As a tease for this week's post, this new beer has me speed wobbling & bursting in this blizzard as winter sets in.

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

This week, we are discovering some new beers that caught my attention at the local retail outlet. They do a great job knowing which limited run beers to order, and have an amazingly diverse craft beer section despite my estimate that 75% of the local population like plain light lager.

Never having tasted these brews, they were far from gambles as I know and love each of these breweries... excited to taste something new from each.

Before we get started...

Occasionally, I forget that there are new readers who might wonder where the hell I get my strange progressive beer tastes. The simple truth of it is that I don't really sit down and crush 6 pints in an evening anymore, so I want a beer that tastes like 6 pints. Enter the hoppy, bold, strong IPA variety which is a slippery hipster slope when you start to punish your palate (which I am FINALLY spelling correctly after all these years.)

It is a great place to be when you are progressive and enjoy discovering new beers...like these.

SPEED WOBBLIN'!

Redline Brewhouse https://www.redlinebrewhouse.com/ has been an instant favourite brewery of mine since opening in 2015. Despite being approximately 2.5 hours of highway time away from home, I have had the chance to visit it quite regularly in the past couple years.

This new one is called Speed Wobble https://www.redlinebrewhouse.com/the-beers/speed-wobble/ and is classified as an American Strong Ale. It is a bit of a battle on your tongue because of the 62 IBU (International Bitterness Units.....maybe like a scoville for beer) thick malt presence, flaked Rye, 6.7 ABV, and a hops named FALCONER'S FLIGHT 7CS which I have never even heard of.

To me, it is more of a Rye Ale than anything else and I am that weird guy who appreciates hops AND malt characters in my beer.

Well Done once again Redline. Serious beer.

A Blizzard in Barrie

Hailing from the same small city as Redline, is older and less mature brother Flying Monkeys Craft Brewing https://www.flyingmonkeys.ca/ These guys played no small part into the descent into my IPA love affair starting with Smash Bomb IPA so many years ago. These cans jump off the shelf because the labels are designed like a psychedelic marker fight and often match the colours that burst from the taste.

Tiny Little Blizzards Northern Hemisphere is so obscure, it is not even listed on the website with a description or way to buy. They really do make use of all the real estate on the label which reads like you would an album cover back in the day while the record spins.

If you search through the cacophony that is the label, you discover that there are 5 Northern Hemisphere hops which make up this storm of flavour. Eldorado, Sultana, Cashmere, Ariana and Eureka. Without winter, would we really care for spring? Good point I will contemplate while enjoying this bold brew.

Bursting Pale Ale

Last but certainly not least, we have some more New England goodness from Great Lakes Brewing https://www.greatlakesbeer.com/ You can see, by the weathered old pint glass, that I have been sampling, reviewing and touting GLB as one of my favourite breweries for years. Perhaps it is time they sent me a new round of branded glasses for the next round of reviews.

Burst - A New England Pale Ale https://www.greatlakesbeer.com/Beer/burst-a-new-england-pale-ale/ follows the naming convention of Thrust - A New ENgland IPA I reviewed last week in my happy fridge https://hive.blog/beersaturday/@zekepickleman/we-are-back-and-my-fridge-is-happy It is missing the India which takes with it some ABV to make a 4.5% light pale ale.

As my long-time beer buddies will attest, I have a soft spot for a lighter beer that packs more taste than the typical ales. They are great for out-doors activities like camping, beaching or sailing and this is definitely one of those. I suspect it is a limited run and won't be available in spring or summer so I am simply imagining next year while chugging this bright, smooth beer. We are indeed saved from bland tasting lighter beer by our friends at Great Lakes Brewery.

I generally don't whip out the APPROVED stamp twice in a post but I do love me some GLB so sue me!

#BEERSaturday!

I was gifted this wonderful #hive #beer by @spirall on Twitter! Join the Hive push with us.

I have had hundreds of beers with my #BEERSATURDAY crew. I think our friend @detlev may have had too many beers because this week is also apparently week 180 as it was last weekend! Regardless, https://hive.blog/hive-187719/@detlev/180-weeks-of-beersaturday-celebrate is your link to click and wander into the longest-running beer-drinking club on any blockchain. Take some pictures, tell some suddsy pub tales, and become a Beerologist by posting your own story with @detlev and yours truly.

Lately, I have particularly been enjoying the tastings from @jlufer and @seckorama if you want to check out how it is done.