Chain Link Lager

 It’s been a minute since I last tasted something new from Hamilton’s Clifford Brewing Co., so Chain Link Lager practically flew into my cart at the LCBO. The offering is a 5% Vienna lager sold in textured 473mL cans. The beer inside is a fiery copper colour with a pretty healthy layer of off-white head.

Chain Link has a complicated nose, with notes of roasted malt, sweet berries, caramel, bread, and a metallic tinkle. The flavour is sweet, malty, and sticky, with a little bit of fruitiness manifested as apples and berries.

For an Ontario lager, Clifford’s Chain Link is a complex and captivating little offering. The sweetness is muted, the flavour is engaging, and the texture is on point.

Rating: 9.0 out of 10.

Giggle Water

 Sold in sassy little 750 howlers, Giggle Water is Waller St. Brewing’s take on the Vienna lager. The Ottawan beer contains 5.4% and a modest 25 IBUs. The beer is a clear amber-whisky colour with a thinnish head (probably because it was poured a few days before consuming).

Giggle Water has a sweet aroma with notes of honey oat bread and considerable maltiness. The flavour is similarly sweet, honeyed, and bready, with a hint of baked apple. The beer has very little bitterness and, frankly, less toastiness than I hoped to find.

Waller St.’s take on the classic Vienna-style lager tasted just alright to me. It was considerably too sweet and that left me a bit disappointed. The texture was solid—neither too thick not too thin—but I’d have liked some heartier toast elements. Also, the howler format might have hurt this one a bit as I didn’t have a chance to swig it until a few days after pouring.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

GLB Vienna Lager

 Clear and bronze, with a fluffy (but short-lived) off-white head, Great Lakes Brewery’s Vienna Lager is a 5% offering from the Toronto brewing stalwart. The beer comes in 473mL cans. 

GLB’s Vienna Lager has an elegant, malty nose that is sweet, bready, and a touch metallic. Likewise, malt is the buzzword right from the first sip—the beer’s flavour is sweet and grainy, accented with some copper and just the faintest hint of woodsmoke. Lots of caramel. There is just a touch of floral bitterness to shut the door on the amber lager. The Euro-style lager has a smooth, thickish texture.

This continental lager has a mellow texture that plays well with its sweet elements, though in truth, I’d have preferred a bit less sweetness. Still, it’s a good take on an agreeable style. I’ve been interested in GLB’s recent forays into lager-making—a real departure from their catalogue of pale ales and IPAs, and one they’ve embraced well. Their Vienna Lager is a good example of a nicely-executed European-style lager.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

All My Friends Are Hopheads

All My Friends Are Hopheads is a cute li’l Vienna lager from Goose Island Brewhouse Toronto. It’s a 5.1% lager sold in 473mL cans. It’s a bright amber brew that pours with a thin layer of white suds.

AMFAH has a slightly sweet, toasty aroma with a whiff of campfire marshmallow. The beer is malt-driven, toasty, and grainy. The finish continues to be sweet, but there is just a scintilla of bitterness that provides a bit of balance.

 Vienna lager is a beautiful style and Goose Island’s take is fairly well executed. I’d have liked a touch less sweetness, but otherwise I found it quite satisfying.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Salieri Vienna Lager

Salieri Vienna Lager is a 5% copper lager from Toronto’s Avling. Sold in 355mL cans, Salieri is a very attractive lager with a layer of cream coloured suds to top it off.

The beer has a malty and metallic aroma accented with a hint of caramel sweetness. Salieri is a sweet and smooth brew—perhaps a little too sweet. The flavour contains brown sugar and caramel elements, as well as roasted malt and just a touch of bitterness.

Vienna Lagers aren’t exactly over-represented in Ontario’s craft beer scene, so I was pretty excited to see Avling’s version available for mail order. And it proved to be a decent take—very attractive with a nice, if slightly too sweet flavour.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Aurea Vienna Lager

On our way back to our hotel in Lisbon, the Bitter Wife and I stumbled past Cervejaria Trindade, billed as Portugal’s “oldest and most beautiful brewery.” The brewery, housed in a converted monastery, was genuinely aesthetically pleasing—a big, airy, and venerable space with a lovely courtyard (the cloister) and pretty tile work on the walls—sadly, I don't seen to have snapped any good pics. We opted to sit in the old rectory, where the BW indulged in cheesecake and a glass of house red while yours truly enjoyed a pint of the Aurea Vienna Lager.

My beer arrived in a (it should be mentioned, very dirty) glass. It was a hazy dull gold lager topped with a thick off-white foam. It had an assertive toasted malt and copper aroma. To my tongue, the beer was toasty, yet crisp, and quite full-bodied, with lots of grain notes and a slightly metallic, yeasty tang.

The beer was pretty good—a bit too metallic, perhaps—but enjoyable. However, the setting, from the old world monk vibes to the remarkably gruff service to the completely unexpected revelation that there was a brewery at all, made our visit to Trindade a memorable experience.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Nasch

Produced by the Kensington Brewing Co. in Toronto, Nasch is a 5.3% Vienna lager. It’s a clear amber-gold brew with hearty carbonation and a thin sheet of white head. The beer is sold in unlabeled 600mL bombers.

Nasch has a sweet and toasty malt-forward aroma with some nut and caramel notes. The flavour is of toast and malt, with some metallic notes as well. While I found it to be fairly crisp, it was also a little too mild for the style. The finish has a coppery bitterness, but not a lot of hops action.

