(416) Urban Wheat

(416) Urban Wheat hails from Toronto, Ontario. It's brewed by the Amsterdam Brewery. The (416) is a shout out to one of the most common Toronto area codes--it happens to be mine, actually. (416) also happens to be one of my wife's favourites.

(416) is a wheat beer. It comes in green 355mL bottles and contains a whimsical, but unimpressive 4.16% alcohol. It's a hazy yellow-orange brew with a white head. It has a fresh and ever-so-slightly toasty wheat aroma and a crisp, short flavour. There is some tart fruitiness, mainly in the form of orange peel notes, as well as an unexpectedly toasty and bitter crunch near the finish. All told, it's mild, but fairly interesting beer.

A pretty good brew, I feel like (416) would be a stronger entry if it had a bit more flavour on the front end. I'd also suggest a bit more sweetness, and definitely more booze. Still, a tasty brew. Thirst quenching and refreshing, (416) is more interesting that many domestic "patio beers" on the market.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Tripel Karmeliet

Tripel Karmeliet is brewed by Brouwery Bosteels in Buggenholt, Belgium. This potent tripel is a "3 grain beer" brewed using wheat, barley, and oats, according to a 17th century recipe, as per the label. It contains a raunchy 8.4% alcohol and comes in a 330mL bottle.

Karmeliet pours a staw gold colour. It's cloudy with a thick, bright white head. It has a tart aroma of apple and citrus, backed with some substantial yeastiness. It has a cheery flavour that is, at times, sweet, and, at times, tart, but always fairly refreshing. The big booze presence doesn't really play much of a part in the taste. This stuff is malty and fruity, with a classic Belgian yeast profile.


All told, this is a bottle of sunshine at 8.4% alcohol. I was hoping for a bit more flavour, but what I got was surprisingly nuanced and refreshing.


Rating: 9.0 out of 10.

Nøgne Ø Porter

Nøgne Ø Porter is constructed by the good folks at Grimstad, Norway's Nøgne Ø brewery. It's sold in 500mL bottles and contains a healthy 7% alcohol. This porter pours a dark, almost black colour that is topped with an immortal tan head.

This lovely dark ale is characterized by a distinguished malty aroma that has some cacao notes and a whisper of leather. It has a smooth mouthfeel and a chocolatey flavour that gives way to a mild, bitter finish. There's a solid dose of boozy warmth in there too.

Nøgne Ø makes a quality porter. It has a great malty flavour, lots of booze, and a decently hoppy finish. I've never been let down by one of Nøgne Ø's brews. They seem to have a pretty good handle on tasty, potent beers.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Bah Humbug! Christmas Cheer

Happy Holidays from the Stout Man!

In honour of the season, I decided to review Wychwood Brewing Co.'s Bah Humbug! Christmas Cheer. This spiced ale comes from Witney, Oxfordshire, England. It comes in a 500mL bottle with a label that features a wrinkly ol' Scrooge getting ghosted.  Bah Humbug! contains a standard 5% alcohol and is spiced with a pinch of cinnamon.

Bah Humbug! Christmas Cheer pours a slightly cloudy copper colour about the hue of a well traveled penny. It has an off-white head. Bah Humbug features a warm, malt-driven nose that has a slight metallic clink to it. There is a malt to bitter flavour with just a hint of cinnamon heat. This brew had quite a bit more bitterness than I expected and not nearly as much sweetness.

This winter ale is plenty interesting. I might not drink it year round, but I'll be looking out for it next Christmas.

Note: This beer was a gift from the lovely and mischievous A.D. during one of her infrequent but always enjoyable visits.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

666 Devil's Pale Ale

666 Devil's Pale Ale is a wicked offering from Toronto, Ontario's Great Lakes Brewery. It clocks in at 6% alcohol.  The can demonstrates the brewers' dedication to the 666 theme.  In addition to the 6% alcohol content, there are, apparently, 666Kgs of malt, 6.66Kgs of hops used in brewing, and it's boiled for 66.6 minutes.  This lovely Ontario pale ale is served up in 473mL cans.

This is a dark, cloudy auburn ale, topped with a creamy head. It has a bitter, hempy aroma. Hops are the driver of the flavour, but the beer has an oddly smooth mouthfeel for so bitter a brew. Some caramel notes are present, but dwarfed by the big hop body, which contains citrus, pine, and hemp leanings. The finish is bitter and dry.

