Banana Bread Beer

Banana Bread Beer is produced by Wells & Young's Brewing, in Bedford, U.K.  It checks in at 5.2% alcohol and comes housed in a 500mL emblazoned with a great logo featuring a pint glass nestled in a banana peel.

BBB pours a clear copper colour with considerable carbonation and topped with a near-white head. The aroma is bursting with banana notes--something akin to dried banana chips.  There are also some malt and hops notes to keep it honest.  The flavour is banana-y, but there are also caramel notes at the front end and a mild English ale bitterness to close it out.

The label indicates that the beer is brewed with fair trade bananas, which I think is pretty ballin'. This beer sat in my fridge for ages after I bought it, because I hate artificial banana flavour. Fortunately, this stuff doesn't taste artificial at all. I thought that it was a quality flavoured ale--the banana bread flavour is undeniable, but that isn't all there is to it. I'd recommend giving it a try if you're in the mood for something a bit different.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

James Ready 5.5

This offering comes from the James Ready Brewing Company of Brampton, Ontario and Saint John, New Brunswick.  I had a 473mL can of the stuff, which clocked in at 5.5% alcohol. J.R. 5.5 poured a golden straw colour topped with a thick layer of ivory head.  It has the standard pale lager aroma of grass 'n' grain.  The flavour balances the sweetness of freshly mown grass with a slight hop lift toward the end.  However, I'd like a bit more bitterness.

By no means remarkable, James Ready 5.5 is just what you'd expect from a macro-brewed domestic lager ... but with slightly more alcohol.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Beery Haikus: An Ode to Porters

Neustadt Scottish Pale Ale

Neustadt Scottish Pale Ale is a highly carbonated, copper coloured ale, topped with a dense, creamy head. It has a sweet toffee aroma and a smooth, creamy mouthfeel.  It's pretty mild, booze-wise, clocking in at 4.5% alcohol. NSPA has flavour notes of caramel, as well as an unusual, somewhat creamy quality. It also has some toasty malt notes. It is considerably less bitter than I was expecting.

It's a nice enough brew, although it didn't really wow me.  I'd say that it's probably worth a try, particularly if you dig smooth, malty ales.

Neustadt Scottish Pale Ale is brewed by Neustadt Springs Brewery in Neustadt, Ontario. It comes in a 473mL can.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Georgian Bay Dipper

Georgian Bay Dipper is "[b]rewed for Midland Valley Beer Works by the Hockley Valley Brewing Co. in Orangeville, Ontario. It comes in 473mL cans featuring packaging that is unattractive in an adorable way. It clocks in at a standard 5% alcohol. It's a clear, golden-coloured brew crowned with a bubbly white head.

I was expecting a pale lager, but I'm pretty sure that this stuff was a light-bodied ale (though I might be mistaken). It features a toast malt aroma--if it's a lager, it's something akin to a Vienna.  It's quite full-flavoured with toasty notes and some honey sweetness.

All told, this stuff was a nice surprise--I was expecting another bland pale lager, and got a beer with some decent character. It was just a touch to sweet for my taste, but other than that, it was good stuff.


Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Birra Moretti

Birra Moretti is a pale lager brewed in Comun Nuovo, Italy by Heineken Italia. B.M is sold in 330mL bottles featuring an amazing moustachioed gentleman in a dapper green suit and fedora. It clocks in at 4.6% alcohol, and pours a pale straw colour with an ivory head. Birra Moretti is a well carbonated brew.

It features the classic aroma of fresh cut grass and grains. It's a crisp, refreshing lager, with no surprises.  It has the standard flavour of grain and grass, just as you'd expect. It has a fizzy mouthfeel and a short, clean mouthfeel with a meager dusting of hops.

In spite of it's unremarkableness, I've always had a soft spot for Birra Moretti and its olive-suited spokesdude. It's neither amazing nor disappointing, but my six pack came with a sweet church key.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Hopfen-Weisse Ale

This is a great beer.  Write the name down, and then go find it.

Hopfen-Weisse Ale comes from Kelheim, Bavaria, Germany, where it is lovingly crafted by Weisses Bräuhaus G. Schneider & Sohn. According to the label, this stuff is the product of a collaboration between G. Schneider and Sohn and Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery. It's a dry-hopped weisse-bock, described on the bottle as "a delicious blend of Bavarian craftsmanship and North American ingenuity".

