Estrella Damm

Estrella Damm is an extremely clear and incredibly pale straw coloured Catalan Pilsner.  This brew, born in Barcelona, Spain, is sold in handsome red and gold 500mL cans and features a gold star (estrella is Spanish for star).  It has a relatively light alcohol content, clocking in at 4.6%.  It is the primary beer produced by the S.A. Damm brewery.

Estrella Damm has a fine, white head and a fair amount of pretty, clinging lace.  It is quite carbonated, though it doesn't taste overly fizzy.  The bubbles rise in fine, vertical lines when poured.  There is an aroma of wheat and citrus.  The taste is very mild: slightly buttery with faint notes of grass and citrus.  This is a very light cerveza with a thin mouthfeel.  Notably, there is almost no aftertaste at all.

This is a fine beer for a sunny afternoon.  I enjoyed it with a cheap cigar during at halftime during a Raiders telecast.  It is highly sessionable, since it is crisp, smooth and easy drinking.  However, it is, at best, an unremarkable pale lager.  To rate higher, it would need to have a bit more flavour and character.  While I would probably buy this beer again, it won't ever be a staple in my refrigerator.

Rating:  7.0 out of 10.

Goose Island Beer Company-312 Urban Wheat Ale

 Another Goose Island offering, the 312 Urban Wheat Ale was a pretty little brew.  Enjoyed on tap at Chicago's South Loop Club, our bartender Mike did me a solid and spared me the slice of lemon that seems to be traditionally served with the 312.  Lemon is fine once in a while, but it just won't do when reviewing.

According to the Goose Island website, the 312 has an alcohol content of 4.2% and 20 IBUs (quite bitter for a wheat). My pint was a very nice looking light yellow colour, slightly cloudy.  There was a thin head with a moderate amount of lace.  The aroma was decidedly wheaty, with some citrus tones.  The mouthfeel was a bit thin and the beer was slightly watery.  The flavour starts slow but builds to a surprisingly bitter citrus finish.

The 312 (a nod to a Chicago area code) was a fine beer.  Not outstanding, but definitely enjoyable.  It was a little thin, but definitely tasty.  This is a brew that could be downed in considerable quantities.  Give it a try if you're passing through the Second City.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Goose Island Beer Company-Green Line Pale Ale

My beer tour of Chicago continued with Goose Island Beer Company's Green Line Pale Ale.  According to the beer list at the bar, Goose Island Beer Company was Chicago's original brewery.  They've put together a fine roster of beers that I enjoyed throughout my stay in the Windy City.

Enjoyed on tap with a delicious pastrami sandwich at Miller's Pub, this little beauty weighed in at 5% alcohol.  It was a slightly cloudy yellow-amber colour.  It smelled sweet, with a faint aroma of orange peel.  The moderate hops flavour is the main feature.  The beer was pleasantly bitter from initial taste though the aftertaste, without going overboard.

This was a pretty fine brew; one that I would gladly order again if I were to be back in Chicago.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Rock Bottom Brewery-Saison Jonquille

While at Rock Bottom Brewery in Chicago, I also had occasion to sample their Saison Jonquille.  The brew weighs in at a weighty 5.6% alcohol and is rated at 28 IBUs.  The Saison is a faintly cloudy gold colour.  There is very little evidence of carbonation, but lots of lace.

I seldom have cause to order a saison.  It's not a style that I see all that often when I'm out and about.  I enjoy them well enough, particularly when they are a bit spicy, but they tend to be a bit malty for my tastes.  The Saison Jonquille had a rich, malty aroma.  It tasted extremely sweet with a fairly fierce maltiness and a slight floral taste.  It was slightly spicy, but not as much as I was hoping.  As with the rest of the beer, the finish was very sweet.

In all honesty, I wasn't wild about this brew when I first got it, but it was growing on me by the end.  I would consider ordering it again some time, if it weren't for the fact that Rock Bottom has a roster of other beers that I prefer.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Rock Bottom Brewery I.P.A.

Here's an unruly post.  I'm going to attempt to author a three person review.  My brother, my Dad and I were in Chicago for a conference and went out in search of some local beer.  Rock Bottom Brewery is not exclusive to Chicago--rather, it is a chain of breweries with locations in many U.S. cities.  However, they brew on site and it's something we can't get in Canada.

