Welcome to The Craft Beer Diaries blog. This is where the good stuff happens - cheers!
beers, brewers, and everything in-between
Review: Juicy New England Style IPA by Petoskey Brewing
My friend Alex was on a recent road trip with his wife through Northern Michigan, and part of his trip was visiting local breweries. On his return, he gifted me two cans of Petoskey Brewing Juicy New England IPA and, damn, it's good stuff! I’ve never been through...
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Review: 7(1) White IPA by Exchange Brewery
On Queen St. in Niagara on the Lake, on the opposite corner to the storied Prince of Wales Hotel in a former bank, is The Exchange Brewery. On the outside you think, “Nah, it can’t a brewery here”, but it’s like the TARDIS: bigger on the inside, and they make...
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How Ontario Craft Beer Lovers Continue to Be Screwed Over by Politicians
Recently on The Craft Beer Diaries, Ryan Heighton looked at how cross-province beer sales in Ontario, Canada (where I also reside) suck, and how online beer sales direct from the brewers still has a way to go to be really effective. It's an excellent read on the...
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Review: Juicin’ by Sawdust City Brewing Co.
I’m calling it. Juicin’ is my beer of the summer. New England IPAs have been spreading like wildfire across North American craft breweries. This is one fire that I do not want to be put out. Using hops selected for their juiciness, New England IPAs are hazy and...
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Recap: Philadelphia Zoo Summer Ale Festival 2018
Lions, Tigers, and BEERS, Oh my! Finally I have the chance, between vacation, work, and family craziness, to publish this piece. Usually I try to get these out within the week but this time that just wasn't possible. On June 23, 2018, we once again had the chance to...
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Review: Industrial Pale Ale by Lock Street Brewery
Located in the heart of Port Dalhousie in St. Catherines, Ontario, the Lock St. Brewery produces a tightly curated line up of beer in a storefront location close to the site of the original Welland Canal Locks. Their core offering we’re going to be taking a look at is...
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Review: Lem by Half Hours on Earth
Sours are tough. They can be great and they can also be really terrible. Funk can be an extreme spectrum. Half Hours on Earth is a small operation in Seaforth, Ontario, focusing on sours and farmhouse ales. With a focus like this, it might be expected that they...
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Review: Cheeky Bastard Stout by Nickel Brook Brewing Co.
It’s a cool late June rainy weekend and I’ve got a really nice stout you might be interested in. Nickel Brook Brewing Co., out of Burlington, Ontario, is best known for their Naughty Neighbour American Pale Ale (future review), Equilibrium English Style Ale and series...
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Review: Wicked Awesome IPA by Nickel Brook Brewing Co.
Full disclosure: I love Nickel Brook Brewing Co. As self-professed (and undisputedly so) leaders in the Ontario Craft Beer scene since 2005, they know their hops. Their ales have kept me coming back, and their recent focus on developing new and complex funky creations...
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