Terry’s Chocolate Stout

A stout festively brewed with orange peel, Terry’s Chocolate Stout comes from Picton, Ontario’s Prince Eddy’s Brewing Company. Sold in 650mL (?) bottles, the label doesn’t list an alcohol count—just a mustachioed, sunglasses-wearing pint with an orangy background.

TCS is a dark beer with amber highlights and a dense and sudsy tan head. The beer has a milk chocolate aroma tinged with roasted malt and a hint of orange. The flavour is stout-y and chocolatey, but with only the faintest orange twist providing a little bitterness at the finish. Dwarfing the citrus, the flavour is rich in roasty malt and a sweet, chocolate vibe.

Not as thick and cloying as some chocolate stouts, but not the orange-heavy tipple I wanted it to be. The beer was enjoyable, but unremarkable.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Yummy! North East Pale Ale

Yummy! North East Pale Ale comes from Ottawa, Ontario’s Beyond the Pale Brewing. According to the ingredients list on the 473mL can states that the beer contains 5.4% alcohol and is brewed with both wheat and oats.

Yummy! is a milky golden brew with a fluffy white head. It has a juicy tropical fruit nose and a flavour to match. There is decent bitterness, but it is understated until the back end. Notably, the mouthfeel is extremely smooth for a pale ale—likely due to the use of oats.

BTP’s Yummy! is an agreeable pale ale with a great aroma, slightly underwhelming flavour, and excellent texture. All told, it’s certainly worth a taste.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Shacklands Passionfruit Wit

On the penultimate day of September, I figured the time for fruit flavoured wheat beers would be done for the year. However, the day was sunny and the temperature was pretty close to hot, so I cracked myself a 650mL bottle of Shacklands Brewing Co.’s Passionfruit Wit.

The 4.9% alcohol brew poured dull gold. It was hazy under a fluffy but quickly receding cloud of white head. The beer had a yeasty nose that was motivated by floral and citrus elements. Unexpectedly, the flavour was quite tart, with juicy fruit notes competing with funky sour sass. The finish had the most evidence of passion fruit, with a profile reminiscent of Sumol—sweet and tangy.

At first, the unlooked for tartness was a bit off-putting. However, as I leaned into the beer, I found myself more amenable to its charms. Indeed Shacklands’ Passionfruit Wit proved to be a welcome companion on a summery September day.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Goodspeed Smoked Saison

Happy Holidays from the Stout Man!

From Toronto, Godspeed Brewery’s Smoked Saison is a low-alcohol member of their “Pitch & Pray Series”. At just 4.2% alcohol, the beer has a sessionable weight; however, a pungent woodsy and yeasty aroma suggests that this little ale won’t be all that sessionable.

Godspeed’s Smoked Saison comes in 355mL tins. It is a crystal clear brew with a short-lived halo of white head and a pretty fair amount of carbonation. It has a lively but brittle mouthfeel that accompanies a flavour built around Belgian-style yeast. I’m not sure when and how the beer was introduced to smoke—it definitely has a faint tang of carbon, but it is mild and only really evident in the nose and at the finish.

I should confess a sin—this beer sat forgotten in my fridge for far longer than it should have. I think maybe the spare and small silver can made it easy to overlook. However it happened, the beer wasn’t as fresh as it ought to have been when I finally cracked it. It’s a testament to the brew that I still found it to be engaging and enjoyable a few months past its brew date. The beer is thin, but it manages some finespun dignity with its subtle smokey twist.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Cold Brew 2.0

Cold Brew 2.0 hails from Newport, Oregon, where it’s brewed by Rogue Ales. Billed as a “blonde ale blended with cold brew coffee”, the beer incorporates cold brew coffee from Stumptown Coffee Roasters. A 5.6% alcohol, 30 IBU ale, the beer comes in flashy 355mL cans.

An ale with a hazy orange hue and little head, CB2.0 exudes a hefty java odour that belies its light colour. To my mind, the flavour awkwardly pairs interesting cold brew with a dull blonde ale, with a result that is bitter, but unimpressive.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Starring Enigma

Starring Enigma is a New England IPA from Ottawa’s Beyond the Pale Brewing Co. An entry in BTP’s Starring series of India Pales, this one featuring Enigma hops, an Australian strain. The milky golden beer contains 6.5% alcohol and comes in 473mL cans. I picked up a can straight from the source and poured it out beneath a sudsy eggshell head.

Enigma has a pungently juicy aroma, with notes of fresh raspberries and tropical fruit. The beer is sweet on the front end, with loads of fruity elements. The finish has some bitterness, but I’d hazard that the IBU count is pretty modest.

A pretty fair example of the NEIPA style, Starring Enigma is enjoyable, but unremarkable. Pretty well-made stuff from a quality Ontario brewer, but not amongst their elite beers.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Éphémère Fraise & Rhubarbe

My review of Éphémère Fraise & Rhubarbe definitely has to go out to my father-in-law, the rhubarb eatin-est dude I’ve ever known.

A wheat beer, brewed by Unibroue in Chambly, Québec, E.F.R. is a 5.5% alcohol, 11 IBU ale on lees. A Belgian-style wheat, this beer joins together the two flavours that combine to form my very favourite pie. Plus, it comes in mighty 750mL bottles with lovely labels. 