Sold in 500mL bottles, H-WA contains a robust 8.2% alcohol.   It pours a cloudy orange-gold colour that is almost milky and is topped with a thick off-white head. It has a sharp, hop-heavy citrus aroma. The flavour has notes of banana, citrus, and a sweet breadiness. The finish is sweet and bready with a dose of hop bitterness--a weisse bier with pale ale edge. It was sweeter than I expected, and the booze content is well-hidden beneath the considerable flavour.


One of the more interesting beers I've tried this year, Hopfen-Weisse Ale can boast of a unique fusion of styles.  More collaborations like this one will make sure that beer continues to be interesting and innovative.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10.

Beery Haikus

Hi Gang,

I got a sweet Christmas gift this year--magnetic poety, beer-style.  I'm thinking that as a new feature on the ol' blog, I'll include a new haiku every now and then.  Here's my debut:

Punk IPA

Punk IPA in produced by BrewDog, out of Fraserburgh, Scotland, a very cool brewery recognized, among other things, for brewing the world's strongest beers. This big brew comes in an adorable 330mL powder blue can. It clocked in at a solid (though a touch low for a craft IPA) 5.6% alcohol.

Punk pours a gently hazy golden colour topped with a persistent eggshell head. It has a fruity hop aroma. The flavour is bitter, but with surprising notes of tropical fruit. Possibly passion fruit? At the time, I wondered whether this might, in part, be due to the presence of Nelson Sauvin hops--a subsequent visit to the BrewDog website has confirmed this.

This is a nice, drinkable beer with an unusual and interesting flavour. It was my first experience with a BrewDog beer--a brewery that I previously knew by reputation alone. I knew that they were well known for brewing insanely boozy beers, but now I can report that they have a deft touch with subtler brews. I would definitely buy this stuff again.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Kipling South Pacific Pale Ale

Kipling South Pacific Pale Ale is a neat beer.  Brewed by Thornbridge Brewery, out of Bakewell, UK, this stuff has character to spare. It comes in great looking 500mL bottles and contains 5.2% alcohol. KSPPA is brewed using Nelson Sauvin hops.  According to the label, this type of hops "imparts tropical fruit like flavours".

This ever-so-slightly hazy yellow-gold brew is topped with a very persistent white head. It has a much lighter colour than I expected when I pried off the cap. It has a concentrated hop aroma with notes of sweet fruit. The pale ale starts with a candied fruit flavour and builds to a considerably bitter finish. I thought that there might be some pineapple notes in the mix. It has a fairly dry aftertaste.

KSPPA presents a really interesting blend of sweet and bitter that makes this a brew worth exploring. The flavour isn't quite as punchy as the aroma led me to expect, but it's very easy drinking and well built.

If you like neat beers, I want you to try this one, ok?

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

County Durham Signature Ale

My bro hosted me for board games shortly after moving into his new apartment, and like a good host, he had a fridge full of beer.  Like a good host who's brother writes a beer blog, he had his fridge full of delicious microbrews.  Before game time, managed to get in a quick review of County Durham Signature Ale.

CDSA is brewed by the Durham Brewing Company out of Pickering, Ontario. It's sold in 341mL bottles and contains the standard 5% slcohol. It pours an ever-so-slightly hazy brass colour.

This beer has a genuinely excellent aroma.  It's sweet and warm with some soft peachy notes over a slight hop bitterness. The flavour is mild and well-rounded. It starts with some sweet fruit notes and builds to a pleasant almost bitter finish.

County Durham Signature Ale is a nice, well balanced ale. Great, subtle flavours make this a beer well worth trying. It's got enough character for a beer nerd, but it's approachable enough to suit less discriminating tastes.

 Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Gourd-geous Brews--Pumpkineater Imperial Pumpkin Ale

Pumpkineater Imperial Pumpkin Ale is a "strong ale brewed with pumpkin and spices" made by the Howe Sound Brewing Company out of Squamish, British Columbia. P.I.P.A. comes in mammoth 1L swing top bottles, which is a good thing, since, at 8% alcohol, there is a pretty good chance that you'll be refrigerating a portion of this stuff, rather than drinking it all in a single session. (I drank the whole thing, but I'm ridiculous.)

P..I.P.A. is a very attractive beer.  It's a cloudy copper orange colour topped with a frothy cream head. It has a boozy aroma of pumpkin and nutmeg. It's a malt forward offering that features a healthy pumpkin profile. There is some definite spice flavour, but a touch more might be nice. It tastes every bit of its 8% alcohol and builds to a solidly bitter finish.

