Now, since Doug Ford shut down large gatherings in Ontario (even tailgate parties serving Buck-a-Beer!), it meant that there weren’t too many folks at Duke’s Refresher for their Tap That Cask Festival yesterday. Which just means more craft beer for me, bro!
This awesome event brought over a dozen cask beers from breweries all over Ontario, and sample cups were just two bucks. Let’s just say I did my part to support the provincial economy…
My first flight, from left to right:
- Nickel Brook Gold & Glory Cuvee — barrel bourbon aged, very sour, definitely a bit of tang, also a bit of a pruney Farmhouse taste
- Innocente Irish Red Ale brewed with Lucky Charms — solid red ale with a bit of sweetness, but doesn’t taste like Lucky Charms
- Halo Event Horizon Stout with lactose — milkier Guinness with a bit of a kick, chocolately notes a la Lions Winter Ale, but a bit smoother
- Black Lab APA with lemon, grapefruit & orange — very fruity, citrusy, crushable
- Muddy York Best Bitter — English pub style beer, right combo of malt and bitter
- Elora Raspberry Lodestar Sour — very fruity, definitely taste the raspberry
- Blood Brothers Fruity DIPA — very citrusy, grapefruit or passion fruit flavour, not super hoppy
- Beau’s Wag the Wolf White IPA — nice hoppy, citrusy flavour. Solid IPA
Flight number three still tastes good to me!!!
- Left Field Rally Cap Hibiscus Pale Ale — Not as tart or as sour as Side Launch, a more balanced, refreshing fruity beer
- Skeleton Brew Crew Knucklebone IPA — another typical IPA, nothing more, nothing less
- Rorschach Hawaiian Punch Reverie DIPA — definitely get the fruit punch, tanginess
- Collingwood Downhill Pale Ale — Pretty standard IPA, nothing wrong with that
Of course, you KNOW I couldn’t crush all those cask beers on an empty stomach, son! Now, the best onion rings I’ve ever had were at this funky burger bar in Buffalo, but this tall tower of super-crispiness, with a nice side of chipotle donkey sauce, might just be second best!
Holy guacamole, bro! This guac rocks with big, creamy chunks of avocado goodness, to go with some nice, lightly seasoned chips…and they even throw in a tin of salsa roja for that double-dipping action!
Now, it’s hard to pick a favourite among so many great brews, but if I had to choose, it would be Halo’s Event Horizon Stout — I liked it so much, I ordered a full pint! Dude, this is like Stouts Gone Wild — super-creamy, with the lactose adding an extra richness that you don’t get with Guinness. And since St. Patty’s Day is probably cancelled, this might be the only stout I slam until April, bro!!! 😦 😦 😦 😦
Burgers, Bacon & Beer 