Samuel Smith's Organic Raspberry Ale

Samuel Smith's Organic Raspberry Ale is brewed with raspberry juice and has a USDA organic seal. It's brewed by Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster), in North Yorkshire, England.  S.S.O.R.A. contains 5.1% and is sold in 550mL bottles that have cool patent medicine-style labels.. It's a cloudy, rose hued brew, topped with a pinkish head. It has an aroma of raspberry bolstered by a hint of beery bitterness. A tart raspberry flavour dominates, but there are some mild ale qualities lurking in the shadows. The aftertaste is a pleasant blend of tart and bitter.

As flavoured beers go, this one has some art to it. The beer flavours are subdued, but present, serving to enhance the bold raspberry flavour. The juicy elements taste real, rather than synthetic. If you can get over drinking a pink beer with a pink head and you're a raspberry fan, this is a pretty cool pint. I wouldn't drink it all the time, but it makes for a nice treat.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Kalnapilis Pilsner

Kalnapilo-Tauro Grupe, in Panerezys, Lithuania brews up the Kalnapilis Pilsner, a which, according to the can, is a "German-style Heller Bock". Sold in a 500mL can, Kalnapilis contains a 4.6%. It's an extremely clear pale straw colour, featuring a white head and moderate carbonation. The aroma is initially sweet, before proceeding to a grainy bitterness. The flavour is a lot more bitter than I expected, given the pale hue and low alcohol content. It's mildly bitter and crisp, but a bit wispy on the front end.

Kalnapilis is an interesting version of a pilsner with a decent hop kick. More booze would be a treat, as would a bit more balance, but I'd still recommend giving it a try if you see it.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Monster Ale

Monster Ale is a "barleywine style ale" and an "extra strong ale", brewed in Brooklyn, New York, by the Brooklyn Brewery. Sold in 355mL bottles, Monster Ale contains a ghoulish 10.3% alcohol. It pours a golden orange colour, just slightly cloudy, with a creamy head.

Monster has an aroma of boozy caramel and some raisin fruitiness. It has a rich flavour, sweet without being syrupy or cloying. There are notes of dark fruit which compliment the boozy warmth. Monster tastes like a strong beer, but it doesn't taste like a REALLY strong beer, which makes it pretty dangerous.

I'm not a big barleywine fan, but this stuff is pretty intriguing. The bottle informed me that the 355mL bottle of Monster amounted to approximately 2.9 standard drinks.  Formidable. I definitely wouldn't seek out Monster's alcoholic bombast on an average evening, but it was pretty nice brew.

Rating; 8.0 out of 10.

Amsterdam Nut Brown Ale

Amsterdam Nut Brown Ale is sold in 473mL cans and contains 5% alcohol. This tasty brew comes from Toronto, Ontario, where it's brewed by the Amsterdam Brewing Co.  It pours a deep brown colour, streaked with ruby highlights. It's clear with a thick, cream-coloured head.

A.N.B.A.'s malty aroma has notes of molasses and brown sugar. The flavour is malt-focused, with some dark sweetness like toasted brown sugar. There is some bitterness toward the back end, but not tonnes.

I'd like a touch more hop presence, but Amsterdam's Nut Brown is a fine ale. It's toasty and fairly complex. I'd definitely recommend ordering up a pint of you see it on offer.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

MIll Street Lemon Tea Beer

Toronto, Ontario's Mill Street Brewery makes Mill Street Lemon Tea Beer, a 5% alcohol tea flavoured beer, which comes in 473mL cans.  According to the can, M.S.L.T.B. is a "flavoured wheat beer" infused with both orange pekoe and Earl Grey teas.

M.S.L.T.B. pours a cloudy golden orange colour. It's topped with a fair amount of off-white head. The aroma is sweet and citrus-y, with some nuanced tea notes. The flavour combines citrus with a dry but refreshing tea blast.

