Share
Prince Edward County is Ontario’s little secret. If you’ve never been, you’re missing out on an area filled with abundance – wine, cider, cheese, beer and so much more. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the amount of flavour available in one area and it’s hard to explore in just one trip. Since I was first introduced to the area, I’ve been back several times for weekends or day trips to explore new favourite spots. No matter how many places I visit, the one I always return to is Barley Day’s Brewery.
While Barley Day’s may be the only brewery among the wineries, it celebrates the region and the terroir like no other! Through the use of local apples, hops, cherries or wine barrels – Barley Day’s is proud to show off Prince Edward County. And if you’re ever in the region, be sure to stop by the brewery for a tour – it’ll make you excited about beer and The County.
In this month’s Savvy Hip Hops, you will find:
…in your Quick Picks
Cherry Porter
Scrimshaw Oyster Stout
County IPA
Sugar Shack Ale
Snakebite Apple Ale
Royal George Brown Ale
…in your Taste Case
Cherry Porter
Scrimshaw Oyster Stout
County IPA
Snakebite Ale
Royal George Brown Ale
Loyalist Lager
County Light
Harvest Gold Pale Ale
Wind & Sail Dark Ale
Ursa Minor Black Lager
Ursa Major Black IPA
Need more beer?
If you would like additional bottles of any beer featured in Savvy Hip Hops, just call our Savvy Brew Crew & we’ll do our best to arrange a special shipment for you. Put us on speed dial – Savvy Hip Hops Hotline: 613-SAVVYCO (728-8926) or cheers@savvycompany.ca
Cheers!
Debbie & the Savvy Brew Crew
Introducing…
Barley Days Brewery
by Katy Watts, Cicerone & member of the Savvy Brew Crew
The Past…
Barley Day’s Brewery first opened their doors as Glenora Springs Brewery in 2000 (photo – right). Seven years later they picked up and moved to Picton and changed the name to reflect a time in Prince Edward County – when the region was renowned for the quality of barley and hops grown in the area.
Regardless of the brewery’s name change, the core beer line up stayed the same, with some tweaks to some of the name changes: Red Coat Pale Ale became ‘Harvest Gold’, Triple Chin Irish Ale became’ Wind & Sale Dark Ale’ and the beer previously named Black Scarf Cherry Porter became the new ‘Yuletide’.
To reinforce a heritage connection with their beer, Barley Days 341mL bottles also featured vintage artwork by local artists Peter Rindlisbacher and Manly MacDonald.
The Present…
With their move to Prince Edward County, Barley Day’s has the benefit of being one of the few breweries surrounded by wine country. When I asked Head Brewer Brett French (photo left) how it felt to be in the middle of rapidly growing wine region, he said, “It’s exciting! I especially like seeing people’s reactions to having a beer during a weekend wine tour. A lot of the folks are pretty thirsty after tasting wine all day and having beer in the mix is a great addition to the wide variety of food and drink that The County offers.”
In addition to their core lineup, Barley Day’s has added several additional brews to their lineup to showcase the flavour of The County and satisfy the demand for craft beer. Beer’s like Snake Bite, Sugar Shack, Scrimshaw Oyster Stout showcase what beer is. As Brett says, “Every winemaker here will tell you that it takes a lot of beer to make good wine.”
Looking into the Future…
Barley Day’s recently changed ownership and changes were made immediately to expand many facets of this brewery & the products too. For the first time since the brewery opened in 2007, they recently changed their labels and packaging. What do you think? While the look has been updated, the core beers are still packaged in 341mL bottles while special seasonals are now packaged in a fancy 500mL with a cork & cage treatment.
There have been renos to the brewery as well as a new patio where a local food truck will park & serve up a menu full of beer & food pairings.
Brett also hinted that three additional summer seasonals are planned. And if that were not enough, other collaborations with new County breweries are in the works. “We want to make PEC (Prince Edward County) a wine AND beer region. If our map can be filled with 40+ wineries, why not have as many breweries as we can fit?” says Brett. “Until then the Barley Day’s team will continue to do what we do – make easy drinking, sessionable, accessible beers using quality ingredients that we’re proud of.”
Here’s to Brett & the crew at Barley Day’s Brewery!
• Savvy Hip Hops Tasting Notes •
Katy shares her notes about each beer, along with her picks on what to serve … and some fun recipes too!
Cherry Porter
Previously known as Yuletide Cherry Porter, this 5.5% alcohol by volume porter (ABV) is brewed with Ontario cherries in the mash. How cool is that?
Tasting Notes: Resembling cherry cola when poured, this beer has some wonderful complexity to it. The flavour starts with a dark coffee roast that gives way to cocoa and notes of plum, raisin and cherry. However, you’ll notice the cherry most on the finish, adding a slight tartness to balance the bitter.
Suggested Food Pairing: This beer will pair alongside dessert like a good cup of coffee! Indulge in cherry cheesecake, a big slice of chocolate cake or a few pieces of quality chocolate.
