Welcome drinkers for a sampling of a local beverage. Not only is local but it's also award winning! Big Rig Brewery's Release the Hounds took home the Gold Medals at both the Ontario and Canadian Brewing Awards of 2014. The first thing that will strike you is the can art. From a distance it just looks like a black can with a gold sheep on it, nothing that special. But wait, as you get closer you realize there is a hidden Wolf motif eyeing up our golden sheep. The details on the wolf are great and this is still one of my cans of 2015. Warning: I've attempted to capture the can art the best I can, which still doesn't give you the full effect.
Details
Name: Release the Hounds
Style: Black IPA
Brewery: Big Rig (http://www.bigrigbrew.com/)
Country: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Price: $2.75 CAD.
ABV: 6.2%
Commercial Fluff:
"This Canadian Brewing Awards gold medal winner is crafted with multiple pitchings of aromatic and bittering hops. Its deep black colour is complemented with loads of bitterness and aroma, dry hopped for full hop flavour."
Own Opinion
Sight: Pours a deep brown almost black in colour, settling with a nice creamy tan head. Pours the same consistency from can and growler which is nice to see.
Aroma: Burnt toast springs to mind with a little bit of chocolate and raisins. Almost fruitcake but more bread in my opinion.
Taste: Bold chocolate mouthfeel. With a good amount of coffee and a slight hint of ash. It finishes with a hoppy bitterness that isn't too in your face but helps to round out the drink. Quite a light beer overall with good carbonation that leaves your mouth feeling clean.
Would I buy it again? Yes.
This beer can be drunk from a can, a growler, a bottle and from tap. I've been lucky and enjoyed every serving style it comes in and have not seen or tasted any difference between them.Which is rare as I know other breweries struggle now again with quality across different serving styles. This is an award winning beer and I couldn't agree more. It has the flavours I enjoy from a stout but has the freshness and bite of an IPA. So if you are ever in Ottawa, Ontario go treat yourself to lunch or dinner at their brewpub down at the Iris location. You won't be disappointed and it's easy to find as it's behind a massive IKEA.
With Iris being the brewpub not only can you eat and drink there, but you can see brew equipment and if lucky they may give you tour. Then on way out you can grab brewery swag like hats, tees, glassware along with cans and growlers of their beers. So well worth the visit.
As always if you enjoyed reading please click follow or the +1 and thanks again!
With Iris being the brewpub not only can you eat and drink there, but you can see brew equipment and if lucky they may give you tour. Then on way out you can grab brewery swag like hats, tees, glassware along with cans and growlers of their beers. So well worth the visit.
As always if you enjoyed reading please click follow or the +1 and thanks again!