For me, there isn't enough "beer" nestled amongst the tea and lemon flavours to keep me satisfied. It's a great thirst quencher, but not really my style. (I had to fight the urge to say that it's "not my cup of tea..."). Though not for me, I can definitely see how this stuff would be a big hit with some people. It certainly makes a refreshing summer drink.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Tuborg Green

Tuborg Green is a pale lager, sold in 500mL cans and containing a meek 4.6% alcohol. The can I had stated that it was brewed by Turk Tuborg in Izmir, Turkey, under the supervision of Carlesberg Breweries, of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Tuborg Green poured a pale yellow-gold colour, featuring lots of carbonation and a bright white head. It had a fresh, grainy aroma, which preceded a mild lager flavour. There was a touch of grainy sweetness, and not much else. T.G. was very thirst-quenching.  It's sessionable, but a bit on the thin side.

On the whole, Tuborg Green is a pretty decent macro-brewed, imported pale lager. It's light-tasting and refreshing, but doesn't offer a lot of character. The flavour is certainly agreeable, but quite mild. A bit more alcoholic potency wouldn't go amiss.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Long Trail Double Bag Ale

Long Trail Double Bag Ale is the progeny of the Long Trail Brewing Co., out of Bridgewater Corners, Vermont. According to the Long Trail website, this beer is alternately called a "strong ale", a "double alt", and a "stickebier". Additionally, the website learned me that Double Bag contains a healthy 7.2% alcohol and weighs in at 33 IBUs.

Sold in 12oz. bottles with a label featuring conjoined bovines, Double Bag pours a lovely, slightly hazy copper colour, topped with a cloud of creamy head. It has a malt-heavy aroma, with some warm, grainy notes. D.B. has a delightful, well-wounded flavour.  It manages to be malty, a bit toasty, and slightly sweet.  Fair warning--this stuff doesn't taste anywhere near as potent as its 7.2%.  Either tread lightly or plan accordingly, lest you wake up in a gutter

Double Bag Ale is a brew well worth watching out for. It's tasty, potent, and well worth your time.  I had a bottle compliments of my father-in-law, and it came with high praise. Turns out, the praise was well deserved.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

My Bitter Wife IPA

As many of you know, I am a recently married man.  Fortunately for me, my wife is not particularly bitter (she's more of a lovable grump), so the name of this brew didn't really speak to me directly--except to the extent that I'm drawn to any beer that uses the word "bitter".  My Bitter Wife IPA is an India Pale Ale brewed by the good folks at Great Lakes Brewery in Toronto, Ontario. I had a pint on tap at my favourite neighbourhood watering hole while out on the town with my brother. According to the beer list at the bar, the brew has 7% alcohol, but I'm not sure if that's an exact number.

My Bitter Wife arrived a hazy, copper-gold ale, topped with an ample head. It had a big hop aroma built around a sweet, peachy body. The flavour is likewise hop-heavy, with some bitter evergreen notes. The real treat of this brew is the understated but undeniable peach notes that are woven in around the bitterness. MBW manages to be very fruity without being cloying.  This makes for an interesting spin on the conventional I.P.A. formula.

Bitter, boozy, and featuring an interesting flavour, this is a fine I.P.A. It's probably a bit too sweet to have more than two in an evening, but when my glass was empty, I eagerly called for a second. This stuff is quite excellent to sip and savour.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

San Miguel Pale Pilsner Beer

The San Miguel Brewery of Valenzuela City, Manilla, Philippines, is the source of San Miguel Pale Pilsner Beer. This pale lager comes in cool looking, squat 330mL bottles and contains a standard 5% alcohol. It is a clear, straw coloured pilsner with moderate carbonation and a thin white head.

San Migual has a grain and grass aroma with a soupçon of sweetness. The flavour is balanced between sweetness and bitterness--it's grassy with a gentle hop kick. It's very mild, but pleasant.

S.M.P.P.B. is a great imported beer for  people who are big on pale lagers. It's predictable, but well executed. I'd like to see a bit more head retention though.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

 

Chimay Triple

 Chimay Triple is a bold Trappist Ale brewed in Baileux, Belgium by Bières de Chimay. It is, according to the label, "brewed at Scourmont Abbey" by Trappist monks. Sold in 330mL bottles, Chimay Triple contains a vigorous 8% alcohol.

