Beer of the Week - Dec 27, Church-Key Northumberland Ale

My sister, Judy, and her husband, Doug, live north of Belleville just outside the town of Madoc. About 20 minutes north of them live my folks, just north of the small town of Eldorado, home of Ontario's first gold mine. We went down the weekend before Christmas for a holiday visit.

For a few years when we go down to visit, I have always wanted to detour over to the town of Campbellford, which is about a half hour from Madoc. The reason for this? Church-Key Brewing Company.

Located in a refurbished 1878 Methodist Church, the brewery has been opened since 2000. The company has a good reputation in the beer community and I have always wanted to take a detour during my visits down to my family to drop in and sample some wares but so far have been unable to.

Judy and Doug, though, solved the sampling part of the problem by getting me some Church-Key Northumberland Ale for Christmas. This is the only Church-Key product available at the LCBO and only the ones local to the area.

The Church-Key owner, John Graham, was interviewed on Great Canadian Pubs and Beer and it turns out he used to run a "brew your own" place in Aurora. I have likely brewed beer at his place when I lived there. He then worked as a brewer for Amsterdam Brewery in Toronto, before going out on his own.

The Northumberland Ale was the first beer he turned out. It is a "stock ale" that was designed "to be a throwback to tavern ales of the 40s and 50s". I wasn't around then so cannot comment on how close he got.

I noticed when I opened it that it poured with a cloudy strawish colour and a nice head. The ale had a good head and left the desirable lacing's on the side of the glass.

It has a nice smooth taste to it, starting malty and finishing with a slight sourness. It is a light tasting refreshing brew, one that would be an excellent session ale.

Now that I know this is available in the local county LCBOs, we will be making a stop to get some more whenever we are down.

After tasting this beer, I also am more determined than ever to drop into the brewery and try some of their other brew.

Thanks Judy! Thanks Doug! Great choice for a gift!

Beer of the Week- Church-Key "The Grains of Wrath"

Teena and I were down in Eldorado to see my folks and on the way home today and dropped in to Church-Key Brewer just outside of Campbellford to pick up some beer and hopefully have a tour.

I have written about them before and Church-Key is now a regular stop every time we are down that way. I love their West Coast Pale Ale and cannot get it at the LCBO. Plus today we had some extra time to stop to do a tour.

Tour and tasting $5. Sounds good to me.

As it turns out, they were between brews and not much was going on but we were told we could just wander and have a look around.

So we did!

The brewery is set up inside the walls of an 1878 Methodist Church. What I loved was the beer bottle collection they had which really spans the years. In some spots the collection is 2 stories tall. There are rows and rows of shelves everywhere. Teena and I both found some old favorites.

It was lots of fun!

I came home with some West Coast Pale Ale as usual and 2 dinner bottles of a one-off brew, a double IPA they call "The Grains of Wrath"

And how is the Grains of Wrath?

It pours amber in colour with a white head. It was very clear, a lot more clearer than I had expected. In fact, I could see through it. The aroma I found to be very light, which could be due to allergies but I could sense the hops that were in it. There were lots of lacings left when I sipped.

Then I took a sip. Whoooooa! Very hoppy! Very very hoppy. From start to finish, there were definitely hops in this.

The next sip I did notice the malt flavours coming in to create a nice balance. I guess the light colour, clearness and little aroma had me expecting much less on my first sip which overpowered me. After the first sip, though, I found this a very enjoyable beer.

It weighs in a 8% APV so you could not have too many in an evening. Each bottle is 650 ml so one bottle is likely enough. If I have a complaint it is that the 650 ml dinner size bottles are expensive as each costs $10.25.

This is an excellent beer, though. Church-Key is always on my list of places to stop into when I am down visiting my folks.

Here are some shots from inside the brewery.


Beer of the Week Stats

Beers Profiled 133
Countries 25
Breweries 115
Provinces 8

Beer of the Week - Church-Key Scarlett Pilsner and Black IPA

This past weekend I was in a fencing tournament in Kingston, and afterwards went for a visit and stayed the night at my sister's place. Judy and Doug made sure I was well looked after. Thanks guys!

