One of the most common predators founds across Canada is the Red Fox.
I’ve spotted them everywhere from rural BC to the big city of Toronto. This fox though was a nice surprise in Prince Edward Island. I had just arrived at PEI National Park and was setting up camp when this fox appeared.
It was intently eyeing an area not too far away, so I was able to quietly get close enough for some good photos. Not long after this, the red fox began quickly walking towards a tree surrounded by shrubs, then pounced! Whatever prey it was hoping to catch, perhaps a mouse or chipmunk, escaped and the fox continued on.
One thing that amazed me about foxes is that they can have kit litters of us to 11 little foxes, wow! That seems a bit crazy. Normally they raise about five kits.
While Prince Edward Island wasn’t the most exciting place for wildlife beyond birds and small creatures, it definitely offered up some fun moments with nature such as this one.
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, 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.
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!
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 by Mad Jack Brewing Company (part of Molson Coors)
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 All Natural Hard Root Beer by 361 Degrees Inc.
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 by Captain Morgan Rum Co.
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.
One of the more remote provincial parks in Ontario that you can drive to, Fushimi Lake Provincial Park is home to a couple of impressive hiking trails.
While fishing attracts most people to this park in Northern Ontario, hiking and camping are equally rewarding with potential wildlife sightings, including iconic Canadian creatures like moose and loons.
Fire Tower Trail – Windswept Trees
Hiking the Fire Tower Trail at Fushimi Lake
This is the more challenging of two main hiking trails at Fushimi Lake Provincial Park.
For the most part, it is an easy trail, which skirts along the shore of Lake Fushimi for a good portion of the trail. There are plenty of places to stop and look for wildlife or admire the views at the lake, or even go for a swim near the start and end of this trail.
Some marsh areas are found along the portions of the trail as well, where you may hear, or spot smaller animals such as frogs, squirrels and turtles. Depending on the time of year you’re hiking, be sure to be prepared for plenty of mosquitos and annoying horse flies.
Starting the Fushimi Lake Fire Tower Trail
Red Squirrel – Hiking at Fushimi Lake
Fire Tower Trail – Do you know what kind of Butterfly this is?
The park says to allow yourself 4 hours for hiking his trail. As with most Ontario Parks, this is a generous time allotment, as even with a handful of stops along the way, you can hike this trail in a bit over 3 hours. If you do decide to take a lengthy break for a picnic lunch up at the Fire Tower, or to go for a swim, then sure it could be a 4 hour adventure.
One thing that stood out while hiking this trail was the sheer number, and variety, of mushrooms along the trail. Fungus, fungus everywhere! They added a bit of colour to the landscape, along with the red squirrels that were extra chatty along this trail.
Expect lots of mushrooms and fungus along the Fire Tower Trail
Lots of Black Spruce and Balsam Fir trees make up the majority of trees and vegetation you’ll be walking through on this trail, from start to finish.
The Old Cabin
One of the ‘highlights’ on the trail is the old cabin that was used in the past when the Fire Tower was operational. Both were built in the 1930s. Not knowing what to expect before arriving at this part of the trail, I was expecting a nice, restored cabin that could serve as an emergency refuge even today. But, as you can see from the photos it’s barely a real highlight anymore.
The ruined old cabin, won’t sleep here tonight…
At first, I wasn’t even sure if this was the cabin mentioned in the park brochure and hiking trail map, because it was in such terrible ruins, barely recognizable. But sure enough, this was it. With some imagination, you could picture it in better days. The official trail brochure helps bring the history to life a little more, but for the average hiker, it’s a bit of a disappointment.
Would I call this a highlight of the trail? Not really. It was more of a let down than anything. But, still interesting as it does bring to life some of the history of the area.
Some parts of the Fire Tower Trail at Fushimi Lake Provincial Park can get a bit rough
Good Spot for a Lunch / Snack Break
From the cabin area, you have a choice. The trail here has begun to wind inland, and beyond the cabin you’re going to start climbing up to the Fire Tower. Alternatively, you can take a break and head down a side trail to a beach and picnic area.
