Benediktiner Hell

Benediktiner Hell is a German helles lagerbier. It comes from Lich, where it is brewed by Benediiktiner Wießbräu. The beer is crystal clear and pale yellow-gold, with a thin layer of white head and a considerable level of carbonation. The beer comes in 500mL cans of pale lager that contains 5% alcohol.

BH features a grassy and fresh nose. For the style, there is an ample amount of flavour, with grainy and grassy notes to beat the band. The finish is refreshing, but has very little hops, which hurts the balance a bit.

Drinking a helles lager in January isn’t quite ideal for me, but it tasted pretty good and left me feeling refreshed. In July or August, this stuff would be a welcome addition to my fridge.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Zombie Apocalypse

Zombie Apocalypse is a pretty ruthless 10% alcohol imperial stout from the clever beersmiths at Toronto’s Indie Alehouse. I had a 10oz pour at one of my favourite local establishments. My beer turned up looking ghoulishly dark, adorned with a thick cowl of tan head.

Mocha and leather are the predominant aromatic notes, though the flavour tends more toward punchy, bitter chocolate, with a pinch of fruitcake. It’s a very robust ale with no attempt made to cloak the high percentage, though a velvety mouthfeel does help soften the blow. The finish is definitely bitter, but in a chocolate and molasses sense rather than a hoppy one.

I like my Imperial stouts to be strong (check), thick (check), and bitter (check). I tend to shy away from overly sweet ones, and this one does tightrope the line at times, but it manages to keep its balance and left me with a smile. I’d have liked a slightly higher IBU count to really hammer home the point, but it did have enough hops to compete with the big chocolate front end. And it is worth mentioning that as my beer warmed a bit, there was a lot of additional bitterness unlocked.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Milk Run Coffee Stout

Do you have a brother? Are you pals? Is he a cool guy? I’m sure he is. But my brother, the illustrious R.A.N., is better. That’s because my brother is the best brother. As he often does, on one of his latest journeys he brought me some bottles; this time they were from Collingwood, Ontario’s Northwinds Brewery. One of my gift bottles was a snazzy 500mL dealie of Milk Run Coffee Stout, a 5.6% dark ale brewed with java from Ashanti Coffee Estate, a local to Collingwood coffee roaster., and with lactose.

Milk Run is an obsidian ale with a plume of tan head and a pushy aroma of sweetened black coffee. With a deliriously smooth mouthfeel that gives way to a crunchily hoppy finish, Milk Run has an exceptional texture. Its flavour ain’t too shabby, either, with creamy coffee notes, roasted malt, and a modestly bitter back end.

While I enjoyed Milk Run quite a bit, there are elements that could have been tweaked to better tailor it to my unique tastes. For instance, I take my coffee black and bitter, and this beer exuded go-go beans at a two sugars level of sweetness, which was a bit much for me. I’d have throttled down on the sugar and amped up the bitter; however that is my own beer and coffee preference, so your own tastes may lead you to different conclusions. The creamy, lactose-infused mouthfeel was more than agreeable, adding a level of depth and volume to the brew, but, again, contributing to a too sweet flavour. According to the Northwinds Brewery website, Milk Run was designed as a breakfast beer, but to me, it’d be better suited to a digestif role—a dessert beer to be enjoyed on a full stomach.

 

Happy birthday, bro!

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Guilty Party ESB Amber Ale

On an unseasonably warm Sunday evening in late February, I was cooking up a mess of burritos and feeling thirsty, so while the onions caramelized, I reached for a 355mL can of Guilty Party ESB Amber Ale. Brewed in Greensboro, NC, Guilty Party comes from Gibb’s Hundred Brewing Company. It’s a 5.1% alcohol job balanced with a nice 37 IBUs. Its can features a wolf dressed in sheep’s clothing and made me smile.

Hazy orange-amber in colour, Guilty Party poured with a modest covering of eggshell head. The beer had a classic ESB aroma—malty, slightly metallic, and rich in caramel and biscuit. The flavour was similarly inclined, although there was a more than faint dose of American-style hops as a reminder that this beer was born in the USA.

