Malheur 12 Belgian Dark Ale

Following a feed of moules frites in Brussels, I ordered a 330mL bottle of Malheur 12 Belgian Dark Ale (to aid with digestion or some such thing). The 12% ale poured with a fluffy off-white head and displayed a handsome burnt umber colour. Born in Buggenhout, Belgium, Malheur 12 is produced by Brewery de Landtsheer.

To my nose, the beer was malt-driven, sweet, and extremely warm, with notes of date and caramel. An extremely boozy flavour was cushioned around rich notes of dried fruit and tobacco.

A delightfully satisfying after dinner sipper, Malheur 12 was a large and bold Belgian ale with loads of depth. As it warmed, I found the flavours to expand even further, leaving me much pleased. As with many beers on the mischievous side of 10%, Malheur 12 was a bit sweeter than I’d have liked, but it sure warmed me up.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

West Coast Swing

West Coast Swing is a bombastic 7.2% west coast IPA from the sluggers at Left Field Brewery in Toronto. Sold in 355mL cans, the beer comes out clear and gold with a thin white head.

WCS has classic west coast aromatics—grapefruit, resin, and a healthy touch of pine. The flavour is similarly configured, with citrus and evergreen notes. The back end is bitter and the beer is undeniably boozy from start to finish.

A throwback to my favourite era of IPAs, West Coast Swing is big and bold. With lots to like and little to critique, this is a strong offering from Left Field.

Rating: 9.0 out of 10.

Tsumi

 At 8.5%, Godspeed’s Tsumi is a burly imperial coffee stout. The beer, born at Toronto’s Godspeed Brewery, is sold in 355mL cans. It’s a near-black ale with a frothy tan head. 

Tsumi has a robust coffee nose; bitter with a syrupy sweetness. The flavour is big and bold, with black coffee notes and ample bitterness. The booze in this brew is undeniable and it has a thick texture.

A coffee beer with some attitude, Tsumi is an enjoyable ale from a brewery more known for their elite Czech-style lagers.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Joe

Simply called Joe, this DIPA from Toronto’s Bandit Brewery is brewed with Citra, Mosaic, and Strata hops. The beer comes in 355mL cans that appear to feature a chain gang motif with a hammer and a ball and chain. Joe is a milky pale gold with a fluffy and durable white foam.

Joe has sweet and sticky aromatics, with tropical fruit notes and a tang of resin stank. The flavour is juicy, fruity, and dank, with passionfruit and bitter citrus. The beer tastes punchy, but nowhere near as strong as the actual 8.2% listed on the can.

Bandit Brewery has become a bit of an IPA/DIPA factory, pumping out a series of very similar double dry-hopped offerings. While some of these can be indistinguishable, Joe is one of the standouts, with a nice, sharp flavour, big strength, and a great look.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Hop Damn American IPA

 During a short return visit to my birth province of New Brunswick, I picked up a handful of local lagers and ales to keep me feeling social. One such was Hop Damn American IPA. Brewed in Grand Falls, NB, Hop Dam is a 6.5% ale sold in rather minimalist 473mL cans. 

The beer is brewed by Grand Falls Brewing Co. It’s a hazy golden ale that pours with a lush white head that deflated rather speedily. Hop Dam has a punchy nose that screams hemp and citrus. The flavour is resinous and grapefruit leaning.

While this little guy looks like a NEIPA, the flavour profile is more West Coast: sticky and citrusy. Like the can, the beer is a wee bit understated, but I certainly enjoyed it.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Fracture Hazy Imperial IPA

A new spin on an Ontario classic, Fracture Hazy Imperial IPA takes the original Fracture and gives it the New England-style treatment. According to the copy in on the teal 473mL cans, there are even more hops in the hazy version than the original, though I’d have to guess that the extra hops are added late in the process. The beer checks in at a boisterous 8.5% and it comes from Toronto’s Amsterdam Brewery.