The picnic / beach area was somewhat overgrown when I visited and wasn’t the most appealing spot for a swim, but was a decent spot to stop for a picnic lunch or short break to fuel up before heading to the top.
Lake view, plenty of decent picnic spots along this trail
Heart-Pumping Incline
Up until the Cabin, the trail is easy and mostly flat. But as you go past the cabin and the trail turns inland, it also begins to climb. Part of the trail beyond the cabin has a decent incline to it, which can get the heart pumping if you’re hiking at any type of speed.
Typical scenery along the Fire Tower Trail
As you’d expect from a trail with a Fire Tower, the tower needs to be located somewhere with a great 360 degree vantage point of the surrounding forest. That means it is atop the hill that you’re now climbing.
If you’re climbing with kids, there will probably be a few “are we there yet” type of moments, but after some sweating it out, you’ll catch a glimpse of the tower in the distance.
At first sighting, it is a bit deceptive, as you still have a fair distance to cover before actually reaching the tower. Still, nothing motivates you better than seeing the end of the trail, or in this case, the highlight of the trail.
The Fire Tower at Fushimi Lake Provincial Park!
Reaching the Fire Tower
There are very few old Fire Towers still standing in Ontario. Once a critical, widespread network across a large portion of the province, todays modern world doesn’t really have a need for having people stand watch in these towers, peering out across the trees in search of forest fires.
While this fire tower is abandoned and not in use anymore, it is maintained enough to be a real highlight for the hike. Just know that it you are not allowed to climb the tower. There are warning signs reminding you that it is dangerous, as well as illegal.
Fire Tower – Looking Up
It is tempting to want to see the view from “up there”, but gazing up at the tower from the clearing below is as high as you’re allowed to go. There are mossy rock outcrops and plenty of areas to stop and rest while you catch your breath after the hill climb.
The Fire Tower makes for a nice backdrop for some photos as well, before you continue on your hiking trail and begin the return path back to the start.
The return hike is easier (downhill) and a bit uninspiring as it follows the same path you took to get here. It would be nice for this trail to be a loop, instead of a single track, linear path, but even so it is worth spending a morning of afternoon to explore.
Rays of Sunshine atop the hill on the Fire Tower Trail
Overall roundtrip distance of the trail is about 7km (3.5km each way). Allow yourself 3 hours to enjoy the trail and surrounding nature. The suggested 4 hour hiking time is a bit much, unless you stop at the beach for a swim or lunch.
While this is the most challenging and longest trail in the park, If you’re more keen to spot wildlife or relax on the shores of a lake, I found the short Achilles Lake trail to be more enjoyable.
Expect lots of birds to be around while hiking this trail in Fushimi Lake PP
More vegetation from the Fire Tower Trail at Fushimi Lake
These are perhaps the world’s most interesting rodents!
The Capybara comes from South America and is a bit of an oddball creature. It is the world’s largest rodent and it is semi-aquatic (with webbed feet!), preferring to hang out in areas that provide forest for protection and water for resting and cooling off as the skin of the Capybara can dry out in the hot sun. The Amazon and Pantanal wetlands are popular places to see them, but they are very widespread east of the Andes in South America.
I’ve been lucky to see Capybaras in the wild many times on trips to South America. I’ve often wondered if they would make it onto my list of tasty animals, but of course it is illegal to eat them in most countries.
They look kind of like a beaver without a tail and are very social creatures. Because they are quite cute, it is pretty common to see them as farm animals in parts of South and Central America. Despite the temptation, they do not make very good pets. They are social animals and also very vocal, making many sounds from barks and purrs to growls and chirps! In the wild they are usually in groups of 10-40, but sometimes their groups can be even larger.
Recently a couple of capys (as you call them) escaped from a small Zoo here in Toronto, so I thought it was a good time to post a couple of pictures of what these cool animals look like. Hopefully the escaped couple returns safely, or perhaps they’ll create a new Capybara colony somewhere in the city!
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.
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.
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
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
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.
