Cheetah Lager

I bought a pint of Cheetah Lager at a local Indian restaurant to go with my lamb roti.  According to the tabletop ad, Cheetah was brewed specifically to compliment spicy food.  Since my roti was mad hot, the test was set.

Cheetah is produced by Cheetah International Brewers of Toronto, Ontario.  It is sold in 341mL bottles and weighs in at the standard 5% alcohol.  The brew pours a pale gold colour.  It is slightly cloudy and mildly carbonated.  Topped by a thin head, Cheetah leaves behind very little lace.

The aroma is quite mild.  It smells slightly floral, with hints of sweetness.  The brew is quite thin and a touch on the watery side.  The flavour has a citrus touch to it, but only slightly.  There is a pleasantly bitter aftertaste.

This brew was better than I was expecting.  It isn't likely to win any international accolades, but it was a fine addition to my meal.  It really was pretty good with spicy food, though on its own, it was a bit wet.  If this brew is available at a purveyor of spicy delicacies, I say give it a try.  It won't dazzle you, but it'll put out the fire effectively.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Tecate

For me, Tecate is an interesting study in branding and brand loyalty.  As you'll see from my review, I recognize that Tecate is an easy-drinking if unimpressive macro-brew with limited character.  Still, it frequently finds its way into my fridge and I enjoy it with great relish.  The reason that I have such a boatload of goodwill toward this otherwise ordinary brew is that a few years ago, while working a summer gig in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I went on an extremely memorable camping trip in a lush oasis in the middle of the desert with my good friend Raph.  For this trip, Tecate was our brew of choice.  Ever since, I've always been forgiving to Tecate and its snazzy red cans.

Tecate is produced by the Cervezeria Cuauhtemoc Moctezuma in Monterrey, Mexico.  It is sold in 355mL cans and contains 4.5% alcohol.  The can simply says "cerveza", but I guess this brew is classed as a pale lager.  It pours a pale straw colour and evidences loads of carbonation.  Tecate is crowned with a lively, bright white head and leaves behind a slight amount of lace.  There is a slight aroma of corn and wheat.  Tastewise, the brew begins with an initial flavour of malt and corn.  This gradually gives way to a slightly bitter, tinny finish.  The body is quite thin and watery, but is wonderfully refreshing and thirst-quenching.

This isn't a bad brew.  It tastes fine and it's very easy-drinking.  It just doesn't have a lot character or pizazz.  Still, every few months, I get a craving for it.  I buy a couple and relive some good times.  What can I say, I'm sentimental.

Rating: 6.5

Young's Double Chocolate Stout

Young's Chocolate Stout is brewed by the Wells and Young's Brewing Company of Bedford, England.  It's sold in nice looking 500mL bottles and contains 5.2% alcohol.

This brew is DARK.  We're talking fully black.  I held it up to the light and saw nothing, except for a glimmer of red around the edges. It has a resilient tan head and loads of clinging lace.

According to the label, Young's earns its double chocolate name because it contains both chocolate malt and real dark chocolate.  Awesome.  Not surprisingly, there is a big chocolate aroma.  Not milk chocolate either.  More like an 80% roasted cacao bar.

The chocolate flavour of Young's is undeniable, but fortunately it's not too sweet.  The classic stout molasses flavour is present, but it's not in the forefront.  Rather, it's lurking in the wings.  The back end has a bitter kick that balances out the malty sweetness.  The mouthfeel is quite thick.

Young's is in tough in the stout category.  Among stouts, there are some pretty fierce offerings that offer unique and challenging flavours.  Young's differentiates itself with its chocolate sweetness, but it's not enough to elevate it to elite status.  The Double Chocolate Stout is not particularly drinkable--I would have a hard time drinking more than one of these bad boys in a single session.  Still, it's a highly enjoyable brew.  The brilliant cacao scent alone is worth the price of admission.

Rating:  8.0 out of 10.

Marston's Pedigree Very Special Old Pale

Marston's is one of England's premier breweries.  They are responsible for a number of really excellent beers.  So, my expectations were high when I pried the cap off of their Pedigree V.S.O.P.