This is a quality pale ale out of the "Heartland Province". It's one that I frequently order when I'm out on the town.  It could, however, be a little bigger on the front end.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Kitsilano Maple Cream Ale

Kitsilano Maple Cream Ale is sold in 341mL bottles and contains 5% alcohol. It hails from Vancouver, British Columbia, where it is built by Granville Island Brewing. It's a very attractive brown coloured ale--it actually bears a slight resemblance to quality maple syrup--and it's topped with an off-white head that thins rapidly. There is very little carbonation.

Kitsilano has a mild aroma that is sweet and features some toasty malts. According to the label, this stuff is brewed using real maple sugar.  I was worried that it would be cloyingly sweet--it is sweet, but in a restrained, understated way. The flavour starts off malty, with some faint maple sweetness. The back end is toasty, with a slight bitter crunch.

This is not a bad brew, but I'd like a bit more body--I found it to be a bit too thin. This could possibly be fixed by upping the carbonation a bit. I really dig the toasty finish though.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

L'Alchimiste Bock de Joliette

L'Alchimiste Bock de Joliette is a strong beer from L'Alchimiste Micro Brasserie, out of Joliette, Quebec. The label features a portrait of L'Honorable Barthélemy Joliette, with no further explanation.  The beer clocks in at 6.1% and is sold in 341mL bottles.

The Bock has a hazy orange-amber colour, topped with a short lived cream head. Its aroma is malty and gently spiced. The flavour is malt dominated with a whisper of clove. Some faint hop bitterness brings up the rear.

This is a pretty enjoyable bock--not as flavourful as some of its Teutonic cousins, but certainly not timid. A fine beer to warm you up on a cool night.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10. 

Nostradamus

Nostradamus is a strong Belgian brown ale that is sold in 330mL bottles that feature all sort of snail imagery on their strange labels. It's brewed in Falmignoul, Belgium by Brasserie Caracole.

Nostradamus pours a cloudy brown colour. It yields a thick cream head and has a very malty aroma that contains some caramel and a dose of yeast. It has a surprisingly mild flavour for a brew with so much booze--it clocks in at 9% alcohol.  It's not too sweet either.  It is malty, yes, but also decently bitter. Nostradamus is yeasty, with just a touch of tart fruit.

This beer is dangerously easy drinking for such a strong ale. The flavour is nice, but a bit muted. Truthfully, I'd like it to be a bit bolder. Still, give it a whirl. It's worth a try.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Roman Candle IPA

Roman Candle IPA is a tasty offering from my neighbourhood beer artists, Toronto's Bellwoods Brewery. I had a pint on tap at one of my all time favourite Toronto beer sellers, conveniently located just over a stone's throw from my apartment (I love getting locally brewed beer at a locally owned establishment all within about four blocks of my front door).

Sometimes barrooms are dark ...

Roman Candle is a dark, reddish brown ale, topped with a full but quickly thinning tan head. It has a nose that blends toasted brown sugar, dark malts, and dank hops. This beer is very dry and very bitter. It has considerable malt presence, but hops make its engine turn over. The finish is bitter, with a swampy hemp quality.

This brew has a very bold flavour profile and a slightly strange finish. As far as I'm concerned, Roman Candle IPA tastes like a malt-forward English-style I.P.A. with extra hop crunch near the back. However, according to the Bellwoods website, it's an American I.P.A. that contains 6.8% alcohol.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Simeon Jones River Valley Amber Ale

Simeon Jones River Valley Amber Ale hails from Kings Landing, New Brunswick, where it is brewed by the fantastic Northampton Brewing Company, the brilliant folks behind the outstanding Picaroons beers. Simeon Jones is sold in 500mL bottles wrapped in a nice old-timey label. It clocks in at 4.5% alcohol.  According to the bottle, Simeon Jones operated a brewery Saint John, New Brunswick and was eventually mayor of that city.

S.J. pours a handsome clear amber colour beneath a cream head. This mild but pleasant ale has a slightly bready, malt focused aroma and a smooth, creamy mouthfeel. It has a gentle flavour that is malty with some copper notes and a dusting of caramel. There's not a lot of hop bitterness in this one,

This is a pretty decent ale. It's smooth and easy drinking. The low alcohol content makes S.J. very sessionable, though you don't have to skimp on flavour. I'd like to see a bit more body and a touch more hops, but I suppose that's not really the beer that they're trying to make.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Don't Drink and Drive, Mofos!

