White Space Wheat

According to the text on its 473mL can, Mill Street Brewery’s White Space Wheat is brewed using coriander, camomile, and blood orange. The Torontonian wheat beer contains 5% alcohol. Slightly hazy and modestly carbonated, the beer pours with a thin white head and features an aroma that is both yeasty and floral.

White Space doesn’t have a strong flavour, although it does have some depth, with sweet citrus and herbal notes keeping things interesting, before a crisp yet timid finish.

I held onto my can of White Space for longer than I normally would a new beer. For some reason, I wasn’t all that keen to try it, though my intuition was off—it’s actually a pretty nice little brew made with a deft touch. It’s refreshing, but a bit too thin. Not special, but certainly pleasant.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Voodoo Ranger IPA

Clear and bright with a fluffy white head, Voodoo Ranger IPA looks almost irresistible. From Fort Collins, Colorado/Asheville, North Carolina, VR is brewed by New Belgium Brewing. According to the label, this beer is “brewed with spice”, though there is no indication just why those spices might be, though it does note that the hops are Mosaic and Amarillo. I ended up with a sextet of 12oz bottles of the 7% ale when the Bitter Wife returned from a work event in the US—she’s so sweet!

VR has a murky and resinous nose, underscored with a suggestion of tropical fruit. Tropical fruit ain’t no suggestion in the flavour, though! It’s a juicy and assertive statement—notes of mango are all over this one. The finish has a dank, resin-heavy tone with a slightly floral element.

I’m not sure what spices are involved in the brewing of VR, but the end result is a burly but juicy IPA with a pretty compelling finish. I’m definitely glad to have another five of these bad boys at my disposal.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

La Buckdjeuve

The brewing scene in New Brunswick is starting to get pretty interesting. One of the newer players is Les Brasseurs du Petit-Sault, an outfit from Edmundston. While home in my birth province over Christmas, I had occasion to try a couple of their brews, including La Buckdjeuve. Sold in stubby 341mL bottles, this little number was billed as a "dark strong ale". It contains a potent 7.3% alcohol, 29 IBUs, and is made with "mythical spices." According to the label, La Buckdjeuve is a rarely seen forest-dwelling critter that lives in the Madawaska Forests--sorta like an Acadian jackalope.

The beer poured with a nice mahogany colour and a layer of fairly thin off-white head. It packed a punchy, warm nose, replete with clove notes and heavy maltiness. The flavour, too, was malt-powered and full of warm spice notes. Alongside were some slightly nutty elements, and a modestly bitter, chocolatey finish.

To my mind, La Buckdjeuve made for a delightful winter ale--strong, seasonally-spiced, and tasty. 

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Bison Organic Honey Basil Ale

Bison Brewery in Ukiah, California makes Organic Honey Basil Ale. Just as the name suggests, this stuff is brewed with basil and honey, and it's certified organic. According to the label, if you register on Bison's website, they'll buy you a carbon offset for a case of beer.  That's some cool, innovative, and progressive stuff. It's sold in 355mL bottles and contains a pretty solid 6% alcohol.

Organic Honey Basil Ale hazy, orange-copper brew topped with a thinnish, off-white head. A sweet, honeyed aroma leans toward the malt side of the spectrum. Similarly, the flavour is characterized by a sweet, malt body and a pleasant honey taste. Beneath that, there are some warm boozy notes, gentle toastiness, and a faint metallic bent.

There's not a lot of bitterness and I'd have liked a bit more basil emphasis. This stuff is too sweet to go back to the Honey Basil well more often than once in a session, but it's pretty tasty stuff.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

White Rascal

From the Avery Brewing Co. in Boulder, Colorado comes White Rascal, billed as a "Belgian-style white ale" and as an "ale brewed with spices". It comes in a 355mL can that features some kind of white and red demon. W.R. contains a reputable 5.6& alcohol. According to the can, this stuff is brewed with coriander and cura
-->çao orange peel.
It has a whitish, straw coloured hue and is pretty cloudy. The Rascal pours with a substantial white head. The orange peel really comes through in the aroma. This beer has a thin body and mouthfeel, but makes up for it with considerable flavour. As expected, it's amply spiced, but there is also lots of sweetness and a juicy citrus quality. The finish has pleasant, slightly bitter orange peel notes.

