GRAVENHURST, ON – As most fans of Star Wars will know, tomorrow – May the 4th – is a day of celebration for the films due to a rhyming pun between the date and the famous “May the Force be with you” catchphrase. So the self-professed nerds at Sawdust City Brewing have decided to mark the occasion with their own trilogy.
Old Fashioned Dust Up (5.3% abv) is a “rustic pale ale” brewed collaboration with Ottawa’s Tooth & Nail Brewing that draws some inspiration from the classic Belgian Trappist ale Orval – most notably in the use of Brettanomyces Bruxellensis yeast – although it’s not a straight-up recreation. It’s described as having “notes of citrus and candied pineapple,” as well as “a light, cracker-malt body with a classic noble hop flavour through the middle ending with a dry finish.”
O.D.B. (10% abv) is an annual barrel-aged vintage release of the spring/summer seasonal ale Princess Wears Girl Pants. For this year’s edition, Princess spent a year in Ontario red wine barrels, and was then blended in a 9:1 ratio with some Golden Beach Session IPA that was aged in barrels for 3 months. The result is described as having “aromas of tropical fruit, mild oak barrel, and big barnyard funk [that] lead into a deeply complex beer.”
Finally, a batch of 11.05 (11% abv) – the annual Sawdust City/Nickel Brook collaboration marking the fact that November 5th is the shared birthday of their respective head brewers – that was held back from last autumn’s release will be out tomorrow. A Belgian-style Triple finished with Brettanomyces Bruxellensis, it has “muted aromas of candied fruit and just a touch of brett farmhouse,” and “a slight acidity helps promote the drinkability, while the beer displays flavours of sweet malt upfront, spicy European hops through the middle and ending with a light fruity finish.”
All three beers will go on sale tomorrow exclusively at the Sawdust City retail store. Old Fashioned Dust Up and 11.05 are packaged in 473 ml cans, selling for $3.75 and $6.95 respectively, while O.D.B. is available in a limited run of 2000 x 750 ml bottles retailing for $18.95 each.