The V.S.O.P is sold in fancy 500mL bottles that are individually numbered and bear the signature of Head Brewer Emma Gilleland.  The brew measures a ferocious 6.7% and hails from Burton Upon Trent, England.

Pedigree V.S.O.P pours a crystal clear gleaming gold colour.  It is crowned with a very foamy tan head and leaves behind enough lacing to make some lame curtains.  The aroma is fairly mild, featuring notes of copper, hops and a hint of toffee.  The V.S.O.P.'s flavour was really quite surprising.  What I expected was a hop-heavy and highly alcoholic tasting ale.  What I got was a reasonably sultry and well-balanced brew.  There is definitely a healthy does of hops, but this element is complimented by a malty front-end.  The ale definitely doesn't taste like a 6.7% offering, though it does pack a wallop.  If anything, the taste is a touch milder than expected.  The only real strike against this beer is a flat note struck somewhere in the aftertaste that isn't terribly pleasant.

On the whole, this is a pretty good ale.  Not elite or remarkable, but definitely solid.  For the price, it's a pretty good strong beer and it's definitely got character.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Lake of Bays Brewing Company-Rousse

Baysville, Ontario's Lake of Bays Brewing Company makes a pretty decent impersonation of a Quebecois rousse.  Served in 341mL bottles and containing 5% alcohol, this tasty red ale pours a surprisingly dark ruby colour.  It is clear, only mildly carbonated and is topped by a thinnish crown of white head.  It leaves behind thin curtains of lace that don't stick around too long.

The brew is blessed with a rich, well-balanced aroma of brown sugar and hops.  The flavour is nice and round.  It begins sweet and malty, with toasty caramel notes and it finishes bitterly, with a hint of molasses.  The mouthfeel is fairly dry and medium thickness. 

Lake of Bays' Rousse is a pretty solid little brew.  It's tasty and attractive.  It doesn't have a big enough flavour to warrant an elite 9, but it's not too far away.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Wellington County Brewery-Trailhead

After five consecutive reviews of wheat-based beers, I've been seriously craving something different.  To that end, I opted for a case of Trailhead Lager, produced by the Wellington County Brewery in Guelph, ON.  This is a pretty tasty beer, but all the more so when you consider the price.  For the price, I would be hard-pressed to name a better brew available in Ontario.

Trailhead is billed as a Vienna-style lager, and I think the description is apt.  It is a clear, fizzy brew with a gentle gold colour and topped with a cloudy white head.  The alcohol content is low, measuring just 4.5%.  Trailhead is sold in 341mL bottles.  The beer features a warm, rusty aroma that is quite potent.  The flavour is slightly oaty and graced with a not-unpleasant metallic tang.  Trailhead is extremely mild and has very little aftertaste.

At under $17 for a dozen, Trailhead is affordable.  And unlike the majority of other value brews, this one has some merit that goes beyond price.  It is a touch thin and a bit on the weak side, but it tastes great and looks nice.  Definitely worth a try.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Weiss/Wit/Wheat Week-Paulaner Hefe-Weizen

Wheat!  It's everywhere!

Paulaner is a tasty weissbier that hails from Munich, Germany.  Sold in 330mL bottles, it measures 5.5% alcohol, pours a cloudy yellow colour, and features loads of carbonation.

Paulaner is topped by a lively white head and has tons of lace.  There is a bready aroma coupled with faint notes of orange peel.  Similarly, the taste is doughy and features lots of citrus notes.  There is a medium mouthfeel and loads of fizziness.  The back-end is incredibly sweet...perhaps a little too sweet.

Paulaner is pretty much the prototypical wheat beer.  It has the colour, the cloudiness and the orange peel aroma that I have come to expect.  Weissbiers aren't my favourite style, but Paulaner's merits are hard to deny.  It looks nice, smells great and has an interesting flavour.  The only drawback is the too sweet aftertaste.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Also, it has this ridiculously wholesome Alpine scene on the bottle: