DECEMBER 4, 2025
HOLIDAY EDITION
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BREWERY • CITY • BEER • STYLE • ABV • TASTING NOTES • UNTAPPD RATING
FINE BALANCE BREWING
KINGSTON, ON
OATS & CREAM
IPA – NEW ENGLAND • 7.1% ABV
Utilizing a large amount of oats, and just enough lactose, we were able to produce a beer as creamy as it is hazy. Oats & Cream IPA is finished with a generous dry-hop of Nelson and Citra hops, resulting in a fruity hop-forward finish.
BADLANDS BREWING
CALEDON, ON
CASHMERE GALAXY (2025)
IPA – NEW ENGLAND • 6.5% ABV
Welcome to the softest galaxy in the entire universe, Cashmere Galaxy. We can’t confirm or deny, but we have heard rumours that this galaxy is actually just one amazing pair of sweatpants. You know, the ones that feel like your legs are gliding through a cloud when you put them on. Those ones. Cashmere Galaxy is an IPA hopped with Cashmere and Galaxy hops with a kiss of Motueka and Nelson Sauvin. We taste notes of peach, pineapple, melon and tropical fruit. Drinks as soft as the fiber, and galaxy itself.
NEBC EDUCATION PROGRAM
LESSON: "DRINK FRESH, KEEP COLD" VERTICAL featuring LIFE IN THE CLOUDS
LESSON: "DRINK FRESH, KEEP COLD" VERTICAL featuring LIFE IN THE CLOUDS
Three cans of Life in the Clouds were purchased from the same flat on a shelf in an LCBO store with production dates of August 11, September 24 and November 28, 2025. The recipe is the same, but freshness and temperature matter with hop-forward IPAs even in the stable condition of a can. During this lesson, you'll learn why breweries remind us: Drink fresh, keep cold.
COLLECTIVE ARTS
HAMILTON, ON
LIFE IN THE CLOUDS
IPA – NEW ENGLAND • 6.1% ABV
Fall into the rich embrace of this New England style IPA. Simcoe and Mosaic hops balance each other to make this juicy IPA explosively fruit forward in both taste and aroma while curbing any unbearable sweetness to make an extremely drinkable beer. The huge mouth feel ensures all of your tastebuds are enveloped in a blanket of tropical bliss, paradise in a can.
NEBC FEATURED BEER PAIRING
DOUBLE IPA + WASHED-RIND GOUDA + CHORIZO CURED MEAT
DOUBLE IPA + WASHED-RIND GOUDA + CHORIZO CURED MEAT
Double IPAs—especially New England styles—are bold and expressive, with saturated tropical fruit aromatics, soft bitterness, and a creamy mouthfeel. Their intensity and fruit‑forward character make them excellent partners for washed‑rind cheeses, whose umami depth and subtle saltiness create a vibrant contrast, while chorizo adds smoky paprika, gentle heat, and rich fat that amplify the beer’s hop saturation and the cheese’s savoury core.
COUNTERPART BREWING
NIAGARA FALLS, ON
FRACTURED DREAMS
DOUBLE IPA – NEW ENGLAND • 8.2% ABV
Brewed with Peacharine, Nelson Sauvin and Nelson Bless brewed in collaboration with Bad Bones Beer from Dunham, Quebec. A tropical hurricane of fresh passionfruit, nectarine, lychee, ruby red grapefruit and peach with a plush, creamy mouthfeel and zesty bitterness.
4.39/5 based on 175 Untappd ratings
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MASTRO
BELLEVILLE, ON
CHORIZO SALAMI
DRY CURED WITH SMOKED PAPRIKA
DRY CURED WITH SMOKED PAPRIKA
Mastro Chorizo Salami is naturally dry cured to perfection with smoked paprika to bring out a hint of smoked flavour in this sublimely spicy salami.
Mastro Chorizo Salami is naturally dry cured to perfection with smoked paprika to bring out a hint of smoked flavour in this sublimely spicy salami.
This spicy, paprika-driven meat adds warmth and depth, complementing the DIPA’s zesty bitterness. The fat content smooths out hop bite, while spice enhances tropical fruit notes.
This spicy, paprika-driven meat adds warmth and depth, complementing the DIPA’s zesty bitterness. The fat content smooths out hop bite, while spice enhances tropical fruit notes.
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UPPER CANADA CHEESE COMPANY
JORDAN STATION, ON
NIAGARA GOLD
OKA STYLE WASHED RIND CHEESE
OKA STYLE WASHED RIND CHEESE
This award-winning semi-soft, washed rind cheese is born of time-honoured Trappist monk cheese-making techniques. Cloaked in its golden, edible rind, this cheese is nutty and earthy, with a slight tang and creamy sweetness. Warming brings out its subtle saltiness.
