HAMILTON, ON – Craft beer bar and restaurant The Ship in Hamilton, Ontario, has announced the impending launch of an on-site nanobrewery.
Overseen by The Ship owner Tate Graham and brewer Victor North – previously employed at the Toronto location of The 3 Brewers – the tiny brewery features a 30 litre brewing system that will be used to create a seasonal rotation of house beers for the pub.
The first beer to come out of the brewery will be The Ships Rations IPA, a 6.5% abv and 70 IBU ale which is described as follows:
The Ships Rations is a hybrid of old and new – with a twist. It shares some traits with old English IPAs, specifically the sparkling carbonation and the dry crisp finish. It is like modern IPAs in that it makes exclusive use of recently developed strains of high-alpha acid hops, specifically Citra & Simcoe. But it takes a lighter hand on hop character than most modern IPAs, which allows some interesting special ingredients to be incorporated. These exotic ingredients are Ginger, Molasses and Chinese Sugar Crystals. These ingredients are reminiscent of the Far East and the English colonial period when spices, sugar, and molasses were loaded onto English ships – ships that returned loaded with Ale. The ginger helps to create a powerful aroma of cardamom on the nose (putting the “I” in IPA) and is perhaps more felt than tasted, as it creates a synergistic effect with the hops, increasing the perception of bitterness and leaving a pleasant, almost hot, bitter burn on the palate. The molasses adds color and complexity, and the Chinese sugar crystals help to lighten the body and create a rather dry beer.
A launch event for The Ships Rations IPA will take place at The Ship on Thursday March 7th. Details of future beers to be brewed at The Ship have yet to be announced.