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Taste Test Ontario: A Hard Root Beer Rundown

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So, Ontario has finally jumped on the hard root beer bandwagon and we can now head out to the LCBO or The Beer Store and select from 5 different variations on alcoholic root beer. Lucky us!

As someone who has sampled somewhere around 500 different root beer sodas, and many hard root beers, I felt it was my duty to do a taste test comparison of what you can expect from our alcoholic root beer options in Ontario. It’s not that difficult a taste test really, since we only have 5 options to choose from!

155 Kinds of Root Beer!
155 Kinds of Root Beer, not in Ontario

 

First, a bit about Root Beer

Root Beer tends to be a love it / hate it type of drink, and this holds true for the alcohol versions as well. The main ingredients that tend to turn people off are anise (similar to licorice) and wintergreen (a minty kind of taste). Wintergreen often reminds people of toothpaste or medicine. for people who say they hate root beer, find one without wintergreen in it, and you might just change their mind.

Alright, the beauty of root beer is that there is no traditional formula to follow. It literally started as “root” beer. We’re talking Native Americans using tree roots, bark and herbs to create the first real root beers. The first root beer sold commercially was Hires root beer, and if you can find it, it still holds its own to any other mass-produced root beer sodas.

Hard root beer has been around for many years, but only took off recently when Small Town Brewery near Chicago struck a deal with Pabst to distribute their “Not Your Fathers” brand. Now it seems every large US brewer is jumping on that bandwagon, along with some Canadian ones.

Hard Root Beer options in Ontario

A few Ontario brewers have done one-off hard root beers in the past, but things have recently changed and there are now 5 root beer options on the shelves at our Ontario beer and liquor outlets. Interestingly they’re all quite different in terms of their base alcohol and root beer recipes. Some use vodka (or ‘grain neutral spirit’), one uses rum, one uses bierschnapps and another is a good old malt-based beverage.

Dusty Boots Hard Root Beer
Dusty Boots Hard Root Beer

Dusty Boots Hard Root Beer by Iconic Brewing

5.9%. Ingredients: Carbonated water, malted barley, grain neutral spirit, sugar, natural flavours, hops, phosphoric acid.

This root beer pours a deep amber colour and has a big, fluffy off-white head. Aroma is big sugar, similar to a root beer.

Taste is quite flat and smooth. No rough finish as is common with many hard root beers. Has a slight wintergreen taste too, but not spicy. Overall this is a mild tasting hard root beer.

A frothy alcoholic malt beverage that is above average sweet. While hops are listed in the ingredient list, it must be such a minimal amount, it doesn’t seem to impart any influence on the flavour. This proved to be the easiest drinker of the bunch. It drinks light, despite having the highest alcohol content, and potentially highest sugar content. Beware, this is nasty hangover material!

Mill St. Distillery Root Beer
Mill St. Distillery Root Beer

 

Distillery Root Beer by Mill Street

5.2%. Ingredients: Carbonated water, sugar, alcohol, caramel colour, vanilla extract, sodium benzoate, natural flavour, acacia gum, sulphites.

This is different from the other alcoholic root beers in that this is a root beer blended with vanilla porter bierschnapps from the Mill Street Distillery.

It pours a dark brown colour with a fizzy off white head that doesn’t last at all. Smells like hard liquor. You can tell there is ‘more’ to this root beer than a malt beverage with flavours added.

To me the aroma is a mix of vanilla, sugar and watered down whiskey. Taste is sweet upfront with an abrupt, dry finish. Boozy alcohol dominates with vanilla and some classic root beer sassafras and vanilla flavours hiding underneath, but it isn’t easy to pick them out.

Not very sweet really. Overall the booziest smelling, most innovative option out there. Probably a love it / hate it taste for most people, even though wintergreen isn’t strong in this one. It’s not exactly your typical root beer flavour profile.

Mad Jack Premium Hard Root Beer
Mad Jack Premium Hard Root Beer

Mad Jack Premium Hard Root Beer by Mad Jack Brewing Company (part of Molson Coors)

5%. Ingredients: Malt liquor, carbonated water, glucose-fructose, artificial and natural flavours.