Seriously. Don't drink and drive. Don't do it.

It's dangerous, irresponsible, arrogant, risky, and none too bright. If you're going to appreciate a couple of tasty craft brews (or anything else, for that matter), make damn sure that you don't drive. You could hurt yourself.  You could hurt someone innocent. You could hurt me.  I love me and I really love not being hurt.

If you're thinking about drinking and driving, I wrote you this limerick:

There once was a dude from Green Bay

who went out with his buddies one day.

He drank lots of beer,

put his car into gear,

and now he's a smear on the highway.

I may just be an intemperate beer blogger, but I implore you to drink safely.

Stereovision American Kristall Wheat

Stereovision American Kristall Wheat comes from Barrie, Ontario's Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery. It contains 5% alcohol and is sold in 355mL bottles that feature one of Flying Monkeys' loud and cool labels.  According to the label, this brew "re-wires the beauty of a North American late-hopped beer with the traditional European wheat beer ...".

Stereovision is a faintly cloudy golden brew. It's very lightly carbonated and topped with a froth of off-white head. It has a fresh, hoppy, citrus aroma. This is an unusual tasting brew. It's fairly light and thin bodied. The front end has the crisp feel of conventional wheat beer, but this gives way to a bitter, citrus finish more characteristic of a pale ale. There are also some faint and somewhat toasty malt notes.

This is a cool hybrid brew, and a pretty cool idea.  Truthfully, though, it's not my favourite of the Flying Monkeys offerings. It's a bit thin and flimsy on the front end, though it finishes nicely.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Wellington Imperial Russian Stout

Wellington County Brewery's Imperial Russian Stout is a tar black ale topped with a healthy tan head. It hails from Guelph, Ontario and is sold in 473mL cans which declare the brew to be "Rich, dark and complex" and "... one of the boldest beers brewed in Ontario".  It contains a potent 8% alcohol.

The Imperial Russian Stout has a roasted dark cacao aroma with a whiff of leather. The flavour is a punchy blend of very dark chocolate, forceful bitterness, and unconstrained booziness. A formidable but nuanced flavour and a considerably hoppy finish make this stuff tick.


This is an excellent Ontarian take on the Imperial stout. If you like your stouts to be fierce and uncompromising, you'll dig this one.


Rating: 9.0 out of 10.

St.-Ambroise Scotch Ale

It's no secret that I love Montreal, Quebec's McAuslan Brewing Inc. They are responsible for one of my all time faves, the St.-Ambroise Oatmeal Stout, as well as a host of other quality beers. On such brew is there St.-Ambroise Scotch Ale. This punchy ale is sold in 341mL bottles with a pale tartan label featuring a bagpiper. It contains 7.5% alcohol.

This is a handsome amber coloured ale. It is topped with a quickly thinning cream head and has a bready, malt driven aroma. In terms of flavour, it's boozy, malty, and graced with some caramel notes. This stuff is very full flavoured and robust. The finish is slightly bitter, but the maltiness remains.

This is a fine scotch ale--it's tasty, strong, and mad malty. There's lots of boozy warmth in this beauty.  Give it a go.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Belle Saison-Bière des Iles

The Belle Saison Bière des Iles comes from L'Étang-du-Nord, Quebec. It's brewed by À l'abri de la tempête. I think it's probably a saison (based both on the name and essence), but I'm not 100%. It comes in a 341mL bottle and contains 5.8% alcohol. "A sip of sunshine!" says the label.


The Bière des Iles is a cheery, bright golden colour. It's clear with considerable carbonation and a white head. The aroma is fruity and, as the label says, floral, which makes for a somewhat unusual combo. The mouthfeel is thin and dry--it's delicate, almost fragile--and effervescent like champagne. The flavour reproduces the aroma closely. It's not sweet, exactly, but certainly sweetish. There is barely any aftertaste at all.
 
This is an unusual little beer. It tastes of springtime--fresh and bright. I'd have liked a bit more body and substance, but that might mess with the vibe that this beer cultivates. Try it? Absolutely!

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.