 

The beer is cloudy and highly carbonated, with a thick cloud of suds on its noggin. There is a sweet and agreeable strawberry aroma backed against a fortification of slightly funky yeast. The rhubarb elements are understated and don’t really come to the fore until the beer hits the tongue. Even then, juicy strawberry is the dominant note and rhubarb is present only in a supporting role. The back end is characterized by wheat and yeast.

This beer is primarily sweet, which gives it a pleasant, after dinner vibe reminiscent of the pie. However, it should be said that I was pulling for a bit more of that classic rhubarb tartness to give it a bit more balance. Still and all, it was a nice tasting ale with some effervescence and a playful vibe. I’d gladly have another sometime soon. It’s a dandy autumn ale.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Allagash Hoppy Table Beer

Allagash Hoppy Table Beer is a funky looking potion. It’s a hazy golden brew that pours under a white head and with a yeasty presence that drops through the poured beer like a lava lamp. Brewed in Portland, Maine, by the Allagash Brewing Company, this 4.8% Belgian-style ale comes in 12oz bottles.

AHTB has a spicy, yeast-heavy aroma. For flavour, there is a load of Belgian-inspired elements led by wild yeast and tangy funk. Where the beer really sorta breaks down is at the finish, which is brief but which yields little of the eponymous hoppiness that I was hoping for.

A nice take on the table beer with some quality effervescence and some yeasty resolve. However, the promised hoppiness was in too limited supply, which left me underwhelmed.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Gamelle Grisette

Grisette is, according to my quick google research, a traditional Belgian style of ale that was brewed for miners. It’s similar to a saison, but with significantly lower alcohol.

I needed to do a quick bit of reading so that I’d know what I should expect from Kensington Brewing Co.’s Gamelle Grisette. I got a (600mL?) bottle from the Toronto bottle shop and kind of forgot about it for a little while. I was nervous when I pried of the cap that the 4.6% ale might have lost a step, but it was bright and still highly carbonated. Gamelle is a clear, effervescent pale golden brew. It pours with a sudsy white froth and features a nose that is both funky and crisp. The flavour features some slightly tart Belgian-style yeast elements, as well as some peppercorn and spice notes. The finish is short and dry.

A refreshing low-alcohol brew, if perhaps a bit brittle, Gamelle Grisette tastes fresh, but lacks depth at the finish. A great warm weather beer, though, and a nice, lighter option for saison fans.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

The 47 ESB

Lot 30 Brewers is a new beer builder located in my greater neighbourhood in Toronto’s west end. After a trip to their brewery and bottle shop, I brought home a 473mL can of The 47 ESB. It’s a 4% ale with a dark dull gold colour and very little head.

The beer has a sweet, biscuity scent with some solid malt notes. The flavour is fairly pleasant, with toasted malts, biscuit, and some sticky toffee. The read downside of this beer is its almost total lack of carbonation—it has the fizz you’d expect from a cask ale, but it isn’t a cask ale. There also isn’t a whole lot of bitterness, but it’s the fizz void that really hurts.

The flavour of this beer is, as mentioned, pretty rich and enjoyable. That’ll carry it along way, but the still nature is a drawback. The beer tastes good enough that I’d be interested in checking out more of Lot 30’s offerings, but I’m not inclined to buy this one again.

Rating: 5.5 out of 10.

Clean Cut Inspired by Kölsch

Clean Cut Inspired by Kölsch is, as you’d imagine, a Kölsch-style ale from Ottawa, Ontario’s Beyond the Pale Brewing. A 5% alcohol brew, CC comes in 473mL red, white, and blue cans. The beer inside is a cloudy straw gold number with a thin nimbus of white head.

The beer has a pleasantly crisp straw nose, backed with a gust of bitterness. The mouthfeel is a bit thin, but the flavour has grain and hay freshness. For finish, there is a slightly dry hops vibe.

I’d have expected this beer to be a bit clearer. It tastes fresh and fun, but not all that memorable.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

The Classy Cow

The Classy Cow is a milk stout that hails from Shakespeare, Ontario’s Shakespeare Brewing Co. At 5.5%, the stout has a pretty decent kick, and an amber-highlighted onyx colour with a creamy head. Sold in 473mL cans, The Classy Cow features a well-dressed Elizabethan bovine on the  label.

The beer has a sweet and rich roasted malt aroma. The flavour also delivers roasty malt, but this is somewhat drowned out by a massive dose of creamy sweetness. The mouthfeel is smooth and agreeable, though, and the finish has a nice café au lait bitterness.

A decent milk stout, but one that trades too emphatically in sweetness, The Classy Cow is tasty, but a bit cloying.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Riverside Copper Pilsner

Saulter Street Brewery is the proud parent of Riverside Copper Pilsner. A 4.7% alcohol amber lager, this Torontonian brew comes in 473mL cans.

Riverside is a handsome and clear amber brew that pours with a tin layer of eggshell head. It has a welcoming and warm aroma that has rich notes of caramel, something a bit metallic, and a deft touch of grain. The flavour is a mirror image of the scent, but with a bit more sweetness and a touch of yeast.