Brewed by the big guys, the ingredient list is not surprisingly a bit more generic and shady. What natural flavours? Hmm. It’s a premium root beer though, so must be good! Ahh, there is nothing premium about this whatsoever. If they included raw, organic Madagascar vanilla or sassafras tree bark or roots harvested from a sustainable source among their natural flavours I might buy into that claim.

The look of this one is a deep red brown pour, with a low lying head that disappears almost immediately. Aroma is mild. Not too sweet or boozy. Really bland and muted actually.

Malty. You’ll notice the malt sweetness right away but it’s also got some underlying root beer flavours like sassafras, birch and bark tastes. Not spicy, but pretty decent root beer flavouring.

The more you drink this one, the sweeter it gets. This is more traditional tasting than the Mill Street or Dusty Boots options.

You may prefer this over all the other hard root beer options if you enjoy malty beers. It’s quite mellow overall, a bit heavier than Crazy Uncle or Dusty Boots, so still not something you can drink many of.

If you like Not Your Father’s Root Beer from Small Town Brewery (which is not available in Ontario), this is the one hard root beer in Ontario that is closest to it in terms of flavour.

Crazy Uncle Hard Root Beer
Crazy Uncle Hard Root Beer

Crazy Uncle All Natural Hard Root Beer by 361 Degrees Inc.

5%. Ingredients: Carbonated filtered water, sugar, vodka, caramel colour, citric acid, natural flavour.

The healthy, all natural option! Ok, not really healthy but at least it doesn’t have the questionable preservatives and artificial additives that some of the others include.

This root beer is a lighter colour than the others. Very flat pour, but a thin layer of head lingers a while.

Nice, appealing vanilla aroma, with that Dr. Pepper type cherry element that root beer sodas sometimes have. Probably a stronger birch flavour to this than sassafras. Taste is quite sweet and smooth. A bit smoother and creamier than Dusty Boots.

Overall pretty decent caramel and root beer ‘spice’ taste. Hard to pick up the wintergreen and licorice flavours but if you challenge your taste buds you’ll pick them up. There is actually a fair bit going on with this one, if you start it ice cold and let it warm up, the flavour profile changes.

This tastes the sweetest of the bunch, but hard to know for sure if it had more sugar or just doesn’t hide it as well. It’s all natural, but I’m sure a night of these would still result in a nasty hangover. As for being on par as a root beer, it does a decent job.

Captain Morgan Spiked Root Beer
Captain Morgan Spiked Root Beer

Captain Morgan Spiked Root Beer by Captain Morgan Rum Co.

7%. Ingredients: Carbonated water, rum, glucose-fructose, natural and artificial flavours, colour, citric acid, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, sodium citrate.

Stretching things a bit here, as this is obviously not made by a brewery. But considering how most of the other hard root beer options are vodka, or other spirit, based I felt this had to be included.

Expect a dark brown pour with almost no head. Aroma is sweet rum. Not much in the way of root beer aroma at all. Taste is pretty smooth and sweet. Sugar is noticeable, the higher strength of 7% isn’t.

A bit of a licorice twist can be detected as well as wintergreen mintiness, so it does have some classic root beer taste profile going on. Overall the most obvious option that doesn’t try too hard to be a root beer. This is a rum beverage with flavouring more than anything else.

If you prefer rum over vodka or bierschnapps then this version of hard root beer may be the one for you.

So there we have it, 5 very different hard root beer options. Considering the vast range of flavours and styles you can find with root beer soda, it was actually a pleasant surprise to experience such different takes on hard root beer as well.

As the hard root beer trends continues, it seems hard ginger beer and other hard “sodas” (such as orange!) are the next wave that is sweeping across the US. I’m not a fan of those flavours, but do hope the root beer trend continues. If someone could make a smooth root beer stout I’d be quite happy.

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Craft Beer Day in Cleveland

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It seems that on my travels I often find myself in a city with only 1 day to jump around and explore the best beer joints.

That is probably because I prefer to travel around forests, mountains and lakes…but eventually you need some civilization (and food and drink).

My first couple of visits to Cleveland were all about baseball games – cheering on the Blue Jays when they were in town to take on the Indians. Compared to the beer options at Rogers Centre in Toronto, the beer choices at Progressive Field are pretty decent. They have a bar with 40 different beers on tap! Half of them are local Cleveland / Ohio brews. I think Toronto has a total of 10 different beers available, with next to no local craft beers.

