Crabbie's Original Alcoholic Ginger Beer

I know, I know.  It's not technically beer.  Still, this "flavoured alcoholic beverage" came from the beer section of the liquor store and looked pretty good to me, so I figured I'd give it a review.  Besides, it looked for all the world like a pale lager--clear straw colour with a white head and moderate carbonation. It's produced by John Crabbie & Co. of Glasgow, Scotland. It comes in a 500mL bottle and weighs in at 4%.  The bottle recommended serving Crabbie's over ice with lemon, but I opted for the brew straight up at first and added ice and lemon half way through.

Crabbie's has a big ginger aroma, a lot like most of the non-alcoholic ginger beers I've tried. It's sweet, gingery, and oddly refreshing.  When I added ice and lemon, it became that much more of a summer drink.

I didn't rate this stuff as I would a beer, because it ain't beer.  But I'd definitely recommend giving it a try. It's delicious.

Highlander Scottish Ale

The Highlander Brew Co. of from South River, Ontario brews Highlander Scottish Ale, a darkish copper coloured beer topped with a nice eggshell head. It comes in a handsome 500mL bottle and clocks in at 5% alcohol. The bottle says "learn life taste freedom". It's moderately carbonated and leaves a healthy does of lace in the glass.

Highlander has a sweet, malty aroma, with notes of raisin and caramel. The flavour is malt forward with some fruitcake-y notes of raisin and fig. It's very pleasant--rich without being daunting.

This flavourful brew is a fine after dinner sipper. It's quite enjoyable, though not terribly refreshing. It's a brew with lots of character that tastes like it was shipped over by St. Andrew himself.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Nickelbrook Headstock IPA

 The Better Bitters Brewing Co. out of Burlington, Ontario makes this tasty India pale ale. Headstock IPA comes in a loud (some would say irritating) 473mL can. It clocks in at a healthy 7% alcohol and pours a hazy orange-brown colour.  Headstock is topped with a thick and persistent tan head and leaves behind lots of nice lace.

It has a hoppy aroma that blends pine and floral notes. It's a hop forward IPA with a flavour that is both pungent and floral. There are some malty, caramel undertones. The added sweetness was pretty nice. There was a tiny bit of sediment left in my glass, but that's really a minor complaint (Editorial note: I had a second Headstock more recently, which was sediment-free). Headstock is surprisingly guzzle-able for a potent IPA. The high alcohol content is brilliantly cloaked. In spite of the garish packaging, I'd definitely buy this one again.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Rocketdog Rye I.P.A.

Another entry from Ponderay, Idaho's Laughing Dog Brewing Company, Rocketdog Rye I.P.A. pours a clear, moderately carbonated golden colour. There is an off-white head made up of thick rolling hills of foam. It contains 6.9% alcohol and comes in a 22oz bottle. According to the cool looking label, it clocks in at 62 IBUs.

 Rocketdog has a mild, citrus-y hops aroma, with some bready notes. It isn't wildly flavourful, but is tasty and interesting. It's a bit bitter, with some citrus character--notably some grapefruit notes. It has a short, hoppy aftertaste.

I spent an unusual amount of time considering Rocketdog, trying to decide whether I liked it or not. Ultimately, I concluded that I did.  It's mild tasting, but interesting. There's considerable alcohol content, but without tasting too strong. Plus, I'm always quite interested in rye brews.  I'd drink it again.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

DogZilla Black IPA

My favourite Torontonian living in the States brought a bottle of this stuff with her on a recent visit home, so I decided to include her thoughts in the review--also another much loved person was there, so we brought him in on the fun.  The more the merrier, right?

DogZilla is a product of Laughing Dog Brewing out of Ponderay, Idaho. It comes in big ol' 22oz bottles. Unfortunately, the alcohol content portion of the label was smudged, so I had to look it up on the brewery website: 6.9% and 69IBUs. The label features a ferocious looking dog monster on a rampage.

DogZilla pours a deep, cloudy brown, topped with a very thick tan head.  Said my two amigos, it looks a bit like a rootbeer float. The aroma was of a pretty mild, evergreen quality.

According to my guest reviewers, DogZilla was well balanced and smooth, though the blend of bitter hops and dark malt gave the impression of a slightly burnt taste. Both were expecting more hops.

My own take was that the molasses notes and malty profile were fairly unexpected in a Black IPA. There was less in-your-face hop bitterness than some other beers in the category. There was a little bit of dark fruit to the finish, which was quite pleasant.

Displaced Torontonian: 7.5 out of 10.  Guest Reviewer #2: 6.0 out of 10. Yours truly: 7.0 out of 10.

