The George Celebrates its First Anniversary

The George Brew House & Eatery occupies what was formerly The King George Hotel in Newmarket, Ontario. In addition to celebrating their one year anniversary on December 19th, the last few months of 2020 saw a few big milestones for The George, including the packaging of their lineup in cans, as well as the launch of their web store! I got to try their winter lineup for my first taste. Let’s see what they’ve got!

Urban Renewal

Kölsch - 5.3%

The George’s Kölsch-style ale pours crystal clear with a dark golden straw colour. It has a clean, bready nose. It’s crisp, clean and effervescent on the palate. The malt bill delivers bread crusts with next to no bitterness, some honey sweetness and a touch of lemon zest. The bready malt vibe carries straight through to the finish. Overall, it’s refreshing and crushable. It’s a solid Kölsch!

Escape

Piña Colada Sour - 5.0%

This sour pours a bright hazy yellow with an impressively frothy head for a beer featuring acidic fruit. The nose is fairly mellow with sour pineapple upfront and some faint coconut. On the palate, the pineapple is very much at the forefront, drinking almost like pure pineapple juice. I find that pineapple can often come off very acidic but it’s well managed here. Sour but not excessively so. It drinks very refreshing, leaving a nice tingle in the cheeks. The only thing missing for me is the coconut, which I’m not tasting much of. That said, it’s got a nice body to it, which the coconut could be contributing to. There’s a touch of sweetness coming through too, which helps to balance the sour pineapple. Not bad at all.

Razbiscus

Raspberry Hibiscus Kettle Sour - 5.0%

This one pours bright red with a thin pinkish head and a nose like full on raspberry juice. It’s a big blast of raspberry on the palate. Tart, but not in a way that peels your taste buds. There’s a background that’s floral and earthy as well as lending a slight tingle of spice. Flavours of cranberry come through as well. It’s got a decently full body with some good carbonation, which combined with these bright flavours make it light and refreshing, almost like a sparkling raspberry/cranberry juice. Like in the piña colada sour, there’s a good bit of sweetness balancing the fruity tartness. Probably my favourite of the bunch.

Apple Jack Frost

Holiday Spice Beer - 4.5%

Apple Jack Frost is a returning winter feature, released once a year at the beginning of the season. It’s got a dark pour resembling a brown ale with a slight reddish tint. Green apples feature prominently on the nose with a hint of baking spice, as well as grape, and something earthy and slightly vegetal. Apple flavour comes through on the palate a bit like apple cider. The spice flavour of cinnamon and nutmeg is faint but it adds a nice complement to the apple. There is something a bit vegetal that lingers in the aftertaste that I don’t love. Personally, the apple doesn’t work for me in this. It could have used some more sweetness to have more of a baked apple vibe, along with a fuller body. That said, I like the idea of a low ABV spiced ale. It does make it a bit less intimidating than some higher alcohol winter warmers can be.

The Darkest One

Oatmeal Stout - 5.6%

The George’s Oatmeal Stout appears to be a nod to The Tragically Hip, bearing the name The Darkest One, as well as label artwork displaying “RIP Gord”. It’s got a jet black pour with a foamy tan head, and a clean, roasty nose giving off aromatics of dark roast coffee. The coffee note is mirrored on the palate alongside milk chocolate, with an oatmeal malt bill giving it a comforting vibe of chocolate chip cookies. With low bitterness and a slightly smoky note on the finish, it’s a very solid straight up oatmeal stout!

So there are some highlights from The George’s winter lineup! Congratulations to them on their first anniversary. It was great to have a taste of their beers. When travel is safe and the next time I’m in Newmarket, I’ll be looking to come have a pint in person.

Article and photography by Nathan Lefebvre.

Find The George Brewhouse & Eatery online:

Nathan

Nathan is a craft beer enthusiast from Ottawa, ON. He is the Co-Founder of @TeamLactose, he’s passionate about travelling for beer and he loves talking about beer from Ontario, Quebec and beyond.

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