Hazy Fracture has aromatics that tiptoe between sweet stone fruit and bitter citrus. The flavour is powerfully sweet and big on fruit notes. The can said to expect peach purée, mango, and citrus, and I think that is fairly apt; there is a definite intersection of mango and grapefruit. Compared to Fracture Classic, the hazy version is a lot less assertively bitter and boozy. The alcohol is subtle, but belied by the candied sweetness.

The Hazy edition of Amsterdam’s Fracture is an interesting adaptation. What I really like about the original is it’s brashness. The hazy iteration is sweeter, juicier, and more mellow. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I personally miss the unapologetic grapefruit rind bitterness. Good strength and an interesting flavour combo, though a bit too sweet—I’ll definitely buy this again, but I won’t seek it out.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Smarch Weather

On thing that the Stout Man will always buy is a rye IPA. Every time. So, when I caught wind of Smarch Weather from Toronto’s Rainhard Brewing, I snapped up six of the 7.2% beauties post haste. Sold in 473mL cans, the beer’s name plays homage to a quality Simpsons bit. The beer, itself, is bright copper in colour and pours with a thin covering of off-white suds.

Smarch Weather has a lovely aroma that blends malty caramel notes with sticky pine and a dose of grapefruit rind. The flavour has a sweet, malty base, but it is the hoppy, citrus and evergreen elements that really drive things. Throw in a little bit of spicy rye and you’ve got something cooking.

Smarch Weather is a wee bit sweeter than I’d like, but it’s otherwise delightful. Great strength, bold flavour, and a 90s TV reference? Sign me up! Make it year round.

Rating: 9.0 out of 10.

Beerly Deloved

Beerly Deloved is a big beer with a great name sold in gorgeous cans. It’s a 10% triple IPA from Toronto’s Bellwoods Brewery. The beer comes in 473mL vessels that feature a hop brooch and what looks like old-timey wallpaper. What emerges is a hazy dull-orange liquid under a modest off-white foam.

For such a large ale, BD has an unexpectedly mild aroma—notes of citrus and the suggestion of boozy warmth, but not much else. The flavour is considerably more robust, with notes of pineapple, peach, and orange peel atop a mountain of spirited heat—the booze in this big guy is unsubtle. The back end is sweet with some citrus hoppiness.

Love the art design, love the name, but the actual beer is just fine. At least in my opinion, a beer this strong should have a significantly more complex flavour. This one tastes like an unremarkable New England IPA, brewed stronger.

Rating: 6.0 out of 10.

On Mute

Toronto’s Collective Arts outpost is the brains behind On Mute, a DIPA brewed with El Dorado and Strata hops. Sold in 500mL bottles, On Mute is a substantial 8.6% bruiser made with oats and wheat. The beer is hazy, orange-gold, and blanketed by a sudsy white head.

To my schnoz, O.M. Has massive fruit aromatics, specifically white grapefruit, orange, and a touch of lime. The flavour is equally citrusy, with OJ and grapefruit in the fore and an undercurrent of booziness throughout. The beer has a mellow, New England-style texture and a back end that is only slightly bitter, manifesting as citrus zest and light resin.

This brew was recommended to me highly by the dude at the Collective Arts bottle shop and I can see why. Might be a little strong for pre-dinner on a Wednesday, but it started off my evening with a bang. My only beef is that I’d have liked a bit more depth to the texture—this one manages to be a little to smooth and milky for me.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Chocolate Orange Blackburne Imperial Stout

Left Field Brewery in Toronto makes a chocolate orange version of their burly Blackburne Imperial Stout. This version tips the scales at a beefy 9.7% and it’s made with cocoa nibs and orange zest. Mercifully, the beer comes in 355mL cans, as opposed to a larger format. The beer is tarry, with a loose tan head.

Chocolate Orange Blackburne has a punchy orange peel aroma with substantial sweetness and heavy boozy warmth. The flavour is extremely sweet and it delivers exactly what it promises: notes of orange zest and chocolate. The beer has cocoa bitterness at the back end and an undercurrent of strong booziness. The underlying stout powers through, with a malt focus and thick texture.

