Houblon Chouffe

Houblon Chouffe comes from Brasserie D'Achouffe, in Achouffe, Belgium. I had a glass on tap at a beer bar that I've commuted past almost every day for the last several years, but never checked out until my streetcar was short-turned and there wasn't another coming by for ages. According to the tap list, this stuff is a Dobbelen IPA Tripel and contains a weighty 9% alcohol.

A hazy golden ale that arrived topped with a bright white head, but which subsided quickly. The aroma has big apple notes, considerable yeastiness, and rugged hop presence. This is a very easy-drinking strong beer. It has lots of Belgian elements--yeast, fruit notes, boozy blast. But it also has a spicy hop flavour that really drew me in.  Finish is very dry.

Fascinating little brew. A bit more hops aggression would have intrigued me further.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

100th Meridian Organic Amber Lager

The Mill St. Brewery in Toronto gave birth to 100th Meridian Organic Amber Lager. I had an afternoon pint on tap at a generic downtown Toronto Irish pub while waiting for my wife to get her hair cut. It arrived a clear, dirty gold brew topped with a nice eggshell head. I was a bit surprised by the colour--I think "amber" is a bit of a stretch.

The aroma is mild and comfortable. There is a modest roasted malt aroma and a whiff of copper. On tap, I found this beer to have an unexpectedly creamy and velvety mouthfeel--I wonder whether the bottled version is similar in this respect. This beer has a laid back taste--malty, toasty, and a tad bready. At the finish, there is a fragile hop swing that adds a measure of crispness. According to Mill St.'s website, this stuff clocks in at a standard 5% alcohol.

All in all, I liked this beer just fine. It's not particularly flavourful for an amber lager, but it's restrained taste is certainly enjoyable. It's not big enough to bring me back, but I can definitely see how other drinkers could find this stuff engaging. Fittingly, there was a Tragically Hip song playing as I finished my review. Not "At the Hundredth Meridian", but still.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Bell's Porter

Check it--this is my 600th blog post!

Bell's Porter comes from Comstock, Michigan. It comes from the stable of Bell's Brewery Inc. Sold in 355mL bottles and weighing in at 5.6% alcohol. It's a deep, dark, practically opaque brown--midnight brown, I'd call it. It's topped with a quickly thinning tan head.

It's aroma speaks molasses with a slight mocha accent. There is a malt to bitter flavour progression. The initial taste is of not-quite-sweet molasses and on the back end, there is a pretty healthy dose of bitterness.

Bell's is not a standout porter--at least in the sense of it being flashy or flamboyant. Rather, what makes this beer worth drinking and worth writing about is that it quietly does exactly what I want a porter to do:

• it has subtle notes of coffee and chocolate; 
• it isn't too sweet; and 
• it has a hop profile that can stand its own in a fight.

This beer didn't exactly blow me away, but it left me feeling almost completely satisfied.

Rating: 9.0 out of 10.

Brakeman's Session Ale

Born in the wilds of western Toronto at the Junction Craft Brewery, Brakeman's Session Ale contains a manageable 4.5% alcohol, but a flavour that punches well above that weight, as evidenced by the respectable 40 IBUs. According to the 473mL can, this beer is "bright, crisp and thirst quenching".

Brakeman's is a hazy reddish gold ale that pours with a nice layer of off-white foam. There are spicy hop aromatics along with a wee twist of citrus. As promised, I found the mouthfeel to be quite crisp, though maybe a touch thin. There's a respectable hop bill in the flavour, with a decent spicy bitterness holding down the fort. In truth, though, Ontario has had a rash of high hop/low alcohol session ales and American pale ales that I have found more intriguingly bitter.  Other than the hops, there is an earthy malt opening note.

Drinking this stuff after a dreadful softball defeat, refreshing was what I craved, and Brakeman's delivered. While the flavour wasn't entirely to my taste, this session ale made good on its commitment to provide a crisp, drinkable ale. It's not in the same league as Junction's mainstay, Conductor's Craft Ale, but it's none too shabby. Would I buy it again? You bet.

7.0 out of 10.

Natural Selections 6-Pack, Volume 2--The Bold

Home for the Bold Belgian Pale Ale is Albergrove British Columbia, where it's brewed by Dead Frog Brewery. It's sold in 341mL bottles, contains 5% alcohol and 27 IBUs. It's a very swampy brown ale that pours with a lot of yeast grit and a thick, tawny head.

It has a nose that blends bitterness with malty fruit qualities--there are notes of tart cherry and yeast. I found it to be pretty flavourful for a pale ale with a mere 5% alcohol. It moves from malty to to bitter. It's initially yeasty with some raisin notes, and finishes with spicy, slightly citric hops. It has a quite dry terminus.

If I was in charge, I'd have liked this beer to have a higher octane alcohol content and for it to have poured with little less sediment. That said, it's a nice BC take on a Belgian classic. If I'd tasted it bling, I wouldn't have been surprised to see that The Bold hailed from Antwerp or Bruges. While not exactly outstanding, this beer has a lot of things going for it.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Natural Selections 6-Pack, Volume 2--Four Winds Saison

Four Winds Brewery is located in Delta, British Columbia. I recently had a 330mL bottle of their Saison. The label has some undeniable old world charm and the beer contains 6.5% alcohol. Notably, there is also a fiesty 30 IBUs. F.W.S. is an incredibly heady, deep gold saison. In fact, it's a bit more golden and less yellow than I anticipated. Happily carbonated and hazy, one must pour this beer prudently.

A yeasty aroma is waist deep in fruity notes, with tart orange on top and banana in a close second. The flavour is tart, yeasty, and has unusual hop depth for a saison. This curious hop action inhabits a dry finish and, combined with the yeastiness, gives this beer a funky feel. At first, I found it enjoyable, but by the halfway point of my pint it had begun to lose some appeal.

This saison has a big flavour and tastes decidedly more "Belgian" than many of the other Canadian saisons that are popping up like mushrooms after a rainstorm recently. If you offered me a hopped up saison, I'd jump at it, but I'm not totally wild about the way that this one was hopped.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Natural Selections 6-Pack, Volume 2--Bear Paw Honey Lager

Whistler, British Columbia's Whistler Brewing Company is the source of Bear Paw Honey Lager,  a clear copper lager graced with a fluffy, off-white head and brewed with BC honey. It has a sweet fragrance that drips with nice honey attitude. The flavour, too, is all about the sweet stuff. Initially I was worried that the honey was overdone, but I quickly changed my mind. It actually makes for a nice, slow-sipping mug.  Other than the honey, there isn't much to write about. The underlying amber lager is little more than a honey showcase with some gentle roasted malt leanings. The mouthfeel is a touch syrupy, the finish sweet, and there is almost no bitterness.

I'd definitely drink this stuff again, but only one in a session and definitely early in the night, due to its thick body and sweet nature. It's far too sweet for drinking multiples and after a few pints, I suspect that this stuff could be pretty cloying.

Whistler's Bear Paw Honey Lager comes in a 330mL bottle with a neat shape that features a feasting bear on the label. It contains 5% alcohol. This was my second experience with Whistler--I also reviewed their interesting Paradise Valley Grapefruit Ale.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.