For craft beer drinkers in Toronto, it's hard to imagine a time when Black Oak Brewery wasn't around. Their two main brands – Pale Ale and Nut Brown Ale – are ubiquitous favourites for many; their seasonal and one-off beers are always highly anticipated; and the smiling mugs of president Ken Woods (centre), brewmaster Adrian Popowycz (right), and associate brewer Paul Dickey regularly pop up at beer events and bars all over the city.
Amazingly, though, it's been just over a decade since the first bottles and kegs came off the line at the original Black Oak facility in Oakville (which was vacated in 2008 for a move to a larger space in Etobicoke). And with the aforementioned popularity of their seasonal beers such as Nutcracker Porter, Summer Saison and Oaktoberfest, it only made sense that their 10th anniversary last November would be marked with a new limited edition brew.
Plans for the beer were first revealed in October on the discussion forum of local beer geek website The Bar Towel, where Woods shed light on very little aside from the name – Ten Bitter Years – and that it was a strong ale with 8% alcohol. The style, he explained, was simply "a 10th Anniversary beer".
Being an Internet message board, much baseless speculation and useless debate followed, along with plenty of anxious anticipation for what was expected (or at least hoped) to be another enjoyable Black Oak brew. And when kegs and casks started to appear around town a month or so later, those expectations weren't just met, they were handily exceeded, with more than a few hardcore hopheads declaring it to be one of the best beers to ever be brewed in Ontario.
Take heed of the reference to "hardcore hopheads", though, as the "Bitter" part of the Ten Bitter Years name is there for good reason. This becomes obvious almost immediately after the slightly hazy golden-amber liquid is poured and placed down, as huge aromas of grapefruit and orange peel spring forth from the glass, along with hints of pine and tropical fruit. All of these come through powerfully in the flavour as well, with grapefruit in particular taking the lead position. A suggestion of balance is provided by some fleeting notes of caramel, but honestly, with this beer, it's all about the hops.
To be fair, Ten Bitter Years won't please every beer drinker out there, or even every craft beer drinker. Humans are hardwired to not like bitter flavours, and personally, it took me a long time to develop the love I now have for aggressively hopped beers. But for those who find that their mouths water at the mention of Stone, Avery, Three Floyds and other American breweries that are known for creating some serious hop monsters, Black Oak Ten Bitter Years is a welcome addition to the tap handles of Toronto bars, even if it's only for a limited time.
Due to issues with the bottling line at Black Oak, Ten Bitter Years is currently available only on draught (in both keg and cask-conditioned form), and on an irregular basis as they are planning on releasing it a bit at a time throughout the anniversary year. Rhino, Volo and C'est What are three of the handful of bars that will have it available from time to time – to avoid disappointment, we suggest calling ahead to see if/when it will next be available.
Speaking of avoiding disappointment - only 10 tickets remain for the Brewmaster's Dinner with renowned beer and food pairing expert Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery, taking place this coming Thursday, January 21st at Rhino (1249 Queen Street West). The dinner is being presented by the Canadian Amateur Brewers Association (CABA), and will feature four food courses (including wild boar prosciutto, game sausage, roast caribou and more) and five Brooklyn beers (including the rare Brooklyn Wild 1, which is their Local 1 Belgian-style ale aged in bourbon barrels with Brettanomyces yeast). I've attended two previous dinners hosted by Oliver, and he's an extremely engaging and interesting speaker, so this dinner will be well worth attending for that reason alone. Tickets are $75 for CABA members, $85 for non-members, and can be purchased via the CABA website.
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