Guest Post! Miles Davis' Bitches Brew

An awesome dude that I met in Albuquerque asked if he could write occasional guest posts on the ol' blog.  This dude is most excellent, with fine taste in beers and a similar outlook on life to my own.  Of course I said yes.  Here is his inaugural guest post:

First, a little about myself.   I am a professional, who currently resides in Dallas, Texas (USA).  I too am desperately trying to hang on to a modicum of coolness.  I met Ed in Albuquerque, New Mexico (USA) in 2008, while we both were serving a summer internship.  I got to know him through our mutual appreciation of good music and good beer.  For the past year, I have really enjoyed Ed’s blog.  I recently approached Ed about occasionally contributing beer reviews for beer that I think he may enjoy, and are only available regionally.  Just as Ed has helped me vicariously enjoy beer that is not available in my region, I hope that I am able to do the same for Ed and his readers. 

As for the beer I will be reviewing, I tend to gravitate towards IPAs and red ales in the summer months, brown ales in the fall, and stouts and porters in the winter.   I really appreciate a strong flavour profile in the beers I drink, so I tend to avoid mass market pilsners, and stick to beers so hoppy it feels like a punch in the mouth. 

I hope you enjoy my occasional reviews.

Cheers, y’all (it’s a Texas thing). 

Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew, is a limited edition Imperial Stout brewed by the Dogfish Head Brewery (Delware, USA) in honor of the 40^th anniversary of Miles Davis’ game changing album of the same name.   I live near a gas station that has one of the best rotating beer selections I have ever seen.  Because I frequent the store so often, the clerk at the store lets me know in advance about limited edition beers that will be passing through.  Although at first I was hesitant to try this beer, partly because it was nearly $20 (USD) for a single 750ml bottle, my love for Miles Davis and my past experiences with beers made by Dogfish Head was enough to warrant a purchase.  

I poured the beer from the bottle into a goblet.  The beer pours thick, almost a motor oil consistency, with a very thin caramel coloured head.  It has a very sweet, almost burnt caramel scent.  When you taste it, it comes on like a strong and complex imperial stout.  I noticed that as the beer got to room temperature, the flavour profile opened up quite a bit, and you could taste hints of dark chocolate.  It is very heavy on the tounge, and you can definitely taste the toasted malts.  In addition to hops, this beer is brewed with gesho root, which is used in African beers in place of hops, and honey.  You can taste this on the finish.  The beer finishes very clean, and does not leave the slightly bitter aftertaste like a dark Russian Imperial Stout would.  It is on the finish you get a smokey honey flavor, and a slightly bitter flavour, which I think is the gesho root.  For being such a strong beer (9.0% ABV), you do not taste the alcohol at all.   

The purchase was well worth it, and the beer does live up to the album that it commemorates.  If you come across this beer, I highly recommend you try it, as it was produced in limited quantities and it was one of the best Imperial Stouts that I have had in quite some time.

Martens Pilsener

Martens Pilsener is produced by Brewery Martens out of Bocholt, Belgium. I picked up a couple of 500mL cans on a trip to Niagara Falls, and brought one home to review. It clocks in at 5% and pours a clear, straw-gold colour. Martens is capped with a thick, fluffy white head.

The beer has a crisp, sweet aroma with notes of apples and pears. Pretty full-bodied for a pilsner (or pilsener), Martens has pleasant fruity notes and some grassiness. There isn't a lot of bitterness, but just enough is present to provide excellent drinkability.

Crisp, refreshing, and a bit different--this is a pilsner I want to have in my fridge, particularly during summer and fall months.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Amsterdam Framboise

Toronto's Amsterdam Brewing Co. makes a palatable raspberry-flavoured beer.  The Amsterdam Framboise is sold in 341mL bottles and clocks in at a punchy 6.5% alcohol.

The Framboise is a clear, candy red colour.  It has a creamy off-white head and considerable carbonation. It has a big raspberry aroma--it smells sorta like an old fashioned soda.  There is a bold raspberry flavour that starts sweet and then moves toward tart.

Like an actual raspberry, the Amsterdam Framboise walks the fine line between sweet and tart. However, unlike some other framboises it doesn't have a tonne of notable beery qualities. If you're looking for something fizzy and berry flavoured, this is your stuff. An interesting beverage, but not exactly what I was looking for in a brew.  Even if it isn't my cup of tea, it was a well-enough executed beer--one I'm sure would appeal to lots of people. Also, the elevated booze content is praise-worthy.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

1913 Traditional

1913 Traditional is a mildly hazy golden-orange coloured ale from Grand River Brewing, out of Cambridge, Ontario. It comes in a not-very-stylish 500mL bottle and clocks in at 4.5% alcohol. 1913 is topped with a beautiful crown of thick, fluffy white head. It has a grainy, slightly toasty aroma that isn't very potent. It has a smooth mouthfeel with a tiny kick at the back end. Toasted grain notes give way to a bitter finish. It's not exactly hoppy, but bitter for sure.

