Brasserie Dunham 3
KATY VS. SASHA: Vin d’Orge Noir from Brasserie Dunham
Katy and Sasha are the contributors for Ottawa Beer Events! They have distinctly different palates and in this segment they go head-to-head tasting Vin d’Orge Noir from Brasserie Dunham.
Katy:
Originally brewed for Montreal's Winter Warmer, Dunham's Vin d'Orge Noir has been generously hopped with Chinook and Calypso and partially aged in bourbon barrels.
It pours a pitch black with a small amount of tan foam that quickly disappears. There are wonderful citrus and pine resin aromas mixed with dark fruit (plum, dates, grape), roasted malt and caramel. Although it's packed full of hops the taste is a little sweet with the fruit flavour being backed up with caramel and vanilla from the bourbon barrel and finishing with a lasting bitter pine finish.
This is a great interpretation of a barley wine that caters to the hop heads. Think of it as a sweet black IPA almost.
KATY VS. SASHA: Imperial Black IPA by Brasserie Dunham
Katy and Sasha are the contributors for Ottawa Beer Events! They have distinctly different palates and in this segment they go head-to-head tasting Imperial Black IPA by Brasserie Dunham.
Katy:
With the recent snow fall and blustery frigid wind, this beer review was perfectly timed!
Pouring a thick, thick ink black with a cascading chocolate milk coloured head, there are warm roasted aromas of malt that are sharply contrasted by hoppy grapefruit. There's a wonderful creamy, full body that makes this big 8% ABV bottle a fun indulgence.
As for the flavour, it starts off with a layer of roast – dark cocoa, sweet molasses and notes of ashy smoke and then turns bitter with herbal and grapefruit hops kicking up the IBUs to 117. There's a dry finish with a slight boozy astringency.
I really enjoyed this brew and as the temperatures keep getting lower I'm going to keep enjoying it.
If you put the best of Katy's favorite beer style (IPA) and mine (stout) together you basically get Dunham Black IPA.
KATY VS. SASHA: Dunham/Kissmeyer Leo’s Early Breakfast IPA
Katy and Sasha are the contributors for Ottawa Beer Events! They have distinctly different palates and in this segment they go head-to-head tasting Dunham/Kissmeyer Leo's Early Breakfast IPA.
Katy:
Brewed by gypsy brewer Anders Kissmeyer at Brasserie Dunham,
this American IPA is super interesting as it's brewed with Earl Grey tea and guava puree. Upfront the aroma is full of resin with bergamot becoming more pronounced as it warms. It tastes like it smells ..at first. Wonderful resin with bergamot
and floral hops mixing in, but as you sip other flavours become more
pronounced. Tropical flavours of guava start picking up in the middle
and a nice black tea bitterness lingers at the end. At 54 IBUs and 6% ABV this brew is easy to drink and quite enjoyable, no wonder Leo's having it for breakfast!
I'll have to admit I wasn't expecting to like this beer when at first glance I saw how cloudy it was, as I don't usually like cloudy/unfiltered beer. But it has a nice amber colour amidst the cloudiness. The aroma is sweet and almost citrusy blended with a strong hoppy smell as well the faint scent of Earl Grey tea. As a tea lover I really enjoyed the Earl Grey flavour and found it to be very present. I love the hint of fruitiness from the guava. Overall I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this beer.
Available at Bières Du Monde (181 Rue Principal Aylmer, QC) - lesbieresdumonde.com