There's a lot to like in this one--awesome potency, great large format bottle, and a robust flavour. A bit more spice to mask the high alcohol content is my only suggestion.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Gourd-geous Brews--Smashed Pumpkin

Smashed Pumpkin is a "pumpkin flavoured extra strong ale" brewed by the Shipyard Brewing Co. out of Portland, Maine. According to the golden foil topped 625mL bottle, Smashed Pumpkin is one of "Pugsley's Signature Series". S.P. weighs in at a robust 9.0 % alcohol.

 S.P.'s slightly cloudy orange colour can be explained by the presence of wheat. It pours with a thick cream-hued head. It has a boozy pumpkin spice aroma, with emphasis on clove and nutmeg warmth. Flavour-wise, it is extremely sweet and alcoholic-ly potent. Pumpkin is a major flavour element, but not the only one. Brown sugar and nutmed sweetness really drive the profile of this offering, as does its undeniable booziness. This is not one of those high-alcohol beers where the strength is well masked--this stuff tastes strong.

This is pretty good stuff, but a bit sweet for me. Pumpkin isn't listed among the ingredients--only pumpkin flavour. It's definitely worth a try, but be sure to clear your schedule because this stuff ain't weak.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Gourd-geous Brews--Weiss O'Lantern

Weiss O'Lantern is an intriguing brew from Beau's All Natural Brewing Co. of Vankleek, Ontario.  It's billed as a "spiced strong beer" and as a pumpkin weiss. It's sold in 600mL bottles featuring a pretty cool scarecrow in a pumpkin patch. It contains a healthy 5.6% alcohol.


W.O. has the hazy golden colour of a harvest moon and it's topped with a lusty white head. Compared to some of the other pumpkin beers on offer this year, the pumpkin aroma is fairly mild, supported by some autumn spice notes. Notwithstanding the aroma, there is a pretty solid pumpkin-y foundation in the flavour. A healthy dose of spice builds on that flavour.  The label says it contains ginger, and it comes through effectively.

This is a cool take on pumpkin beer.  The considerable pumpkin flavour is held in check by an interesting spice profile and some understated hefeweizen refreshment. Definitely worth a try.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Gourd-geous Brews--Highballer Pumpkin Ale

Highballer Pumpkin Ale is the product of Grand River Brewery out of Cambridge, Ontario. It's sold in 500mL bottles and the label features a train and a pumpkin--it maybe isn't super cool looking. It contains a respectable 5.2% alcohol.

Highballer pours a slightly hazy golden-copper colour, topped with a fluffy white head. It has a spicy, pumpkin pie aroma.  The flavour is heavy on the pumpkin, as well as on nutmeg and clove. A mild bitterness that runs parallel to the pumpkin flavour makes for a pretty decent finish.

The weak point in this beer is its thin mouthfeel. With a bit more body, this beer would warrant a significantly higher rating. As it is, it tastes good and is definitely worth a go. However, when I crack open a pumpkin ale, I want it to be heavy, like a dessert.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Gourd-geous Brews--St.-Ambroise Citrouille-The Great Pumpkin Ale

Montreal's McAuslan Brewery Inc. is, in my opinion, one of the finest in Canada.  A real treasure. When I saw that they made a pumpkin ale, I jumped at the chance to try it. St.-Ambroise Citrouille-The Great Pumpkin Ale was on sale in the liquor store in convenient four packs of 341mL bottles. It contains 5% alcohol and pours a clear copper-orange colour topped with a quickly thinning cream head.

Citrouille has a well spiced pumpkin aroma. Its tasty pumpkin pie flavour has lots of warm spice notes. It has a little extra spice kick than many of the other pumpkin beers I've tried this season. The label says that it contains ginger--I suspect that might be the source of the extra kick.  Beer-wise, there is some pleasant ale bitterness near the finish, but this one is clearly about pumpkin and spice first and foremost.

Another very tasty brew from one of my favourite breweries, Citrouille is hugely flavourful and delicious.  A bit more focus on the beer side of things might improve the rating a bit, but this stuff works as it is.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Gourd-geous Brews--Black Creek Pumpkin Ale

Black Creek Pumpkin Ale is a spiced beer offered by the Black Creek Historic Brewery in Toronto, Ontario. This brew comes in 500mL bottles and checks in at 5% alcohol. The copper coloured ale poured with very little head and not much carbonation.  It had a lovely aroma of pumpkin and autumnal spices. BCPA has a thin mouthfeel--in my opinion, it's really hurt by under-carbonation. It has a nice pumpkin flavour that moves from sweet to bitter and features quality spiciness, but it's just too watery.

This beer has some great potential, but the execution comes up a bit short.  It's just too thin for my tastes. Still, if you like pumpkin, give it a try.  You might like it more than I did.

Rating: 6.0 out of 10.