Ontario Craft Beer Week Collaboration Brew Night at C'est What

This is the first of my less-than-detailed reviews of some beers and venues during my last visit to Toronto at which too many were consumed/great company was present thereby limiting elaborate reviews, but hopefully some general thoughts are welcomed!

OCB Collaboration Brew Night took place at Front Street's C'est What on Thursday, June 21st and offered seven unique (presumably) one-off collaboration brews - all of which were good!

For those who have never been to C'est What, the craft only bar and brewpub offers excellent food to go along with their craft beer menu, and made for an excellent dinner and drinks location - as always!

Having consumed several beers, as well as having many companions to catch up with meant my notes were negligible, so I will offer the following in brief.

The three that really stood out to me (see list in above link) follow, though all were enjoyable.

How Do You Say Monkey in Latin?  (6.8% ABV), brewed jointly by Black Oak, Sawdust City, and Charlevoix combined the Belgian dubbel style with an IPA and led to a blend that seemed somewhat like a tripel: fairly golden with fruity, fermenting pear notes, alongside some citrusy dryness.  It was, simply, excellent and I do hope they brew this again!  Grade: A+

Having been to Beau's for the start of OCB Week and being disappointed at the sell-out of Pan Ontario (8% ABV)  I was thrilled to try it!  This beer blends individually barrel-aged versions of Beau's Beaver River IPeh?, Flying Monkey's Smashbomb Atomic IPA, Grand River's Curmudgeon IPA, Great Lakes' Robust Porter, and Wellington's Russian Imperial Stout.  It is also remarkably enjoyable with a great oak nose with vanilla hints (from both the bourbon barrels and the stout presumably) yet it offers an IPA-like piney flavour predominantly, yet mixes these two styles quite well!  Grade: A-/A

Finally Pepparazi (5.2% ABV) made by F&M and Wellington combines roasted red peppers, fresh red peppers and three types of hot peppers into a rye ale.  This too was quite enjoyable for me, with a growing - then diminishing (as you 'acclimate') - spicyness not unlike Dieu du Ciel's Routes des Epices.  It wasn't excessively spicy, but was satisfyingly so as this well-balanced the maltiness of the rye style.  A fantastic beer I'd love to procure again!  Grade: A


Sorry for the brevity, but hopefully you got to try these, else perhaps you can join me in petitioning these brewers to make them again!