Orange flavour in beer is one I’m typically resistant to, but this configuration manages to pass muster. I still don’t love the orange zest flavour, but pairing it with cocoa is a fairly effective combo.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Vertical Dreams

Another IPA from the Toronto foothold of Collective Arts Brewing, Vertical Dreams is made with Azacca, Citra, and Nelson hops, along with some wheat. The beer comes in 500mL bottles with fun labels that feature what looks like a business pigeon and a queer party gator. The beer inside is a little more muted, with a dull golden colour and a bit of haze.

Through a modest white foam, the ale has a soft citrus aroma—lime particularly. The flavour is fairly mild and inclined toward fruity sweetness. The sweetness continues through the finish, though there is also a turn toward some resin bitterness.

At 7%, this beer has some ballast, but I found myself wishing for a little less sweetness and a little more character. Still, a pretty nice little IPA from CA’s Toronto location.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Connecting Dots

 

Connecting Dots is both a New England double IPA and a cool collaboration between the Toronto location of Collective Arts Brewing and the Ontario College of Craft & Design University. This beer, an 8.5% bruiser, comes in 500mL bottles wrapped in attractive labels. The beer inside is a milky orange and it pours with a very fluffy and durable white head. Connecting Dots is brewed with Azacca, Citra, and Lotus hops, as well as wheat and oats.

The nose on this DIPA is unexpectedly mild, with muted notes of orange and lime. The flavour features juicy citrus and the texture is incredibly smooth. I’d have liked it to be a lit
tle more assertive and a little less sweet, but I quite liked the burst of boozy heat at the back end.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Play Dead IPA

Port Moody, BC is the home of Yellow Dog Brewing Co., makers of Play Dead IPA. The beer, a classic West Coast IPA, comes in 473mL cans. It’s a 6.8% ale with a hearty 75 IBUs. The beer is orange-gold and nearly clear, under a creamy foam. I picked up a four-pack of these guys for social drinking, but ended up enjoying them so much I held on in reserve to review.

PD has a nose that blends citrus and pine notes. The flavour is assertively bitter, but balanced against a nice sweet element, paling around with evergreen, satsuma, and dank hemp.

Compared to past visits to BC, I did less beer drinking on my most recent trip. Of the 3-4 WCIPAs I tried, Play Dead was one of the standouts—not so much because it was innovative or unique—I just found it to be a well-made, enjoyable beer.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

The Bridge Is Over

The Bridge Is Over is billed as a Bandit/Laylow Production—brewed by Bandit Brewery and Laylow Brewing in Toronto. The beer, a double dry-hopped Belgian New England IPA, is a 6.8% number sold in 355mL cans. The beer is a hazy orange-gold colour and it pours with a thick layer of white foam.

The Bridge Is Over has a yeasty, tart fruit nose. For just 6.8%, the beer tastes surprisingly potent, with a bit of funk, some floral elements, and a touch of tangy apple. The back end has a floral hoppiness, but it is quite mild and short.

A quirky little ale with a big flavour, The Bridge Is Over is a pretty enjoyable collab with some character.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Life Sentence

A burly ass collab from two Toronto heavyweights, Life Sentence is an 11% triple IPA. The beer is brewed by Amsterdam Brewery and Great Lakes Brewery. Sold in great-looking 473mL cans, Life Sentence is brewed with Centennial hops. Less hazy than I expected, it’s a dull gold ale with a fluffy off-white head. 

Aromatically, the beer has loads of citrus, some sweetness, and a healthy measure of booze. The flavour is boozy, sweet, and dank, with citrus and tropical notes.

Strong and resinous, Life Sentence is an assertive take on the triple IPA. Not for the faint of heart, this beer will bruise your liver. Best thing about it? Sweet, but not too sweet, which is the plight of most triple IPAs that I’ve sampled.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Werecat

Werecat, from Toronto’s Blood Brothers Brewing, is a barrel-aged sour brown ale. The beer, which comes in 500mL bottles with spooky and gorgeous labels, weighs in at a robust 8.7%. It’s a dark brown ale with ruddy highlights, and it pours with a fast-receding off-white head.