The next morning I got up to head home but Church-Key Brewery was just a slight detour out of the way. After many years, I stopped in for the first time. I had written about Church-Key before at Christmas as Doug and Judy had given me a six pack of their Northumberland Ale, which I enjoyed. Now I had a chance to drop into the brewery and find something different.

The brewery is indeed inside an old church on top of a hill. Very scenic and quaint. The store was very small but really is all that is needed. Teeshirts, glasses, and. of course, beer were for sale. I had hoped to get some of their West Coast Pale Ale but it would not be ready 'til Tuesday. Hopefully they have some on my next visit.

Some beer they sell in six packs, others in 650 ml bottles which they call a "dinner bottle" and. of course, the growler. Their six packs were a little costly at $13.25 but I found the dinner bottles way overpriced costing $10.25 a bottle. At $16.25, the growlers look costly but that includes deposit. Still I walked out with 2 Dinner bottles, one a Black IPA and a Scarlett Pilsner. Hmmm, both sound interesting.

The tours are a great deal. $5 for a tour, 4 samples and a take-away sample glass. I was late getting on the road, though, so just didn't have the time. Damn!

I did have a sample of their Holy Smoke. It was nice and malty with a very slight smoke aroma and flavour. It would be one I would enjoy one of, now and then.

Once home, I put the bottles in the fridge to give them a bit of a chill. After a few hours, it was time to taste.

First up was the Black IPA. I had not had one before. It definitely poured black in colour and the aroma was very stout like with tones of coffee coming through. It tasted like a more bitter stout. Where a stout will get its bitterness from the toasted malt, there was more here, which must have come from extra hops. The alcohol comes in at 7%. It was very nice, but to me was a stout and not worth the $10.25.

The Scarlett Pilsner was up next. This is a spiced, unfiltered pilsner which poured amber in colour. Its fragrance had slight hoppiness and spice. The spice is evident in the taste too but does not take over the flavour. It is very subtle and very nice. Something different and very well done.

I am looking forward to returning to the brewery next time I'm in the area. Their beer is quite good. I just would not get the overpriced Dinner bottle size again.

Taking Mom to the Barley Pub & Eatery

Mom's birthday was Friday.

As we are on vacation this week, Teena and I drove down to Eldorado today to take her and my stepdad, Keith, out for supper. Since it was Mom's birthday supper, she got to choose the place and to our delight it was a pub in Madoc, Barley Pub & Eatery.

The place felt good when we walked in. Once it was the local town fire hall and jail but has been made over well, with original exposed brick and a great closed in patio out back over looking the river.

I like a place that features local brews and this place has two on tap from Barley Days in Picton and one from Church-Key Brewery in Campbellford. As I had already tried the one from Church-Key, I had the Harvest Gold Pale Ale then the Wind and Sail Dark from Barley Days. Both were good not great.

There was a Tuesday feature on steak ($7.99) so my Mom, Keith and Teena all went that way. They enjoyed it and ate it all. Teena thought hers was overdone but good. I had the chicken panini sandwich with homemade beer batter onion rings. Both were great! The sandwich was good and filing and the onion rings were a different flavour and texture than I had ever had before.

After we finished supper, our waitress surprised my mom with a piece of cake and candle. When we came in, we said mom was the birthday girl but never asked for the special desert. The cook and server did this on their own which was very nice of them.

We all had a very good time and I think this place is what Madoc needs. The server was always there when we needed her and friendly. I would definitely go back.

Everyone had a good time, especially my mom whose birthday we were celebrating. Happy birthday. Mom!

My October 2015 Beer of the Month Delivery

When I got home tonight, Teena had good news and bad news for me.

The good news was that my Beer of the Month delivery had come this afternoon. The bad news ... she had just missed it.

After having dinner with some buddies up in North York, I stopped into the post office and was glad the package had already been dropped off there.

Inside were four bottles or cans each from three different breweries, along with the monthly newsletter. The newsletter had an interesting fact in it. Hammurabi's code, written in 1792 BC, made special mention of beer parlours. Owners who overcharged customers were to be drowned; high priestesses caught in a beer parlour were to be executed by fire.