Perhaps not as crisp as I’d have liked, but Riverside proved to be nicely balanced and quite enjoyable. Also, having paid one memorable visit to the Saulter Street Brewery, I've got to put in a plug, because the folks there are particularly kind and chill--it's a genuinely nice spot to spend an afternoon.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Bandit Brut

Bandit Brut is a Torontonian example of that trendiest of 2018 beer styles, the brut IPA. From Bandit Brewery, Brut comes in 500mL bottles and contains just 5.6%. It’s a hazy orange-gold ale with a boatload of carbonation and peaks and valleys of dense white head.

Zevon says in "smells interesting"

The beer has a sweet, almost peachy aroma, as well as a whisper of bitterness. The flavour here was delicate, with perfume-y stone fruit and yeast doing yeomen duty and a bright, effervescent mouthfeel occupying the starring role.

Admittedly, this was my first dance with a brut IPA, so I won’t paint the whole subtype with the same brush, but I wasn’t blown away by Bandit’s Brut. The flavour was understated but too thin, and the mouthfeel was pleasant, but hardly captivating. I have a hard time classing this 5.6% ale as any sort of IPA. All criticism aside, though, the peach notes, while thin on the ground, were enjoyable. I know the Bard’s cliché about a rose smelling as sweet, but call this a pale ale and I feel like I’d have been more receptive. That failing is mine and not Bandit’s, especially since there was actually a lot to like about their Brut, so I can’t take it out on them in the ratings. What I will say, though, is that the flavour was too sparse and the percentage too low, whatever you call the thing.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Boone Creek Blonde

A blonde ale accented with orange zest and wildflower honey, Boone Creek Blonde is produced in Boone, NC by the folks at Appalachian Mountain Brewery. The clear golden ale pours with a modest fog of white head and contains a quaffable 4.9% alcohol. I received a 355mL can of the suds from the peerless KC. Thanks pal!

BCB has the grainy and malt-driven aroma that characterizes the bulk of North American golden ales, although with the slightly sweet uptick lended by honey. However, comparisons to generic macro beers cease as the flavour comes into its own—the beer is mild, but contains multitudes, with citrus and honey combining to provide a tea-like subtext that supplements grass and grain. The finish is only marginally hoppy, and combined with its sweetness, it doesn’t make for a crisp ale. However, mellowness grants a high level of drinkability.

BCB is my third trip to the Appalachian Mountain Brewery well. Not as good as Spoaty-Oaty, but better than Long Leaf, I’d place this smooth and drinkable blonde ale in between and I’d recommend giving it a try.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Western Suds: Hot Pink Lemonade Sour

Hot Pink Lemonade Sour is built in Vancouver by the Spectrum Brewing Company. It’s a 5% ale that comes in stylish 355mL pink cans. The beer within is a faintly hazy orange gold with a quickly dissipating white head.

HPLS has a sharp, citrus aroma. The flavour doesn’t quite rise to the occasion—it has some of the qualities that make pink lemonade such a summer classic (tangy lemon flavour and maximum refreshment), but it is also extremely thin. Nor is it quite as sour as I’d have liked.

Thirst quenching and agreeable but a bit watery, Hot Pink Lemonade Sour is good, but it could have been great.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Western Suds: Park Life Passion Fruit Ale

Park Life Passion Fruit Ale, by Vancouver’s Bomber Brewing Company, has got to be one of the most zestfully carbonated brews I’ve ever reviewed. As a result, it was a challenge to get the 355mL can of hazy orange-gold liquid into a can without inviting a dense cloud of loose, off-white suds along for the ride.

The beer, a 4.5% alcohol number, has a very tart tropical fruit nose. This same tangy passion fruit note drives the flavour, giving the beer a sour, fruity vibe that dominates its otherwise thin body. There is little here by way of finish—the beer is just tart and fruity until it isn’t.

Given its lack of complexity and low percentage, I liked Park Life a lot more than I expected—it was a sharp little beer with a quirky flavour.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Western Suds: Raised by Wolves IPA

The most hyped beer among the nickel of brews brought to me by a pair of West Coast darlings was Raised by Wolves IPA. RbW comes from Victoria, BC, where is is coaxed into existence by Driftwood Brewery. A 7% ale sold in badass 650mL bombers, this beer is made with saccharomyces trois yeast and Equinox (now renamed Ekuanot) hops.

RbW is a hazy golden potion with a carbonation charge and a seriously durable eggshell head. The beer “howls” with juicy mango aromatics and a flavour that is “packed” (puns!) with citrus sentiment. The front end is funky, sometimes sweet, and vaguely tart, while the finish crackles with hops.

Treading a fine line between rugged bitterness and yeasty funk, with ample IBUs and fruity esters, Raised by Wolves is a beer that offers much and delivers—a truly well-made, nearly exquisite IPA. My boy JR sold this stuff hard and it didn’t disappoint one iota—its a wild beast.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10.

Western Suds: Broken Islands Hazy IPA

Adorned with islands, orcas, and a lighthouse, a 355mL can of Broken Islands Hazy IPA came my way via my pals KF and JR. It’s a 6% alcohol beer by Vancouver Island Brewing. A hazy brew, Broken Islands is possessed of lively carbonation, a frothy white head, and a pleasant golden hue.

