Brew Brunswick-Picaroons Yippee IPA

Yippee IPA is a hilarious monicker for this clear, copper-coloured IPA.  However, it's so much more than the name--Yippee is a fine example of a Canadian take on the India pale ale. Topped by a fluffy, cream-coloured head, Yippee is a potent brew with an alcohol content of 6.5%. It leaves lace to spare and features a hoppy aroma that is buttressed by a pleasing whiff of brown sugar.

The brew has a hoppy flavour that is bracing without being overpowering. It's heightened alcohol content is well masked by a complex and enjoyable taste. The brew starts bitterly and finishes bitterly, but some pleasant sweetness nestled in the middle to keep the drinker on his or her toes.  The aftertaste is big and bitter.

Yippee IPA is a fine brew that is likely to be enjoyable to both hop-heads and malt fans alike. Worth a try.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Brew Brunswick-Pump House Scotch Ale

Moncton's Pump House Brewery makes a slew of badass brews. Their Scotch Ale is definitely one such product. It is sold in 341mL bottles and contains just 4.8% alcohol--relatively little for the style. Still, what it lacks in alcoholic zeal it more than makes up for in flavour. This brew tastes BIG.

It is a handsome mahogany colour, only slightly carbonated, and topped with scant head. It has the sweet aroma of dried fruit and basement malts nestled into primary scent, which is smoke. The flavour is very smokey, very peaty and very nice. There are notes of raison mingling with the smoke, to create a very nice taste combination. The aftertaste is sweet and quite gentle.

While the Pump House Scotch Ale is nowhere near as alcoholic-ly powerful as some other scotch ales I've downed, it is very tasty and quite interesting. This is a beer that will appeal to drinkers with a taste for flavourful ales and is definitely worth pursuing.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Brew Brunswick-Picaroons Irish Red

Fredericton's Picaroons Traditional Ales makes some seriously delicious beer. They have a stable of brews worthy of a much larger brewery. To date, their wares are only available in New Brunswick, which frequently leaves me, a displaced New Brunswicker living in Toronto, thirsty for home.

One of Picaroons most popular offerings is their Irish Red.  In my opinion, the I.R. isn't their finest beer (that honour is reserved for the exceptional Best Bitter, which will be reviewed shortly), but it is a damn good one nonetheless. It is a rich, brownish red ale, sold in 500mL bottles. It is topped with a thinnish white head, leaves behind just a little lace, and weighs in at 4.8% alcohol.

The Irish Red has a malty aroma that features elements of brown sugar and molasses. The flavour is a toasty blend of bitter and malt--truly well balanced.  It is sweet without being overly saccharine, and is both warming and full-bodied. The aftertaste is fairly bitter, but not enough to be unpleasant to easily offended palates.  This is a fine example of a red ale and definitely worth a try.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Brew Brunswick-Home for the Holidays

I'm living in Toronto now, but I grew up in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Over Christmas, I had occasion to return to the "Picture Province" to visit my friends and family, and to make merry for a week.  As a new beer blogger eager to stretch my legs, I used the opportunity to sample some of NB's finer brews.

New Brunswick has two main microbreweries: the Pump House Brewery, of Moncton and Picaroons Traditional Ales (Northampton Brewing Company), of Fredericton.  Both of these breweries create exceptional suds and each has a significant national profile.  Both have been recognized as Canada's top brewery.  For such a small province, brewing culture is clearly alive and well in New Brunswick.

I arrived home thirsty and with big plans to review every local brew I could get my hands on.  Unfortunately, I don't think I fully succeeded in my mandate: there were just too many quality local brews for a short trip. However, I had a fun time, and I was able to sample some truly world-class beers.

In the coming days, the blog will be featuring the reviews generated during my time in New Brunswick--a province small in population, geographic area and wealth, but enormous in brewing.

Yazoo-Hop Project #61

Nashville, Tennessee is the home to the Yazoo Brewing Company. I've been fortunate enough to sample several Yazoo brews, and I have yet to be disappointed. Hop Project #61 definitely lived up to my lofty expectations.

Poured from a growler, HP#61 was an almost clear orange coloured ale. It had a thin head, but left lots of lace. It was lightly carbonated, but this might be a result of the fact that the growler was filled and capped a week before drinking. It has an extremely hoppy scent--very piney, but with a sweetish undertone. The brew has a sharply bitter hop flavour, with a yeasty underbelly and some toasty sweetness.  There are a number of subtle tastes lurking beneath the super-hop umbrella that dominates this beer. The finish has some sweetness, but again, takes a backseat to the hops.

