Janurary 29, 2026
On January 29, 10 members of the Probus Craft Beer Appreciation Group, plus an outside guest, gathered to conduct a tasting comparison, which this time, was not actually about craft beers. Instead we chose to compare 5 full strength brews with their zero alcohol counterparts of the same name. Included were Sapporo, Heineken, Grolsh, Kronenbourg, and Guinness beers.
Participants learned that there are two basic types of zero (or near-zero) beers. Some are created by first brewing a “real” beer, then the alcohol is removed as a second production step. Other zeros are never a “real” beer in the first place. For them, most of the ingredients are similar, but the brewing process is altered to arrest the action of yeasts which normally convert natural sugars in the wort (the mash of malt and other grains) to alcohol. As a result, this process leaves more sugar in the resulting beverage.
A quick look at the ingrediants panel on any zero beer can strongly suggests which type it is. In our group of five zero examples, the Sapporo (0 grams residual sugar), Heineken (0 gr), and Guinness (2.5 gr) all began life as a “real” beer. The Grolsh (10.7 gr residual sugar) and the Kronenbourg (13.5 gr) never had a taste (sorry) of being a “real” beer.
Our rating system for this sampling was pretty basic:
Do you think the zero version tastes like its full strength twin? Sapporo - not really. Heineken - somewhat similar. Grolsh - noticeable differences. Kronenbourg (a beer with pronounced citrus flavours) - the zero was even more fruity. Guinness - very similar taste. Many of us could barely detect the difference for Guinness.
Between each zero beer and its full strength twin, which do you prefer? For all but the Heineken pair (which tasted quite similar), the full strength version was preferred by most tasters.
The overall conclusion is that a real beer is better, but zero beers (especially Guinness) have a useful purpose for anyone, or in any situation where the drinker would prefer to limit their alcohol consumption.
Tasty pizzas from Pizzaville accompanied our beer tasting. Pizza hardly leaves the palate unsullied for refining tasting, but otherwise fit the relaxed and fun nature of this semi-sober (sorry again) event.
October 2, 2025
On October 2nd, a group of 14 craft beer enthusiasts gathered at Eric Smiths home in Port Credit to availed themselves of Greek chicken, BBQ kabobs, salad and 6 very different craft beers. These beers were from Quebec courtesy of David Litner who told us all about each beer and interspersed a quiz as we tasted these interesting beers and proved that we are not as smart as we think we are with the quiz. We did taste Flacoune Belgian Ale from Baie Saint Paul which was just voted as Canada's Best Beer.
It was a great autumn day sitting on the patio under the gazebo enjoying one of the last few warm days of autumn, eating good food, sipping amazing craft beer and enjoying the banter and laughter from everyone.
Thanks to the organisers and we look forward to the next tasting event which will undoubtedly be indoors.
August 7, 2025
On August 7th, a keen group of craft beer tasters and BBQ aficionados (we discussed that word!) gathered at the lovely home of Hugh Turner. As usual, our objective was to explore some interesting new craft beers. The food selected by Hugh was tasty BBQ’d skewers of pork and chicken, with tzatziki sauce, accompanied by a mixed green salad, and a generous assortment of Greek pastries. Kevin Paterson organized the event and selected the beers and deserts. His objective was to find new beer types which complemented this food well. Mission accomplished! The grand finale was a strong cider (6.5%). It perfectly suited the terrific baklava and other sweet deserts.
The four beers tasted (all well regarded) were, in order:
1. Canadian Red Ale from Fenelon Falls Brewing Company (Haliburton area)
A west coast style red ale. Mix of caramel and biscuit malts, with background tropical fruit flavours.
2. Short Hills Hazy IPA from the Bench Brewing Company (Niagara)
Juicy aromas of tropical fruit with a soft round body and light bitterness.
3. Checkered Flag from Northwinds Brewing Company (Collingwood)
A blond stout! Light golden colour with coffee and some chocolate notes.
4. Corduroy from Northwinds Brewing Company (Collingwood)
Full bodied IPA with a hefty addition of rye adding peppery spiciness to balance the citrus and light floral aromatics.
The cider was:
5. Maple Whisky Oak Aged Cider from NIagara Cider Company, Niagara Benchyards.
This long moniker delivered a full bodied but refined cider taste with maple notes and a touch of whiskey.
