Bière du Boucanier-Red Ale

Weighing in at a hearty 7% alcohol, the Red Ale is the least fortified member of the Bières du Boucanier family. It pours a coppery red colour, topped with a creamy head. This stuff is pretty cloudy. In terms of aroma, it's yeasty and malt-driven.

A relatively mild flavour, the Red Ale is quite malty. It's sweet and boozy, with some fruity notes. It has a thick, almost syrupy mouthfeel. A good cold weather beer, Bière du Boucanier Red Ale is a pretty enjoyable brew.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Bière du Boucanier

I found a variety pack at a local liquor store--it contains two each of a Belgian red, dark, and golden ale, none of which I had ever tried before.  The Boucanier Collection. These brews hail from East Flanders, Belgium, and appear to be made by a company called Icobes Ltd. We're talking six high gravity brews sold in stubby 330mL bottles. Not only that, but they can boast hugely unattractive pirate-themed packaging.  You better believe that this was a sixer I couldn't pass up.

Stay tuned to the Bitter World over then next few days for my reviews of the Bières du Boucanier.

Rogue Yellow Snow IPA

If you're looking for an extremely drinkable India Pale Ale, one that's suitable for all seasons and occasions, look no further than Rogue Yellow Snow IPA. This stuff really brings it. All the way from Newport, Oregon, Yellow Snow is brewed by the Oregon Brewing Co. It's sold in 355mL bottles which feature an intrepid dude and his faithful pooch along with the legend "Together We Can Do It".

Yellow Snow is a cloudy, dull orange brew topped with an off-white head. It has a sharp and appealing citrus nose. An excellent flavour combines big grapefruit notes with ample hop bitterness. It's a rough and tumble flavour that features a bitter kick and some boozy punch.

This is an excellent American IPA. I suggest that you run, don't walk, to your nearest beer-seller and stock up on a boatload of this charming nectar before I drink it all!

Rating: 9.5 out of 10.

Beery Haikus-Shout Out to Female Brewmasters

Hoptical Illusion Almost Pale Ale

Barrie, Ontario's Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery is the source of Hoptical Illusion Almost Pale Ale, a cleverly named brew that pours a cloudy, brassy brown colour, topped with a cumulus of creamy head. It's sold in loud, 355mL bottles and contains the standard 5% alcohol. Hoptical Illusion has a dynamic, hop heavy aroma that combines sweet with citrus. Not surprisingly, the flavour is bitter, dominated by notes of orange rind and a healthy hop presence.

This lovely pale ale is definitely one of my favourite of the Monkey's unique offerings. It's well-crafted with a very inviting hop character and considerable flavour. As I type this, I could definitely go for another. This is a good'un, and you should buy it if you see it. My only complaint is that there isn't a whole lot of booze to go along with the snappy flavour.

Rating: 9.0 out of 10.

Meantime London Porter

This offering, from the Meantime Brewing Company, hails from London, England. The porter comes in a most snazzy and voluminous corked 750mL bottle. It contains 6.5% alcohol and has a slightly roasted aroma that features notes of copper, cocoa, and coffee.

MLP begins smoothly with appealing mocha qualities and follows that up with a nicely balanced bitter crunch. A nicely crafted dark beer, it's full of booze without being oppressively strong tasting. Mellow is the word that most comes to mind when thinking about this brew. According to the label, this beer is intended to be an approximation of the traditional porters on offer during the 18th and 19th centuries. I heartily recommend this stuff.

MLP pours coffee-black with ruby highlights and topped with a thick tan head. Very attractive.

Rating: 9.0 out of 10.

Crosswind Pale Ale

I'm not going to lie--Crosswind Pale Ale was a bit of a disappointment. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad beer by any stretch. However,
a relatively new pale ale out of Ontario, sold in really cool looking bottles with snazzy bi-planes on the label--I guess I just really wanted to like this stuff, and I was a bit bummed when it was just O.K.