Broken Islands has a zesty scent that blends tropical fruit notes with dank hops. The beer has a velvety smooth mouthfeel. Its flavour is juicy. Sweet initially, there is a hoppy, resinous finish.

This hazy IPA had a lovely aroma and a beautiful mouthfeel. It was a a bit thin on the ground in terms of flavour, though, and a bit more booze could’ve helped in to the next level.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Western Suds: Sea Maiden

According to the copy on the cute teal and pink cans of Sea Maiden, this sour watermelon ale occupies the space where “watermelon meets pink Himalayan sea salt”. The 4.5% alcohol number comes from Richmond, BC, where it’s brewed by Britannia Brewing Company.

The beer is cloudy, with a pale orange gold colour and a whole lot of carbonation. It pours with a huge amount of loose white head, though the suds weren’t around for the long haul. Sea Mermaid has a tart, briny aroma that doesn’t really scream watermelon; however, a subtle hint of pink melon is woven throughout the flavour, and is particularly evident towards the finish. Along for the finish are gose-like notes that are both salty and sour.

Billed as a watermelon sour, I’d class this beer as a gose. It’s playful and quirky, with an unusual flavour topography. The concept is quite well executed, though the beer is sufficiently tart that sour beer neophytes might be put off. Personally, I enjoyed my dance with the Sea Maiden, though I’m unlikely to be requesting a second in the near future.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Western Suds from Western Buds

I’m fortunate enough to have a boatload of great friends; really terrific people. Some of them don’t bring me interesting beer, but most of them do. Among the premier bringers of brew are KF and her beau JR. On their most recent swing to Upper Canada, my West Coast beauties brought me a quintet of suds from Canada’s westernmost province. Stay tuned for a gaggle of reviews of some (predominantly pink and prettily packaged) beers from British Columbia.

Candlepower

Brewed by Grimm at Beltway Brewing Co., Candlepower comes from Brooklyn, New York by way of Sterling, Virginia. A punchy 8% farmhouse ale, the stuff is brewed with pink peppercorns and sage, and stuffed into 1pt 8oz bottles that feature truly unique and enticing labels. The beer itself proved to be a cloudy, dull gold batch with a lusty off-white head.

Candlepower has a funky yeast-powered aroma that is spicy and beguiling. Its flavour is, initially, more subtle than I expected, with yeast and metallic sage notes evident but not overwhelming. The front end of this beer is unlike any I’ve ever had before, but for all of that, it wasn’t pushy—the sweet and savory taste remained understated. However, at the back end, the pink peppercorns do their raucous work, creating a spicy and unusual combo that left me impressed.

Yet another excellent beer sent my way by KC, one of the elite friends of the blog, Candlepower is an unusual piece of work. I enjoyed it unaccompanied, but this strong ale would definitely be bolstered by serving with a sharp firm cheese. Still, on its own, it was a quirky, funky ale with a lot to commend and little to criticize.

Rating: 9.0 out of 10.

Seeing Double IPA

Seeing Double IPA is, as should be obvious from both the name and the twin faces that adorn the 12oz bottle, a double India pale ale. A hearty offering at 8.3% and a punishing 91 IBUs, SD comes from Winston-Salem, North Carolina's Foothills Brewing Co., and came my way via the incomparable KC.

A beer with a boozy, citrus sweet aroma, SD’s aroma also dances with an evergreen harmony. The beer tastes strong—stronger even that its 8.3%—due to a heavily sweet opening note. Fortunately, it veers hard to bitter after that, with forest flavours and citrus flavours duking it out for dominance.

Strong and flavourful, Seeing Double is a quality beer from an excellent brewery. Not as impressive, maybe, as some of Foothills other offerings (see Hoppyum and People’s Porter), but still an engaging grog with both heft and circumspection. I’d have another (though perhaps not immediately; I’m trying to be less of a lush). The beer suffers, as many DIPAs do, from over-sweetness. Not persistent as some others in the class, but SD could use a bit more balance.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

White Space Wheat

According to the text on its 473mL can, Mill Street Brewery’s White Space Wheat is brewed using coriander, camomile, and blood orange. The Torontonian wheat beer contains 5% alcohol. Slightly hazy and modestly carbonated, the beer pours with a thin white head and features an aroma that is both yeasty and floral.

White Space doesn’t have a strong flavour, although it does have some depth, with sweet citrus and herbal notes keeping things interesting, before a crisp yet timid finish.

I held onto my can of White Space for longer than I normally would a new beer. For some reason, I wasn’t all that keen to try it, though my intuition was off—it’s actually a pretty nice little brew made with a deft touch. It’s refreshing, but a bit too thin. Not special, but certainly pleasant.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Yakima I.P.A.

Microbrasserie Le Castor, out of Rigaud, Quebec, is the source of Yakima I.P.A., a 6.5%, 75 IBU hopster. Brought to me by my pal K.C., this little brew is certified organic. It’s a hazy, dull gold beer that pours with a sudsy white head.

Le Castor’s Yak has a mild, citrus and hops scent. The flavour has some evergreen notes nestled among grapefruit and juicy lemon, giving way to an agreeably gritty bitter finish.

