Paddy's Irish Red

Another entry from Oakville, Ontario's Trafalgar Ales & Meads, Paddy's Irish Red is a golden coloured ale with a reddish hue.  It's slightly hazy and topped with an off-white head. Paddy's is sold in 473mL cans and contains 5% alcohol. The can declares "We only sell what we can't drink ourselves!"  That's the kind of brewer I know I'd be, which is why I stick to critiquing.

This brew has a grainy, toasted aroma. The flavour is also pretty toasty, moves malty to bitter, and is pretty delicious. It's not super hoppy at any stage of the game, but isn't timid either.

Paddy's Irish Red is quite a nicely balanced ale that is very drinkable and well constructed. If you find a can, buy it. You're gonna want to give it a try.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Dunham Black IPA

From Brasserie Dunham in Dunham, Quebec, comes Dunham Black IPA. Sold in 341mL bottles and containing 5.7% alcohol, this little beauty contains a staggering 95IBUs.  That's some seriously bitter beer! That said, there was less booze than I expected.

Dunham Black IPA is an alomost opaque midnight black brew, topped with the thickest, most unrelenting tan head I have ever encountered. This stuff was genuinely hard to pour--I'm not kidding--it took me the better part of ten minutes to get the bottle worth into my glass. The hop heavy aroma makes it abundantly clear that the hop plant is related to hemp. The rich flavour is highly bitter. Hops are dominant, but there is some molasses sweetness in the mix too. There;s a slight touch of black espresso near the finish.

A truly full-bodied black IPA, Dunham has a mouth-puckeringly bitter, but complex and interesting flavour. As with so many of the beers out of La Belle Province, this stuff is a winner with lots of character.



Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Petrus Aged Pale

The label on my bottle of Petrus Aged Pale declared that I was holding "The Key to Heaven".  Bold claim.

Petrus Aged Pale hails from Bavikhove, Belgium.  It's brewed by Br. Bavik and sold in 11.2 fl. oz. bottles. It contains a formidable 7.3% alcohol. P.A.P. is a cloudy, honey-hued brew with lots of carbonation and a thin cap of off-white head. According to the bottle, Petrus is aged "in oak barrels for over 20 months". It has a fairly striking sour aroma that also features a gentle backing of sweetness. A sharp, sour flavour really dominates this ale. It has an effervescent, champagne mouthfeel, which is quite pleasant. It's dry, with just a faint touch of hop bitterness near the close--I really enjoyed the finish of this beer.

I'm still trying to get a feel for sour beers. I find them intriguing, but unlike many other beer styles, I still don't really know what I'm looking for. Still, of the sour beers that I've sampled, Petrus Aged Pale was one of the most subtle and tangy. It was also considerably more refreshing than I expected it to be.  I say give it a go.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Hollandia Premium Lager

Hollandia Premium Lager is brewed in Maarssen, The Netherlands by H-West B.V. It's sold in 500mL cans and contains the standard 5% alcohol. A pale lager, this stuff pours a clear golden straw colour with a bright white head. It has a sweet, grassy aroma with a mite of bitterness thrown into the mix.

Hollandia has a crisp, pale lager body. There are flavour note of sweet grain and a decent amount of bitterness. There's also a little bit of corn flavour in there somewhere. Essentially, this beer has no surprises. It's exactly what you'd expect from a European pale lager. However, predictable doesn't equate with bad. It's refreshing, easy to drink, and relatively tasty.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Lone Pine IPA

I was given a bottle of Lone Pine IPA by some wonderful neighbours who noticed my affinity for tasty brews. This beer is the product of the Sawdust City Brewing Co. out of Gravenhurst, Ontario, though, according to the label, it's actually brewed by Etobikoke, Ontario's Black Oak Brewing Co.  It's sold in stylish 650mL bottles and contains a respectable 6.5% alcohol. The "6-5" motif extends to IBUs, listed at 65. This brew features the folksy slogan "Born in our Hearts[,] Brewed with our Hands".

Lone Pine is a relatively clear, brass coloured India Pale, with an off-white head that flattened out pretty quickly into a sudsy disc. The nose has big evergreen hops set against a slight tinniness and some rich malt splendor. The flavout starts malty, but turns almost immediately to bitter. The label compares this beer to a slap in the face from a pine bow--an unusual illusion for a brew, but nonetheless pretty apt. This hugely hoppy ale has a number of bitter flavour elements: Not surprisingly, it's piney, but there is also a considerable resin quality. The label also speaks of ctirus--I guess that there is a bit of orange peel, but I only detected a touch.