Kensington’s take on the Vienna lager style was an adequate one, though nothing special. I wanted it to be a bit more rich and nutty than it was, though the beer was definitely refreshing and enjoyably mellow.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Smith & Lentz Vienna Lager

In Music City for the wedding of two dear friends, I made a couple of visits to Nashville's Smith & Lentz Brewing, a lovely little spot near our AirBnB. My first visit was as part of a pretty wild pub crawl organized by the Bitter Wife, so I didn't have the chance to pen any reviews. The following day, I made a return trip to take some notes and revisit some of the ales and lagers I'd hazily enjoyed the night before.

 

First up was S&L's Vienna Lager, which came highly recommended by the lad behind the bar. It was a slightly hazy amber brew that poured with a lusty cream head. Though I was suffering through a bit of a head cold, the toasted malt and rich sweet grain scent came through clearly. There was no shortage of flavour here, either, with a malt-driven opening note that preceded an amply dry and relatively bitter finish. Toffee kept the flavour going from tape to tape.

S&L's Vienna Lager was a great representation of the style, with a robust flavour a great look. At just 4.8%, it was pretty session-friendly and very approachable. If you're in Tennessee, I'd say a stop at this Nashville taproom wouldn't be complete without a taste of the VL.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Old Flame Red

From Port Perry, Ontario's Old Flame Brewing Co. comes Old Flame Red. A Vienna lager, OFR contains 5.1% and pours a beautiful deep auburn, clear and with a thick eggshell head. It's sold in slightly sleazy cans that depict a female silhouette, but the can is an unusual 568mL, which is something I don't think I've seen before. According to the copy on the can, "[i]ncredibly balanced, this lager can be enjoyed by both ale and lager drinkers." We shall see.

The nose is robust and agreeable, with a sizable roasted malt body and some breadlines. The flavour is rich and roasty--full of malty goodness. On the finish, there is a slight shuffle toward bitterness, but not quite as far as I'd have wished.

Despite the iffy can, Old Flame Red proved to be a really solid take on the Vienna lager. Flavourful and deep, in a large format, I was more than pleased. This is a brewery I'll be monitoring in the months to come, since they've shown me that they can deliver a tricky style with nuance.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Creemore Springs Lager

This fiery, copper coloured lager comes from the Creemore Springs Brewery in Creemore, Ontario.  The Creemore Springs Lager comes in a 341mL bottle and contains 5% alcohol.  It's an attractive lager that pours with a thick, almost white head.

C.S.L. has a warm, inviting aroma that is both sweet and grainy.  Tastewise, it reminds me of a Vienna lager.  It's got a nice, round flavour, with a slightly metallic taste and notes of warm, sultry caramel.  There's some mild maltiness on the back end.

Creemore Springs Lager is an excellent Ontario beer.  It's relatively mild, but it has considerable character.  The flavour is nicely nuanced.  It can be appreciated by everyone from fans of light lager to aficionados. And fortunately for beer fans, it's available widely across the province in beer stores and barrooms. Definitely get some.

Rating: 9.0 out of 10.

Negra Modelo

Negro Model is a tasty little brew out of Mexico, where it is brewed by the Cervezeria Modelo.  The label bills this brew as "La Crema de la Cerveza".  I enjoyed a bottle at a local Tex-Mex watering hole in T.O.  The waiter got really excited when he heard that I was reviewing the beer for my blog--he ran and got me the proper glass for my brew.

N.M. is sold in distinctive 355mL bottles and clocks in at 5.3% alcohol.  It pours a rich amber colour.  There is a moderate amount of carbonation and is topped with a quickly thinning white head.  It has a sweet, malty aroma.  Negra Modelo is quite refreshing for an amber beer.  It's tasty and toasty, but mild, with notes of caramel and a hint of raisin.

Negra Modelo is a great change of pace from the popular pale yellow Mexican brews.  It might be a touch on the sweet side, particularly near the end of a pint, but it's a good beer.  Solid, refreshing, and charming.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

King-Vienna Lager

Ontario's King Township is the home of King Brewery.  King Brewery is the maker of King Vienna Lager.  King Vienna Lager is delicious.

K.V.L. is sold in 341 bottles and contains 4.8% alcohol.  It has a very becoming clear copper colour. It is moderately carbonated and topped with a cloud of white head. It has aromas of caramel and toasted nuts. The flavour is faintly metallic, with some nuttiness and a pleasant honey quality. The aftertaste is coppery and lightly bitter.

King Vienna Lager is nearly spectacular; there is nothing not to like. It's tasty and refreshing, with an interesting European flavour. Give this one a try.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Saint Andre-Bohemian-Style Lager

Saint Andre Lager is a solid little brew from Toronto.  It is sold in 341mL bottles and clocks in at 4.6%.  It pours a snazzy clear amber colour and has very little head.  The aroma is quite sweet with notes of toffee or caramel.

For a beer with so little alcohol content, the flavour is surprisingly malty.  Additionally, there is a slight smokiness and a sweet toffee taste.  It finishes sweetly, again with a hint of toffee.

I was surprised to learn that this brew is produced by the Cool Brewing Co., whose namesake beer is not one of my favorites.  Still, they definitely got something right with this one.  I would definitely recommend it to anyone.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.