This post is an archived copy of what was originally posted on Facebook.
Saturday night brought us back to Canton, OH for Canton Brewing Company's 4th Anniversary Party! There were also a couple of Christmas parties and a birthday party going on in the cavernous Speakeasy room, so it was a rather festive crowd. For the anniversary the brewery was providing pints and appetizers for only $4, so that helped elevate the spirit!
Canton Brewing Company - Canton, OH
http://drinkcantonbeer.com
Currently available at their facility, or resold in regional restaurants and bars
Played: 9/14/18, 12/15/18
This was the Great Brewery Tour's second visit to Canton, the first being on the Summer Tour. As such, I tried to keep my beer selections limited to ones that I did not already review during the summer.
I started the evening with what seemed like a humorously appropriately named MegaPhone Crooner IPA (6%). The Crooner was a hazy American style Pale Ale, golden in color with a light head. Medium body and carbonation, it had a nice blend of bitter and fruity hoppiness, which slight implied traces of grapefruit. Heavy enough to be satisfying on a cold rainy night like Saturday, but light and citrusy enough to be refreshing on a warmer day as well.
For my second set I sipped the Carpe Noctem Coffee Porter (6.8%), which once I sipped it I remembered from my first visit to the brewery. A dark brown, almost black pour with a thicker tan head, the coffee is much more dominant than yuo find in many of these coffee brews, which was fine with me, as they used a good coffee from a local brewer. At the base was still a quality porter, so at first you got a nice whiff of coffee, with the coffee flavor up front, and then the toasty malt and nuttiness of a good porter coming in on the back end. Medium bodied and carbonation, it had a bold enough coffee and porter flavor to satisfy as a fall or winter beer, but was still crisp enough to be a satisfying thirst quencher as well. One of my favorite coffee brews out there.
I took Sarah behind the bar's recommendation for the night cap, and had a pint of the one-night-only Peach Double IPA with Chardonnay (8%). Canton's brewmaster, like most of the good ones, likes to experiment, and this was a very limited run of a recent experiment with Chardonnay grapes and peaches. Honestly, I didn't detect much peach (perhaps a little peach aroma), it struck my palate as more hoppy up front with the grapes bringing up the rear... which was interesting and tasty. It was a hazy golden color with a light head, and a body that reminded me somewhat of a sour... but without the sour, if that makes sense. The grapes were an interesting addition that made me wish it wasn't such a limited run, as I'd like to try it again.... maybe they'll bring it back.
This show was the final night of the Autumn Tour, which in retrospect I think was the 3rd anniversary party I played on this leg... which is good news in itself... glad to be a part of the celebrations of all these fine new breweries! Thanks to Dave at Canton and all the other brewers for hosting me on this tour, and keep your eye out for the Winter Tour dates, which be announced later this week. As I don't much care for winter, you can expect quite a few southern dates on the itinerary! Stay tuned for the announcement later this week.....