This is definitely not a thirst quenching beer. Nor is in a two-in-one-nighter. It has an extremely dry finish. Hop heads will appreciate the unyielding bitterness, but what I really liked was the nuance on display in the hop profile. It's bitter, but artfully so. A unique and thought-provoking Ontario IPA.

Rating: 9.0 out of 10.

Cannery Brewing Blackberry Porter

I find the concept of a blackberry porter absolutely irresistible.  I mean, a sultry midnight black beer brewed with juicy berries--damn.  How could I not buy it?

The Cannery Brewing Blackberry Porter hails from Penticton, British Columbia.  Not surprisingly, it's brewed by the Cannery Brewing Co. It's sold in great 650mL bottles and contains a respectable 6% alcohol. The bottle decries "Small Brewery Big Flavour!" and the label lists "natural blackberry flavour" as an ingredient.

This blackberry brew has the same deep, dark brown/amber colour and creamy tan head as a mug of root beer. It's sweet aroma has some mild fruitiness to go with some coffee elements. It's smooth and mil on the front end, with some sizable bitterness lurking near the rear. The blackberry flavour is more a hint or a suggestion than a command--it exists more in the aroma than in the taste.

This stuff is a treat, and not just 'cause I adore blackberries. It's a very well executed flavoured beer, since it'd be a pretty tasty porter without the fruit essence.  Even the fruit flies in my backyard liked this one.

Rating: 9.0 out of 10.

Trafalgar Irish Ale

Trafalgar Irish Ale is, according to the label, "a traditional brown ale". Clocking in at 5% alcohol, T.I.A. comes from Oakville, Ontario.  It's brewed by Trafalgar Ales & Meads and sold in 500mL bottles. This handsome chestnut brown ale has is topped with a thin off-white head and displays mild carbonation.

T.I.A. has a rich, toasted malt aroma. The flavour is pleasant and malt heavy. There is a faint dose of nuttiness, which compliments a very smooth body. Notes of brown sugar and some faint molasses sweetness make this a tasty beer, while a slight bitterness adequately holds things together at the back end.

This is a very pleasant, well balanced brew. It's quite easy drinking and accessible for a brown ale. It's sweet without but not too sweet and very smooth. I wouldn't complain if there was a bit more emphasis in the hops department, but I still enjoyed it quite a bit.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Chimay Primière

Chimay Primière is brewed at Scourmont Abbey.  It's bottled by S.A. Bières de Chimay, in Baileux, Belgium. It's a trappist ale and, I think, a dubbel.  It's sold in a heavy, corked 750mL bottle and contains a muscular 7% alcohol.

Love the big bottle ...

C.P. pours a muddy, orange-brown colour. It's reasonably well carbonated and crowned with a persistent cream head. It has a highly malty aroma with notes of dried fruit and lots of yeast. It has a surprisingly delicate flavour for a Belgian ale with 7% alcohol. There are sweet malt flavours. Breadiness and some dark fruit notes precede a reasoanbly hoppy finish.

... and the cork, too.

I like this stuff a lot. It's a good into into serious Belgian ales without being too intimidating or overpowering. When i sometimes find myself in the mood for a big beer that doesn't have the staggering potency of some other Belgians, Chimay Primière is the ticket.  Just be sure not to drink two in one night.

Rating; 8.5 out of 10.

Ožujsko

Ožujsko is a pale lager brewed by Zagrebačka Pivovara in Zagreb, Croatia. It contains the standard 5% alcohol and comes in a 500mL can which proclaims Ožujsko to be "Most Favourite Croatian Beer".

A crystal clear brew, Ožujsko is moderately carbonated. It has very little head, which is a bit disappointing for an otherwise attractive beer. However, this beer was within a couple of days of the best before date listed on the can, so it might not have been at it's best. It had the standard grass and grain aroma. The flavour is grainy, but also pleasantly bitter. Really, it's fairly full-bodied for a pale lager.

I'd like a bit more carbonation, but again, I suspect that might have had something to do with its rapidly approaching expiry date. It still tasted pretty good, but I bet a fresher can would have been better. Not a particularly memorable beer, but good if you're thirsty and craving a lager.

Rating; 6.5 out of 10. 