Great Lakes Brewery - Cleveland
Tasty beer at Great Lakes Brewing Company in Cleveland

 

Perhaps now that we have taken Cleveland’s GM, he’ll bring a craft beer loving mindset to Rogers Centre?

Breweries to Visit in Cleveland

Anyhow, enough about baseball, back to craft beer in Cleveland. There are a few solid places to visit. The big guy is Great Lakes Brewery. They’ve been around for what seems forever, and they have a great bar/restaurant that serves up a wide selection of their beers. Definitely worth a visit. I was there during Oktoberfest celebrations and had some solid food to go along with their quality brews. Their Lake Erie Monster and Edmund Fitzgerald are worth trying, but if they have any special barrel-aged or infused versions of their tops beers on tap, go for those too!

Nano Brew is another top spot. I’d say it is my favourite place overall for local beer in Cleveland. They had a very unassuming vibe, and knowledgeable, friendly staff that were more than happy to talk about their beers. they had good food options here too. It’s not a huge place (as you may guess by the name), but the outdoor patio in summer is great, complete with a life-size Jenga game.

Nano Brew in Cleveland
Sampling brews at Nano Brew in Cleveland

 

Their tap list is damn good, featuring not only their own one-off brews and regulars, but a careful selection of taps from other Ohio brewers and great brewers from other states. Expect about half the taps to be Nano brew and Market Garden Brewery beers. Why? because Sam McNulty, the owner of Nano Brew also owns Market Garden. If a beer experiment does great at Nano, it has a good chance of becoming a regular brew over at Market Garden. Oh, and Sam also owns Bier Markt, a top spot for Belgian-themed food and brews in Cleveland.

Funny how that works. If you’ve read my Beer Day in Buffalo post, you’ll recall how many of the best beer spots are owned by one guy there too.

For non-McNulty places, check out Platform Brewing. It’s a really cool concept of being an incubator for homebrewers, and you’ll find many of Cleveland’s most interesting, different and unusual beers here. Worth supporting if you want to see the beer scene in Cleveland continue to grow and improve!

Finally, the best spot for beer + food is Butcher and the Brewer. A simple name that, as you may have guessed, serves up their own beers alongside some great cuts of meat. Hit this place when you’re hungry and you won’t be disappointed.

Market Garden Brewery, Cleveland
Market Garden Brewery, Cleveland

 

Realistically, a beer day in Cleveland would end here. The above spots are more than enough for a couple of meals and lots of sampling. Actually, they’re still the best options even if you delve into beer bars and restaurants. But hey, if you want to go all out, or turn your trip into a beer “Days” in Cleveland, then read on.

Beer Bars to Visit in Cleveland

To be honest, I’m not a fan of any of the beer bars in Cleveland. I much prefer the breweries themselves. If you have more time, or want to squeeze in some other beers, then see what La Cave du Vin has on tap. They often get special variations of top beers on tap. They have a huge bottle selection as well. It’s an intimate, small kind of place so if that is what you’re looking for, check it out.

Unless there is a special beer event going on, skip Tremont Tap House. Seriously. If you only have 1 day of beer-ing in Cleveland, it’s not worth it. Go to Cave du Vin instead. Chances are if you check the tap list here before hand you’ll be able to find everything at the breweries or other bars in town. My last visit to Tremont included one of the managers/owners sitting at the end of the bar harassing his employees and bitching about how some customers complained about him. Yet, here he was again making a fool of himself. The female employees were obviously intimidated by him, but he was too drunk and obnoxious to realize how harassing he was being. It was the type of scene that wouldn’t be tolerated at home in Toronto or at any other decent bar.

Outside Great Lakes Brewing Company
Outside Great Lakes Brewing Company

 

I’d throw it out there that the Winking Lizard chain is even worth visiting, depending who you’re travelling with and what you’re looking for. As far as beer chains go, they really aren’t so bad and you can always find a beer or two worth trying. I wouldn’t put this Ohio beer chain up at the same level as Flying Saucer or even Yard’s, but they can be a good compromise if you are with some non-craft beer lovers.

Where to Buy Bottles in Cleveland

If you need to hit a bottle shop while in Cleveland, then there are two spots I suggest. First, visit Beverage Warehouse. It may be the only place you need to check out. Their selection is massive and you’ll find local Ohio stuff well represented. The second spot to track down is EZ Shop. I found a few real treats here, including a number of B.O.R.I.S. variations from Hoppin Frog brewery in Akron. The guy that was working was super friendly.