1913 is honestly a little thin for my tastes, though it is pleasantly smooth, and the flavour is intriguing. Maybe a bit more booze would rounds things out a bit. 

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Grasshöpper Wheat Ale

Grasshöpper Wheat Ale, by Calgary's Big Rock Brewery, is a bright and cheerful wheat beer sold in 341mL bottles. Containing 5% alcohol, Grasshöpper pours a highly carbonated clear straw colour. The aroma is grainy, but with some considerable sweetness and notes of corn. The flavour is unexpectedly sweet initially, before turning gently hopward for a mild, bitter finish. Notes are primarily sweet and grainy.

 Grasshöpper is a pretty enjoyable little brew.  It's crisp and refreshing, but a touch too sweet to make it entirely sessionable for me. Still, its a well-crafted and accessible beer. It's great for sitting on a patio. 


Rating: 7.5 out of 10. 

Black Oak Pale Ale

Black Oak Pale Ale is the product of Toronto, Ontario's Black Oak Brewing Co. It comes in 341mL bottles and contains the standard 5% alcohol. The bottle tells me that this cheeky beer is "brewed with reverse osmosis water", whatever that means.

BOPA is a clear, deep golden colour and is filled with lively carbonation and topped with a moderate froth of white head. Aroma-wise, BOPA walks that admirable line between caramel maltiness and traditional hop bitterness. It has a rich flavour that starts sweetly with classic caramel notes before turning bitter. I'd class BOPA as an English-style pale ale due to its mild, malt-forward, caramel-toned body and its bitter backbone, but I'm not sure whether that's how Black Oak defines it.

There are no surprises here, but it's a very well-executed ale. I find myself buying it all the time and you should too.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Belhaven Best

From the Belhaven Brewery in Dundar, East Lothian, Scotland comes Belhaven Best, a nice golden-copper coloured ale. Sold in 440mL cans that contain a nitrogen widget, BB pours with a very dense, creamy head that has magnificent staying power. The alcohol content of this pub ale is a modest 4.8%.

BB has a biscuit-heavy aroma with coppery notes. It has a very smooth mouthfeel and a flavour that is malty, balanced against a hint of bitterness. Notable tastes are caramel, biscuit, and a whisper of copper.

Belhaven Best is a very smooth beer. In all honesty, I typically prefer my ales to have a rougher edge, but this stuff is all kinds of drinkable. I expect that it's a beer which would appeal to a wide audience.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Conductor's Craft Ale

Conductor's Craft Ale comes from the Junction Craft Brewery in Toronto. It came in a 500mL can featuring a train conductor hollerin'. It clocks in at 5.2% alcohol and 32 IBUs.  It's a pale ale that pours a rich copper colour and features a fullsome layer of loose off-white head. The aroma blends caramel and hops in a well-balanced way. The can tells me that there are five types of malt and five types of hops. Though CCA is listed at 32 IBUs, it tastes considerably more bitter to my unsophisticated palate. With malt on the front end, bitter on the back, this beer has notes of caramel and a pleasing hop presence.

After sampling this lovely brew, I'm eager to see what else the folks at Junction coming up with.


Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Holsten Festbock

The Holsten-Brauerai in Hamburg, Germany builds Festbock, a brownish-copper coloured brew. It's quite clear and pours with a foamy ring of tan head. It has a boozy aroma that encompasses prunes and raisins. For a strong beer, there really isn't a tonne of flavour--notes of dried fruit sitting atop a malty base. The aftertaste has a slight cherry cola ring to it.

Holsten Festbock definitely doesn't taste like a beer containing 7% alcohol, but that's what the cheery 500mL can says. It's not an outstanding beer, but not a bad one either. I've had better bocks than this one, but I certainly wouldn't turn down a pint.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Sawdust City Daily Bread

I had a pint of a Sawdust City's Daily Bread on tap at a local cafe. The server wasn't sure what the cheeky little brew was--the internet tells me it was a saison, so I'm going to go with that. It arrived a slightly hazy straw gold colour with a cloud of off while head and very little carbonation.

Daily Bread has a fairly strong fruity aroma. It has a light, dry mouthfeel. It is champagne-like, but with fewer bubbles. The flavour is very enticing. It's mildly bitter with pear cider notes and closes with a short, crisp finish.

Sawdust City Brewing hails from Gravenhurst, Ontario. They make a fine Ontario saison. You should try it.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.