Scrimshaw Oyster Stout
This 4% ABV dry Irish stout is brewed with Green Gables Malpeque Oysters from Prince Edward ISLAND. According to Brett (in selfie), “We have 1500 PEI malpeques ready to go into the boil… but to be truthful (ahem), I would say only about 1450 actually make it into the boil.”
Tasting Notes: Pouring with little head (possibly due to the addition of oysters), Scrimshaw starts like any other dry Irish stout – roast, cocoa, maybe a little char to round it out. It’s at the finish where the flavour of the Malpeque Oysters shines – a good amount of brininess and a slight minerality from the shell.
Suggested Food Pairing: Oysters of course!
County IPA
This 5.5% ABV India Pale Ale is brewed with a blend of hops, including some sourced from Prince Edward County!
Tasting Notes: Starts malty with sweet caramel, biscuit and grain flavours leading to orange and earthy hops. I’d call this more of an English-style IPA with more of a subdued hop profile and low bitterness.
Suggested Food Pairing: Go with a big spicy Indian curry like chicken madras or vindaloo. The malt profile of County IPA will help cool your pallet and cut through some of that spice.
Royal George Brown Ale
This 5.1% ABV ale is named after the H.M.S. Royal George, the largest warship on Lake Ontario and is a showcase of malt flavour.
Tasting Notes: Malt lovers rejoice! Royal George starts with a slight nutty malt flavour that slips into sweet caramel, brown sugar, chocolate and a touch of roast. Hops take a backseat, offering a slight earthy bitterness at the end.
Suggested Food Pairing: Brown ales are a perfect pairing for a cheese plate. Fill your plate with aged Gouda, Comte, mild cheddar and blue cheese.
Snakebite Ale
Named after the combination of lager and cider, this 5.5% ABV beer is brewed with real Ontario apple juice pressed at the brewery.
I asked head brewer Brett how they make this beer, “We grow a ton of different apples from here in The County. We spend a day pressing and collecting the juice, then, use that fresh apple juice as a portion of the brew water. The grain bill has a bit of caramel malts and only a slight hop addition to balance it all out. The thing I like about the beer is that it’s real apple juice. You can actually taste the tartness and slight sourness of the apples.”
Tasting Notes: Take a moment and smell this beer – does it remind you of a caramel apple from a country fair? While it may smell like caramel there is little caramel flavour in this beer. Instead, we’re treated to simple ale with flavours of grain and biscuit that’s spiked with tart apple.
Suggested Food Pairing: This would work perfectly with a home cooked pork chop or roasted chicken dinner with a side of butternut squash.
Loyalist Lager
No need to stay loyal to the Crown to enjoy this lager! Brewed in the Czech Pilsner style with Saaz hops, this 4.5% ABV beer is easy to drink no matter who your allegiance is to.
Tasting Notes: Starts slightly sweet with some caramel, grain and cereal notes, but with a slight earthy/spice hop flavour. There’s a nice balance between the hops and malt which makes this light bodied lager crisp and easy to drink.
Suggested Food Pairing: Serve alongside grilled pork or chicken and light seafood.
County Light
This beer has an interesting label! Don’t be fooled though, while it is lighter than Barley Day’s typical offerings it still has more flavour.
Tasting Notes: Crisp with a slightly sweet grainy malt sweetness and faint earthy hop flavour. County Light is fairly light bodied and at 4% ABV it’s a good beer to take on a camping trip (perhaps Sandbanks?).
Suggested Food Pairing: This style offers a delicate flavour, but high carbonation. I would pair it with deep fried or fatty foods to help keep the palate refreshed. Go ahead, I’m giving you permission to order onion rings.
Harvest Gold Pale Ale
This 4.8% ABV Pale Ale is brewed with Fuggles and Golding hops and best enjoyed after a long day in the field.
Tasting Notes: Slightly sweet with a biscuit and grain note leading to an earthy, almost mineral, hop bitterness. The carbonation is crisp and the finish leans more towards a slight bitterness.
Suggested Food Pairing: The earthy hops and crisp carbonation will pair wonderfully with fish and chips or a sticky bread budding.
Wind & Sail Dark Ale
This 5% ABV Dark Ale is a nice balance of malt and hops. The deep colour and white head wisps makes me think of a boat weather a dark storm.
Tasting Notes: This ale has a wonderful nutty grain malt base with notes of dark chocolate, slight roast and dark fruits. The sweetness is restrained by an underlying earthy, almost spicy, hop.
Suggested Food Pairing: The malt in this would pair well with roasted meat, charred greens and a flourless chocolate cake for dessert!
Ursa Minor Black Lager
Also known as a Schwarzbier, ‘Little Bear’ boasts big flavour and shrugs off that assumption that lagers are void of flavour.