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Craft Beer Day in Buffalo

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Crossing the border into Buffalo for some US beers is a common thing for craft beer lovers in southern Ontario. Even when our Canadian dollar is dropping, the lure of different beers can be strong.

I’ve hopped over to the Buffalo area for trips as short as a few hours to stock up on supplies, but most people combine a beer day in Buffalo with at least one overnight so you can actually enjoy some beers while you’re there! So, for anyone who hasn’t done a beer day in Buffalo, here are some of my personal tips on where to stay, where to drink and where to buy some bottles to bring home.

Resurgence Brewery in Buffalo
Resurgence Brewery in Buffalo

 

Where to Drink Craft Beer in Buffalo

There are a few places that get top mention by many beer lovers, and a handful of them are in the Mike Shatzel’s empire. He owns Moor Pat, Coles, Blue Monk, Allen Burger Venture and perhaps other places. So, feel free to hit any of them up. Coles gets a lot of love, and while they special events and tap list is impressive, I have to admit I’ve never been a big fan of their food.

Now, if you’re in town for a hockey game or other event, the old school Pearl Street Grill & Brewery is convenient, and stopping at the nearby 716 Sports Bar at Harbor Center will at least yield surprisingly decent food to go along with the massive wall of TVs to catch the game, even if the beer selection isn’t quite as solid as other options.

Pizza Plant gets a nod for people who like beer, but may be heading over with the family, so require a more family-friendly spot. Their location on Transit Road in Clarence (close to the Griffon Gastropub, another worthy beer stop) has always been popular, but they’re just opened a new spot at Canalside, which should be a great addition to that part of the city.

Beer Samples in Buffalo
Beer Samples in Buffalo at Resurgence Brewing Company

 

The Riverside neighborhood is a great area with Flying Bison and Hydraulic Hearth there (the beers at Hydraulic Hearth are brewed on-site by Community Beer Works). Plus, Resurgence Brewing is probably the top spot in town when it comes to breweries, although there are many many others I haven’t mentioned – these are just my personal favourites.

Flying Bison Brewery
Flying Bison Brewery, Buffalo

 

Where to Buy Bottles of Beer

A big attraction for Canadians heading to Buffalo for beer is picking up bottles of US beers we can’t get here at home. Grab what you like at any of the breweries that you visit, then hit Premier Gourmet. It is easily the bets bottle shop around. Chances are they’ll have the local beer you want. If you’re seeking a special brew, and can’t find it there, then Village Beer Merchant is a possible stop as well. Their selection is smaller, but they do get some beers that you may not find at Premier. For the price conscious, places like Wegmans and Consumers beverages carry good selections as well.

Where to Stay in Buffalo

Extending your beer day in Buffalo to include some actual sampling requires an overnight. The challenge here is that Buffalo is a bit spread out when it comes to hopping around to the best bottle shops, bars and breweries. Your best bet is to do your bottle shopping first, then so sampling over in the Riverside neighborhood.

Downtown Buffalo from Hampton Inn
View of Downtown Buffalo from Hampton Inn & Suites

 

Then stay somewhere close to downtown, where you can hop on the light rail train or be within an easy taxi ride or hearty walk of some of the best beer bars. For location and price, the Hampton Inn and Suites downtown hotel wins for me. It has a really solid breakfast and is close enough to all the bars and pubs. As a bonus, if you’re a meat-eater both Dinosaur BBQ and The Lodge are just minutes away, two good eating spots with decent bottle or draft beer options.

Final tip – if you’re not staying more than 48 hours in the US, then you’ll need to pay duty on any beer you bring back across the border. Sometimes they don’t mind and wave you on through even if you have alcohol any haven’t been in the US long enough to get an exception. But, don’t expect that – be prepared and have your receipts ready and expect to pay a duty surcharge when you’re crossing back into Canada.

Dinosaur BBQ - Buffalo
Local Beer Sampler and Meat at Dinosaur BBQ, Buffalo
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Beers from the Faroe Islands – Okkara and Foroya Bjor

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With only two breweries distributing across the Faroes, I do believe the Faroe Islands probably have the poorest selection of local beers when compared to just about any other European country.