After much discussion and perusal of the beer list, we three settled on the I.P.A.  We each had a pint on tap.  My familial colleagues said that the beer is honey coloured, or as my Dad put it, "failed amber."  In my opinion, it was a cloudy orange with a moderate amount of head.  It closely resembles a witbier.  I was unable to determine the I.P.A.'s alcohol content at the bar or at Rock Bottom's website.

According to Brother Rob, the beer has a strong citrus smell, tastes of grapefruit and has a lingering aftertaste.  My Pops claimed a malty citrus smell.  After one sip he exclaimed "Talk about grapefruit!"  Finally, Dad cryptically observed that "one sip encourages another."

In my opinion, the I.P.A. had an extremely hop heavy aroma.  The taste moves from sweet to bitter, and just as my co-reviewers noted, there is an undeniable grapefruit taste.  The aftertaste is fairly bitter with a bit of orange peel flavour.

The three of us agreed that this was a fine beer.  Not exceptional, but pretty tasty.  It wasn't really what we were expecting, since it had only understated bitterness.  Still, well worth a try if you pass by a Rock Bottom Brewery.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Stratford Pilsner

My partner and I recently picked up tickets for Titus Andronicus at the Stratford Festival.  This made me think that it was about time to review this eponymous little brew.  Stratford Pilsner is produced by the Stratford Brewing Co.  It is sold in 341mL bottles and has an alcohol content of 4.9%.

SP pours a slightly cloudy gold colour.  There is a thin but persistent white head and lots of lace.  The aroma suggests sweetness; it has a slight honey scent.  Not surprisingly, it tastes sweet, slightly malty and has notes of citrus fruit.  The aftertaste is sweet, but with an element of hops bitterness.

It's sold in fairly spartan packaging that doesn't really draw the eye, but all told, this is a pretty nice pilsner with some character.  It's a little oversweet and a bit wanting in the crispness department, but a good brew nonetheless.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Let's Talk About Ratings

I've had a few questions from readers wondering about how I arrive at my ratings, so I have decided to take a few moments to try to walk y'all through my process.  Please keep in mind that there is nothing scientific or objective about the way that I rate beers; it's my blog and I can be as subjective and obtuse as I want to be.  I like what I like.  Still, I probably should take a few moments to talk about how I arrive at my conclusions.

I rate beers on a scale between 0 and 10.  I am willing to use half points (i.e. 5.5, 8.5), but I am unwilling to split hairs any further than that.  One critique I've received is that I'm too generous with my ratings.  So far, I haven't had cause to rate anything lower than 5.0.  This is unsurprising, since I don't make a habit of buying beers I don't like.  That's not to say it'll never happen.  There are even a handful of beers out there that are worthy of a 0.0 score.  But generally I love and respect beer.  You won't see many low scores on this blog because most beer has merit.  I review beer like I'm a high school teacher; the pass/fail threshold is 60%.  Few beers fall below that line.

 Similarly, I have not yet rated a beer higher than 9.0.  I'm not one of those pig-headed professors that won't hand out an A+ under any circumstances.  There are 10.0 beers out there.  Lots of them.  I just haven't reviewed any yet (though I have sampled my fair share).  Don't worry, I'll get to them.

When reviewing a beer, my first step is observation.  I try not to review beers without having an opportunity to look at them.  To that end, I order beer on tap, or if I am drinking beer from a bottle or can, I always pour it into a glass.  I look at the colour of the beer, how much head, lace and carbonation exist, and assess the clarity.  I always include these elements in my review, though they seldom affect the rating.  Unless a beer is simply beautiful, looks unappealing or has a head that is utterly unacceptable, looks are neutral.

Next, I spend some time smelling it.  This is the part of the process that I find most challenging, since I don't have a particularly impressive sense of smell.  I often have to get my face right into the glass, but I do it, because I love beer.

Now it's tastin' time.  I finally sample the beer, taking a small sip at first to get a feel for the brew.  I try to vary my drinking style, sometimes guzzling, sometimes sipping, until the beer is gone.  I consider taste, look for flavour notes, and assess aftertaste.  This is definitely the best part of the process.