This is a pretty nice white ale. I found it to be a touch too sweet, but I certainly enjoyed it. Pretty decent strength, too.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Bah Humbug! Christmas Cheer

Happy Holidays from the Stout Man!

In honour of the season, I decided to review Wychwood Brewing Co.'s Bah Humbug! Christmas Cheer. This spiced ale comes from Witney, Oxfordshire, England. It comes in a 500mL bottle with a label that features a wrinkly ol' Scrooge getting ghosted.  Bah Humbug! contains a standard 5% alcohol and is spiced with a pinch of cinnamon.

Bah Humbug! Christmas Cheer pours a slightly cloudy copper colour about the hue of a well traveled penny. It has an off-white head. Bah Humbug features a warm, malt-driven nose that has a slight metallic clink to it. There is a malt to bitter flavour with just a hint of cinnamon heat. This brew had quite a bit more bitterness than I expected and not nearly as much sweetness.

This winter ale is plenty interesting. I might not drink it year round, but I'll be looking out for it next Christmas.

Note: This beer was a gift from the lovely and mischievous A.D. during one of her infrequent but always enjoyable visits.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Nickel Brook Cuvée 2012

Nickel Brook Cuvée 2012 is billed as "Bourbon Barrel Aged Spiced Strong Ale" and as a reserve ale. This mouthful is brewed by Burlington, Ontario's Better Bitters Brewing Co.  It comes in pretty flashy 750mL bottles--wax sealed and featuring very attractive labels. Cuvée 2012 contains a cheeky  (read: strong ass) 8.5% alcohol and clocks in at 19 IBUs.


Cuvée 2012 has an impressive ingredients list which includes Demerara sugar, dried figs, cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla beans, and much more. All of that (plus more) is aged in bourbon casks. Looking at the label, I was worried that the brewers had just thrown everything and the kitchen sink into the kettle for this one.  However, I was wrong to doubt them. However with just a couple of sips, it became clear that this stuff was carefully crafted.

The grog pours a cloudy, even swampy brown, topped with a luxurious tawny head. It's very fragrant. The aroma combines strong fruit notes, sour malts, and a vigorous spice presence. You can practically taste something different in every sip of this beauty--citrus tang, boozy warmth, spicy intrigue, and a whisper of bourbon. It also features some red wine notes.

The label suggests laying this stuff down to age, but I just can't rest easy knowing that there is an interesting ale in the house ...

I really enjoyed this beer. Sweet, sour, and bitter are all amply represented. If you see it, you should buy it. And if you're more patient than me, please lay a bottle down and let me know what it's like in a couple years.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10.

Rickard's Cardigan

Rickard's Cardigan is listed as an "autumn spiced lager". It's brewed by Molson Coors Canada and is part of the Rickard's Seasonal Collection. It is sold in 341mL bottles that are sweater-sporting and come with a cap dressed up as a button. They're pretty cute. Cardigan clocks in at a slightly above-standard 5.5% alcohol. It is a handsome golden ale that is fairly cloudy and topped with an off-white head.

A sweet, heavily spiced aroma features nutmeg and clove notes, and maybe a bit of pumpkin. The flavour is less pungent than the aroma, but it displays the same warm, autumnal notes. It moves from sweet to bitter, and underneath the spice, there is a mild but pleasant lager base.

This is a pretty tasty effort from a macrobrewery. It's a solid fall brew.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

New Morning

New Morning is a "strong beer with spices" produced by Birrificio Del Ducato Gruppo Italy in Roncole Verdi di Busseto, Italy. It clocks in at healthy 5.8% alcohol and comes in a very cool looking 330mL bottle. It pours a cloudy orange-gold colour with some slight sediment in the bottom. New Morning has frothy cappuccino foam for a head. It has a malty, spicy aroma with notes of orange peel. There is a lot going on, flavour-wise. New Morning is replete with spices. There are some sweet elements and some bitter ones, along with a slight tinge of citrus.

Most of the Italian beers that I have tried have been pretty unadventurous, but this is a very interesting little brew out of Italia. The brewery website says that the beer is inspired by a Belgian saison.  It does taste a lot like a saison, though not nearly as dry as many that I've tried before.

Rating: 8.0 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.