Mr. Huff Persuasion Pilsner

Mr. Huff Persuasion Pilsner is produced by the Hop City Brewing Co. out of Brampton, Ontario. I enjoyed a pint on tap at an undistinguished local watering hole. It's a clear and highly carbonated golden lager, topped with a cloud of white head that had impressive staying power.

Mr. Huff has a fresh and grainy aroma backed by a subtle hop presence. It has an impressively bitter hop profile for a pilsner. It starts grainy and fair, but ends with some gritty bitterness. This is a pilsner for a pale ale fan. It's refreshing and crisp, but with hops to spare and a bigger, more complex flavour than your average pilsner.

This is easily one of my favourite pilsners that I've ever reviewed.

 Rating: 9.0 out of 10.

Tree Raspberry Porter

I enjoyed a bottle of Tree Brewing Co.'s Raspberry Porter with my brother.  Brother graciously agreed to participate in a co-review.

Tree Brewing Co. hails from Kelowna, B.C. They sell their 5% alcohol Raspberry Porter in 650mL bottles. It pours a blackish ruby colour topped with a cream head. Despite the fact that Bro was suffering from a cold, he and I agreed that the aroma had a chocolatey quality overlaying a sweet raspberry body.

According to my brother, the flavour was reminiscent of a raspberry chocolate bar. My take was that it had a mocha body built around a raspberry base, building to a sweet finish.  I would have liked to see a bit more bitterness to bulk up the beer and offset the sweetness.

 This is a pretty good beer, but it suffers for being a bit too sweet and not quite as bold as I'd have liked. I feel like it could be more assertive. Also, a bit more booze would have been a treat.

Rating(s): Stout Man--7.0 out of 10.  Brother--7.5 out of 10.

Hockley Amber

Hockley Amber is brewed by the Hockley Valley Brewing Co., out of Orangeville, Ontario. It contains a somewhat unimpressive 4.2% alcohol and comes in 473mL cans.  The can boldly states "Clean, crisp, light body. This is great beer." The can also has a recipe for "Cathy's Amber Battered Fish" which is a cool idea and sounds tasty.

Billed as "Canadian Amber Ale", Hockley Amber pours a mostly clear amber colour, crowned with a thick cream head. It has a mild, toasty malt aroma. The flavour is dominated by a full malt profile. There's also a bit of brown sugar sweetness. The beer is pretty toasty and finishes with a respectable dollop of English ale bitterness.

I don't entirely agree with Hockley Valley's characterization of this beer as crisp and light-bodied. It's clean, sure, but I would have called it malty and full-bodied for a beer with so little alcohol.  A great beer?  I'd be inclined to call it pretty good.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.  It'd be an 8 if it had a bit more booze.

Rifleman's Ration

Rifleman's Ration is an ale brewed by Toronto's Black Creek Historic Brewery.  It's sold in 500mL bottles and contains 5% alcohol. The label provides a brief write-up about the War of 1812 and another about the beer itself.  It informed me that this brew is made with 100% Ontario ingredients.

R.R. pours a swampy-looking brown colour topped with almost no head.  It has very little carbonation. The aroma is malt heavy, featuring toasty notes and a bit of molasses.  It has a very enjoyable and intricate flavour--encompasses brown sugar, molasses, caramel, and, at the finish, a layer of hoppy bitterness. It's fairly malt forward and toasty grog.

I wouldn't object to a bit more carbonation, but, as this is an historic ale, perhaps I shouldn't complain about that. Still, I find it a bit disarming to pour a beer without head. That said, this was a very enjoyable little ale.

I've written about it before, but it bears mentioning again--Black Creek strives to create beers as they were historically enjoyed.  I think that's very cool.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10

Cameron's RPA

Cameron's RPA comes from the Cameron's Brewing Co. in Oakville, Ontario. I had a pint on tap at a local watering hole.  According to the Cameron's website, the RPA contains 6.6% alcohol. It's a brassy, cloudy pint, topped with an off-white head.  It has a beautiful citrus-y hop aroma with a pretty boisterous grapefruit presence.  It has a tart, citrus flavour with more than ample hop bitterness.  Grapefruit is a huge contributor. It has all of the bitterness of a conventional IPA--I'd guess that this stuff has a pretty substantial IBU count--but a little something extra too.  The big hop presence continues through the finish.