Once the beer is gone, I get down to the business of rating it.  I think it is important to point out that I am rating beers against similar beers.  I have an affinity for stouts and bitters, so it would be problematic if I routinely rated these styles higher than pale lagers.  In order to combat this, when reviewing a pilsner, I try to rate it against other pilsners I have tried.  Porters are compared to other porters, wits to wits, and so on.  This may one day be problematic if I encounter a style that I am unfamiliar with, but so far that hasn't come up.  Fortunately, I have a pretty diverse and thorough beer-drinking repertoire.

There you have it.  Context.

Victoria Bitter (VB)

On NFL Fantasy Draft night, I reached for a cigar and a bottle of VB and headed out to the back porch.  Despite the fact that my team is average at best, I managed to enjoy my night.  VB, or more officially Victoria Bitter, is a tasty bitter lager from Melbourne, Australia.  It is sold in awesome 375mL stubby bottles and checks in at 4.6%.

VB pours a clear, yellowish amber colour.  There is a moderate amount of head and lace though not a lot of carbonation.  It features a malty aroma that offers the promise of hops.  The taste is fairly nicely balanced, if perhaps a touch sweet.  The name suggests bitterness, and there is some, but it isn't the main focus.  It has a coppery finish.  The brew has almost a ginger ale quality and is a great sessionional-it is tasty and drinkable with only a moderate amount of alcohol.

I do have a problem with VB that bears mentioning.  It is sold in a hateful soft plastic excuse for a six-pack--more like a garbage bag than a proper beer vessel.  This brew comes in great, even iconic, stubby bottles and it has a great looking label.  Why on earth would they insist on selling it in an inconvenient and unattractive sack?

Ridiculous packaging notwithstanding, this is a pretty good beer.  It is definitely worth trying or, for those of you who have already tried it, worth revisiting.  It isn't world class, but it is solid enough.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Berhold Keller Premium Lager

I was drawn to this brew by its flashy powder blue can and its low, low price.  It's a nice-looking product sold for a song.  Yeah, I'll try that.

Since starting this blog, I've sampled more lagers than at any other time in my life.  I have actually been enjoying them, too.  However, as the summer turns to fall, I am feeling less and less inclined to pick up a pale, sudsy mug.  I am starting to feel my natural inclination for darker ales returning.  Enter Berhold Keller.

BK is sold in 500mL cans and weighs in at a standard 5%.  This brew was full of surprises, but its appearance wasn't one of them.  It pours a crystal clear pale straw colour and features a shock of white head.  It displays lots of carbonation and laces nicely.

For a Western European pale lager, BK is relatively complex.  The aroma has a slight metallic edge, but the predominant characteristic is a wheaty smell.  Unlike the vast majority of its brethren, the adjective "crisp" doesn't aptly apply to Berhold Keller.  Smooth yes, but not crisp.  Rather, the taste is somewhat round.  It's oat sodas like this that remind my that beer is fundamentally composed of wheat, grains, and other agricultural products.  Berhold Keller has a very grassy taste.  The finish is unexpectedly sweet, with a corn flavour (I couldn't decide whether to call it corny or cornish, so I stuck with the noun).  Notably, I wouldn't want to drink a few of these in one sitting.  Too sweet.

This was a pretty nice beer.  Definitely not what I expected, but an interesting departure from the traditional pale lager format.  I'd recommend it to friends as a nice transition beer to ease back into fall.  For my student friends, call this one a "back-to-school" beer.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Amsterdam Brewery-Two Fisted Stout

When I ordered the Two Fisted Stout, I didn't realize that it was an Amsterdam Brewery product.  It was a "guest tap" at a local pub and the name sounded cool, so I decided to give it a whirl.  In fact, I didn't find out until days later that Amsterdam was the responsible party.  This is noteworthy, because I haven't found myself terribly impressed with Amsterdam's products.  The ones I've tried are all drinkable and modestly enjoyable, but none of them has shown a lot of character.  Therefore, this was as close to a blind taste test as one of their beers is apt to get on my blog.

The Two Fisted Shout pours a dark colour with faint reddish highlights when held to the light.  There is a modest amount of dark tan head, though not a lot of lace.  The aroma is that of roasted nuts.  It is toasty and slightly smokey.  According to the Amsterdam website, the TFS measures in at 4.3%.