Werecat has tart, winey aromatics, buttressed with woody sweetness. The flavour incorporates notes of molasses and muscovado sugar, tart cherries, wood, and booze.

This was an extremely enjoyable ale. I think that brown ales barrel age very well generally, and this one was executed nicely. And the sour elements were deftly balanced—present and pleasant, but not overpowering.

Rating: 9.0 out of 10.

Funk Fuzz

 Funk Fuzz begins life in Whitby, Ontario; nurtured into existence at Town Brewery. It’s a 6.8% hazy IPA that comes in playfully ugly 473mL cans. The beer is an almost milky pale gold, under a silky white head. Bit of sediment, but nothing alarming.

FF has a smooth, tropical fruit aroma—mango and passionfruit, along with some OJ. The flavour has a mellow and sweet initial character, with tropical notes. It picks up a bit of steam at the back end, where citrus bitterness meets a dash of boozy heat.

The beer is almost certainly brewed with oats, since it is incredibly smooth. It tastes pretty good, but there isn’t much to distinguish this hazy IPA in an over-crowded marketplace. The finish is nice, but I’d have liked a more boisterous front end.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

3-4 More-Than-Triple, Less-Than-Quad IPA

 After watching my Raiders get absolutely upended by the hated team from Kansas City, I needed some strong medicine, so I reached for a 355mL can of 3-4 More-Than-Triple, Less-Than-Quad IPA. The beer, easily the most hyphenated I have ever reviewed, is an 11% bruiser from Toronto’s Great Lakes Brewery; a celebration of GLB’s 34th anniversary. The big beer is brewed with both oats and wheat.

I expected 3-4 to be hazy and was surprised when it poured a nearly clear copper colour with a thin but durable off-white foam. The beer had a potent sweet peach and citrus nose. The flavour was extremely sweet, with peach and caramel notes early on and a still-sweet, candied grapefruit finish. Not a lot of evident bitterness, though I suspect that the IBU number is fairly significant—it’s just dwarfed by strength and sugars. The beer is undeniably boozy and is best sipped slow.

This a fun celebration beer, but not one that I’d be particularly inclined to crack open on a school night. It’s too strong and too saccharine for more than occasional sipping and, having enjoyed one and purchased three more, I’m not certain that I’ll be in a rush to load up on any more. Liked it, but didn’t love it.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Yamayama

 Yamayama is the latest American-style IPA from Toronto’s Godspeed Brewery. The beer comes in 355mL cans. It’s a 6.9% ale with a rich copper colour and a goodish layer of off-white head.

The beer has a refined evergreen aroma. Its flavour ticks a lot of West Coast IPA boxes—it’s resinous, piney, and a bit dank. The beer has a sticky, stanky finish that I quite enjoyed.

I found this beer to be quite similar to another Godspeed offering: Shizumu. It’s an enjoyable ale and I’d gladly buy it again.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Cautionary Tale IPA w/Sabro, Citra & HBC 472 Hops

Brewed in Collective Arts Brewing’s new Toronto facility, Cautionary Tale IPA w/Sabro, Citra & HBC 472 Hops is a hazy 7% ale. The beer comes in 473mL cans that feature a lovely “stormy seas of the mind” design. CT has a dull gold appearance, lots of haze, and a fluffy white head.

CT has aromatics that are reminiscent of piña colada—lots of coconut and a bit of juicy pineapple. The flavour tends toward sweetness, with coconut in the spotlight, and also just a touch of vanilla. The back end has a slight degree of bitterness, with a citrus twang.

This brew has a nice texture and great strength, but I don’t love it. There isn’t a thing wrong with Cautionary Tale—I just happen to have a disinclination to the Sabro hop and beers that taste a little too much like coconut. But if that’s your jam, this beer is bound to tickle you pink.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.