For those that don’t know, these islands are off in the middle of the North Atlantic, between Iceland and Scotland, and they had a long prohibition period, so it really isn’t a surprise that there isn’t a big local beer scene in the islands. Add to that, the fact that the entire country has a population of only 50,000 people, and I guess I should be happy that there actually are two breweries in the Faroes!

Atlantic Airways - Lunch
Flying into the Faroe Islands, free Foroya Bjor Pilsnar beer included!

 

The first, dating back to 1888, is Foroya Bjor. For a long time (when prohibition wasn’t on) this was the only option when it came to Faroese beer. In 2010, Okkara Brewing entered the scene and gives Foroya a bit of competition. One thing that caused me some confusion when in the Faroes was that both breweries have some beers with the same name. So if you order a “Classic” or a “Gull” you’ll need to make sure it is from the brewery you wanted.

The national soccer team is partly sponsored by Foroya Bjor, as are most major events (including the very cool G! Music Festival I went to). Okkara on the other hand has a more adventurous palate with some different styles of beer than Foroya Bjor. It’s also more prevalent at some of the fancier, or higher end hotels and restaurants around the islands, such as KOKS. In general though, expect Foroya Bjor to be the only option at most places you visit.

A pint of Foroya Bjor
Enjoying a pint of Foroya Bjor Classic beer on Suduroy Island

 

Now if you find yourself spending a lot of time in the Faroes you’ll either learn to love the local beer, or you will hit up the Rusdrekkasola state-run liquor stores and splurge on some pricey import beers. Actually some imports are not priced too badly. An example of beer prices in the Faroe Islands for small single bottles at the liquor store is $3.50 for Budweiser, $5 for Chimay or $6.50 for Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast.

Comparatively, at a bar in the Faroes you’ll normally pay around $6-8 for a pint of local beer. It is rare to find imported beer in bars, but the simply named Irish Pub in Torshavn offers Guinness and Kilkenny on tap for about $11 a pint. I was unable to visit either local brewery during my time in the islands, but I was able to sample pretty much all of the beers that the two local breweries were producing at the time. Here is my quick run down and review of Faroese beers.

Okkara Portari
Okkara Portari. The best beer in the Faroe Islands.

 

Beers that I tried in the Faroe Islands:

Pilsnar by Föroya Bjór

Yellow/orange colour with a soapy white layer of head. This was the very first Faroese beer I had, as it was served on the Atlantic Airways flight from Copenhagen to Torshavn. Overall it had a grainy corn aroma and mild sweet taste.

Var by Okkara

Many of my favourite beers come from Belgium, so discovering what was sold to me as a Belgian blonde ale in the Faroe Islands was a nice surprise! Vår is, indeed, a decent beer. It is not a Belgian blonde ale, but it is a tasty brew. I’d say more of an amber ale, as it is an amber colour with plenty of malts and a bit of sweet spiciness. Nice flavour transition on this one and definitely worth seeking out.

Black Sheep - Faroese Beer
Black Sheep – a solid Faroese Beer

 

Black Sheep by Föroya Bjór

A Euro Dark Lager. Generally when I hear a beer is a “Euro-style” something I cringe a bit, as it means bland and boring. The good stuff doesn’t get continentally generalized. But this was a nice surprise. A good amount of malts with a semi-bitter finish. Not too heavy. Was especially tasty on the beach at the G! Festival.

Traevetur Veorur 1888 Tripple Ram by Föroya Bjór

I found this beauty on a big night out with some locals in Torshavn. During a bit of bar-hopping and chats with drunken Sea Shepherd supporters in town to “save the whales”, we stopped in at Mojo bar, where they had this available. At 8.5% I anticipated this being a sharp, rough alcohol bomb. But it was a pleasant surprise, and one of the better beers from the Faroes. A smooth, amber brew with a malty start and gradually bitter, lingering finish.

Grönur Vedrur - G! Festival Beer
Grönur Vedrur – the special beer brewed for the G! Festival

 

Gronur Vedrur by Föroya Bjór

Festival beer! This brew was created specifically for the 2014 G! Festival in the Faroes. Don’t think it is available any longer. With that said, I think it may have just been a re-branded version of one of the other Foroya Bjor beers. It was a 4.6% pilsner that was similar to Gull and 1888, but a bit milder (i.e. watered down). A safe, enjoyable beer for when you’re in for a long session, I did enjoy it multiple times. Nothing memorable, but nothing bad about it either.