The beer has an oddly thin mouthfeel for a stout.  Unlike many stouts, this one is not thick and creamy.  In short, it doesn't drink like a meal.  The flavour has the requisite molasses taste, but also a slight smokiness that feels a bit out of place.  Still, none of these elements are unpleasant.  In fact, were they the only constituent elements, this beer would get a considerably higher rating as a unique variation of the stout format.  The problem is the aftertaste.  It is disagreeably sour.  This is not what I am looking for in a stout.  I want something that finishes smoothly and sticks around for breakfast.  Assuming that the keg I sampled from wasn't skunky and was actually representative of the TFS, this brew needs to take some aftertaste lessons.

Still, all told, Amsterdam has exceeded my expectations by creating a beer that takes some risks.  I appreciate that.  It's a stout with a lot of flavour and probably worth a shot.  I would try it again if the opportunity presented itself.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Kaiser Bier

Kaiser is a pale lager that hails from Linz, Austria.  It is brewed by Brau Union Osterrich, sold in 500mL cans and weighs in at a standard 5%.

There are some truly excellent Austrian beers out there.  It is one of the principle reasons that Vienna is near the top of my list of places I would like to travel.  Unfortunately, Kaiser cannot count itself among those truly excellent beers.  It is really quite ordinary.

The beer pours the standard gold colour.  There is lots of evidence of carbonation, but little head.  The head that does exist is cloudy white and dissipates quickly, leaving behind a ring around the stein.  Kaiser has a bready aroma with the faintest suggestion of bitterness.  The taste is tinny, with mild citrus notes.  The aftertaste is quite sweet, but also surprisingly abrupt.  It just doesn't stick around.

Kaiser is a fine beer.  It is refreshing and reasonably attractive.  Still, there is nothing that sets it apart from the scads of Western European pale lagers out there, nothing that makes me want to buy more.

Rating: 6.0 out of 10

Fuller's London Porter

Washing the dishes is a particularly hated chore, one I was putting off doing all day.  I kept finding new tasks to keep me occupied to delay the inevitable.  Finally, I proclaimed that I'd finally get to them after I reviewed a beer.  In keeping with my desire to prolong dish washing, I naturally chose to review a beer that eats like a meal.

Fuller's London Porter hails from Chiswick, London, England.  I enjoyed it from a 500mL can.  It measures in at a robust 5.4%.  It pours an extremely dark brown, bordering on black, but with a shadow of red when held up to the light.  The London Porter displays a thick tan head that doesn't seem to want to fully dissipate.  The aroma is earthy, roasted and toasty.  The taste is very full.  It begins bitter, but this quickly gives way to a fulsome, malty sweetness.  There are definite notes of chocolate lurking in this brew, but not milk chocolate.  Think black 84% cacao chocolate that is just as much bitter as sweet.

The packaging makes two claims.  The first is that the London Porter is "the World's Finest."  I'm not prepared to go quite that far.  After all, there are countless porters out there that I haven't even tried.  Still, this is a damn fine porter--well worth a try.  The other claim is that the beer is "rich, dark and complex."  Now this is language that I can endorse without reservation.  Those are likely the adjectives that I would have come up with myself to describe these suds (though I might have thrown "robust" or "luxurious" into the mix as well.  In short, this is a great beer.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

Great Lakes Brewery-Crazy Canuck Pale Ale

Keeping with the theme of tandem brew reviews, I invited my good friend Krista to join me in reviewing Great Lakes Brewery's Crazy Canuck Pale Ale.  Krista was in Toronto visiting from America.  After taking in Jack Layton's funeral from David Pecault Square, we were in definite need of a drink.  To that end, we headed on down to a local watering hole and ordered ourselves a couple of pints on tap.  Crazy Canuck is brewed in Toronto and according to the label, weighs in at 5.2%.

Krista characterized Crazy Canuck as having a translucent light bronze colour.  There was a fair amount of pale white head and the beer is moderately carbonated.  According to Krista, Crazy Canuck "smells like a pale ale" and features apricot notes.  The flavour is tinny, metallic and sharp and the aftertaste doesn't stick.

I found the colour to be a slightly cloudy gold.  It's highly carbonated for a pale.  There isn't much head, but there is a fair amount of lace.  The aroma is really hoppy, but with subtle orange and peach tones.  The taste is hop-oriented, but complex.  It is initially bitter and finishes sweetly with an almost peachy flavour.