Well balanced and enjoyable, Guilty Party was not outstanding or unusual; rather, it was a well made example of an extra special bitter, executed very well. This beer wouldn’t stand out in a lineup, because it is just quietly well made, without gimmick or trick. A skillfully subtle brew with an English style and an American heart.

Rating: 9.0 out of 10.

Auko

Auko comes from Burdock, out of Toronto. It’s a busy little brew—a sour dark ale aged with raspberries, sour cherries and cab franc skins for a year in cab franc barrels. It clocks in at a boisterous 9.1% alcohol and comes in 375mL bottles with simple and elegant labels.

The beer is a dark number with faint ruby highlights and almost no head. It has a very tart scent that is both fruity and funky, with a punchy cherry blast. It has a disappointingly thin and flat, but the flavour is quite lovely, with sharp winey notes and lots of tart fruit.

True, Auko was in my fridge for a few weeks before I uncapped it, but it really was thinner than it ought to have been in spite of that. Still, great flavour and potency made for a fairly enjoyable beer.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Amber Eh!

When I picked up a 473mL can of Amber Eh! from Niagara Brewing Company, my first thought was that this beer has two strikes and I haven’t even tried it yet: the first was the tired trope of including a pinup model (this time an impossibly slender lumberjack) on the packaging, and the second was the glaring omission of an apostrophe on the back copy (“Its a Canuck thing”). I mean, my blog is riddled with grammatical errors, but I’m not trying to sell anything to anyone. Sure hope the beer is good.

At 5%, the strength is right for the amber ale style. It had the right look, too, with a ruddy, slightly hazy complexion and a very thick nimbus of off-white head. The aroma suggested a North American style amber ale, given the presence of a fairly assertive piney hops note that lorded over the other elements, namely caramel and bread. The flavour wended a similar path, primarily driven by robust evergreen bitterness, and backed by some maltiness abs caramel sweetness. As well, there was something a bit coppery in the finish that was not at all out of place.

Given my two beers with the packaging, I found the beer inside to be quite appealing. It was surprisingly flavourful, generously hopped, and not over-sweet. 

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Ruff Draught Tropical Blonde Ale

I picked up Born Ruffians’ latest release, Uncle, Duke & the Chief this week. While listening to it for the third time, it seemed like a good opportunity to review Ruff Draught Tropical Blonde Ale, a Muskoka Brewery product brewed in collaboration with the band. Sold in neon on black 473mL cans, Ruff Draught is a sessionable 5%, 25 IBU ale that, according to its copy, won a session beer prize.  The ingredients list doesn’t mention any purée or fruit additives, so it sounds like the “Tropical” in this blonde ale is a result of brewing and not flavouring.

Brewed in Bracebrodge, RD is a slightly hazy dull gold brewski. It pours with a loose but voluminous cloud of white head, through which one can detect a a dry hops nose with some juicy fruit elements. While the aroma was a bit coy with it’s fruitiness, the flavour was a bit more forthcoming—still, for a beer with “Tropical” in the name, I was expecting to be overwhelmed by citrus and juicy papaya. Rather, the result was a beer with definite fruit leanings, but subtly nestled under an acerbic bitterness and a pleasant, almost Belgian-style yeasty fin.

As someone who appreciates a pint with less-than-obvious fruit elements, Ruff Draught left me pretty pleased—with notes of mango and peach that were plain, but not stifling. Further, the beer was definitely not too sweet, which is a treat when one delves into, and chooses to advertise, tropical flavours. All told, I thought this was a strong beer, and I’d be glad to pick up more if I see it.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Honey Habanero Spicy Ale

According to the copy on the snazzy 473mL cans of Frank Brewing Co.’s Honey Habanero Spicy Ale, this brew was created in homage to the brewer’s grandad’s zeal for his wife’s honey habanero marmalade. Low-test at just 4.8%, the beer is crystal clear and golden, with a thin disc of eggshell head.

