ABOUT A BEER: Lone Pine IPA

The holy trinity: Beer glass, beer bottle, and beer reading

WHAT IS IT? An American India Pale Ale (IPA) with 6.5% alcohol.

WHO MAKES IT? Sawdust City Brewing Co, in Gravenhurst, Ontario.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT? You can find it if you're lucky. Unfortunately for us, this small brewery only brews in relatively small amounts (for now). So that means no lcbo, and no Beer Store. But when you see Sawdust City beer, know that it will be good.

A fresh shipment of Lone Pine recently was delivered to certain finer beer establishments. I can personally vouch for having seen or tried it at Wvrst, Morgan's on the Danforth, Bar Volo, and the Only Cafe. http://sawdustcitybeer.blogspot.ca/ has a complete map of the bars that carry it. Print it, fold it into 8, and keep it in your wallet, you never know when the mood might strike you.

WHAT DOES IT TASTE LIKE? I've written quite a bit about IPAs. This is one of those, but with an emphasis on the bitterness and the piney-ness. And by "an emphasis," I mean that the bitter slaps you right in the face. There's also some subtle (compared to the bitterness) citrus and bread, but they serve to complement the real stars: the pine and the bitterness.

WHEN SHOULD I DRINK THIS? Whenever you can find it. Sawdust City's beers are brewed in small batches and they come and go quickly.

WHAT ELSE?
The brewery makes a series of other beers that also come and go quickly, but Lone Pine is the first that they've made a second run of (this run was tweaked slightly to bring out the bitter. eep!). Long Dark Voyage to Uranus, their Russian Imperial Stout, is worth seeking out as well, though maybe it's not so much a patio sipper at 8.5%. And I might suggest shortening the name to LDV when in the presence of more respectable members of society.

If you follow me on the tweeter, you know that I have a bit of a mancrush on Sawdust City. They're the kind of brewery we need more of in Ontario, with a pioneering spirit and a taste for big flavours. Plus: they're flat out bad ass. These are beers that force this reclusive beer dad out of his nest and into the public, where danger lurks. And that's no small feat.