Monday 17 November 2014

Greetings From Sawdust City

Howdy Y'all, so shoot, it's been quite some time since I last done posted anything on this here blog. But rest assured good folks, we're gonna start postin' again on the regular, we just done got caught up in some other things....like opening a brewery!
That's right y'all, I'm sure it comes as absolutely no surprise at this point, but we're open for business here in Sawdust City.  The brewery doors are open and we've been slingin' pints down at the Sawdust City Saloon since way back in July.  Dang, it's just been so gosh darn long since we last conversed that I just wanted make sure y'all done did know that we were finally open.  It took the better part of three years and just about every stitch of patience we done did have, but gosh darn it, WE'RE OPEN!

So let me quickly bring y'all up to speed on what we've been doin' down here the past couple months. Since them first heady few weeks back in the warmth of the Summer, things have been movin' pretty darn fast 'round here.  Heck, we've already expanded and done added two new fermenters to our cellar, bringing the number of tanks up to 6.  And we've been busy doin' what we do best, releasin' a slew of new seasonals and ol' favourites.  Along with our 5 core brands which are available all year round, we've done pumped out four new beers since them doors popped opened.
First up was an ol' favourite of ours Red Rocket Spiced Stout.


We've done been brewin' this beauty for a few years now, but this is the first time it's been available at the LCBO.  That's right y'all, for just a paltry $3.25 you can pick up tins of yer favourite spiced stout at many LCBO locations across the province.  Just follow this here link and it'll show y'all what store have it and where you can pick it up. Dang, but ain't these interwebs just super fabulous.  This future is now!

http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo/product/red-rocket-spiced-coffee-stout/399881#.VGoLcvnF_UU

Now here at Sawdust City, we done love our stouts, so we followed up Red Rocket with another seasonal stout The Blood of Cthulhu.  



Brewed with our good pals at BarHop in Toronto, this here stout ain't fer the weak of heart.  Weighin' in at big ol' 9.5% ABV and crammed to the brim with raspberries, cranberries & tart cherries, this stout done have just about everythin' yer be lookin' fer in a libation. Chocolate, coffee, fruity  goodness with a cheek ticklin' tartness, it's just aboot perfect for this time of year.  We still got some bottles available at our retail store, so pop by and pick some up before it's all gone!

Next up, we brewed another collaboration, the 2nd Annual Birthday Beer with Ryan Morrow of Nickel Brook Brewing. Dubbed the "11.05 Series", this year's brew was an 11.05% Triple IPA and dang if it ain't just that!  Big, bold hops done just about consume everythin' in this beer, with the booze just kinda lurkin' there in the weeds. 'Round here we just call it "Danger Juice".




Juicy as all get out, this brew will satisfy the inner hop head in all of y'all.  Simcoe, Citra and Amarillo hops bring plenty o'citrus to the mix, while we done balanced it with almost no malt character to speak of.  If y'all like the hops, then this here beer is fer you!  Now, we didn't produce a lot of this one, it done cost a lot to make...but we do have a few cans left at our retail store, so pop by and get some, cause it be movin' very fast!

Lastly we done brewed our first in a new series of beers here at Sawdust City called the "Saison du Maison".  Back when we was just plannin' the brewery, one of the original ideas was to produce a saison each season, Each beer would reflect the season and would change every year.  The first beer we done brewed a few weeks back was an "Autmn Saison" and is called, "Winding Road for 7km".



Now I know what yer gonna say, "well shoot that done look a lot more like Winter than Fall"...but gosh darn it, last Tuesday it was all yellows, browns and reds...then bang...Wednesday everything was white. Ol'Man Winter maybe a crusty, ol'fart, but dang if don't move quickly!
Anyhoo, this here "Autumn Saison" is a 7% Rye Saison, brewed with a heapin' helpin' amount of rye and fermented with a unique saison yeast strain.  It be a nice fortifyin' ale, loaded with a sturdy, bready malt body and burstin' with aromas of spicy yeast esters.  
Named after a Muskoka back road that connects Bracebridge to Gravenhurst, this is certainly a beer that celebrates this particular season. Brewed to celebrate that special time of year when yer mind is clouded in a fog of melancholy and nostalgia. The burnt yellow hues of the leaves are a stark reminder of the Summer long since past and the actual fog, that sits heavy just above the cold earth, is a haunting indicator of the Winter just ahead.  
It done just about be finished and should be ready in the next week or so. Look for it at kick ass beer bars near you soon, or pop by and pick up a few cans at our on-site retail store.
One other thing we done did with this batch, is we are actually "can conditioning" our saisons.  We really do like the mouthfeel of this traditional method of carbonation and we hope you do too!

One last piece of information to pass on is that everything be in cans now! Our Lone Pine IPA, which is back on the LCBO shelves is now in the 473ml can format.  And the cans are real purdy too! Take a look 



This here link will let you know where you can find it 

http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo/product/lone-pine-ipa/398263#.VGoUd_nF_UU

Now that we all caught up with the past, here are a few things we done got comin' down the shoot here in Sawdust City.

This month we are workin' with the good people at Savvy Hops to bring our beer to a few lucky folks across the province (https://savvycompany.ca/savvyhiphops/#.VGoTuPnF_UU) We're sendin' out a case of beer that includes all our core brands plus the aforementioned "Winding Road for 7km". Subscribers can expect to see it at your door step by the end of the month!

Long, Dark Voyage to Uranus is comin' back to the LCBO! Yup, that's right y'all, our award winning Imperial Stout should be on the LCBO come January.  We'll be brewin' it real soon and you should be able to pick it up in it's new canned format by early 2015!  Are we happy about this? Darn tootin'!
Stay tuned for more details, as we have a few changes in store! Just keep followin' this here blog, our Facebook page, our Twitter feed or our Instagram page.

The next beer in our "Saison du Maison" series will be a Christmas Ale.  A big ol' Red Saison that should end up around 8-9%, it will have a rich malt body and will be spiced with orange zest and ginger.  We'll be brewin' it this week, so again, stay tuned for more details.

Anyhoo, that just aboot does it for now. Until next time, keep the beer in your mugs and the sawdust beneath your feet!