Tasting Notes: Starts off with a good amount of roasted malt with a slight caramel sweetness. Earthy/pine hops are there in a supporting role, adding a slight balance without overwhelming the flavour. Finishes dry.
Suggested Food Pairing: The mild roast or burnt flavours go well with grilled meats like salmon or pork chops. Don’t be afraid to try some dark chocolate alongside it though!
Ursa Major Black IPA
Also known as a Cascadian Dark Ale, Black IPAs showcase a good amount of roast with a bitter addition of hops. With a nod to the ‘Great Bear’ constellation, Ursa Major, pouring 5.3% ABV, doesn’t disappoint.
Tasting Notes: Big amounts of roast jump out of the bottle when opened and it blasts onto your palate at first sip. Hidden in that roast is a caramel undertone that meets with a sharp citrus and somewhat resin-y hop. The finish is quite bitter with both the roast and hops leaping onto your palate at once with no trace of balance.
Suggested Food Pairing: Now is a good time to haul out the BBQ and grill a steak to perfection, maybe even add a skewer of shrimp to make it surf and turf.
• Recipes to enjoy with the featured Savvy Hip Hops •
With Harvest Gold Pale Ale
Ale Poached Shrimp
Barley Day’s Kitchen
Ingredients
2 12 oz bottles of Harvest Gold Pale Ale
2 garlic cloves, sliced
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs parsley
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1lb large tiger shrimp
Method
In a large pot, combine all the ingredients except shrimp.
Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes to combine the flavours. Add shrimp and poach for 2 to 3 minutes or until shrimp is pink and firm.
With Royal George Brown Ale
Beer Braised Beef with Caramelized Onion & Blue Cheese
Barley Day’s Kitchen
Ingredients
½ cup diced double smoked bacon
3 tbsp unsalted butter
3 medium onions, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
2 lbs beef stewing meat, cut in 1 ½ inch cubes
Vegetable oil for frying
1 12 oz bottle Royal George Brown Ale
2 whole sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh parsley
4 cups beef or chicken stock
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 cup blue cheese, crumbled
Method
In a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until slightly crisp and fat is rendered. Add the butter and onions to the pan and lower heat. Cook onions slowly, stirring occasionally until caramelized, about 20-30 minutes. Season onions with salt and pepper and set aside.
In another heavy bottomed pot, sear the beef in a little oil to a nice brown colour. Sprinkle beef with flour and stir. Add the beer and scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the onions to the beef and be sure to scrape all the bits from the onion pan. Season the beef with salt and pepper to taste. Add the fresh herbs and stock and simmer for 1 ½ hours over low heat until the beef is tender, stirring occasionally. Add the vinegar and taste to see if you need more salt and pepper.
Serve with blue cheese sprinkled on top.
With Wind & Sail Dark Ale
Wind & Sail Dark Ale Ginger Christmas Truffles
Chef Lili Sullivan Claramount Inn & Spa
Ingredients
¾ cup ginger cookies, crushed
2 Tbsp finely chopped glace pineapple
2 Tbsp finely chopped hazelnuts
2 Tbsp ground almonds
2 Tbsp finely chopped citrus peel
2 Tbsp dried cherries
2 Tbsp finely chopped candied ginger
1 Tbsp Barley Days Wind & Sail Dark Ale
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup butter, cubed
6 oz dark chocolate, chopped
2 Tbsp whipping cream (35%)
¾ cup finely chopped hazelnuts – for coating
Method
In a medium bowl, mix cookies, nuts, dried fruit, ale, and vanilla.
Melt butter in a small bowl over simmering water with chocolate, stirring until almost melted, remove from heat and finish melting by stirring. Whisk in cream, stir into cookie and fruit mixture. Refrigerate until firm.
Roll mixture into 40 balls. To coat, roll balls in nuts. Refrigerate in a covered container with waxed paper between layers up to 2 weeks. To serve, place in small paper or foil cups.
Chocolate mixture can be frozen after rolling into balls and then coated when removed from freezer.
With Cherry Porter
Chocolate Cherry Porter Cheesecakes
Barley Day’s Kitchen
Ingredients
1 ¼ cups chocolate wafer crumbs
1/3 cup melted butter
½ cup sour cream
1 Tbsp corn starch
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 ½ lbs softened cream cheese
½ cup Cherry Porter
2 eggs
¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate, melted
Method
Preheat oven to 350’F. Butter or spray a 10-inch spring form pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. In a small bowl toss the crumbs with melted butter and press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Set aside.
To make the filling, stir together sour cream, cornstarch and sugar in a bowl. Set aside. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, whisk together cream cheese, porter and eggs until very well combined. Gently mix the sour cream mixture into the cream cheese mixture. Fold in melted chocolate and stir through to streak the mixture and make it look marbled.Pour the batter into the prepared pan and tap on counter to release any air.
Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until the middle has set and the sides are slightly puffy. Chill completely before slicing.
Enjoy your Savvy Hip Hops!
Share