Chronicle Brewing Company — Restaurant in Clarington

Oh Chronicle Brewing, how I love your style; your big screen tv set on sports, the numerous board games piled in a corner; and your 4 controller PlayStation setup. And the beer. Oh the beer! 10 taps of delicious, flavoursome, finely crafted words of love to hops, malted barley and yeast.

The owner takes a fierce pride in his establishment and the quality of the brews, and yet is gracious and generous enough to offer free 2 oz sippers to sway the undecided. Don't settle for 1 flight, take 2!

Chronicle is an establishment that takes its responsibilities to brewing seriously. They have sours! Not just one, but 2 labelled as such, and a third,  a sour saison, though not labelled as a sour. You may hate sours -- but understand this. Brewers who craft them are individuals who want to master their art. A heuristic that will rarely fail you is that establishments that take the trouble to imagine, craft, and serve sours serve exceptional brews all-round: like Chronicle.

Three, 4 oz flights at $6 are served at Chronicle, and about 5 different beers are stored in the fridge.

The Lando Cal Juice IPA has a beautiful, fragrant aroma, citrusy esthers, and delicious, smooth fruity flavours. A top of the line IPA.

The Rosehip Saison, as all saisons are wont to be, is a bit of a rebel: combining citrusy and red currant/raspberry flavours into a lingering, soft sour. Definitely a pleasantly unexpected flavour profile.

Two of the most prosaic drinks on hand are the FTL Lager and the Golden Axe (yes! Like the early 90s, groundbreaking computer game) blonde ale. Both are pleasant, but have a watery mouth feel in comparison to the richer offerings.

A sour for men, for the adventurous, for the wild-at-heart is the Eye of Souran. A delicious, dark sour with complex fruity notes.

A surprise in the stables is the Robust Milk Porter. This is a bit of a misnomer as the porter in question is more genteel and civilized than robust! It is light, smooth, and achieves a creamy coffee/caramel aftertaste from the milk. Few milk stouts can challenge this on its pedestal of excellence!

The Heroes Handbag is an English mild with a compellingly dark colour and surprisingly sweet aftertaste.

Two more perfectly balanced drinks could not be found in the region: the Dwarven Stout, and the Belgian Strong Ale are both compelling proof of the craft of this brewery. They are touchstones for their styles!

The Apple Cinnamon Pie seems gimmicky, but the taste profile is in keeping with the professionalism of Chronicle: well-balanced, with a hint of sweetness.

Chronicle's award winning Black IPA, Super Dark Osborne, has a fruity/zesty fragrance, a lovely, rich dark stoute colour, and a deliciously fruity IPA flavour.

With many of its brews being canned on premises, Chronicle is one of the rare microbreweries that can boast of fresh brews.

An...

A++ experience with Chronicle today. First, I checked in on Instagram to make sure they were still operating in these "interesting times" we find ourselves in. Got an immediate, friendly response from the owner and popped in for a few cans.

Ended up spending ten minutes in the store talking with the friendly, informative front line staff. We discussed the events they host, the profile and uniqueness of some of their brews and the great community that has grown up around this establishment.

Walked in expecting to buy a four pack - instead I left with a new friend, close to a dozen pints, a t shirt and a beer glass! I liked the vibe and energy so much, I was compelled to support this local shop.

Oh, and the beer is incredibly tasty. The 'Ales from the Crypt' is the best sour in Ontario, no contest.

As the villain in an RPG would say, "you haven't seen the last of me,...

Variety: 5/5 Location: 2/5 Price: 4/5 Beer: 4/5

Visits: 4

This brewery, for being in the middle of nowhere and with virtually zero advertising, is absolutely crushing it in a number of ways. It's impossible to get to without a car and relatively easy to miss in the back of an industrial park, but I like to stop in when I get a chance.

They sell a pretty wide variety of beer and definitely feels a niche somewhat missing out in the east end for really good, out-there beers. They tend to lean a bit towards sours and a few of them are a bit too tart for my tastes. The labels are profoundly silly so you feel a bit weird bringing beers to parties, but the beer itself is really really good. You absolutely can't go wrong stopping in here, though without any transit options it's difficult to linger and have a beer in...