A pair of brewmasters get together at one of their breweries, make a beer together, and release it as a collaborative effort. This is one of the hallmarks of craft beer. Often the partner breweries are located in different cities or even on different continents, and the collaboration is a reciprocal opportunity to sell beer in a market that's usually closed to them. But when the breweries are from the same city, the appeal for the beer drinking public is more subtle.
Two of Toronto's leading brewers, Iain McOustra of Amsterdam and Mike Lackey of Great Lakes, reunited to continue the series they started last year with their Maverick & Gose special release. This time, they managed to get their hands on four used cider barrels from Caledon's Spirit Tree Cidery in which to age their farmhouse ale. These days, it seems just about all brewers (McOustra and Lackey included) are aging beer in used whisky barrels, so this is a refreshing, light-flavored change.
The best barrel-aged beers depend on blending to even out the (often significant) individual characteristics of different barrels. This release was brewed in four batches, each aged between three and twelve months.
The beer is named after Lackey's dog, Ezra, and is part of a long-established club of special release beers with canine inspirations. Sadly, Ezra passed away the day they brewed the first batch of his namesake beer back in August 2012.
Ezra is a hazy orange gold with an off-white foam. As can be expected for a barrel-aged beer, the head fades fairly quickly and doesn't leave much lacing behind.
The taste starts with a sweet-tart balance featuring apple skin and honey-like malt and then fades to an elegant dry finish. Each sip leaves behind the pleasant impression of sour candy and really good hard cider.
I would only pair this beer with food after tasting it on its own, in order to appreciate its complexity. Once you have your bearings, look for a lightly- or un-smoked pork preparation — ham, quality peameal bacon, or a heritage-breed double chop — to match with Ezra.
Ezra will be in a small number of LCBOs, and Great Lakes has held back a cache of bottles to sell in their retail store. Don't sleep on this one: it's the best Ontario special release I've tasted so far in 2014, and has a price under $10.
Great Lakes Brewery's Ezra: Cider Barrel-Aged Farmhouse Ale, $7.95 for a 650ml bottle, LCBO #362822
In addition to covering beer, new restaurants and food trucks for Post City, David Ort writes about food and drink for several Toronto publications including his own site, Food With Legs. He is the author of The Canadian Craft Beer Cookbook; now in stores and available for ordering online. For more of his thoughts on food, beer and life in general, follow him on Twitter or get in touch at info@foodwithlegs.com.