Krista and I agreed that the Crazy Canuck Pale Ale was a solid brew.  Krista isn't really a fan of pale ales in general, but was willing to give this one a 7.5.  As a fan of pales, I was willing to go as high as an 8.0.  It's a nice beer-well balanced and tasty.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Caledonian 80/-

I'm wary of letting this blog get stagnant.  To that end, I've decided to include occasional tandem reviews with friends and family members.  That way readers can enjoy opinions other than my own and I can share the experience of reviewing beer.  For my first tandem review, I conscripted my younger brother Rob.

Rob has been on me for months to join him at one of his preferred haunts, The Caledonian.  In honour of the bar, we decided to review Caledonian 80/- (80 Schilling).  80/- hails from Edinburgh, Scotland.  Rob and I each enjoyed a pint of draught.  It is a nice reddish brown colour and features a creamy head and lots of lace.  According to Caledonian's website, 80/- tips the scale at a slight 4.1%. 

 According to Rob, the aroma had an understated evergreen quality.  He initially described the flavour simply as "deliciousness" before I bullied him into elaborating.  After a while, he conceded that the flavour was slightly peaty with a lingering toffee aftertaste.

In my opinion, the aroma is considerably coppery (though this was slightly muddled by the unfortunate coconut candle on the bar-great for ambiance, but not an asset when tasting beers).  There is a considerable degree of carbonation.  The brew starts with a sweet, malty flavour.  This gives way to a copper flavour followed by a slightly bitter aftertaste.  My only complaint with the 80/- is that it is a touch thin on the front end.  I'd like a more robust flavour.

Rob and I agreed that this was a pretty solid brew, one that we'd both recommend.  He wanted to give it a 8.5 or a 9.  I'm not quite that enamored with it, but it definitely is a tasty brew that goes down nicely.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Amsterdam Natural Blonde Lager

I don't often buy beer that I don't think I'll like.  However, I brought home a 6-pack of Amsterdam Brewing Co.'s Natural Blonde Lager because I suspected that my partner might enjoy it.  She is interested in pale lagers and pilsners, plus she enjoys trying local products.  She found the brew acceptable, but not sufficiently enjoyable for me to ever stock my fridge with it again.

 The Natural Blonde Lager hails from Toronto, Ontario.  It is sold in clear, 355mL bottles and it checks in at 5%.  It is a relatively nice looking pale lager; a very clear yellow-gold colour, with a small amount of pale white head.  The head dissipates to a white ring around the glass quite quickly.  So far, so good, right?

The aroma is sorta skunky, but with notes of grains.  The flavour is uncomplicated.  There is a slightly sweet, malty taste that gives way to a bready, slightly bitter aftertaste.  The beer is crisp, it is refreshing, but it is not particularly enjoyable.

This is definitely not a connoisseur's beer.  I would recommend it to those who prefer mass-produced American lights.  It is thin and plain, approaching the texture of a light beer, though with slightly more body.  It is refreshing, but has little flavour.  It got me drunk, but it didn't make me particularly happy.

Rating: 5.5 out of 10.

Cameron's Dark 266

A 6-pack of Cameron's Dark 266 arrived in my fridge courtesy of the lovely and brilliant Krista, a great friend and big supporter of the blog.  What kind of ungrateful sod would I be if I failed to deliver a review?

The Dark 266 hails from Oakville, Ontario.  It is produced by the Cameron's Brewing Co., is served in 341mL bottles and weighs in at a slightly light 4.5%.  Frustratingly, there is no indication what the enigmatic "266" stands for.  If anyone out there knows, I would love an answer.  Though this brew came to me in 6-pack form, one of my favourite things about Cameron's which I think is worth mentioning is that they sell their products in 9-packs.  Nine beers!  What a concept.  To me, the 9-pack makes a lot of sense.  Fits nicely in the fridge, easy to carry, great for parties when six isn't enough, but 12 is too many.  I wish more breweries would get on the 9-pack train.

Anyhow, back to the beer.  The Dark 266 would, I suppose, be classed as a dark lager.  It pours a very dark brownish red, with a thin head.  However, despite the thin head, it does display nice lacing.  The beer has a bitter aroma of roasted nuts.  Its taste is decidedly malty, with a mildly bitter aftertaste oddly reminiscent of sourdough bread.

This is a pretty fine product; one well worth checking out.  I suspect that it might be even better on tap, though I have never had the privilege.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.