Harsh penalties indeed!

So what did I receive this month?

Barley Days had four bottles of Royal George Brown Ale which was soaked almost a year in American Oak barrels

Church Key Brewing had four bottles of Oktoberfest, which is a Kolsch style ale.

Kichesippi Beer Co. had four tall boys of Logger Pennsylvania Porter

Looks like I have some fun tasting ahead of me!

Christmas Fridge - 2010

Since I decided to really start exploring beer, I have had a lot of variety of beer in our fridge. I must say that Teena is very patient working the groceries around the beer stock and has been firm when I feel we should throw out the milk in order to jam in another new beer that I have discovered.

In last year's Christmas fridge post, I said that "In 2010, one of my goals is to get a beer fridge for the back room so Teena does not have to work around getting all the shopping fitted into the fridge around my beer."

OK, that didn't happen. We redid the back room and cannot figure where a beer fridge might go. So instead we, meaning Teena, is still working around the beer.

This is the third year I have taken stock of the beer in the fridge at Christmas. Interesting to see all that I have to sample over the holidays.

In 2008, I had 7 different beers. In 2009, I had 11 different beers, 12 if you count the two different years for the 2008 and 2009 Fullers Vintage Ale.

This year, it's 11 different beers, 13 if you count the 3 different years for the 2008, 2009 and 2010 Fullers Vintage Ale. Some of it has some volume. This year I am doing it in two categories, old favorites and new brews.

Old Favorites
- King Pilsner
- Flying Monkees Hoptical Illusion
- Mill Street Tankhouse Ale
- Grolsch Lager - Big 1.5 litre bottle - Thanks, Judy and Doug!
- Fullers Vintage Ale, 2008, 2009

New Brews
- Half Pints Stir Stick Stout - Thanks, Teena!
- Lake of Bays Mocha Stout
- Half Pints Little Scrapper IPA- Thanks again, Teena!
- Thirsty Beaver Amber Ale - Once again thanks, Teena!
- Church Key West Coast IPA - Growler -Thanks, Gord!
- Harvey's Bitter - Thanks, Sarah and Joey
- Fullers Vintage Ale 2010.

Teena also has a Keiths IPA.

Sure looking forward to some sampling and posting during our vacation.

Happy Holidays!

My November Beer of the Month Delivery

This is the last week of the month which always means that my Beer of the Month package is going to arrive on my doorstep.

The anticipation is always exciting and I was not disappointed as it arrived today. Like the last month, three breweries sent four bottles of beer but just the one style from each. I like that.

The first is a Dark Premium Ale from Gold Crown Brewery in Waterloo, Ontario, which I have featured before.

Four beers came from a brewery which we stop at whenever heading through Campbellford on the way to see my family, Church-Key Brewing. I have written about this brewery a few times before. From them I received four of their West Coast Pale Ales, which I really enjoy.

Last, but certainly not least, are four Saison d'Hiver from a brand new Oakville brewery Brasserie des Quatre Lunes. I love trying and writing about new breweries, plus I really love saisons.

Time to go find a spot for them in my fridge.

Christmas Fridge - 2009

Last year at Christmas, I found myself surprised by the number of different beers that I had in our fridge and posted about it. I used to have lots of beer in the fridge but they were all the same kind. Last year I had seven different beers.

This year, there is even more variety ... 11 different beers, 12 if you count the two different years for the 2008 and 2009 Fullers Vintage Ale. The other English beer I have has now become a Christmas tradition, Wychwood's Bah Humbug.

I have only one beer from the U.S., Two Hearted Ale from Bells Brewery in Michigan. I had brought back a 24 of it from Pittsburgh when I was there recently.

From Quebec, I have a Griffon Extra Pale Ale from McAuslan Brewery. It is not a great beer but I had to try it as I am a huge fan of their St-Ambroise Oatmeal Stout.

Teena, who hails originally from the east coast, bought a half dozen Keith's, one of the few big brewery beers that I enjoy.