Crosswind comes from Baysville, Ontario, where it is brewed by the Lake of Bays Brewing Company. It's a lightly carbonated, clear golden ale and pours with a cloud of white head. Crosswind features a fairly mild, toasty aroma. It has a reasonably toasty. flavour. The label told me to expect "fresh citrus notes", but in all honesty, I didn't really pick any up. There is a decent degree of nuttiness though, which I enjoyed. Also, the mouthfeel was unexpectedly crisp and refreshing.

I guess what left me wanting more was my expectation that this pale ale would be considerably more bitter than it was. I really wanted there to be a well developed and potent hop profile that just wasn't there.

Crosswind Pale Ale is sold in 341mL bottles and contains 5% alcohol.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Mill St. Doppel Pils

This pilsner from Toronto, Ontario's Mill St. Brewery is "double hopped" and contains a vigorous 7% alcohol. Sold in 355mL bottles, Mill St.'s Doppel Pils is a very clear gold coloured lager. It has very little carbonation and a quickly receding white head.

Doppel Pils' crisp, evergreen aroma features some undeniable boozy notes. As far as I'm concerned, this stuff is the pilsner equivalent of an India pale ale--it features considerable hop bitterness and strong alcohol content. The flavour has some grain sweetness, like a traditional pilsner, but the hops add an extra dimension.

This is a pretty great brew--it's strong, flavourful, and an interesting, uncommon style. I've had little experience with strong pilsners, but now I'm thirsty for more.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Holy Smoke Peat Smoked Scotch Ale

Coming out of Campbellford, Ontario's Church-Key Brewing Company, Holy Smoke Peat Smoked Scotch Ale is a winner. It's sold in awesome looking 650mL bottles and contains a fortifying 6.2% alcohol. According to the label, this beauty is "traditionally brewed with Scottish peat smoked malt".

A slightly hazy brew, Holy Smoke pours a deep brown/amber colour that wears a crown of off-white head. It features a rich, malt-heavy aroma with, not surprisingly, considerable peatiness. The flavour is characterized by a pleasing blend of smoky and sweet. Holy Smoke is a malt-driven brew. It's finish is peaty, with a whisper of bitterness. If I had my druthers, there'd be a touch more hop presence in the finish.

This is a very nice Scotch ale. It's well built, with flavour to spare. Additionally, it can boast of a healthy alcohol content. A compelling beer regardless, but if you dig smokey beers, this one's more than worth your time.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Royal Extra Stout

From the Carib Brewery Limited in Champ Fleurs, Trinidad, West Indes, comes Royal Extra Stout. This strong stout is sold in 330mL bottles and contains a respectable 6.6% alcohol. The label features a golden lion and states "Great Texture. Smooth. Balanced for Performance."--which makes it sound somewhere between a beer and a motor oil.

Royal Extra Stout is a black brew with ruby highlights. It's topped with a thick fog of head and features a sweet and mellow mocha aroma. This brew has a velvety mouthfeel. It has a sweet, chocolatey flavour. There's also something reminiscent of a rootbeer float in this one. The alcohol content is very well masked.

I typically like my stouts to be quite a bit more bitter, but this stuff is alright. It's sweet enough that I'm definitely not inclined to drink more than one or two at a time, but it tastes pretty fine.

Rating; 7.5 out of 10.

King Goblin Special Reserve

King Goblin Special Reserve s brewed by the Wychwood Brewery, Eagle Maltings, The Crofts, Witney, Oxfordshire, England. It contains 6.6% alcohol and comes in a 500mL bottle.

The gimmick to this stuff is that, according to the label, King Goblin is "only ever brewed under a full lunar moon". Additionally, the label makes the bold pronouncement that King Goblin is "An Extraordinary Beer of Exceptional Quality".

A handsome ale, K.G. pours a rich mahogany colour topped with an off-white head. It has light carbonation. A soft aroma contains significant malty notes and a lick of molasses sweetness. The flavour is agreeably balanced between sweet and malty at the front end and bitter  and boozy near the back. In fact, there is really a considerable amount of boozy warmth for a beer with 6.6% alcohol. There is also a faint nuttiness.