C.T. pours a cloudy, dull orange colour, topped with a relentless cloud of off-white head and containing lively carbonation. It has a warm, boozy aroma that blends yeastiness with a touch of cider tartness. The 8% alcohol is on full display in a flavour that is at once bready and bitter. This is a very full-bodied brew. I'd like a touch more sweetness to round it out a little bit.

A fairly heavy beer, I wouldn't recommend reaching for a Chimay Triple early in an evening. However, a cool bottle of this stuff is an excellent way to wind down before bed at the end of a long work week. 

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Beery Haikus-I Dig a Bock

Luckybuddha

Luckybuddha is a pretty unremarkable pale lager, but it was irresistible to me.  I saw it on the shelf and I had to have it.  The reason? Its amazing, possibly sacrilegious, green Buddha-shaped bottle.  This bottle is truly a triumph of marketing.  I have seldom been so tempted by a pale lager.

Luckybuddha is brewed by Cheerday Brewing out of Chunan County, Zhejiang, China. It contains 4.8% alcohol. It is a very pale straw-coloured lager with moderate carbonation and a wispy white head. It has a grainy aroma playing with a slightly bitter backing band. It has a crisp, short taste. The flavour is the innocuous pale lager archetype--mild grass and grain.

So cool!

Sexy profile!

This stuff is refreshing and clean, but nothing special. Though this beer isn't particularly groundbreaking or fascinating, it comes in a damn cool bottle.

Rating: 6.0 out of 10.

Creemore Springs Altbier Collaboration Ale

Creemore Springs Altbier Collaboration Ale is an altbier brewed in honour of Creemore Springs Brewery's 25th anniversary.  The brewery, located in Creemore, Ontario, has a great track record for making interesting and accessible ales and lagers, so I was pretty pumped to try their version of an alt, a cool and relatively uncommon (in Upper Canada, at least) German ale. The Collaboration Ale was brewed in partnership with Germany's Zum Schlüssel. The limited edition ale came in a 473mL can and contained 5% alcohol.

 The Altbier was a brassy amber colour, clear, and topped with a foamy cream head. It's coppery aroma had a kiss of maltiness. It was smooth and creamy, initially, but built to a surprisingly robust and bitter finish. The flavour was toasty and featured a gentle metallic quality.

Creemore's Altbier looks great and tastes even better. If you see it, buy it. I love to see Ontario brewers playing around with atypical styles. This brew has a lovely initial taste, but the finish is where it really excels.  The toasty bitterness is wonderful!

Rating: 9.5 out of 10. 

Nickel Brook Green Apple Pilsner

I'm not going to sugarcoat it, you guys.  I do not like Nickel Brook Green Apple Pilsner.  I do not.  In my personal opinion, it's too light, too sweet, oddly flavoured, and ill-conceived.  There.  I said it.

Nickel Brook Green Apple Pilsner comes from Burlington, Ontario, where it is brewed by the Better Bitters Brewing Co., makers of the vastly superior Headstock IPA, and a number of other quality brews.  The Green Apple Pilsner is sold in lurid 473mL cans and contains a wimpy 4% alcohol. It pours a slightly hazy pale straw colour. It is mildly carbonated and lives beneath a bright white head. The can claims that N.B.G.A.P. is "The perfect beer for those looking to try something new".  Clearly, I do not share that sentiment.

The aroma leans heavily toward Granny Smith apples, but has a saccharine, candied quality. The beer itself is very thin and light. It tastes like green apple candies. According to the can, the brew is combined with "natural green apple cider", but in my opinion, it tastes rather manufactured. There isn't a whole lot of beer presence to speak of, except for a faint hint of bitterness at the close.  The brew is extremely sweet, though it manages to be fairly refreshing.

I'm not much of a fan of hard ciders, personally, but I would be very interested to know what cider drinkers have to say about this stuff. I have really enjoyed a number of other Nickel Brook beers in the past, but this one just isn't for me.  Please, don't let me discourage you from trying this stuff.  You might really enjoy it, and I would hate to begrudge anyone a beer that they like. However, if you're at my place and leave a can in my fridge, this is one of the few beers that will almost certainly still be there the next time you come over.

Rating: 3.0 out of 10.

Beery Haikus-Enjoy Life, Drink Beer

Sage advice.