Brews News: B.C. sour comes to Ontario

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The Jurassic age has arrived at the LCBO, or at least a gold medal beer from British Columbia that parks the period on store shelves.

Phillips Brewing and Malting of Victoria has launched its marquee Dinosour Stone Fruit Sour in Ontario with impeccable timing.

Dinosour won gold in the best American-style sour ale category this spring at the World Beer Cup in Las Vegas. Already popular on the west coast, could its foray into Ontario signal a surge in popularity of sour beers, a category usually available only in taprooms and brewery shops?

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Phillips Brewing started in 2001 as a one-person operation in Esquimalt, B.C., before relocating to a former lumber store and becoming a popular destination for craft beer fans on Vancouver Island.

Dinosour Stone Fruit Sour leans into apricot and peach and balances tart with sweet. Phillips uses its in-house lactobacillus to get its clean, sour flavour.

The stone fruit version of Dinosour available in Ontario is the lead character in a family of sours Phillips brews. Others available seasonally in B.C. include blackberry, blueberry-pomegranate, and raspberry-lime.

What’s the appeal of sour beer? For brewers, it’s the big playing field of flavours. For consumers, sours can appeal to people who don’t like the taste of beer. They also can be more healthful than other styles because of the bacteria. But they’re an acquired taste, not unlike sipping that first Guinness or super hoppy IPA. Food pairings for sour beers such as Dinosour include goat cheese or oysters.

NEW AND NOTED

Sour seekers in Southwestern Ontario will find their happy place at London Brewing in the Old East Village where the Resolution series is a mainstay. There’s Resolution Raspberry Vanilla Sour, a vegan beer using local Heeman’s raspberries, and the floral Resolution Organic Hibiscus and Haskap Sour. Not ready to sip a sour? There’s a small batch of a new dry IPA. Memories of Summer is described as a “perfect transitional beer” between the seasons with a little more alcohol than a session IPA but less than a hazy. It’s brewed with Citra, Amarillo and, from BackRoads of Parkhill, Cascade hops. The yeast for Memories of Summer from Escarpment Labs is Pomona, chosen to increase the tropical notes.

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Dinosour isn’t the only player in peach-flavoured brews. Locally, Great Lakes Farms, of Port Stanley, has peach cider evoking memories of the summer tender fruit harvest. There’s also hard apple cider under the Great Lakes label.

Coming to Toboggan Brewing on Richmond Row in London: a private dining room.

Partnerships between craft brewers and junior hockey teams continue to grow. New teammates this season are Cowbell Brewing of Blyth and the Junior C Ironmen of Wingham. Local hockey and local craft beer have an appealing bond.

There’s a new honey of a beer in the Discovery series at Black Gold in Petrolia. Braggot takes bitter hops and adds sweet wildflower honey and late in the brew infuses the beer with hibiscus tea. Think wildflowers and caramel.

Black Swan, in Stratford, which turned 10 this year, has a schwarzbier. Threat Level Midnight is lighter than a stout but with those stout flavours of caramel and chocolate. Pairs well with cool days and the fall colours of Perth County.

Wayne Newton is a freelance journalist based in London.

BrewsNewsTravels@gmail.com

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