Portari by Okkara

This beer gets my personal “best beer from the Faroe Islands” award. Decent body, without being too thick or heavy. I’d classify this as a smoked porter as it has a good amount of smoke added to the roasty, cocoa flavours. Sadly, it took me until the last day of my trip in the Faroe Islands to track this one down, perhaps a good excuse to return one day?

1888 Special Edition by Föroya Bjór

I had this beer twice in the Faroes. Once while eating a Faroese crepe in Gota and once while listening to live music at Sirkus bar in Torshavn. Oddly, another brew with a slightly soapy head. Seems a bit of a trend in the Faroes. This was a pale lager, sweet and crisp. Smoother than the Sterkur Vedrur and comparable to any “popular” lager you’d find in bars in Canada or the US. Actually, better than the mass-produced generics out there.

Nordic Cider in the Faroes
Nordic Cider is a sweet apple cider from the Faroe Islands

 

Nordic Cider by Föroya Bjór

I’m not a big cider drinker, but when options are as limited as they are in the Faroe Islands, I’ll try what I can! Met up with some girls form the Czech Republic who seemed fond of this cider, and I did actually enjoy it. It was exceptionally sweet, not very acidic. Not something I could drink a lot of, but a nice local alternative to beer if you’re looking for other Faroese alcohol options!

Classic by Föroya Bjór

I’d class this beer close to an Amber lager. Quite malty and slightly one-dimensional. A bit toffee sweet but thoroughly smooth and easy drinking. I found having this on draft was quite a bit better than from cans. It went very well with a hearty lunch while exploring Suðuroy Island.

Klassic by Okkara

Hey look, Okkara has a “Classic” beer just like Foroya Bjor! In the battle of the beers, I give the edge to Okkara as offering up the better Classic/Klassic beer in the Faroe Islands. This beer is another Vienna Lager. You pretty much get pilsners or amber / Vienna lagers in the Faroes most places you go. I’d stick to the Vienna lagers when you can as they are overall more flavourful and enjoyable. This particular beer was a decently malty brew with some bready, caramel flavours. Simplistically nice for the style. Enjoyed this while dining at a surprisingly good Italian restaurant in Torshavn.

Vanliga by Okkara

The beer names from Okkara are definitely kind of fun, with Vanliga being the most entertaining one to say. As with half og the beers in the Faroes, it’s a light looking brew, without a lot of inspiration. Another 3/5 rating type of beer. Some malts, fairly sweet, slight fruit elements, which was nice. A little more rounded than most pilsners and lagers in the Faroes, but not enough to elevate it to what I would call “good beer’ status. Worth trying, as it could appeal to others more than it appealed to me.

Slupp Ol by Foroya Bjor
Slupp Ol by Foroya Bjor in the Faroe Islands

 

Slupp Ol by Föroya Bjór

A Vienna Lager, and it was one of my favourite beers from the Faroes. I think it was the best version of the style found in the islands. It was well-balanced, with a nicely malty aroma and sweet/bitter mix that worked from start to finish. Savouring this during a BBQ dinner was a bit more relaxing than drinking it while trying to decipher Faroese questions during a pub trivia night.

Gull by Föroya Bjór

An “export beer” of the Faroes. That generally means “slightly higher alcohol content”! I had this while eating lunch at the restaurant near where the Vestmanna Bird Cliff boat tours depart. Secretly I had been hoping for a puffin sandwich, but seems eating puffins in the Faroes is not as common as it once was. The beer itself was actually quite smooth. Perhaps one of the best simple lagers you can find in the Faroe Islands. Unlike some Faroese beers that I found to be less enjoyable in cans than from the tap, this tasted solid in both versions.

Van Bryggj - Spring Beer
Van Bryggj is a refreshing, spiced, spring seasonal beer in the Faroe Islands

 

Var Bryggj by Föroya Bjór

Another export beer from the Faroes. This was a seasonal beer, something that Foroya Bjor seems to do quite often. A spiced beer with a sort of herbal and grassy taste. Nicely different from the other pale lagers in the Faroe Islands. I couldn’t pick out any specific spices or herbs, but did find this a good, refreshing beer.  I received this beer as a surprise gift from Tollakkur Hansen who guided me around Vagar Island one day.

