Beer of the Week – Grand River Curmudgeon IPA

Aside from those who frequent our city's better beer bars, it's likely that most Torontonians have never heard of Grand River Brewing even though it's located just an hour or so away in Cambridge. Opened in a disused knife factory by owner Bob Hanenberg and brewmaster Rob Creighton in 2007, Grand River quickly impressed the beer geek contingent with their line-up of flavourful ales and lagers with alcohol levels below 5%.

Or at least that's the level they aim for with their year-round offerings, including the 3.5% Mill Race Mild Ale and 4.5% Hannenberg Pils. When it comes to their seasonal and one-off releases, however, Creighton kicks things up a bit with some stronger and even more adventurous brews. Highballer Pumpkin Ale has been a hit at Hallowe'en for the past two years, and last year's strong and intentionally sour ale Ploegers Vlaams Rood is one of the most unique beers to come out of any Ontario brewery in recent memory.

The latest addition to Grand River's seasonal series is Curmudgeon IPA, launched earlier this month at a tasting at the brewery where it was sampled next to IPAs from several other craft breweries, including a couple rarely available in Ontario. From all reports, it held up quite well against the competition, and having recently enjoyed a very fresh bottle, I can believe it.

The first thing to note is that Curmudgeon sticks closely to the original British template of the India Pale Ale style, meaning it's a bit less aggressive than the American versions like Dogfish Head 60 Minute and Southern Tier IPA that have started trickling across the border. While the US-brewed IPAs often have strong notes of pine and citrus from the North American hops that are used (usually in abundance) for bittering, Curmudgeon uses English Pilgrim and Fuggles, two British hop strains that are more refined  in character.

But please don't take that to mean that this beer is any less flavourful. From the chewy and biscuity malt that comes through when it first hits the tongue, to the herbal and earthy hop notes that develop in the middle, and the marmalade-like flavours that build in the finish, this is still one big beer. That said, it's also surprisingly easy to drink, especially for a 6.5% beer, suggesting that perhaps Creighton's skill at brewing lower-alcohol, session-ready beers has rubbed off on his bigger beers as well.

Those looking for an excuse to make a road trip may want to consider aiming towards Cambridge, where Curmudgeon and other Grand River beers can be purchased in 500 ml bottles and 1.89 L "growler" jugs. Less mobile beer lovers, meanwhile, can find Curmudgeon on tap at Volo and several other establishments around town. And with any luck, a couple of Grand River beers will be available on LCBO shelves in the not-too-distant future.

Oh, and as for that crabby looking fella on the label: It's a picture of Len Owens, the owner The Golden Kiwi Pub & Grill in Cambridge, a big supporter of Grand River, and apparently one of the nicest guys you'd ever hope to meet. I guess "Nice Guy IPA" just didn't have to same ring to it.