56 www.eatdrink.ca beer mAtters issue no. 24

Summertime Odds 'n' Sods

By The Malt Monk odds and sods, noun. Usage: Brit. 1. A motley assortment of things - odds and ends, oddments, melange, farrago, ragbag, mishmash, mingle-mangle, hodgepodge. We dream about summer for six months while shivering under a confining blanket of snow, so let's not waste a second of it. I hope you're spicing up those precious summer moments with good food and crafted artisan beers. Our local crafters have some fantastic new seasonals to seek out. If you're lucky enough to get to a good beer pub, here are some of the season's best offerings: Grand River's Raspberry Pilsner, Great Lake's Green Tea Ale, Hacker-Schorr Kellerbier, Beau's Juniper Witbier, and Black Oak Summer Saison. All are on tap for a limited time this summer, so ask your publican for them. I'm going to stray somewhat from my usual format and just give you some reviews and news on the latest beer releases and industry news. Let's start with a newly released beer that has been anticipated for over a year: Schneider Hopfen-Weisse (lcbo 164046). This wheat beer is the result of a collaboration between Schneider brewmaster Hans-Peter Drexler and Brooklyn brewmaster Garrett Oliver. Schneider Hopfen-Weisse represents the tradition and "terroir" of Bavaria paired with the inventive creativity of New World microbrewing for which Brooklyn is renowned. This beer is dry-hopped with the local Hallertauer Saphir hop at a rate of three pounds per barrel! It gives off an earthy herbal aroma and a woody-citrus flavour. Hopfen-Weisse is like a Bavarian Hefeweiss with August/september 2010 micro-brewed huge beer flavour. The result is a rich, full-flavoured, full-bodied, aromatic wheat Heller Bock. This is not a light spritzy patio wheat, but rather a big-flavour, big-bodied, unfiltered wheat bockbier. Best offering of the season and a natural pairing for seafood and creamy cheese dishes. If you get the bottled product, remember to leave a half inch in the bottle and swirl it to get all the settled goodness out of the bottom of the bottle. Ölvisholt Skjálfti (lcbo 168393). Another pleasant surprise of the summer season is the appearance of Ölvisholt Skjálfti. Between the Norse runes on the label and the fact that the brewery is straddled directly over where the North American and European continental plates meet, plus you can see an active volcano from the brewery door, it's hard to imagine a more Icelandic product. Founded by two neighbouring farmers whose passion for artisan brewing was greater than for dairy farming, Ölvisholt brewery has grown to be Iceland's premier craft brewer, exporting beer to Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Canada. Ölvisholt Skjálfti, their amber lager, approximates the character of a steam beer. Highly recommended to fanciers of amber lagers or steam beers, it's a versatile fullflavoured natural beer that pairs well with meats, fish and BBQ. Mill Street Brewery Schleimhammer Roggenbier (lcbo 186809, and on tap at better beer bars). As a distinct style, Roggenbier is about the oldest relic of medieval brewing we have left. Actually, were it not for fifteenthcentury monarchs regulating the food supply,

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