Green Islands Stout by Föroya Bjór

My first (and only) stout brewed in the Faroe Islands! It was nothing crazy, but definitely solid enough to hold its own against your average stout. Smooth, mild chocolate sweetness. No real bitterness, a bit simple, but a beer I’d happily drink again. Wasn’t very easy to find this one, but a couple of the popular bars in Torshavn have it.

Rinkusteinur beer by Okkara
Rinkusteinur beer by Okkara at KOKS Restaurant in Torshavn

 

Rinkusteinur by Okkara

A bold, malty amber beer with slightly bitter and sour undertones. Complex and enjoyable. Rinkusteinur became a favourite beer of mine in the Faroe Islands and I’d grab it whenever I was able to find it. While Okkara is gaining in popularity, their beers are not as widely distributed as Foroya Bjor. A funny side note, when I took the picture of this beer, the person who took the photo used for the beer label was sitting beside me at dinner.

Tróndur by Okkara

Had this at the bar in the Hvonn Brasserie restaurant in Torshavn. Ouch, this one was a miss. While most beers in the Faroes slightly exceeded my expectations (of which I did not expect much), this one was a rough one to finish. At 7.6% it’s is a strong pilsner, but unlike other stronger Faroese beers such as Portari or Sterkru Vedrur, this Trondur beer fails to hide the alcohol at all. A bit sour and cider-like on aroma, the taste was a mess. Seemed like the beer was unfinished. Can’t recommend this one.

Gull by Okkara

Another beer I enjoyed at the Irish Pub in Torshavn. Not the best of the bunch, but not the worst. With a fairly strong sweet “corn” aroma and generic lacklustre taste, it reminded me of of pretty much every lager around the world. On the plus side it wasn’t harsh, didn’t have any bitterness or unpleasing elements to it. It was crisp and clean, just not much in terms of flavour. A beer I likely wouldn’t buy again, but if someone else bought it for me, I’d probably drink it. I did kind of find it funny that both Okkara and Foroya Bjor have beers with the same name, when there are only around a dozen beer options to choose from!

Sterkur Vedrur by Föroya Bjór

This was an imperial pilsner, clocking in at 7.2%. It was a surprise find at the airport when I was leaving the country. Clear, crisp, with a somewhat bitter bite to it. Far from terrible for a strong beer, but hardly the best that the Faroes had to offer.

Beers and Crepes in the Faroes
Beers and Crepes by the beach in the Faroe Islands

 

If you are curious about how I decided to visit the Faroe Islands, well it’s been on my list of destination for quite some time. From 2010 to 2013 I ran a “Travel Match” competition on Twitter. It included every single country in the world, and the final match came down to Bhutan & the Faroe Islands. That helped to elevate my interest in the Faroes even more, and thankfully the good people at Nordic Obsession Tours started running tours to the Faroe Islands in 2014, so I joined them for a fun time around the Faroes.

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My Fascination with Unibroue Beers

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I started drinking Unibroue beers about 15 years ago. That was when they were often considered the best brewery in Quebec, if not the best Canadian brewery.

Their beers were consistently ranked near the top of almost any “best beer” ranking when it came to styles like Belgian Tripels or Strong Belgian Dark Ales (and they still are). I had friends who thought I sometimes drank Unibroue beers simply because they were high alcohol and I wanted to get drunk. But I actually enjoyed the 8% and 9% beers.

Unibroue - Trois Pistoles
Unibroue – Trois Pistoles

For a few years I’d treat myself to these great beers whenever I wanted something more than the generic lagers that dominated most nights out with the boys. But, slowly I was able to get others to start to enjoy trying different tasting beers. It started when I used to work near the original Bier Markt in Toronto. A group of us would go out and try different Belgian and German styled beers. Soon it wasn’t just the Belgian-influenced Unibroue beers I was picking up at the LCBO, but other fine beers like Westmalle, Rochefort and Chimay.

I had found a niche of beers that I really enjoyed, all thanks to Unibroue. If you like La Fin du Monde, then try Westmalle Tripel…if you like Trois Pistoles, then try Rochefort 8. Belgian beers were my thing. I started to shun all other beers.