To my sniffer, honey sweetness is the big contributor to the aroma of this little effort from Tecumseh, Ontario. Interesting, the spicy pepper is used sparingly, and only becomes evident on the finish after a couple of sips. Otherwise, the flavour is mild and sweet, with mellifluous notes on top of an otherwise mild and balanced blonde ale.

I’m conflicted when it comes to reviewing this ale—typically with spicy beers I fear over-emphasis of heat elements, but with this one, I’d have liked just a whisper more potency. As well, I always like to know where a beer’s honey (and peppers) are sourced. That info would have been nice.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

4x4 Belgian Quad

One might not expect to find a Belgian-style quadrupel in Northern Ontario, but that just what one gets when one cracks a 471mL can of 4x4 Belgian Quad, a 10.5% offering from Sudbury’s Stack Brewing.

First off, I should probably address what was, for me at least, the elephant in the room: a quad in a can?! I was pretty wary, but I persevered, dear reader, because I owe it to my art!

Stack’s quad was a fairly dark entry—it started pouring a walnut brown and just kept getting darker as my glass filled up. Atop this dark brown ale resided a slight cap of loose tan head. 4x4 had a pretty feisty aroma, characterized by a generous measure of malt, fruitcake, and a bit of spice. On the flavour side of the equation, I found many of those same sweet notes, but also leather and a slightly tangy fruit finish reminiscent of a red wine. It is in the finish that one gets the first real indication of how strong this stuff actually is.

All things considered, 4x4 was a pretty cheeky offering from one of Ontario’s unsung brewing bests, though not nearly their best work. First off, I have a bit of a hard time classing this as a quad—it has the strength and some of the right flavour elements, but it lacks the heady funk that comes with Belgian yeast. For me, this beer was closer to a barley wine or some other genre of winter ale. But classification aside, I found this brute to be a relatively tasty effort. It didn’t have the full-bodied texture I was hoping for, but the flavour was interesting and many-layered.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Pitchfork Porter

Pitchfork Porter comes from Oast House Brewers out of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. I ordered myself a 483mL can at Pinkerton’s in Toronto’s east end while waiting for the Bitter Wife.

Billed as a “traditional dry English-style porter”, Pitchfork contained 5.3% alcohol. A clear dark beer with ruby highlights, Pitchfork poured with a thin layer of cream head. The beer had a chocolatey scent; malt-focused and only slightly sweet. Flavour-wise, fresh cocoa notes kicked things off, building to a gently bitter finish.

Oast House is a quality Ontario that often doesn’t get the love that some of the bigger players do. I’ve yet to sip one of their beers that I didn’t enjoy, and Pitchfork was no exception. Not an earthshaking or unusual porter, the strength of this little guy is due to the skill with which it is brewed. I’d have liked it to be a bit more acerbic through the finish, but otherwise, I had little to complain about.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

La Vache Folle ESB

A gift from my tremendous in-laws, I got a 500mL bottle of the 6% alcohol La Vache Folle ESB, from Microbrasserie Charlevoix, from Baie-Saint-Paul, Québec. The brew is a bright copper-hued number—clear with an off-white head and lovely lace.

The beer has a malty, faintly metallic nose with some brown sugar sweetness and a hoppy kick. The scent-picture painted by the aroma is well-actualized in the flavour, with brown sugar, caramel, and malts in good measure up front, and a pleasingly bitter, gently metallic, and unexpectedly grassy back end.

This English-style, Québecois Extra Special Bitter ale is a well-executed take—a tasty, fairly strong, and flavourful version of a classic pub-style pint. My only beef is that there was a bit too much sweetness through a finish that could have been crisper.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Doc Perdue’s Boxing Bruin

Doc Perdue’s Boxing Bruin is an India pale ale named in honour of an ursine sometime pugilist named Bruin that resided in a managers operated by Blyth, Ontario’s resident vet, one Doc Perdue. Brewed in Blyth by Cowbell Brewing Co./Blyth Brewing & Distilling Inc., Boxing Bruin is a 6.3% alcohol ale. It has a lightly hazy golden colour, a thick and fluffy white head, and a resinous aroma. Sold in 473mL cans, this beer tends to sweetness, with fruity notes on top of a dank hops finish. According to the tasting notes on the can,  I was led to expect some lychee notes, which came through in spades, but also some lime, mango, an candied orange, which were less evident to me.

