As we blaze towards the weekend where we can be warriors, it is again time for a little spot light on beer which will fuel us through our adventures the next couple of days.
Today, I will fill you in on the last stop on my epic long weekend extended brewery tour and show you something besides IPA from another Ontario craft brewery. We close an era and open a new one at the same time. Strap on your drinkin' socks and lets do this!
I have blogged many times on Great Lakes Brewing Company http://www.greatlakesbeer.com/ in Toronto. From them being responsible for my slide into the love of IPAs with Lake Effect IPA (http://www.greatlakesbeer.com/Beer/lake-effect-ipa/ still a favourite today,) to the awesome one-off special beers, to the fact my brother works there and has a FANTASTIC staff discount. Well that is coming to an end soon as he moves on to a new brewery but I will still buy and love Great Lakes.
I stopped in there last week to grab some beer for Sailing https://steemit.com/dtube/@zekepickleman/f5kcxiky and had a chance to sit down for a beer fresh from the taps while waiting to purchase. This is a nice Robohop Imperial IPA http://www.greatlakesbeer.com/Beer/robohop/ on the neat inlaid bar top they have at the pub. It is smooth for an imperial with not much of the extra alcohol in the taste and hoppy as all hell. I wonder about the 100 IBUs but definitely love this beer when it is available.
I had the chance to visit the Upper Thames Brewery https://upperthamesbrewing.ca/ and used the 
Timber Beast Brown Ale - https://upperthamesbrewing.ca/our-beer/ This lives up to its name as it boasts a beastly malt flavour from the "large percentage of caramel malt in the grain bill." It is a little more of a sipper while reading a book than a chugger while mowing the lawn. Friends of mine who are more into the hop than the malt would probably turn their nose up after tasting this as it was almost too malty and syrupy for even my taste. I would get it again if it were not sitting right beside their yummy IPA on the shelf.
Dead Reckoning - Ontario Pale Ale - This is a really neat beer. Generally, a Pale Ale without the India in it comes off as a little too light, bland, or simple on the hops. This one, however, has that trendy unfiltered clarity, "a blend of locally sourced Cascade, Rakau, and Glacier hops", AND a little malt flavour added in despite the Pale moniker. The generally pedestrian strains of hops actually combined to give it a good flavour punch and the malt was just enough to add to the taste but not overpower or be washed away by the hops. Very good and tasty and I would actually get one of these for every Portage IPA or Take a Hike IPA https://upperthamesbrewing.ca/our-beer/ for the fridge.
You have a new advocate Upper Thames! Well done!
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