Waterloo Traditional IPA

Waterloo Traditional IPA hails, not surprisingly, from Waterloo, Ontario.  It's brewed by the Waterloo Brewing Co. and comes in very snazzy 473mL cans. Alcohol-wise, it clocks in at 5.2%--not quite as strong as I was expecting from an India Pale Ale. I'd been hankering to try this stuff for ages.  It showed up on the offerings board at my local beer store ages ago, but they never actually seemed to have it. I ended up having to buy it in a six can variety pack.

The Traditional IPA poured a cloudy golden orange colour topped with a cream head. It had a fairly mild hop aroma with some caramel notes. The flavour starts with some toffee notes and builds to a bitter finish.

Typically, when I crack open an IPA, I want loads of character (which this beer does reasonably well), but I also want loads of hops. Still, it's a reasonably well-balanced ale, and I'd buy it again.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Alfa Beer

I had a bottle of Alfa Beer to wash down a massive gyro dinner at a great little restaurant in Toronto's Greektown while on a date with my wife. She was a good sport and let me write up a quick little review.

Alfa comes from Athens, Greece, where it is brewed by Athenian Brewery.  It's sold in amazing looking 330mL bottles--they have a cool vintage look that I loved. Alfa clocks in at a standard 5% alcohol.

It's a pale lager that
pours a clear straw colour topped with very little white head. It has a sweet, grassy aroma. There is a short, sweet initial taste that gives way to a mild dose of pale lager bitterness. There are some notes of grass and corn.

Alfa isn't a particularly memorable lager (except for the awesome bottles), but it is a pretty fair accompanyment to a dinner filled with feta, tzatziki, and olives.

Rating; 6.5 out of 10.

Headstrong Black & Tan

Headstrong Black & Tan is, according to the can, an "expert blend of pale ale and stout". However, the 473mL can also features a bizarre paragraph about the bison, so there you go. It's an amber-brown ale with a thick tan head that comes from the Big Hole Brewing Company in Utica, New York. It's got a healthy 5.5% alcohol content.

The Black & Tan has a smooth, chocolatey aroma.  The flavour is decidedly stout-like, with chocolate notes.  There's a dollop of pale ale bitterness, but nowhere near as much as I was hoping for. Like a stout, though, this brew has a silky smooth mouthfeel.

H.B. & T. is a decently interesting little brew, but it's not balanced quite as I would have liked.  Still, it's probably worth a try, since it's a change from the ordinary.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Beery Haikus-Ode to the Sensual Porter

The Saints Beer with Whisky

The Saints Beer with Whisky is an ale brewed with, you guessed it, a dollop of whisky. Specifically, according to the label, it's brewed "with a measure of English whisky from St. George's distillery in Norfolk". The Saints is brewed by St. Peter's Brewery Co. in Bungay, Suffolk, UK. It contains 4.8% alcohol and is sold in St. Peter's beautiful and distinctive 500mL bottles.

The Saints has an almost clear, brass colour. It shows little carbonation and comes topped with a white cap of head. It has an extremely peaty aroma that is heavy on the smokiness. It tastes far bigger than its 4.8%. Decently hoppy and well balanced, this ale features some extra whisky warmth which contributes to a very interesting taste profile.

This is a really nice beer to consume on a crisp, cool day. While the whisky features prominently in the aroma, its more of a subtle bonus in the flavour, really only taking the stage near the conclusion, with a smokey panache. I've had beer/whisky (whiskey) blends that have fallen flat, but this one was clearly carefully crafted--a great beer for lovers of the Water of Life.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Mill St. Oktoberfest Beer

The Mill St. Brewery is one of Toronto's finest. I had a 355mL bottle of one of their seasonal brews, Oktoberfest Beer, as part of a fall package deal (the other half was their pumpkin ale, Nightmare on Mill Street).

The Mill St. Oktoberfest Beer was an amber lager with a 5.6% alcohol content. A deep, reddish gold colour, M.S.O.B. pours clear, with moderate carbonation and some eggshell head.  It has a toasty malt aroma. The flavour is pretty robust, and features notes of caramel, copper, and faint bitterness, all wrapped up in a toasty package.

Mill St. Oktoberfest Beer is a pretty tasty brew.  It's smooth and easy-drinking, but with lots of body for a lager.  Plus, at 5.6% alcohol, I'm smiling.

Rating; 8.0 out of 10.