I used this rye beer to wash down a smoked meat on rye and it was fantastic.  The brew is high quality deliciousness.  It's the only Ontario rye beer that I've ever seen and it only seems to be available in select bars.  If you see it, buy it.  You want to try it.  Trust me.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10.

Beery Haikus--Be Like Me

Shawinigan Handshake Weizen IPA

I had a bottle of Shawinigan Handshake Weizen IPA at a Toronto beer bar. It was definitely tasty, but for some reason, it was bordering on unconscionably expensive. This innovative and flavourful brew comes from La Trou du Diable brewery in Shawinigan, Quebec. It contains 7% alcohol and it's sold in 500mL bottles featuring a caricature-ized Jean Chretien giving Satan a friendly choke.  I wonder what our former PM thinks of this treatment ...

Shawinigan Handshake pours a brassy golden colour.  It's slightly cloudy and topped with a thin layer of off-white head. The aroma is both sweet and quite hoppy with what I thought was a slight ginger note. The flavour is a compelling blend of wheat beer sweetness and bitter IPA bombast.  It moves from sweet to bitter with notes of fruit in the initial sip.  This quickly gives way to a highly bitter, boozy body.  There is a curious flavour combo of banana sweetness and serious hops dryness. Additionally, there is a slight smokiness and a very dry finish. I'd love to know what the IBU count of this stuff is.  It actually tastes stronger than its 7% alcohol content.

I would definitely recommend giving this stuff a try.  It's a very interesting hybrid brew, and one that is well crafted.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Alexander Keith's Premium White

On a summer day in which the mercury climbed to a sweltering 35C, I sat in my backyard in need of a refreshing beer. Enter Alexander Keith's Premium White. This white beer, brewed in Halifax, Nova Scotia, by the Keith's Brewery, is sold in 473mL cans and contains 5% alcohol.

It pours a straw gold colour similar to a lager, only cloudy and containing a tiny amount of sediment. The aroma features citrus, coupled with a dose of spices.  Maybe nutmeg or cloves? The flavour mirrors the smell--citrus and spice.

AKPW is not a bad likeness of a witbier for an Atlantic Candian macrobrew. It's fairly mild, but pretty thirst quenching and relatively enjoyable. Worth a try? Sure, why not.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Labatt Blue

Labatt Blue is brewed by the Labatt Brewing Company in various cities across Canada. This pilsner is sold in 341mL bottles and contains the standard 5% alcohol. It pours a clear, pale straw colour with ample carbonation and topped with a persistent white head.

Blue has a grainy aroma with notes of sweet grasses. The flavour is very mild, moving from sweet to bitter. It is extremely easy-drinking, though not tremendously exciting. Grassy and crisp are the first adjectives that came to my mind.

As Canadian macrobrews go, Blue is far from the worst.  I have little trouble understanding its wide appeal.  It's innocuous, refreshing, and unsurprising. While Blue isn't really this beer nerd's cup of tea, it fares well compared to its immediate competition.  Plus it's one of the few macrobrewed Canadian pilsners.

 Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Hop Head Black India Pale Ale

If there are any words that this beer geek can't resist, they're "Limited Edition".  When I see them, I open up the ol' wallet pretty damn quick.  These words were emblazoned on the label of Tree Brewing Co.'s Hop Head Black India Pale Ale. HHBIPA is a formidable dark ale sold in 650mL bottles featuring badass black, grey and red labels.  It is brewed in Kelowna, British Columbia and contains a robust 8.8% alcohol.

HHBIPA pours an extremely dark brown, almost opaque, and topped with a thick tan head. It has a big aroma that blends dark malts with molasses and rich fruits. The flavour starts sweet and malty with fig/raisin notes, like a boozy fruitcake, but veers hard to bitter. It has the pungent, powerful bitterness of a full-bodied espresso.