I don't know if I'd call this one an "extraordinary beer". It's quite good and nicely balanced, but it didn't absolutely blow me away. Still, flavourful and nicely potent, this ale is definitely worth a try.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Eric's Cream Ale

My wife and I each had a pint of Quidi Vidi Brewing Company's Eric's Cream Ale on tap at a George Street establishment. Occasionally a good sport, she agreed to do a review with me.

Eric's Cream Ale is a clear, golden orange coloured crew. It contains 5% alcohol. There is not a lot of head--just an island of off-white. According to my wife, there was a plummy aroma. In my mind, it was sweet, malty, with some faint whisky essence. Flavour-wise, the Missus found it sweet and dully metallic. As she evocatively put it, Eric's Cream Ale is "a hug from someone with engine grease on their shirt." For my part, I found there to be considerable sweetness in the flavour, as well as an unexpected whisky character. A smooth brew, not particularly hoppy or bitter, but with an interesting flavour. As for the finish, the wife said it was faint and fruity. I echoed that sentiment. It had a whisper of bitterness behind some mellow fruitiness.

My wife and I both decided to give this stuff an 8.0 out of 10.

1892 Traditional Ale

According to the tag line on the bottle, Quidi Vidi Brewing Company's 1892 Traditional Ale is "Reviving the brewing tradition of Pre-Confederation Newfoundland". According the tour guide at our brewery tour, this gem of a beer is brewed according to an historic recipe circa 1892.The "1892" comes from the year of the last great St. John's fire.

1892 comes in 341mL bottles and contains 5% alcohol. It pours an inviting, clear amber colour and has very little head or carbonation. It has a warm, brown sugar and malt aroma. This beer is both simple and nuanced. The flavour is malty and well rounded, with brown sugar notes and a malty finish.

1892 is easily (in my opinion anyway) the crown jewel of the Quidi Vidi collection. I'd love to see a bit more head on a pour, but this stuff works.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Quidi Vidi Brewery Tour

The Quidi Vidi Brewery benefits from a really scenic location. It's housed on a "gut" where a stream meets the Atlantic Ocean, in Quidi Vidi Village, a small fishing village which I thought was just outside of St. John's, Newfoundland, but I have subsequently learned is actually a part of the city. It is easily the most attractive setting for a microbrewery that I have ever visited. It's just a quick cab ride from downtown St. John's or, if you time it right, it's near a bus route. The Brewery itself is located in a re-purposed fish packing plant.

The green building in the background is the brewery.

Such a beautiful setting!

My wife and I toured the Brewery during our honeymoon. The tour was led by a knowledgeable and engaging tour guide. We began with a tasting--six small samples, which, unusually, went from darkest to lightest. While we sampled the wares, we were provided with a brief overview of the history of the brewery and of the brewing process. The whole spiel was flecked with lots of local colour, which made it all the more interesting. The tour proceeded into the cannery; however, we never did make it into the brew house, which was a bit disappointing.

From a charm and setting standpoint, the Quidi Vidi brewery tour was excellent. Additionally, they provide you with samples of a wide array of tasty beers. However, in terms of actually checking out the brewery set-up, the tour could have been richer.

Stay tuned to Stout Man over the ext couple of days for reviews of two of Quidi Vidi Brewing Company's excellent brews.

Newfoundland Macro Brews: Bennett Dominion Ale

I'd say that, of the Newfoundland macros that I sampled in St. John's during my honeymoon, Bennett Dominion Ale was my fave and I really loved the sparse, retro-looking label. B.D.A. is brewed by Molson Canada in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. It contains 5% alcohol and comes in 341mL semi-stubby bottles.

It's a very clear yellow-gold brew topped with a thick fog of white head. It has a clean farm aroma of grain and corn. Its mild taste starts with some corn notes and then corners into a slightly bitter finish. It's not a tremendously interesting beer, but it's fairly well balanced. It's easily quaffed and inoffensive.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.