I’m all over the map when I feature beers on the WILK Friday BeerBuzz. Whether it’s a strong stout or a light Helles, we have no boundaries on the show…and today we not only went all over the map but also across the border. Our neighbors to the north have always brewed some great beers, so it’s about time I feature a beer from a Canadian brewery…and so we did.
Today we crossed dover into Brampton Ontario to feature a brewery that started in 2009, and is just getting it’s beers into PA. Hop City Brewery features a Lawnchair Classic Weisse, a Happy Hour Premium Ale, a Mr. Huff Persuasion Pilsner and their flagship beer whish is of course what we featured today.
Barking Squirrel Lager is a traditional Amber Lager that is not only easy drinking, but also has a satisfying medium body & mouth-feel. This beer has a clean almost dry finish and a wonderful hop aroma from the Saaz and Hallertau noble hops on board. As the website says, it’s like a angel (or squirrel) dancing on your tongue, but that’s a good thing. This beer is infinitely drinkable and at 5% ABV and about 25 IBU you’ll be able to do so. 
It was fun to talk to Deanna Kaminskyj from Hop City Brewing Co. today and it was exciting to hear everything going on at Hop City. I was not surprised to hear that Barking Squirrel Lager took home the People’s Choice award as well as Gold and Silver at the 2010 Ontario Brewing Awards…I was however surprised to hear that Barking Squirrel Lager may be heading to 473ml cans in the future. I think this is good news and Barking Squirrel is a perfect beer for cans so stay tuned for future details.
So where did the name Barking Squirrel come from? Well this from Hop City, ”At Hop City, we brew beer because we love it. And in doing so we have created a really really really good recipe we dare you to try. Made with the only the best ingredients, THIS BEER WILL MAKE SQUIRRELS BARK AND GROWN MEN CRY.”
Thank you to Deanna Kaminskyj from Hop City Brewing Co, Nancy, John & Joe for yet another
fun Friday.
The Friday BeerBuzz…bringing good beers and good people together.
As always you can check out the video on-line at the WILK Friday BeerBuzz page by clicking HERE.
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Though I'm more an ale than a lager fan I will say that Hop City's 'Barking Squirrel Lager' is a great tasting lager and a nice intro into the realm of craft beers if you're someone new to the fold.
ReplyDeleteAnd since Deanna Kaminskyj from Hop City was kind enough to supply us with both the bottled and canned packaging of Barking Squirrel we were able to taste the beer and at the same time dispel the "This tastes like a can!" notion that undeservedly still lingers with canned beers!
Thanks to Deanna for being on the show today, thanks always to Bill from MyBeerBuzz.com, and thanks to you for listening!
No WILK FBB next week, it's Black Friday and we're all off but we'll be back the Friday after and we'll see you then!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Best,
John
webster@wilknewsradio.com
Comment moderation is coming after lunch...thanks for your patience!
ReplyDeleteI haven't tried Hop City yet but you guys are always right. I'll have to hit Krugels tonight.
ReplyDeleteBob
Its always a good day on WILK Fridays!
ReplyDeleteJim
I'll be hitting Krugel's. How much do they have?
ReplyDeleteJake
Jake....I think they only had a few cases so don't delay!
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard of this beer until your show today and I consider myself a local craft beer maven. I'm kidding but you did intro me to Barking Squirrel today. Cheers Bill.
ReplyDeleteMatt
I normally haven't liked many Canadian lagers but I like this beer. I tracked some down today after your show and it's a really nice beer. Thanks for bringing it to us. Kevin
ReplyDeleteCool that you brought us what I think is the first Canadian guest? Nice show. OK I'll try it.
ReplyDeleteAmy
Your guest today was good. She obviously knew her beer. Cheers Deanna.
ReplyDeleteChris JJ
Canada isn't know for great beer.
ReplyDeleteI haven't liked Molson or Labatt. Is this a better beer?
ReplyDeleteJen
Back in the day Molson Canadian was a beer that I liked. Is this better?
ReplyDeleteTJ
Jen & TJ
ReplyDeleteThe simple answer is yes. I like this beer much better than what you've mentioned. Get out to Krugels and try this for yourself.
I just started seeing this beer in PA. The boxes caught my eye but now that you had it on WILK I'll try it next chance I get. Have you seen it on draft?
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen it on draft yet but Deanna mentioned that it was available on draft.
ReplyDeleteOnce again a great video. I wish I had your jobs.
ReplyDeleteJerry
Do listeners get to come and visit the show to watch live? Mary
ReplyDeleteMary....so far we haven't been able to work that out. The studio is small and the lawyers are large. ;)
ReplyDeleteHi all. I think you guys do a great job at picking a nice array of diverse beers on the show. I may not love them all, but I always give it my best to taste them all. Thank you too for Krugels doing their tasting events that correspond to the show beer. Cheers. Jess & Eric
ReplyDelete