The rest of the brands are all from good ole Ontario. Two are from Black Oak Brewery , their fabulous Black Oak Pale Ale, and seasonal bottle conditioned, Summer Saison. Another two come from Great Lakes Brewery, which is just around the corner from Black Oak, the Seasonal Winter Ale and their terrific Devils 666 Pale Ale.

One of my favorite pilsners, Kings Pilsner from King Brewery just outside of King City, Ontario, sits on the shelf beside the Northumberland Ale, from Church-Key Brewing Company located in Campbellford, Ontario, which came to me as a Christmas present from my sister, Judy, and her husband, Doug. I will be trying it today as the Beer of the Week. Thanks, guys!!

All 11 brands are strategically placed in the fridge to allow sufficient room for food. In 2010, one of my goals is to get a beer fridge for the back room so Teena does not have to work around getting all the shopping fitted into the fridge around my beer.

My 2012 Christmas Fridge

Every year at Christmas I head to the liquor store, beer store, plus receive beer as presents, all which gives me a great variety of beer for the Christmas holidays.

This year was no different.

Although a few more may be added to this collection over the weekend, this is what I have so far for the end of this year. Some are singles, others are in six packs. I did not include the Fullers Vintage Ale that I have in a cool dark place aging.

Three of the beers are from Church-Key Brewing ... the Northumberland Cream Ale, which I received from my sister, Judy and her husband Doug, the West Coast Pale Ale and a single bottle of Zwei Welten Dunkelweizen Bock which I bought from the brewery.

There also is a bottle of Skull Splitter Ocardian Ale  from Scotland, plus from England, a few Wychwood Brewery Bah Humbug Ales which I enjoy on Christmas eve. Also from England is good size bottle of the 6.5% Meantimetime London Porter.

My nephew Kyle and his wife, Kerri, gave me some Beau's Lug Tread Lagered Ale which is a Kolsch from Vankleek Hill, Ontario, about half way between Ottawa and Montreal. The Hops and Robbers from Double Trouble Brewing is also from Ontario.

I am so looking forward to exploring the Historic Ales of Scotland from Williams Brothers Brewing featuring a Gooseberry Ale, a Scots Pine Ale, an Elderberry Ale which I have written about before, plus a Heather Ale brewed in Scotland since sometime in history known as B.C.

Teena works with Dorothy from Vancouver and she gave Teena a bottle of Allagash Tripel from Portland, Maine. when they were in Montreal for their Christmas party last week. Another new brewery to try! From the same province where Dorothy lives is the Hop Head  from Tree Brewing.

Finally is Le Terrible from Unibroue Brewing in Quebec.

I will be writing about many of them but trying them all!

Happy holidays!

Walking Tour - Occupy Toronto: The Original Version, The American Occupation of the Town of York

Yesterday Teena and I went did a walking tour of The Battle of York with Richard of Muddy York Walking Tours. It was cold and windy but enjoyable. Today we were back with Richard for a walk cleverly called Occupy Toronto: The Original Version – The American Occupation of the Town of York.

It was a nicer day, a sunny day, and once again Richard was entertaining in telling us the tales of what happened during the American occupation of our city. Just six of us were in the tour which made it a lot more intimate and allowed for lots of questions, answers and more stories from Richard.

We met outside the Hockey Hall of Fame at Yonge and Front. Richard started with a ghost story from the building before turning our attention to the south east corner, which used to a dock on Lake Ontario where the British were building the HMS Issac Brock when the Americans invaded. The British burned the ship before leaving town.

We walked for a bit and stopped by Berczy Park on Front Street where Richard told us the story of John Ewart, who came to York after the War of 1812, but was significant in designing many of the buildings after, including the third Parliament Buildings. I have to do some research on him. He sounds interesting.

 

After a brief stop in front of the Gooderham and Worts Flatiron Building, we walked over to St James Cathedral, which was the location for York's (Toronto's) first church which was a log structure back in 1813 and was looted heavily by the American occupiers. 