A quality IPA out of QC, Le Castor’s Yakima is a bitter and jazzy brew that I quite enjoyed. The beer came in a 660mL and I found myself pining for more. The only real knock against it is the thin mouthfeel.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Westy Pale Ale

With its namesake van on the 473mL can, Westy Pale Ale honours the classic Westphalia van. It’s a 5.7%, 42 IBU west coast pale ale from Parsons Brewing Co. in Picton, Ontario.

Westy is a brassy and gassy beer that pours with a fluffy layer of white foam. It has a sweetly citric aroma and a flavour that blends grapefruit with resinous hops.

 

The three way intersection of drinkability, strength, and flavour isn’t always an easy one to navigate, but Westy seems to have found the proper bearing. It’s crisp enough that it’d be sessionable, but for the 5.7% ballast. And with its engaging flavour, there wasn’t much to dislike about this little pale ale.

Rating: 9.0 out of 10.

YY*>PMI

A member of Bandit Brewery’s YY* Series of milkshake pale ales, YY*>PMI is flavoured with cantaloupe. A 6.2% alcohol ale from Toronto, the beer comes in 500mL bottles with a chilled out surfer raccoon hanging ten on the label.

The beer itself is a hazy golden brew that pours with an exacting amount of off-white head. Sure enough, PMI has a nose that alludes to cantaloupe, with sweet and fresh aromatics draping a veil across light hops sensibilities. The initial flavour is all melon and sweetness, with lots of fruity goodness. However, as the beer starts to warm, that sweetness becomes a touch cloying. My recommendation is to drink this beer cold and quickly—perhaps it’s best shared. The back end is slightly bitter, but not hopped quite enough to balance out the sweet front end. The milkshake-y nature of this beer certainly does provide a nice texture though.

The novelty (at least for me) is a cantaloupe beer makes this one worth trying, and I thought it was executed reasonably well. After all, that particular melon has a pretty bashful flavour compared to some other fruits, and this beer managed to get it to sing. Sadly, is sang a bit too loudly in the sweetness department. 

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Ruckus IPA

Brewed and bottled in Rothsay, New Brunswick, Ruckus IPA is a 7%, 60 IBU ale from the team at Long Bay Brewery. The 355mL bottle features a demonic scooter rider on the label—certainly drew me in.

Ruckus is a hazy golden New England-style IPA. It pours with only a thin layer of head, and even that diminishes quickly to almost nothing in a matter of moments. The beer smells strongly, with a potent blend of tropical fruit and stanky hops. It has a similar flavour, with notes of passion fruit and citrus, and a healthy clatter of resinous hops.

One of the better IPAs I sampled during a recent trip to NB, Ruckus has a bunch of the hallmarks of a quality India pale—good strength, well-executed flavour, and a respectable IBU count. The only thing that hurt this beer is its underwhelming carbonation level—some more fizz would really make this stuff pop.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Obscure Monk

Obscure Monk is a Belgian-style pale ale from Shacklands Brewing Co., one of Toronto’s better kept beer secrets. It’s a 5.2% ale sold in 650mL bombers, and also a crystal clear blonde-hued beer with a sudsy white foam and a bit of sediment.

It has a dry and yeasty nose that is enlivened by notes of autumnal fruits. To the palate, the beer is light and crisp, with some apple crunch up front and a yeasty, short, and dry finish.

Compared to some of the stronger and more engaging offerings from Shacklands, Obscure Monk is a bit on the unimpressive side—it isn’t as flavourful as I’d have liked and the finish, while pleasantly dry, is also a bit thin. Good, but not great.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Capt. Craig

Capt. Craig is a brown ale out of Petit-Paquetville, New Brunswick. This 5.5% alcohol 28 IBU beer comes from Distillerie Fils du Roy. It’s sold, corked and caged, in 750mL bottles that feature a brief story about the titular pirate and his ship that, cursed, became known as the Phantom Ship.

The beer is lovely hue between gold and amber. It pours with an eggshell head that fades speedily to leave a patchy disc of bubbles. Malt and molasses are the dominant aromatics, while the flavour combines those notes with some caramel and a hint of dark rum sweetness. The back end struggles a bit due to a lack of significant bitterness.

This Captain was pretty good, but had too much emphasis on sweet and not enough on hops. A bit more carbonation might also have made a difference, as it felt a bit syrupy. Still, it has a great nose and the front end tastes excellent.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Juicebox New England Pale Ale

Happy Hallowe'en from the Stout Man!

With a classic 8-bit label, Juicebox New England Pale Ale comes in great looking 500mL bottles. It’s a 5.5% ale from Toronto’s Bandit Brewery. The edition that I reviewed was made with Citra and Idaho 7 hops. The beer is cloudy and has a dull brown-gold hue.

Through a sudsy, off-white head, Juicebox has a fruitful aroma. The beer has juicy notes that, in my opinion, carried notes of raspberry and citrus. Like a proper New England-style, Juicebox is hopped fairly lightly, but there is definitely enough to lend a bit of balance.

Juicebox is well-made beer. Other than it’s pleasing raspberry vibe, the beer isn’t all that memorable, but it sure is quality. Juicy, adequately hoppy, and flavourful, it clicks without overawing.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Nor’Easter American Pale Ale

A 5% alcohol ale from Bathurst, New Brunswick, Nor’Easter American Pale Ale is brewed by the Four Rivers Brewing Co. The beer is sold in very attractive 473mL cans—really spiffy tins. It’s a hazy, brassy beer with a sudsy eggshell head on top.

