Hacker-Pschorr Munich Gold

Hacker-Pschorr Munich Gold is a nice lager that comes in a 500mL swingtop bottle. It contains 5.5% alcohol and hails, not surprisingly, from Munich, Germany. It pours a nice golden yellow colour, displays moderate carbonation and a foamy white head. It has a grassy, slightly sweet aroma. The flavour moves from sweet to bitter, passing through metallic somewhere along the way. It's grainy with some sweet corn notes.

Munic Gold is a respectable lager. It's a touch too much on the sweet side to be classically refreshing and drinkable, but it'll slake your thirst all the same, and in a much richer and more fulfilling way than a marcrobrewed lager. The slightly elevated alcohol content doesn't hurt neither.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Mort Subite-Gueuze

Mort Subite Gueuze ("Mort Subite" translates into "sudden death") is a Belgian lambic from Brussels. It's a nice sour gueuze. Sold in 500mL bottles, this gueuze checks in at 4.5% alcohol. I enjoyed a bottle at the excellent Thirsty and Miserable beer bar in Kensington Market.

 Mort Subite Gueuze pours a clear chestnut brown colour with a lively eggshell head. It has a briny, seaside aroma. The flavour starts sweet, with fruity, crisp apple notes. Then it veers hard toward sour. It isn't classically refreshing, but it is definitely tasty.

Gueuze is a style that I don't frequently see in Toronto, and one that I love to get my hands on. Mort Subite Gueuze is probably not for everyone, but adventurous beer fans might find this one interesting. It is a solid brew and a great introduction to the gueuze style.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Péché Mortel

The Dieu du Ciel brewery in St. Jerome, Quebec makes a big, bad imperial stout is called Péché Mortel, which translates badass-ily as Mortal Sin. This bottle conditioned brute clocks in at 9.5% alcohol. According to the brewery website, it's infused with fair trade coffee. I had a pint on tap at a fantastic little beer bar in Toronto's Kensington Market (Thirsty and Miserable--check it out).

Péché Mortel pours an opaque onyx colour with a wisp of tan head. It has a heavy molasses aroma with some hints of tobacco. This beer is soooooooo rich.  We're talking rich like a 75% cacao chocolate bar.  It has powerful notes of malt, chocolate, and coffee. The aftertaste has a bitter bite to it that rounds things out nicely.

This beer is silky smooth. It's robust, flavourful, and potent.  If you dig stouts, get some.  You can thank me later.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10.

Taps Sinister Sam's Insane IPA

Another offering from the Taps on Queen brewpub in Niagara Falls, Sinister Sam's Insane IPA is a cloudy, copper coloured IPA. It arrived with a frothy tan head and very little carbonation. According to the beer list, there is 6.7% alcohol. Sinister Sam had a powerful hop aroma that was both floral and a bit woodsy. It was initially sweet with brown sugar and toffee notes. This is followed by a mighty hop body and finish. Bold flavours and unapologetic hop bitterness made this a pretty enjoyable barley pop. If you like bitter beers, this full-flavoured ale is a good one for you--it'll pucker your lips.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Taps Vanilla Wheat

In March, Partner and I spent a weekend in Niagara Falls with another couple (who are awesome).  We checked out a local brewpub called Taps on Queen and sampled a couple of their pints. One of them was the Taps Vanilla Wheat, which I ordered because it sounded like a novelty that would make for interesting blogging. My expectations were pretty low, but the beer turned out to be quite excellent. It was really a pleasant surprise.

I had a pint on tap. It arrived a nearly opaque milky gold colour--pretty swampy looking. There wasn't a whole lot of head to speak of. The Vanilla Wheat had a sweet, slightly citric aroma. It had a buttery, yeasty body with some subtle vanilla notes and a mellow fruit sweetness. This is a pretty nuanced little brew--not at all the sickly sweet pint I was expecting.  If in Niagara Falls, Taps Vanilla Wheat is worth looking into.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Doppel-Hirsch Ullgäuer Doppelbock

This doppelbock comes from Privatbrauerein Höss in Sonthoffen, Germany. It contains 7.2% alcohol and comes in a 500mL swingtop bottle with a nearly inscrutable label. It's a rich brown and amber colour, topped with a luxurious tan head. It has considerable carbonation.

