Random Reviews

Belgian · Post by **Belgian** » Sun Jul 20, 2014 11:30 pm

Cameron's California Sunshine APA - on tap, strong resiny bitterness, leafy pithy and grassy on palate, pithy and citrusy on nose.

Stone IPA - a stone cold perfect IPA in my book, hard to follow this with most beers.

Founders Pale Ale - also good, more English and malt-leaning. Liquid comfort food.

G.M. Gillman · Post by **G.M. Gillman** » Wed Jul 23, 2014 6:48 pm

Amager Kaad: Very good, fresh, well-brewed, good APA/IPA flavours, but nothing we don't do as well or better.

Cameron Rye Bock: Outstanding beer, very "natural" rich flavours, not sure the rye is needed but it doesn't hurt, a good example of the commanding effect of Old World hops and rich grains when used right.

Tankhouse. Tasted again at Against The Grain. Definitely seems lighter to me than a few years ago. Good summer ale.

Gary

midlife crisis · Post by **midlife crisis** » Wed Jul 23, 2014 7:51 pm

Phillips Hoperation Belgian IPA - enjoyed this thoroughly, certainly more "IPA" than "Belgian", in the sense that there is very little of the Belgian golden ale pear-drop flavour (which is fine by me). But the yeasty, malty flavours that are there mix perfectly with the robust hopping here. Seemed very fresh. Very quaffable.

Phillips Amnesiac DIPA - conversely, didn't enjoy this one nearly as much as in previous years. One-note resiny bitter with little complexity. Is this year's shipment a bit old, perhaps? Does anyone know the brewed-on date? Odd that I thought one beer from the same brewery in the same release was very fresh tasting and the other wasn't - perhaps I'm off base. But I'll definitely be picking up more Hoperation but passing on the Amnesiac.

kevinlater · Post by **kevinlater** » Wed Jul 23, 2014 10:45 pm

les trois mousquetaires gose - big sourness all around but nice citrus & peach flavours. sour, fruity, funky, salty

2013 woolly bugger - clearance sale! huge brown sugar presence, some grapefruit pith and earthy flavours. not complex but tasty. alcohol still cutting through. i grabbed another one to stow away for some time, so we'll see how that goes

bell city eureka cream ale - no aroma, but nice malt complexity

nebuchadnezzar - like dirtwolf but more bitter. tasty

Charchuk · Post by **Charchuk** » Wed Jul 23, 2014 11:12 pm

I didn't get a lot of sourness out of the Mousquetaires gose. I found it to be disappointing really - especially after sampling Westbrook's gose.

ercousin · Post by **ercousin** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 12:08 am

kevinlater wrote:les trois mousquetaires gose - big sourness all around but nice citrus & peach flavours. sour, fruity, funky, salty

2013 woolly bugger - clearance sale! huge brown sugar presence, some grapefruit pith and earthy flavours. not complex but tasty. alcohol still cutting through. i grabbed another one to stow away for some time, so we'll see how that goes

bell city eureka cream ale - no aroma, but nice malt complexity

nebuchadnezzar - like dirtwolf but more bitter. tasty

The Bell City was oxidized and had diacetyl slickness when I had it from Laird.

Belgian · Post by **Belgian** » Tue Jul 29, 2014 8:44 pm

St Louis Gueuze Fond Tradition - example of why I really don't drink a lot of Sourhead beers like gueuze, fairly intensely citric and acetic (tart, sour, lemony) without a lot of other layers, funk or complexity to offer, but for the price still pretty solid with some hints of cellar, wood and tart fruit. * edit * the left-over bottle isn't actually bad, might be good with strong cheeses or bread and black olives.

2009 St Ambroise Stout Impériale Russe (oak aged RIS) - a joy, less carbonation but holding up magnificently well, with all kinds of chocolate, rooty spices, coffee and rich roasty malt all competing for the gradually mellowing oak influence (bourbon, wood and hints of coconut). I've noticed St Amby SIR has creeped up to nearly a solid 4.0 average on RB and is in the 100% percentile, well done & well deserved McAuslan!

sofakingdrunk · Post by **sofakingdrunk** » Sun Aug 03, 2014 10:27 pm

Nickelbrook La Paysan Saison.

Look was a hazy golden orange with two fingers of white frothy head. Nice carbonation streaming from the bottom of the glass.

The nose is of saison yeast, barnyard/white pepper smell,toasted corriander seed,green apple,orange blossom and peach skins.

The taste brings in apricot,lemon peel,sourdough bread,lemon thyme and some nice hops....tasting like more than the listed 27ibu. Nice carbonation and a good dryness. Rereshing.