The beer has a biscuity and toasty aroma. Nor’Easter tastes sweet and malty on the front end, with a tiny touch of cinnamon notes along for the ride. The back end is crisp and slightly bitter—not quite hoppy enough for me, unfortunately.

Nor’Easter is a toasty, toasty APA, but one that is a bit light on hoppiness. It is refreshing, though, and well worth a try.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Gerard Comeau Brut IPA

The intersection of beer and the law is a place that interests me greatly. That’s why, when I heard about an interprovincial collaboration between the Québécois Brasserie du Bas Canada out of Gatineau and Ottawa’s Flora Hall Brewing Co., I put out an APB for a bottle of Gerard Comeau Brut IPA. Luckily for me, my old pal KC was in Ottawa and obliged by purchasing not one but three 500mL bottles of the 7.2% alcohol grog.

For those not in the know, Gerard Comeau is a gent from my home province, Nouveau Brunswick, who dared to travel to Quebec in search of cheaper beer and booze. Cited by the RCMP and fined $240 plus fees and surcharge,  Comeau decided to fight. Successful at first instance and at the New Brunswick Court of Appeal, it looked like Gerard would prevail, but the province’s appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada was allowed and his fine was restored. The reasoning is high-falutin’ constitutional law dealing with interprovincial trade and tariffs, and is better dealt with in a legal forum. For my purposes, Gerard Comeau is a dude who fought to freely bring beer across provincial lines and regardless of his ultimate defeat, I think he’s a folk hero worthy of a beer named in his honour.

On to the beer.

GC is a brut IPA, meaning it is effervescent like a sparkling wine and extremely low on sugar. The beer I got was a fizzy golden number; clear beer under a sudsy white cap. It had a dry, yeasty aroma with some faintly floral bitterness. Crisp and extremely dry, the beer wasn’t overly flavourful, though there were some perfumed bitter elements, particularly at the finish, and even more particularly as the beer warmed.

Incredibly easy-drinking for a 7.2% beer, GC was a well-brewed collaboration between two breweries I’d never before encountered. Even without its legal/historical significance, I’d have called this a quality beer, but the context is definitely worth an extra half-point in my personal scale. Brut IPAs, while all be rage, are still pretty new to me, but this one really clicked. I’d have liked for the amplifiers to be turned up a bit, flavour-wise, particularly in the early going, but that won’t stop me from enjoying the other two bottles I’ve got left.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Wrath of Putin DBL IPA

Ostensibly a double IPA from Nackawic, New Brunswick, Wrath of Putin DBL IPA should, in my opinion, be classed as a conventional IPA. At just 7%, Wrath may well be stronger than other IPAs from Big Axe Brewery, but that doesn’t make it a double.

The beer comes in 375mL bottles. It’s a swampy bronze grog that pours with quite a lot of sediment and a creamy head. Wrath has a piney, sweet, and slightly spicy. The beer has some malty bulk and sweetness up front, and an evergreen hops finish.

 

All in, Wrath of Putin DBL IPA is either a pretty good IPA or an understrength and underwhelming double. But classification aside, the beer tastes pretty nice, if a bit light on bitterness.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

150 Red IP-eh

I have to assume that Think Brewing Co.’s 150 Red IP-eh is brewed in honour of Canada’s sesquicentennial. However, there is no further indication one way or another on the 500mL bottle. So, out of an abundance of caution, I’m opting to take Think up on their eponymous suggestion and ruminate on Canada’s (albeit belated) 150th birthday—while drinking this 6% alcohol red IPA from Harvey, NB, I was Think-ing about Canada, both as a land of opportunity and beauty, and as a country with a significant social, racial, and economic baggage, where entire communities struggle needlessly without clean water. Also, I’m Think-ing about the fact that, according to the label, with the purchase of this ale, Think provides “1% to food programs”, so that’s cool. All told, positive and productive thoughts were Thunk.

As for the beer, 150 Red is a rusty, swampy ale that pours with a thick and persistent cream head. Its aroma is coppery and fairly bitter, with suggestions of sweetness. The flavor is metallic, with classic red ale caramel notes sitting in front of a fairly prominent woodsy hops finish.

As red IPAs go, I tend to like them more bitter and less sweet, but this one has some chops even though it comes from the other side of the line. A few more IBUs wouldn’t have hurt, but I’ll live.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

8 Days a Week Single Hop Session IPA (Ekuanot)

The Ekuanot edition of Bandit Brewery’s 8 Days a Week Single Hop Session IPA is a low-alcohol number, at just 3.9%.  Sold in 500mL bottles, the beer proved to be a swampy gold colour with a loose white head. I know by now that Bandit has great labels, but this one might be my new fave.

The brew has a tangy fruit scent with a slight floral kicker. The flavour is similarly situated, if a bit understated (not surprising, given the sub-4 percentage), but it still had some tropical tang.