This award-winning semi-soft, washed rind cheese is born of time-honoured Trappist monk cheese-making techniques. Cloaked in its golden, edible rind, this cheese is nutty and earthy, with a slight tang and creamy sweetness. Warming brings out its subtle saltiness.
The nutty, caramelized depth of this washed-rind cheese balances the beer’s tropical fruit and bitterness. Its firm texture and savory notes provide contrast to the plush mouthfeel. This pairing highlights the DIPA's fruitiness while grounding it with umami.
The nutty, caramelized depth of this washed-rind cheese balances the beer’s tropical fruit and bitterness. Its firm texture and savory notes provide contrast to the plush mouthfeel. This pairing highlights the DIPA's fruitiness while grounding it with umami.
FINE BALANCE BREWING
KINGSTON, ON
TIPTOE
IPA – NEW ENGLAND • 6% ABV
Tiptoe IPA is our take on a hazy meets hoppy NEIPA. Dry-hopped with Sabro and Citra this IPA is full of tropical flavours of coconut, passionfruit, and ripe pineapple. Full bodied, smooth, and creamy – you might mistake this one for a Piña colada.
BERNIE'S BURGER
BERNIE'S BURGER
WITH TRUFFLE MAYO AND DICED DILL PICKLES
WITH TRUFFLE MAYO AND DICED DILL PICKLES
Minced brisket smash burgers on a brioche bun.
Minced brisket smash burgers on a brioche bun.
BADLANDS BREWING
CALEDON, ON
NELSON FIRE
IPA – NEW ENGLAND • 6.5% ABV
We teamed up with Hops Connect Canada to trial a new hop product from Clayton hops called Amplifire™ for OCBC 2025! Amplifire™ is a fresh hop oil product that we used in the beer during dry hop. It’s a flowable liquid product that is extracted from whole cone hops the same day they were harvested, from bine (the hop vine) to bottle. It is effectively oil from wet hops. No drying or pelletizing. Like an advanced, liquid hop product… but for wet hops!
For this beer we decided to brew a version of our beloved all Nelson Sauvin beer, Nelly that we have aptly named: Nelson Fire! It’s the same awesome all Nelson Sauvin base beer, then we added the Nelson Amplifire on top. More Nelson, more fire, more goodness!
FINE BALANCE BREWING
KINGSTON, ON
BUBLANINA
GELATO SOUR • 5.4% ABV
Brewed with our friends at Pub Milos in London, Ontario, this beer mimics a classic Czech dessert. Expect big, saturated fruit flavours of cherry, blueberry and blackberry. This one is decadent and delicious.
MORTALIS BREWING
AVON, NY
YAKIMA BLEND
DOUBLE IPA – NEW ENGLAND • 8.2% ABV
This Double IPA highlights Yakima Chief hops. Hand-selected lots of Citra, Simcoe, and Mosaic have been used in the dry hop, bringing flavours of berries, tropical citrus, and peach.
BADLANDS BREWING
CALEDON, ON
BAD MOON RISING (2025)
DOUBLE IPA – NEW ENGLAND • 8.2% ABV
We got together with our friends at Third Moon to brew a DIPA! This beer was hopped entirely with New Zealand hops because they are delicious hops, and we just want you to be happy! Okay? Okay!
Hopped with the biggest New Zealand juice guns: our hand selected Nelson Sauvin, Riwaka and Nectaron, we taste all the good stuff: gooseberry, tropical fruit, red berries, peaches and pineapples. Wicked good. We hope this is what you want, because it’s for sure what our mouths wanted when we designed this recipe!
BADLANDS BREWING
CALEDON, ON
RIRI (2025)
IPA – NEW ENGLAND • 6.5% ABV
RiRi is our all Riwaka hopped IPA. Riwaka is a delicious New Zealand hop varietal that presents a complex blend of mixed citrus with this killer dank note that we love. This year we used a blend of 2 selected lots from last harvest and our selected lot from this year's harvest. It is an aromatic beast. This one's for all you Riwaka lovers out there! Which also includes us.
FINE BALANCE BREWING
KINGSTON, ON
BYWAY
IPA – NEW ENGLAND • 6.5% ABV
Our newest IPA features a big dry-hop of Peacharine and Paradisi hops. This beer is fresh and easy-drinking, with big tropical fruit, citrus flavours.
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