Then, my next job was in Belgium. How cool was that? In Toronto at the time, you were almost limited to the Bier Markt or Beer Bistro when it came to trying some great Belgian brews. Now I found myself in a small town in Belgium, where every little restaurant and bar had 100 or so bottles of beer to choose from, it was overwhelming.

My beer growth started. I expanded into trying beers like lambics and sours. I discovered Oerbier, Delirium Tremens, Struisse, Bernardus and other fine Belgian beers. Well, I cut that job short after some colleagues were thrown in jail, and found myself back in Canada again.

My fascination and appreciation with Unibroue continued, this time working on an international marketing project to export their beer to Sweden. No, it wasn’t officially working for the brewery, it was for a course I was taking, but I made Unibroue beer my “research”, not bad huh?

This Unibroue passion continued on and soon I had new people experiencing and enjoying their beers. It wasn’t always the big, strong ales either. Quelque Chose became a favourite for a number of friends, especially when it was served warmed up at Beer Bistro in Toronto. It’s a beer that is still a sentimental favourite of mine, but sadly no longer in production. I have one bottle left from 2002 and the Unibroue website says it can age for 15 years, so I am hanging on to it for as long as I can.

Unibroue-La Resolution
Enjoying a La Resolution by Unibroue, at Beer Bistro in Toronto

Even after being bought out by Sleeman and then by Sapporo of Japan, Unibroue has maintained a unique identity. Their signature beers have a common yeast quality to them, which many people love, including myself. I think I could tell you I was drinking a Unibroue beer even if I was blindfolded.

Even with all this positivity, Unibroue has always been a source of frustration. I worked near a bar for about 5 years that served Unibroue beers on tap. They always had two rotating Unibroue beers. Usually one of the Éphémère fruit flavoured beers and one of the stronger ones like Maudite or La Fin du Monde. But never Trois Pistoles.

Far and wide I searched, for over a decade, to have a glass of Trois Pistoles in Toronto. But it seemingly only comes in bottles in Ontario. It is my favourite of the regularly produced Unibroue offerings, yet not even the LCBO carries it.

This beer is the only reason I ever go to the Beer Store in Ontario. When I need a fix for Trois Pistoles, I go and buy a 4-pack.

Recently, I got to share my Unibroue passion with people from around the world, as I was guiding tours in Quebec. Access to so much Unibroue! I could find beers we don’t get in Ontario, such as Noire de Chambly, Quatre-Centième, Don de Dieu and U Blonde. I’d take groups to bars like La Ninkasi in Quebec City, where they served many Unibroue beers on tap. My world travellers loved it, although I’d often have to make sure everyone stumbled back to the hotel safely later that night.

Jerry Vietz - Unibroue Brewmaster
Jerry Vietz – Unibroue Brewmaster

The ultimate Unibroue beer experience for me was in Quebec was always hanging out at the funky hostel in Tadoussac, where Quebecois culture would embrace me and my travellers from around the world. Bonfires, live music and Unibroue on tap, it was a perfect little place. A full pint of Trois Pistoles went for $5. Crazy. Amazing.

And, every time I visited that little hostel I would be envious of their monstrous (empty) bottle of Unibroue they had on display. I think it was a 3L bottle of Maudite. It may have been 6L, it may have been La Fin Du Monde. But it was big and I could imagine the festive night that must have brought about.

So, when Unibroue recently announced that they were selling, for the first time ever, some 6L bottles of La Fin du Monde through the LCBO, I had to check it out. I had the pleasure of chatting with Unibroue Beer Sommelier Sylvain Bouchard and Unibroue Brewmaster Jerry Vietz at the event and learned that a new incarnation of Quelque Chose could appear down the road one day. I also nudged them to try and get Trois Pistoles on tap here in Ontario. As far as brewery folks go, these are two great guys who have a strong passion for their brand and their beer. Sylvain has been with Unibroue for 14 years and Jerry joined in 2003.

After enjoying the event, which officially launched the new beer La Résolution, I was lucky enough to obtain one of those huge 6L bottles of La Fin du Monde. It’ll be a big beer night whenever I crack the new bottle open, but I’m more excited about keeping it around as a memento and “thanks” to Unibroue for brewing so many great beers and kickstarting me down the path of enjoying flavourful craft beer in Canada.

La Fin du Monde
Some 6L (Methuselah) bottles of La Fin du Monde

 

Cheers!