A nicely-constructed low-octane ale, the Ekuanot edition of 8 Days has some character and style. Truly sessionable and quite pleasant. A more generous hopping would have been nice, though.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Chalice Belgian IPA

Chalice Belgian IPA comes from Long Bay Brewery in Rothsay, New Brunswick. I picked up a 355mL bottle based on the excellent label featuring a tonsured monk grasping a jeweled grail. It’s a 6.5% alcohol brew with relatively low levels of bitterness at just 25 IBUs. Brewed using Belgian yeast and with grains of paradise, the beer is a hazy, pale gold potion that pours with a lot of carbonation and lusty white head.

With a spicy, yeast-driven aroma, Chalice has the profile of a Belgian ale and its flavour backs up that assessment, with warm, yeast notes and a sizable spice presence. That said, there aren’t the subtle fruit esters that make a Belgian-style ale really click. The bitterness is modest to the point of timidity, but certainly provides some balance. Overall, it was a nice beer that could be great with a bit more fine tuning.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Haliburton Highlands Honey Brown Ale

“Store cool. Enjoy fresh.” So admonishes 500mL bottles of Haliburton Highlands Brewing’s Honey Brown Ale; so into the fridge it went and down my gullet soon after. A 5% alcohol ale from Haliburton, Ontario, this stuff is brewed using “locally produced honey and oats” to produce a handsome amber ale that pours under a blanket of eggshell head.

The beer has a honey-sweet nose offset against a roasted malt base. The flavour is equally well-balanced, with sweet oat and honey notes that hold there own against legitimate brown ale elements of malted toastiness and an English-style ale bitterness.

Honey brown ales often falter, as far as I’m concerned, when they focus too much on the honey and not enough on the brown ale—Halliburton’s take on the style doesn’t fall into that trap—it is a brown ale first, with sticky molasses, rich malt, and decent bitterness—dressed up with some local honey sweetness. This beer should have been in the 6% range, but otherwise, I thought it worked nicely.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Duggan's #18

Duggan’s Brewery in Toronto has adopted a numerical system of naming their beers (see previous posts in which I reviewed #9, #46, and #99). The #18 is billed as a raspberry weiss beer. It’s a 5.4%, 22 IBU brew that I recently picked up at the bottle shop in a bottle (volume uncertain, but it must have been between 400-500mL).

For a wheat beer, I found #18 to be notably dark in colour—closer to an auburn than the pale gold I was expecting. The beer poured with a fluffy cloud of off-white head, but it was short-lived. The beer had a tart berry nose supplemented with a waft of banana and a yeasty fug. The tartness of the raspberry elements really came through in the flavour, which is nearly sour. The mouthfeel was sturdier than many others in the style, which hurt crispness but gave the beer a bit more substance.

 

The big one-eight from Duggan’s is a pretty enjoyable little wheater; however, it is a bit wanting on the back end, which finishes short, tart, and uninspired. It’s also a bit low on the fizzy fizzy. Otherwise, the beer has a lot going for it: good strength, meaty body, and a tart raspberry vibe that tastes authentic and isn’t sweetened into jammy oblivion. Even with out a better established back end, I thought #18 was good stuff.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

A-Bay

Named in honour of Asbridges Bay, A-Bay is a pale ale from the team at Beaches Brewing Company, an outfit based in Toronto. A-Bay is a 4.5% alcohol, 28 IBU crusher. Sold in 473mL cans, the beer is clear, pale gold, and effervescent. According to the copy on the can, it’s a “Canadian style wheat ale”, although wheat is noticeably absent from the ingredients list. Regardless, A-Bay lands under a fluffy and thick layer of bright white foam and has a pretty imposing citrus aroma given the low percentage.

Fruit salad notes are the driving factors of A-Bay’s flavour, with orange, banana, and grape leading the way. The finish has some hops, but not in the assertive fashion necessary to compete with the fruity disposition of the front end. Despite the lack of wheat mentioned in the ingredients list, this beer does have the hallmarks of a wheated ale—most notably banana esters.

A-Bay was a pretty enjoyable little ale, but it falls a bit short in the bitterness department. At just 4.5%, there are some sessionable chops, but the beer is a touch too sweet to make that entirely realistic. What A-Bay is, though, is refreshing as hell. And that’s worth a lot.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Spin Dive Summer Gose

Spending a coupla days cat- and hog-sitting for my frère and his roomie, I picked myself up a few cans of cold after the sad supply I was left, including a 473mL number of Spin Dive Summer Gose. A light beer at just 3.8% alcohol and 11 IBUs, Spin Dive comes from Lake of Bays Brewing Company in Baysville, Ontario.

Hazy and golden, with just a whisper of thin, off-white head. It has a briny waft that promises a blend of tart and spice. The flavour is salty and tangy, with a nice lime element, but it is unexpectedly mild, and this mildness is born out by a disappointingly thin body. 

Spin Dive is a refreshing little fella with a nice flavour foundation, but it lacks body and depth. Insufficiently sharp for a gose, though, and a bit underwhelming in the main. 

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

New Wave New England-Style IPA

During a recent stop at Toronto’s Halo Brewing Co., I had a few minutes to kill before my pal joined me, so I dove into a 12oz pour of their New Wave New England-Style IPA. A 6.7% alcohol number; my beer arrived with an opaque orange and milky appearance and a very thin disc of white head.

New Wave had a mighty aroma that melded dank hops with juicy citrus. The flavour was pretty robust, with pineapple, grapefruit, and mango elements, balanced against a pretty zealously hoppy finish.