Richard seems to know where all the bodies are buried in Toronto. At the northeast corner beside St James Cathedral sits a mass grave from 1832-34 which holds the cholera victims who died during the epidemic. They are still there. In the north east corner of St James Park is the unmarked grave of Sir William Campbell former Chief Justice of Ontario and was in charge of a serious treason trial in 1814 which resulted in the hanging of 8 men.

Here's something I didn't know. King St is named after King George III, the King of England during the War of 1812!

This building was built in the 1870s and started life as a hotel. Before that it was a schoolhouse, where John Strachan, who not only headed the only church in York, taught. Strachan was key in negotiating the surrender of York after General Sheaffe left with all the troops and was instrumental in the return of many goods stolen during the invasion.

After a few more stops we ended where stood our first Parliament buildings before being burned down by the Americans. We got even though, burning down what is now called the White House in Washington a year later. It currently is half car dealership and half museum. We went in and watched a film of the archaeological dig that was done in 200 before this building was built and looked around at all the artifacts.

Teena was taking to the guide and found they only have funding to 2015. This is the site of our first parliament buildings! Should there not be funding for something more permanent from the federal, provincial and city governments. Sometimes we really neglect where we came from!

I found the artifacts interesting. This is a mortar.

Here are some nails found in the dig and something they asked you to guess about. I have no idea what it could be.

Finally a presentation sword given to Lt. Colonel Battersby in 1815 for commanding a regiment for the entire war and the the wedding ring Sir John Graves Simcoe put on his wife, Elizabeth's finger when they were married in 1782. I find it extraordinary to have that in the collection.

It was a fabulous afternoon. Thanks, Richard!

The Grand Opening of D.W. Alexander

Tonight Teena and I were at the grand opening of D.W. Alexander on Church, just below Front.

On March 6, Toronto celebrates the grand opening of its newest premium drinkery, D.W. Alexander. Formerly known as The Foundation Room, D.W. Alexander will reopen its doors at 19 Church Street in the heart of St. Lawrence Market and Old Town Toronto. With 20 years in the hospitality business, Jamil Kamal, Owner, D.W. Alexander pays homage to the venue's history, naming it after its original tenant, D.W. Alexander, the largest sole-leather trader in Western Canada who launched his leather business back in 1872. Coincidentally, as the doors open on this historical venue, Toronto celebrates 180 years, a monumental milestone in Canadian history.

It was a fun night and we were treated well. The first cocktail we had was called a Avro Arrow, made  with solely Canadian ingredients including maple syrup, Mill Street Organic beer. It was tasty!

 As the venue was originally a leather shop, all the bartenders wore leather aprons.

Out came some Sloppy Joes made with bison. It was fabulous!

The light was tricky for me. Obviously I need more training and a better camera for shots with this kind of lighting. The flash lost the ambiance of the room. This one worked.

The room is very well done...D.W. Alexander features a vibrant chartreuse tile wall in the main entrance by Ciot, with Douglas fir reclaimed wood from Winfields Farm, birthplace of the famous racing champion Northern Dancer, featured in the restrooms. Other key design elements include benches with a Paul Smith printed tartan fabric by Manharam Fabric, intimate custom-lighting by Milke Bau Lighting Design and a library complete with walnut bookshelves filled with an eccentric mix of ancient books and curio inspired by the city, its history and the building.

 

 

 

I like how they kept the supporting iron beams. It really added to the theme of the place. Anytime you can keep original components of a historical building, I`m all for it! The old style lights were cool too!

 

Our favorite drink of the night was the Sloe Gin drink.

I have no idea what this room was originally used for but it is very cool that it was saved and reused. It also was one of the most photographed places.

There was also a view of it from the mens room.

 

The food was great. The drinks were great. It was a fabulous night. If there was one negative comment, and this is not of my experience, but one that might keep this great place from being successful, is the signage at the entrance. Nothing suggests that this is a bar and a fun place to be. The official opening is on March 14. Hopefully this is fixed by then.

It would be shame for passersby to miss this place as the atmosphere, food and cocktails are terrific. When we are in the neighborhood, we will be dropping by!