Graeme: Sorry I wasn’t in the last issue, I was busy sailing the ocean and fighting off giant squid, and as a result was unable to reach my typewriter to contribute. However I am back and due for another exciting adventure in Getting Good Head.
This time I will be reviewing Spring Oddity, from Muskoka Brewery. I have decided on this for two reasons. 1: I saw it at the LCBO and liked the bottle, so in this case I’m judging the book by its cover. 2: My good friends dad is a part owner of the Muskoka breweries, and I’ve had so much free beer on him that I figured I should pay them back somehow.
Muskoka Brewery is located in the Muskokas (SURPRISE!) and is an award winning Ontario craft brewery, and, partially through drinking a lot of it, is one of my favourite breweries. They have year round selections, such as their Cream Ale or Mad Tom IPA, as well as seasonal specials, including Spring Oddity (bonus points if you can guess the season). It is a Belgian style Pale Ale brewed with “Pure Muskoka Water” amongst other things (one of which is Juniper Berries, which apparently are real things).
Upon pouring it is immediately noticeable that this is a very heady beer, or I didn’t pour it very well. Either one is possible, and will be determined on my next tasting, (2-3 paragraphs from now). The beer is light looking with a dark golden colour, which is probably slightly brighter than I’m describing it, because my glass is foggy. It smells sweet and looks quite delicious now that the head has settled in. Time to drink up. Wait…my phone just went off….and now that I’ve just had a lovely conversation with my mom, time to drink up…Part 2! (Dramatic Music).
Upon my first sip it is immediately noticeable that I like this beer. It is very sweet and rich with a very nice hint of citrus and tastes a lot more like a Belgian white than something like Shocktop (which for the record, I have been fooled by as well, this is a reference to our last article where Eric was tricked). It can also be noted that, unlike many strong beers, Spring Oddity goes down surprisingly smooth and tastes much lighter than it actually is. This could be a positive or a negative depending on whether or not you want to do karaoke.
With one glass finished, it is time for round two. It would seem as though my hypotheshis was incorrect: this beer is not very heady, I just poured it very badly the first time…whoops. Anyhow, this pour was much better and I can move on. Again, very enjoyable. The beer is quite carbonated and has a good bite, kind of like Barqs Root Beer. Spring Oddity also has a very dry and somewhat sharp aftertaste, which I enjoy, but some may not enjoy quite as much.
Overall, I quite enjoyed this beer, and, although not quite as good as some of Muskoka Brewery’s other selections (such as Mad Tom IPA, which is a current favourite of mine), it is still very good, particularly for a seasonal beer. It fits right in with spring by neither being too light or too heavy (even for a strong beer) and as such I shall award it. 4.2 Surly Bartenders out of 5.
Join us next issue where will discuss how to properly pour a beer (i.e. get good head).
Cheers,
Eric and Graeme
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