TORONTO, ON – Almost exactly a year after Left Field Brewery held an open house to show local beer drinkers the warehouse space where its brewhouse was to be built, the first pair of beers crafted in that East Toronto location are about to be released.
The first brew to be done on the new system was a Belgian-style ale that is being released under the name Lead Off Single, which is described as follows:
Since the primary role of this beer was to test the full brewing system, we opted to filter it in order to see what our filter was capable of. The result is crystal clear, light golden ale with a bright white, bubbly head. The Belgian yeast gives the beer subtle apple, pear and sweet spice aromas while the flavour is well balanced with hints of fresh white bread, an initial fruity acidity, a sharp carbonation and a somewhat lasting and slightly bitter finish. The ABV came in about half a percentage point higher than we had hoped for, at 4.9%.
This was followed by the latest installment in Left Field’s Prospect Series of single hop IPAs – Prospect: Citra – which has the following notes:
Big, juicy grapefruit, lime, peach and melon aromas are present and the taste is more of the same with a lasting, bitter finish. Like Lead Off Single, Prospect: Citra landed a half a percentage point higher in alcohol than we had expected and is higher in alcohol than our previous batches of Prospect, clocking in at 6.8% ABV and 60 IBUs.
Both new one-off beers will be available starting this weekend on tap at select craft beer bars throughout Toronto – see the announcement on the Left Field website for more details.
With these first batches out of the way, Left Field will now be concentrating on starting in-house production of year-round brands Eephus Oatmeal Brown Ale and Maris* Pale Ale, replacing the contract brewed versions currently available. A retail store and taproom is also in the works at the new brewery, with an expected opening date of late March or early April.