This beer was juicy, bitter, and decently strong. I’d have preferred to amp it up across the line to 7%, but I’ll live. NE IPAs are ubiquitous these days, but ones that are smartly brewed are in shorter supply, and Halo’s New Wave fits in that more elite class.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Clear Lake Session Ale

From the Clear Lake Brewing Co., in Muskoka Lakes, Ontario, comes Clear Lake Session Ale. A crystal clear, 4.8% alcohol beer, CLSA comes in 473mL cans and pours with a vibrant but very short-lived white head.

CLSA has a sweet aroma that is based around cereals and corn, with just a flicker of hops at the tail end. The beer is fairly crisp, though it is a touch too sweet to make it particularly session-friendly—at least for me. The flavour is grain and corn-driven, with a faint bitterness to close the door.

CLSA has a distinctly “macro” feel to it—it tastes like any number of golden ales that I’ve tried, with little to set it apart. I quaffed my can during a grilling session, and it made an adequate companion to that endeavour, though in truth, it didn’t add a whole lot. In my opinion, this beer was ordinary. Add to that a too-sweet complexion, and it’s not a beer I’m keen to revisit.

Rating: 5.5 out of 10.

Saison Davenport

One of the most cleverly-named beers on the Toronto craft scene right now is Saison Davenport. Christened in honour of the legendary Saison Dupont—SD recognizes that its home brewery, Shacklands Brewing Co., is north of Dupont Street, but closer to Davenport.

The beer, which clocks in at 6.4% alcohol, came direct from the brewery in a 650mL bottle. The beer is a dull gold colour with reddish highlights under a fluffy off-white head. SD has a yeasty, fruity nose with notes of apple and Chardonnay. The flavour keeps up the white wine vibe. It’s dry, fruity, and a touch floral. Tying the whole thing together is a streak of convincing Belgian-style yeastiness.

I’m hot and cold on saisons, but a simple, well-made entry is a pretty agreeable beer, and that’s just what I got from Saison Davenport. Not over-complicated, but well-made and tasty. A bit more carbonated zip would have served the mouthfeel better.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Blue County Blueberry Saison

According to the copy on 473mL cans of Blue County Blueberry Saison, 100% of the blueberries used in the brewing process come from Hometown Brew Co.’s fields in Langton, Ontario. At 6%, BC won’t overwhelm, but it can stand up for itself. It’s a brassy beer with a sudsy white head, all of which has an ever-so-slight purplish tint (or I might just be losing it).

Yeasty and peppery to the nose, but with some berry juice, BC has a great smell. The flavour isn’t quite as splendid, although it does taste pretty good. It’s just that the beer, packed full of blueberries as it is, comes off a bit too sweet. There is a funky yeast subtext, but it doesn’t get a chance to shine due to the starring role occupied by those tiny round dudes from Norfolk County.

Blue County is exactly what it set out to be—a blueberry saison—except that the ratios are reversed. I wanted a blueberry SAISON, but I got a BLUEBERRY saison. But I still enjoyed it well enough. Big ups to my pals MN and LD for hooking me up with this (and other) beer for looking after their furry friends.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Prince Eddy’s Brewing Co.’s Citra IPA

The pineapple, grapefruit, and orange on the label of the 650mL bottles of Prince Eddy’s Brewing Co.’s Citra IPA are a bit of a giveaway as to  projected flavour notes. A 5% alcohol IPA (almost unacceptably low-octane) from Picton, Ontario, the beer has a light orange hue, with considerable haziness and a stable white head.

P.E.’s Citra IPA has a hoppy, citrus-focused aroma, but one with an unfortunate “foot” element. The flavour is heavy with citrus notes and, for a low-alcohol IPA, an almost heroically bitter cast. Fortunately, not “footy” to the taste, this little IPA has some depth.

Despite a layer of stank on the nose, Prince Eddy’s Citra is a tasty little beer. Anything that calls itself an IPA, but which contains less than 6% alcohol is due a 1.0 point deduction, so it was behind the 8-ball, but I still liked this stuff alright.

Rating: 7.0 our of 10.

The Patriarchy-The Legend

Last up in my trio of reviews of Devil’s Right Hand Stouts is The Legend—a barrel aged version of The Elder (that one was sold out when I visited Parsons Brewing Company)—the 10% 45 IBU ale is aged in barrels that once housed Wild Oak Whiskey from Kinsip House of Fine Spirits. Sold in 650mL bombers, this stuff is a recipe for a nap if you drink it on an empty stomach on a sunny Sunday afternoon (this I know from experience).

The Legend is a dark beer with amber highlights. It pours with a think and unyielding tan foam and has a nose that is sweet, woody, and chocolatey. Flavour is sweet, particularly in the early going, with treacle and chocolate elevating a malty opening salvo. The finish is fairly bitter, though a bit more generous hopping might have made for better balance.

Thick and sticky, The Legend is an apparently dour ale with a playful side. It has nice wood aging elements, sweetness that is plentiful without overpowering, and a reasonable bitter finish. It’s strength is great, too. As mentioned earlier, another portion of dank hops might have made this beer a bit more appealing to me, but otherwise, it did a nifty job of holding my attention. After reviewing, I paired the second half of my beer with a maduro cigar, and the result was pleasing.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.