Today, we bravely and carefully get back into a local brewery to help celebrate a grand reopening, rediscover old favorites, and new surprises!

Source: https://www.pinterest.pt/goldensaintbeer/ with a little Zeke design on top.

It started innocently enough. "Why don't we hold our weekly business meeting at a brewery?" When the folks at a craft brewery learn they are in the company of a Beerologist with over 1100 global followers, you end up discussing the neatest stuff behind the scenes of each brew.

So, join me a few minutes and we will take a trip through the entire line up at...

Heritage Hops Brew Company

https://heritagehopsbrew.com/ is one of a precious few local breweries and boasts a colourful past along with a fantastic tap room located right in the city square. If you dig back a year or so, you will find a review I did of the brewery when it was under different ownership and went by the name of Herald Hause brewing. With a name change, there is a temptation to completely rebrand and start from scratch but the iconic double H alliteration made it through along with slightly altered versions of the brews.

The Brewery

I will touch lightly on the facility, staff and menu but have to stay focused on the beer review! Here, you can see the cozy patio extending onto the sidewalk to offer al-fresco dining while the lock down gradually lifts. The inside of the former home of the local newspaper has been transformed with no expense spared, into a place you have to see for yourself. An eclectic mix of wood, brick and stainless steel highlighted with artistic touches and a bar you would want to belly up to. All this is topped off with a nice variety of beer and a kitchen partnership with the pub next door to provide a purpose-built menu.

I will leave those details for a proper restaurant review and get back to what brought us all here. The #Beer.

The Pale Ale!

Perth County Conspiracy Pale Ale https://heritagehopsbrew.com/collections/ales/products/perth-county-conspiracy-pale-ale throws back to a local namesake that dates back to the 70s https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perth_County_Conspiracy A unique bit of lore I am enjoying now as well as a solid American Pale Ale (APA) as I remembered it.

The label has been invigorated with a splash of colour I prefer over the previous branding for this familiar brew. I can't recall ever tasting a stone-fruit before but the modest bitterness, slight haze, and conservative ABV would have you believe they are aiming to please everyone from a Lawnmower beer drinker through to an IPA addict like myself.

I have been known to have a soft spot for a beer that balances lower alcohol with a bold taste and this is definitely one of those. It may not hold a spot in my fridge consistently but would be great for summer sporting events. If I polled everyone who has visited the tap room, I bet this one would be the favourite.

My Rating: I would buy this again (and have!) Perth County Conspiracy will be a regatta beer when we are back to racing sailboats.

Raspberry Sour!

Abandoned at the Altar Raspberry Sour https://heritagehopsbrew.com/collections/sours/products/abandoned-at-the-altar-raspberry-sour is another redressed blast from the past. Sours, for me, are hit or miss in that I absolutely LOVE the intense varieties (like Half Hours on Earth https://www.halfhoursonearth.com/) but most are underwhelming and leaving me craving more.

Remember this variety as being nice enough but not up my alley, I was wondering how it would strike me this time around. Though it was not quite as bold and sour as is my personal preference, it has some zing! I was thinking that the flavour activation you would get by brewing with a raspberry puree was what made it special. Upon closer review, I think it was the subtle and possibly perfect lemon edge to the tart berry taste that made it pleasing to me.

Having slid down the slippery hoppy IPA slope, this beer is not for me all the time but I would not turn one down at a BBQ. I will have to poll my sour heads to see how this one stacks up to their favourites but I would recommend this to people who have ever enjoyed a sour from another brewery.

Time to mow the lawn

It's Noon Somewhere Light Lager https://heritagehopsbrew.com/collections/lagers/products/it-s-noon-somewhere-light-lager might just be the clean, clear simple beer that would really be the gateway for lager drinkers as they discover the magic of craft breweries. I generally only sample and review these when it is in the context of a brewery spotlight so it is your lucky day.

Light on malt, bitterness and alcohol is surprisingly tough to get right. Any impurities or issues in the brewing process have nowhere to hide and can turn a good light lager or ale bad. You can see I enjoyed this one while BBQing where aspiring dad-bods might enjoy a couple of these smooth treats. I know quite a few fans of what I have heard described as 'lawn-mower beers' and would venture to guess they would really enjoy this. If this was my stop for beer before having family over, I would make sure to pick up a few as a lowest common denominator to please the most conservative of palettes. Only if they leave their Banquet Beer in the car. ;)

Mystery Beer?

Next in the sampling pack was a silver mystery. Was this the lager? Why can't I remember? Well let's pour it out and see. Golden and hazy as hell.....hmmmm. Might as well taste it and find out.

WHOA! Ah yes the yet-to-be-named dry hopped sour! When talking to the fine folks at the brewery, I informed them that I had entered a name into the contest which was still ongoing. Apparently, there were a couple internal votes to call it The Karen which I thought was hilarious. Best to steer clear from controversy and take the high road when you are newly reopened with a fantastic dry-hop sour like this one.

I will definitely buy this one again, even over Altar. I should taste it on tap when I find the time to visit again. What a pleasant surprise. Can't wait to see what the name will be and I will make sure to tell you when I know.

And Now for the IPA!

This is the one you have been waiting for. Well, it was the on for which I was waiting and not even sure it had made the list for the relaunch. The last time I visited this brewery many months ago, was to grab a 21 Haze https://heritagehopsbrew.com/collections/brews/products/21-haze-east-coast-ipa in the fridge only to find they were gone and not expected back. Imagine my delight in discovering it is back, and potentially available year round?

Having become enamored with New England and East coast IPAs, this is the brew that hits a home run with me. Sweet and strong, unfiltered and uninhibited, this is what I would peg as similar to the special Vermont style IPAs. 21 is doubly significant as it takes that many days to journey from grain to tap and the address of the brewery is 21 in the central square.

Beer is a very personal thing when it comes to which style, brewery and taste suits you. This it the winner in my mind and palette to the point where it could become a mainstay on the top 10 fantastic year-round beers. It gets the coveted Happy Place photo as I enjoy an early evening sitting in the comfy chair on the deck, looking out at my vast acreage under the big northern sky.

Mission Accomplished!

This concludes your romp through the selection at the Heritage Hops Brew Company. We skipped through light lagers, through sours, session IPAs and finally to my pick on the east coast side of things. I will revisit this revitalized local brewery once they have named their tasty dry-hopped sour, hopefully find an amber or a stout, and I have time for a nice restaurant review.

Until then, thanks again for joining me!

#BEERSaturday!

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