Boxing Bruin has, in my opinion, two main flaws: it is too sweet and it is understrength for a North American IPA. In spite of those drawbacks, the beer tasted alright and kept me interested in Cowbell’s other offerings, which, to date, have proved pretty reliable.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Rainbow in the Dark

Billed as a “winter rye I.P.A.”, Redline Brewhouse’s Rainbow in the Dark came highly recommended by my server at Pinkerton’s, a little snack bar with a beer list that could in Toronto’s east end. Sold in lovely northern lights-themed 473mL cans, this Barrie, Ontario offering clocked in at 6.6% alcohol and a pretty rowdy 61 IBUs.

Cloudy and orange-gold, RITD poured under a luscious layer of off-white head. It had a potent citrus aroma, rich in lime notes. The flavour was somewhat unusual, with a combo that blended floral hops, spicy rye, and tangy citrus. The fairly enthusiastic IBU count was evident toward the finish, which was both bitter and thirst-quenching.

This little brew from Barrie had some game. I’d have liked to see the alcohol percentage tick up a few levels into the 7+ range to warm this brew up a bit, but the citrus/hops/rye combo lended a very interesting flavour that I found pretty engrossing—were I pairing, I’d have allied this beer with a spicy Thai prawn dish.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Spencer Trappist Ale

Brewed in Spencer, Massachusetts at The Spencer Brewery, Spencer Trappist Ale has the notable distinction, at least as of the time of writing, of being the only certified Trappist beer brewed outside of Europe. The brewery is affiliated with St. Joseph’s Abbey, and has been brewing their 6.5% blonde ale for a few years now—I’ve been wanting to try it ever since I read about the stuff some years back, so I was pretty thrilled when I saw it sitting on the shelf at a Toronto beer vendor.

 The beer has a cloudy appearance and a thin but stubborn layer of eggshell head. STA has a fruity, yeast-heavy nose, with notes of apple and cranberry. The flavour is somewhat uncharacteristic for an abbey beer, in that isn’t particularly funky or rich in Belgian-style yeasts. That’s not to say that the beer isn’t yeast-driven, but it is a bit less tart and tangy than some of the longer established Trappist beers from Europe. The flavour is well-balanced, with slightly sour fruit notes and breadiness sitting on either end of the seesaw.

After downing the better part of a corked and caged 650mL bottle of the stuff, my conclusion is that Spencer Trappist Ale is an interesting addition to the tightly regulated and prescribed world of Trappist ales. It’s a nice blonde ale, but it lacks some of the verve I’ve come to expect when I see the “Authentic Trappist Product” icon on a beer label. However, I suspect that some of my findings were due to my own mistaken expectations—I wanted to open a bottle of North American Chimay or Achel, without accounting for the fact that Spencer is not a Belgian brewery, with all of the history and baggage that comes with. Instead of comparing this ale to one from Westmalle, I should have been appreciating it on its own merits a little more. In that context, it stands up well as a pretty decent gold ale. I’d really have liked a bit more booze and  depth, and a fuller mouthfeel, but for a first offering, Spencer Trappist Ale was pretty good. I’m interested in seeing what direction the monks head in from here; a dubbel or trippel could really knock my socks off if done well.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Chesterfield

The Ontario beer scene is seeing a boom in kölsch-style ales, and I’m pretty damn fine with that. One such entry I’ve been seeing around lately is Chesterfield from Newmarket’s Arch Brewing Co. The beer comes in 473mL cans and contains a respectable 5.3% alcohol.

True to its pedigree, the beer has a nice golden colour. It’s slightly hazy and pours under a slim layer of white head. It has a clean yet toasty aroma. The flavour is quite mild—grainy with some toasted malt elements. The finish is extremely concise and not super flavourful.

Chesterfield is a comfortable, but not remarkable take on the pride of Cologne. I’ll buy it again, but I’m not really blown away—not nearly as enjoyable as Arch’s Dinner Jacket.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.