This brew was enjoyed split three ways over a game of euchre with some of the best friends a beer-lover could care to have.  To be fair, I drank this beer in such lovely company that almost anything would have been rated charitably, but this was the real deal. It really hit the spot.  I'm generally not wild about massively hoppy brews--it takes a little something additional to catch  my interest.  While HP #61 was one of the hoppier beers I've ever played with, it had a sufficiently complex flavour to keep me smiling. Hop Project #61 lives up to its name, but offers considerably more.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

King-Vienna Lager

Ontario's King Township is the home of King Brewery.  King Brewery is the maker of King Vienna Lager.  King Vienna Lager is delicious.

K.V.L. is sold in 341 bottles and contains 4.8% alcohol.  It has a very becoming clear copper colour. It is moderately carbonated and topped with a cloud of white head. It has aromas of caramel and toasted nuts. The flavour is faintly metallic, with some nuttiness and a pleasant honey quality. The aftertaste is coppery and lightly bitter.

King Vienna Lager is nearly spectacular; there is nothing not to like. It's tasty and refreshing, with an interesting European flavour. Give this one a try.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Werewolf

Hailing from Rinkuskiai, Lithuania, Werewolf is a clear, copper-coloured strong ale.  It is brewed by Brewery Rinkustiai and comes in adorably weird 500mL bottles emblazoned with an image that is half-woman, half-wolf and the slogan "You Have to Be Sure You Wanna Taste It".  The alcohol content is a forceful 8.2%. Werewolf is lightly carbonated, topped with a wisp of tan head.

A malty, bready aroma precedes a very sweet body. The flavour is malty, with definite notes of caramel. The malt theme continues through to the aftertaste.

Werewolf has great caramel character throughout. The high alcohol content is effectively masked by a big, malty flavour. I'd prefer a bit more carbonated liveliness, but that is a pretty small criticism of an otherwise tasty brew.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Palm

Palm is a feisty little ale from Steenhuffel, Belgium.  It's brewed by Palm Breweries and it clocks in at 5.4%.  It is a popular brew sold in green, 330mL bottles.  Palm pours a rich red-gold colour.  It is topped with a moderate amount of white head and has considerable carbonation.

This tasty brew has a misleadingly mild aroma of fruit (possibly apple?).  The taste is quite full, with notes of crisp apple.  There is a really nice balance between sweet and bitterness going on in this one.  Palm is tangy and has a sweetish aftertaste that mingles malt, apple and pear.

Palm is a nice mild ale.  Its slightly elevated alcohol content and "crunchy" apple flavour make it a frequent visitor to my refrigerator.  And like a good guest, it seldom overstays its welcome.  It'd take a bit more hops character to get this brew into the upper echelons of Western European ales, but despite that, it's still a fine mug o' suds.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Red Leaf

Red Leaf comes from Toronto.  It's made by the Great Lakes Brewing Company.  It's sold in 473mL cans and contains 5% alcohol.  It's a lager, but it has a very attractive orange-red colour.  Topped with a fluffy cloud of off-white head, R.L. is well-carbonated and not exactly clear.

The aroma is coppery with a malty undertone.  The flavour is metallic.  It creeps from sweet to bitter and there is some faint toffee action.  The aftertaste is mildly bitter, bready and fairly short.  Red Leaf has a thin, slightly buttery mouthfeel.

The brew is fairly nice, but a touch "genteel" for my tastes.  I'd need a more full flavour to totally sign on to this one.  Still, it's a nice looking beer with some really excellent qualities.  It's easy-drinking and sessionable.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Red Hook-Winter Hook #27

Seattle, Washington's Red Hook Ale makes a tasty little winter ale that goes by the name Winter Hook. This brew is sold in cool little bottles that feature an intrepid little dude ski jumping over a mountain and are emblazoned with the slogan "Winter Hook #27--Has Absolutely No Interest in Sitting on Santa's Lap."

Winter Hook pours a rich, reddish-amber colour.  It is topped with a thin layer of off-white head. It is lightly carbonated, but leaves lots of lacy residue on the glass. Winter Hook has a malty, sweet aroma of toasty caramel. Likewise, the taste is quite malty--best described as toasty and warm. The aftertaste is a surprisingly well-balanced blend of bitter and malt (surprising because in my experience, most winter ales are heavy on the malt at the expense of hops).