The aroma is yeasty, with a tart fruitiness. There is an essence of cranberry that I found quite inviting. It's a very sweet brew. Malty on the front end with sharp, fruit notes of cranberry and sour cherry near the finish. Very drinkable for a strong beer, Doppel-Hirsh is worth looking into. It's sweet but not too sweet, with a very round flavour. It's a solid brew to wash down a heavy dessert. Rating: 8.0 out of 10. 

Aventinus Doppelbock

This tasty and tasteful brew comes from Kelheim, Bavaria in Germany. It's brewed by Schneider & Sohn. It comes in a classy looking 500mL bottle and contains a bold 8.2% alcohol. This brew is billed as "Germany's original wheat doppelbock." It is a bottle-conditioned doppelbock that pours a very cloudy brown colour. It's somewhat swampy looking.

Aventinus has a nuanced aroma that is both yeasty and fruity--not unlike a sour banana bread. The label led me to expect a flavour that, among other things, combines banana and chocolate and that's just what I got. This powerful brew evokes fresh-baked banana bread with just a pinch of yeasty sourness in the aftertaste.

 It's a touch too sweet and too punchy to sit down to a handful, but this is a great after dinner beer. It has a compelling flavour combination.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Tennent's Original Export Lager

Glasgow, Scotland's Tennent Caledonian Breweries manufactures Tennent's Original Export Lager. It's sold in a very plain looking 500mL can and contains the requisite 5% alcohol. It pours a clear hay colour, and is topped with a lusty white head. Export Lager is moderately carbonated. It has a grassy, slightly metallic aroma. The flavour of cut grass leads gracefully into a slightly bitter finish.

This isn't an earth-shaking lager, but one that's refreshing and crisp. Give it a try.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Great Lakes Brewery Winter Ale

This charming seasonal brew comes from Toronto's Great Lakes Brewery. It's sold in jumbo 650mL bottles and it has a kickin' 6.2% alcohol content. I had this big beauty in my fridge for quite a while. It was a birthday gift from a wonderful friend. The odd thing about gift beer, for me at least, is that I always hold on to it, waiting for the right time to savour it. For this ale, the right time was a crisp, sunny Friday afternoon in early March in my backyard with a cigar and a mystery novel.

Winter Ale pours a hazy, ruddy gold colour. It has a thick and very persistent head and slight carbonation. A considerable aroma of ginger greets the nose. Just as the blurb on the bottle lead me to expect, the flavour is resplendent with Christmastime notes of cinnamon. As well, some clove is detectable. The aftertaste is where the ginger lives, giving the brew a pleasant cookie vibe. The heightened alcohol content isn't immediately evident from the taste, though it is apparent in the toasty afterglow.

This is a nice winter warmer. Perhaps a touch sweeter than I'd like and a bit more bitterness might be nice, but the ginger and cinnamon essence are excellent touches that make this beer stand out. I'll definitely be watching for this one next winter and you should too.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Neustadt Lager

The Neustadt Springs Brewery of, not surprisingly, Neustadt, Ontario, brews a more than acceptable golden lager called, not surprisingly, Neustadt Lager.  Sold in 473mL cans, N.L. contains 5% alcohol. It is moderately carbonated and pours with a half inch of white head. The can indicates that this little brew is "brewed with pure spring water." N.L. has a sweet, grassy aroma.  It has a mild, slightly sweet flavour with notes of grain and corn. There is a gently bitter aftertaste.

A little more robust than a marcobrewed lager, Neustadt is worth your trouble. It might not blow you away, but it's pretty tasty and quite refreshing.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Beaver River I. P. Eh?

Don't let the cutesy name fool you--this IPA from Beau's All-Natural Breweing Company is serious business. Beau's spring seasonal comes in a 600mL bottle and packs a moderate punch at 5.6% alcohol. Beaver River hails from Vankleek Hill, Ontario.

