancouver, BC I just walk down to Steamworks - a nice brew pub - for a brew. Last October they had a wonderful pumpkin ale. I hope they bring it out again this season.
Cheers, Mike.

[Quoodle]

Jaycie I would agree with you about Creemore in spirit. But in degree Iwould have to give the edge to Unibroue or Big Rock (or even Wellington or KLB) over Creemore 99 times out of 100. I love Creemore and would drink it in a heartbeat but think it is just a second at best to some other Canadian offerings

Last night at Smokless Joe's in Toronto I had a Durham real (cask) ale that I think was called "XXX" and it was very good. The cask ales just have such a fantastic carbonation level. I can drink them till closing with ease

[evilredlight]

I have restate chazwicks opinion on the granite brewery,
they make a wide variety of beer and excellent product. And the descriptions in the menu are just what a homebrewer need to start figuring out hap tastes and formulating recipies.

There is another microbrew/restaurant in halifax that needs some praise.
It is called Rouges Roust. I just tried their Seasonal favour, An Imperial Stout(10%)and it was delicious. It didn't have a strong alcohol taste, and it wasn't heavy, it was a smooth malty dark beer, without a lot of carbonation.
Last Christmas they had a BarleyWine! Can't wait to see what their next seasonal is, but not before i have a few more pints of the Imperial Stout

[chazwicke]

I had a seafood chowder at the Granite in Halifax and it was quite possibly the best chowder that I have ever had. So the food at Granite is great too. I have eaten in the Granite in Toronto but I do not remember that meal.

[evilredlight]

yes it is great food
I had nachos and they put pineapple on them
wow, best nachos!

[threecb]

I'll let you know what I think of the Toronto Granite next week
after i'm back from my trip there...can't wait!

Leaving tomorrow after work...

[evilredlight]

Check out Growlers pub as well on Victoria st. One block east of Yonge st. just south of queen. They have some good beer!

[chazwicke]

Hope everyones New Years was fun. I was traveling but did get to sample some North Carolina brewpub beers. How was your Toronto trip?

[threecb]

Toronto was a good time, except for the part where my wife was sick with the flu for a day and a half:(

But we got around, and NYE was excellent at C'est What's music space, Nia. More details to come on other beers...

[evilredlight]

"C'est what" is a great bar and they had a pretty good assortment of beers on tap from what I remember.
Did you try the Macaussland's(SP?) beer. That is what I usually drink there.

[chazwicke]

I forgot about thier beers Mc Auslands (SP) was it Griffon? I know I've had others. That was another tasting at the Brickskeller. That brewery was owned or run by a woman which is a little unusual I guess. Stoudts is run by Carol Stoudt. That makes 2.

[threecb]

They had McAusland's St. Ambroise Pale Ale on tap. I switched to that after having a couple of the house cask ales. It was a nice, hoppy pale with a deep orange amber color. A little citrus up front, fine bitterness level and a bit of a dry finish. It was around 5.4% abv and very drinkable. Very enjoyable.
I posted some other threads about the other Toronto locals I tried in the "Tasting Notes" section...

[chazwicke]

oops, I just saw your other posts. Sounds like you had a good time. Sorry your wife was sick.

[rogue]

Originally posted by hades_ibex
[B]I'm a little embarrassed when Canadians praise Molson or Labatts beer. I wouldn't wash my dog with those


Here, here! Couldn't agree more.

[fretlessman71]

Hmmm... the Molson Canadian Lager I had not too long ago was pretty nice for a macrobrew... far better than Bud, that's for sure!

[rogue]

Originally posted by fretlessman71
Hmmm... the Molson Canadian Lager I had not too long ago was pretty nice for a macrobrew... far better than Bud, that's for sure!


True, but what isn't?:D

[chazwicke]

Brutopia in Montreal has some very decent beers. I enjoyed the IPA and sampled the hempen ale but do not recall the name. Also enjoyed many Borealis, Unibrou and St. Ambrois beers. And one God awful some kind of low carb or light beer from Sleeman that my buddies ordered for me before I got to the table. I did not drink that one only had a taste.

[unkle bik]

Aside from their Cream Ale on tap, Sleeman's is overated.

[evilredlight]

Sleemans has a brewery in Dartmouth, Ns which is just across the halifax harbor from halifax.
The one good thing about the sleemans is that they sell growlers
although it is a remnant from "The halifax brewing company", a now defunct brewery.
When you look in the windows of the brewery there is a pile of Corn sugar bags (50 pounders) on their brewing floor, making it the most prominent ingredient since the grains are siloed. It doesn't say much about pride, but otherwise it looks like a great operation, clean and modern, and smells great.
In hali there are 3 breweries within 5 Km's of each other plus 2 micros, sometimes brewdays coincide and you can smell it right into downtown.

[chazwicke]

I love the smell of brewing in the morning..... it is the smell of victory.

[grainbrew]

Living in halifax, I have become accustomed to the delicious brews of the Granite Brewery. There is also another brewery in Halifax that makes a really good beer; Propeller Brewery.

I also enjoy the Unibrou products from Quebec and am not shy of buying it in bottles.

I like the microbreweries around here. There's nothing like going to an old bar with stone walls and solid wood tables and having a beer on tap.

J

[chazwicke]

The Granite in Halifax is indeed nice. Good food too. I liked it better than the Granite in Toronto but it was good too.

[unkle bik]

Creemore Springs without a doubt. I even had a personal tour of their brewery a few years back.
Although, I had a couple bottles of it this summer and it seemed a bit different. I haven't had it a few years, though.

I think Sleeman's is bit overated. I did appreciate their Cream Ale on tap when I was in Grand Bend 2 years ago.

[berniecross]

Well I must say that Spinnakers in Victoria puts out some mighty fine beer. I really liked the wheat beer there.
And from the Yukon where I live the Chilkoot Brewery makes a darn fine cranberry wheat.

[chazwicke]

Welcome Berniecross. When I was in Victoria I missed Spinnakers but there was another fine place that I stopped at. I've forgotten the name. Good beers there too.