This is a take-no-prisoners style brew.  It's strong, potent and bold. Still, in spite of all the bravado, there is some real craft on display. The flavours are neatly blended, creating a complex taste sensation, and they come out nicely as the beer warms. This stuff is great with a cigar as an accessory.

Rating: 9.0 out of 10.

Prestige

I got a bottle of Prestige as a gift from a seriously amazing lady. It comes from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where it is brewed by Brasserie Nationale D'Haiti. It comes in a stubby bottle and contains 5.6% alcohol.

Prestige has been a gold medalist at the World Beer Cup. It's a pale, straw-coloured lager topped with a resilient layer of white head.  It's clear and well carbonated, with a relatively big grain aroma.  The flavour is well-balanced between sweet and bitter. It has notes of grass and grain with a dusting of hops to bring up the rear.

A crisp, clean and refreshing beer that positively screams for a sunny day, Prestige is a quality lager.  A mild taste coupled with a slightly higher than typical alcohol content makes this a dangerous session beer.  Methinks a body could get into trouble drinking Prestige all afternoon.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Efes

Efes is a pilsner brewed by the Anadolu Efes Brewery of Istanbul, Turkey. It contains 5% alcohol, and comes in a 500mL can. It pours a very pale straw colour, topped with a fluffy head of bright white. This brew is well carbonated and extremely clear--it looks really refreshing.

It has a pleasant grainy aroma. The flavour is sweeter than I expected, particularly the opening note. It's grainy with a bit of peaches and cream corn to it. Efes is unexpectedly smooth at the front end, but settles into characteristic pilsner crispness toward the finish.

Though not my favourite, I found this to be a pretty agreeable little lager. It's more nuanced than the typical thirst quencher, and its an official sponsor of Euroleague Basketball.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Hobgoblin

This "traditionally crafted legendary ruby beer" is brewed by the Wychwood Brewery in Witney, Oxfordshire, England. It clocks in at 5.2% and comes in a 500mL bottle featuring an oddly friendly looking little fellow wielding an axe.

It's a clear, snazzy looking ale that pours the colour of a well-traveled penny and topped with a cream head. The aroma is both metallic and imbued with warm caramel notes. It has a healthy malt profile and a robust dose of caramel and brown sugar.  It isn't terribly bitter, but there is a hint of hops near the close.

It's a reliable, well constructed ale.  Not dazzling, but always welcome in my fridge. It certainly made for a nice compliment to a stormy evening. I'd like a touch more hops to really seal the deal.


Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Tree Hefeweizen

SUPERBOWL SUNDAY!  If you're watching the game, make sure to get your beer on, but be responsible.  Don't drink and drive!

Tree Hefeweizen comes from the Tree Brewing Co. of Kelowna, British Columbia. It comes in big ol' 650mL bottles and contains 5% alcohol.  It pours a sunny orange colour--very cloudy, amply carbonated, and topped with a thick layer of off-white head. It has an aroma of citrus and banana, with a slight dusting of spice--possibly clove.  The Hefeweizen has a wheaty body that contains some fruit notes.

Overall, this is a mild, approachable wheat beer. It's a lovely summertime tipple that will quench your thirst and hold your interest.  My previous experiences with Tree beers have been on the hoppier end of the beer spectrum.  This foray into wheat beer is certainly different, but Tree proves that it's up to the task.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Beery Haikus--To the Bartender

St.-Ambroise Pale Ale

McAuslan Brewing Inc. out of Montreal, Quebec never seems to drop the ball.  Everything of theirs that I've tried has been tasty and well crafted.  Just so with the St.-Ambroise Pale Ale.

Sold in 341mL bottles, St.-Ambroise Pale Ale contains 5% alcohol. It pours on orange-y copper colour, topped with an off-white head.  It's a clear ale, with moderate carbonation.  It has a nicely balanced aroma--toasty malt and bready caramel are the main notes.  It has a rich flavour that blends caramel with some understated sweet, fruity notes, and a gentle hop presence.

This is a quality pale ale.  It's sweeter than I expected--I could have gone for a touch more bitterness, but I'm willing to overlook that because the flavour is so nuanced and multifaceted. Definitely worth picking up a sixer.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.