Beau's rendition of a dry-hopped IPA pours a clear amber colour. It's lightly carbonated and topped with a creamy eggshell head. It has a hop-heavy aroma, blessed with a caramel streak. An initial malt flavour is quickly overcome by a bitter jolt--this beer definitely has hops to spare. Nestled among the hops are notes of caramel and, on the back end, a bit of orange peel. There is a pretty extreme hop aftertaste that sticks around for the duration.

This is a big ol' beer without a heavy duty alcohol content. It isn't technically "drinkable", but it's pretty awesome.  I'll definitely be seeking this out again and you should too.

Rating: 9.0 out of 10.

Samuel Adams Winter Lager

The other day, I reviewed Sam Adams Boston Lager.  Today, I'm going back to the Boston Beer Company well for a taste of their Winter Lager, a little beauty I found on sale at the liquor store.  This brew hails from Beantown. It is sold in 355mL bottles and contains a rambunctious 5.5% alcohol.  Winter Lager pours a nice, clear amber colour, topped with a frothy eggshell head.  It is fairly well carbonated.

There is a cozy aroma of caramel and brown sugar. The taste is sweet and malt forward.  There is caramel sweetness and a slightly boozy bump that gives the brew a nice, warming touch.  The aftertaste remains somewhat sweet, but also marginally bready.

Winter Lager is definitely reminiscent of a Vienna lager, with its slightly toasty character.  It might be a touch too sweet for session drinking, but it isn't so saccharine as would be cloying.  It's a nice seasonal brew that I'm looking forward to revisiting next winter.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Thwaites Lancaster Bomber

Thwaites Lancaster Bomber is a pleasant bitter born in Lancashire, England, where it is brewed by Danial Thwaites.  It checks in at 4.4% alcohol and is sold in 500mL bottles. The label proclaims that this brew is "So more-ish", which I think is pretty adorable.

 It pours a clear amber/tawny colour with a bit of off-white head.  It is lightly carbonated and has an aroma that's all warmth and toffee, with a dose of bitterness. The flavour goes from sweet to bitter and contains notes of buttery toffee and hops.

If I had my druthers, I'd probably choose to have a bit more bitterness a bit earlier in the flavour, but this is a fine ale.  Well worth your time.  When I finished my bottle, my first thought was that I wished I had a second.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Samuel Adams Boston Lager

The Sam Adams Boston Lager comes in a 355mL bottle that features the trademarked slogan "America's World-Class Beer".  Pretty bold statement--does this tasty lager live up to its hype?

Boston Lager weighs in at 4.8% alcohol. It's brewed by the Boston Beer Company of Boston, Massachusetts.  It pours an appealing amber colour.  Its amply carbonated and topped with a wisp of white head. There is a faint aroma of caramel and biscuit. The flavour starts sweet and drifts toward bitter, passing through caramel and a twist of citrus, before coming to a halt with a surprisingly full-bodied aftertaste.

So, is Samuel Adams Boston Lager "America's World-Class Beer"?  Maybe not.  It doesn't really run with some of the premier offerings from the great craft brewers working from coast to coast.  However, for a widely available beer--one that you can find in most reputable bars in the U.S.--the Boston Lager is elite.  It's a brew that proves that mass appeal need not mean generic.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Garrison Brewery-Pils

The 500mL bottle that houses this golden treat notes that Garrison's Pils is "Proudly crafted using Czech hops, German yeast and Bluenose Spirit. Na zdravi! Prosit! Sociable!"  I love it!  Pils contains a modest 4.8% alcohol. It contains a pretty fair blast of carbonation and pours with a very thick froth of white head.

Pils has a nice grassy aroma. The flavour moves from sweet to bitter, with an admirable emphasis on the bitter for a pilsner. There is a slight dose of breadiness on the back end.

Garrison's rendition of a pilsner is a nice little brew. It's refreshing and tasty, with a mild, engaging flavour and an effervescent body.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.