With the opening of yet another local brewery, the craft brewing juggernaut shows no sign of stopping any time soon. But I don’t hear anyone complaining; I’m certainly not.
The new kid on the block is Turtle Island Brewing Co., owned by none other than National Capital Craft Beer Week founder JP Fournier. If you happen to frequent 8 Locks’ Flat, Brothers Beer Bistro or Petit Bill’s, you may have already downed a pint or two of their beers. Though it has been available in a limited way, the brewery wasn’t officially open until this week when JP and company gathered some of their closest friends along with some of the biggest names in local craft beer for a launch at the Arrow & Loon in the Glebe.
Not having tried Turtle Island’s brews yet, I was happy to see that both of their flagship beers were on tap. I started things off with a pint of Dark Honey Brown, which was surprisingly sweet given that this beer clocks in at 7.5% alcohol. Beers in those ranges often turn me off. I find the alcohol content can drown out other redeeming qualities. Not so with this brew; it holds its alcohol quite well while conveying flavours of honey and brown sugar. Delicious stuff. I also had the chance to try their Smash Cherry Ale. An adventurous choice for a first outing. The cherry tones were subtle, but I’m told they come out more as the beer warms up. My homework for my next pint of this stuff is to let it warm and taste the change in flavour profile.
JP was kind enough to talk with me about where he hopes to take Turtle Island in the future (hint: there’s an Imperial Maple Stout in the works that should break through the 10% alcohol mark.) You can listen to our chat below.
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