Muskoka Brewing is a craft beer brewery in Muskoka country in Bracebridge, Ontario that was founded in 1996 by Gary McMullen and Kirk Evans. I haven’t been to this brewery but if I am in that neck of the woods, it will be the only chance I have to try Muskoka Brewing beer again. Sadly this craft beer is pulling out of the Alberta market due to rising taxes associated with selling beer here. Before Muskoka beer vanished from our local liquor store shelves I grabbed myself their variety pack, called the Survival Pack.

The box is loaded with super helpful survival tips such as how to turn the beer box into a toque or mukluks in the winter; or how to use the bottle cap as a fishing lure or bend it into a “V” shape to make a survival whistle; and worst case scenario, use the box as fire starter. After reading all of this valuable information, I set up to taste all four beers in the pack.

Muskoka Brewary’s Survival Pack comes with 12 beers, 3 of each: an IPA, a craft lager, a cream ale and their dunkel winterweiss. Open your favourite craft beer and enjoy the tour of Muskoka Brewery Survival Pack with me!

Muskoka Brewing Detour IPA

The Detour IPA is a 4.3% dry-hop session IPA.

A – yellow straw colour, a slight haze, almost clear pour with thick bubbly head that lingers and sticks to the side of the glass

S – herbal, grassy, citrus notes

T – citrus hops, a light caramel and tropical fruit sweetness that balances out the hoppy bitters

M – high prickly carbonation, bitter hops comes and goes – doesn’t linger

O – a refreshing and balanced IPA that is light bodied and doesn’t have a bitter aftertaste

Muskoka Brewing Craft Lager

A 4.8% craft lager made with North American hops and malts. 

A – a wheat yellow, clear pour with large bubbly head that lingers and really sticks to the sides of the glass!

S – bready, yeasty smells with a bit of hay or grassy notes

T – very creamy, bready, malts, caramel sweetness, low hops flavours

M – really well rounded lager with a creamy mouthfeel, medium carbonation, light bodied

O – actually very impressed with this lager; I am not the biggest fan of lagers as I find them pedestrian, but this lager really surprised me with great flavours, a rich creaminess and refreshing taste!

Muskoka Brewing Cream Ale

A 5.0 % English pub-style ale.

A – golden amber, clear with a light line of creamy white head 

S – floral, grassy aromas

T – grainy, floral hops

M – moderate carbonation, medium bodied, hoppy bitterness

O – I didn’t find this ale as creamy as I thought it maybe should have been. It was a bit too hoppy for me and missing the malty sweet balance I was expecting, but overall a decent ale. 

Muskoka Brewing Winterweiss

A 5.0% dark dunkelweiss.

A – dark pour with a slight haze, beige thick line of creamy head. 

S – aromas of caramels and spices

T – tastes a lot like a ripe banana peel with spices of cloves and nutmeg

M – light carbonation, medium bodied, surprisingly enough as I thought it would heavier. 

O – a great winter beer with winter spices and is heavier than lagers and IPAs. This was my favourite of the pack, which wasn’t a surprise since I love the dark beers!

If you enjoyed this review, read my review on Big Rock Brewing, the 7 Beers You Should Be Drinking This Fall or Banff Ave Brewing. 

Are there beers that you enjoy but can’t purchase in your area?