W.H. is not nearly as high-gravity of many of its other winter ale brethren. It sorta falls on the light side of the strong ale category at 6% alcohol. This makes it excellently drinkable.  It's a nice brew, definitely worth sampling.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Neustadt 10W30

Neustadt 10W30 hails, not surprisingly, from Neustadt, Ontario, where it is brewed by the Neustadt Springs Brewery.  The 473mL can describes 10W30 as a "Malty Grain Premium Dark Ale", and features the grille of a classic car.  The brew contains 5.5% alcohol.

10W30 pours a crystal clear, dark walnut colour, like the finish of the antique desk I would like to have in my office.  Surprisingly, it pours with very little head, though it does lace nicely.  It is lightly carbonated.

The aroma is a pleasing blend of malt, yeast and molasses, like a rich multigrain bread.  10W30 has a really excellent flavour that is unexpectedly mild but considerably nuanced.  It is graced with caramel, walnut and toffee notes and a very subtle aftertaste.  It is a delightfully gentle brown ale.

Typically, I'm a booster of dark ales that has strong flavours, but 10W30 manages to be extremely enjoyable despite its tame flavour.  This is a dark beer that can be appreciated by almost anyone.  My only genuine complaint is that I would like to see more carbonation and a bit of head on top of my pint.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Boris Organic

Boris Organic doesn't specifically state what type of beer it is, so I'm going to have to classify it myself.  Based on its almost clear yellow-gold colour, considerable carbonation and quick-dissipating fluffy white head, I'm going to call it a pale lager.

Boris hails from Saverne, France.  It is sold in 500mL cans and contains 5% alcohol.  It has a very mild wheat aroma.  This deceptively faint scent masks a relatively large flavour.  Boris has a sweet corn taste at the front end that gives way to wheatiness and, eventually, to slight bitterness.  The aftertaste is slightly sour and quite yeasty.

 All told, Boris Organic is not bad for a pale lager.  It has a pleasant flavour and it looks nice.  I'd like a touch more carbonation and a slightly smoother aftertaste, but I'd buy this one again in spite of these relatively minor complaints.  Additionally, Boris is all the cooler for its excellent packaging that features a dramatic silhouette of a pitchfork-wielding farmer working his fields.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Köstritzer Schwarzbier

Köstritzer Schwarzbier is a black lager from Germany. It's sold in classy looking black, gold and red 500mL bottles and weighs in at 4.8% alcohol. It's a very dark beer--black with ruby highlights. It's topped with a lusty tan head and leaves behind tons of lace.  Köstritzer smells of roasted grains. It has a relatively mild initial flavour and a thin body. It's roasty and considerably malty. Given the mild beginning, the aftertaste is surprisingly bitter and robust.

It's a pretty solid schwarzbier, however I'd like a bit bolder flavour at the front end and a bit more body.  Still, it's quite refreshing for a dark beer, and a very nice looking pint.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Hockley Stout

Hockley Stout is the progeny of the Hockley Valley Brewing Co. out of Orangeville, Ontario.  It checks in at a lean 4.2% alcohol and comes in a 473mL can.  According to the can, this brew "pours like liquid midnight."  Sounds good.

The stout does pour black and opaque.  It is topped with a cap of brown head.  It looks like thick, still root beer.  It has an exceedingly rich aroma of molasses and brown sugar.  For all of the richness of the aroma, the actual flavour is quite mild.  It's heavy on molasses, with notes of coffee, but, by stout standards, tastes quite light.  The aftertaste is relatively bitter.

Hockley is pretty drinkable for a stout.  I'd like a bit more alcohol content and a bit bolder a flavour, but its a pretty good pint.  Worth a look.

Rating: 7.5

The Anticipation

I am, by my nature, a pleasure delayer.  At dinner, I always save my favourite dish for last.  Ditto when, as I child, I would decide the order in which my Halloween candy would be consumed.  It's the same with beer.  When I'm reviewing a beer I spend a shocking amount of time sizing it up: examining, smelling, assessing, describing.  All this before actually tasting the damn thing.  In a weird way, this is among my favourite things about trying a new beer.  I relish those few moments before actually sampling a new brew, trying to imaging what it will taste like.  For me, this anticipation is a sublime pleasure, particularly if the beer in question looks great and smells wonderful.

Happy New Years from the Stout Man.  Cheers! Prost! Pura vida! Kampai! Slainte!