Overall a really tasty brew that i'd say is for sure the best Saison i've had from Ontario. However, for the price it's not something i'm sure i'd buy again. 7.5/10

sofakingdrunk · Post by **sofakingdrunk** » Mon Aug 04, 2014 2:01 pm

Oast House Barnraiser.

Purchased from the brewery June 29 for something like $9 for 750ml bottle.

Apperance is a nice pale yellow honey, with almost 2 fingers of frothy white head and slow steady carbonation.

The nose is really fruit forward with bitter orange,peach,some pine resin and an almost, cardboard like smell.

The taste is really candy-like at first....almost like wine gums. Lemongrass,honey sweetness,tangerine and grassy. However, there is a really strange,almost soapy/tinny taste in the finish that I just cant get past.

Overall, its a quite drinkable and refreshing drink but the finish just puts me off and takes away from some of the lovely flavours in the beer. 6.5/10
I do remember having this on tap, almost 2 years ago and thinking it was quite lovely, I don't remember any of the nasty flavours in the finish then.

G.M. Gillman · Post by **G.M. Gillman** » Sat Aug 16, 2014 7:10 pm

Coors and Brava in the cans but, with respect to their makers, I couldn't finish them. Both corny, very light, with a slightly burned caramel aftertaste (pasteurization?). I remember Coors Banquet from the 70's and it was much better than this, IMO.

Waterloo Traditional IPA, this is very consistent, exactly the same taste as the first release. Well-made. There is a particular hop flavour that is not my ideal - a touch too dank or "coarse"? - but I am sure many like it.

Steamwhistle. It seems lighter than a few years ago, both in body and flavour. The basic taste profile is the same with that boiled veg taste some German and Czech beers have. Well-made, certainly decent but not an apotheosis of lager IMHO. When will Steamwhistle release a second beer? How about a dunkel guys?

schomberger · Post by **schomberger** » Fri Aug 22, 2014 7:34 am

Le Trou Du Diable La Saison du Tracteur --This has become my favourite of the summer release. Not as dry / astringent as Dupont, this saison may / may not be a textbook saison but it sure has a satisfying texture and tons of fruity flavour with a spicy / bitter finish. I find having a Pilsner Urquel first really brings the Tracteur's characteristics into sharp contrast, so much so I had to check the ingredients to see if there was some orange peel added (there isn't). There is some rye which contributes to the spicy finish. All in all, highly recommended. I'm really starting to understand why this brewery has gained so much respect.

sofakingdrunk · Post by **sofakingdrunk** » Mon Sep 08, 2014 11:23 pm

Unibroue 17:First time having this beast.
Appearance is a lovely red-brown colour with a 1.5 finger foamy white head. Nice lacing on the glass.
Smell is of alcohol first off,dark fruits vanilla,cocoa,spiced rum and sherry.
Taste is just...wow. Vanilla is what hits me first, really picking up that french oak. Ripe figs,blue plums,bittersweet chocolate and a very distinct alcohol burn, but in a really nice way. You can taste all 10% of this beast. The typical Unibroue yeast is un-noticable here, as far as i can taste. Full bodied with a creamy mouthfeel.
Overall a really great sipper....truly a cool weather beer though. Very complex and balanced. Glad that i've got another bottle tucked away in the cellar to sit on for a year or two and revisit.

G.M. Gillman · Post by **G.M. Gillman** » Fri Sep 12, 2014 6:18 pm

DAB Dark: Unusually fresh-tasting for an import from the Beer Store, with the classic dryish molasses taste some dunkel has, and the mineral note of noble hops. All done the way it should be, craft before there was craft.

Sidelaunch Pale Ale - Tasted with Jordan the other night at Wallace and just superb. Malt-accented but with persistent well-integrated hops, American-oriented in style.

Henninger - another Beer Store import, I tried it because I remember when it was brewed in Ontario. Well, not bad, and it had some of the characteristic taste I recall from those beers, but not as good. Perhaps the transport and pasteurization for export made the difference, hard to say. The DAB Dark is much superior qua import, IMO.

Gary

El Pinguino · Post by **El Pinguino** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 11:41 am

sofakingdrunk wrote:Unibroue 17:First time having this beast.
Appearance is a lovely red-brown colour with a 1.5 finger foamy white head. Nice lacing on the glass.
Smell is of alcohol first off,dark fruits vanilla,cocoa,spiced rum and sherry.
Taste is just...wow. Vanilla is what hits me first, really picking up that french oak. Ripe figs,blue plums,bittersweet chocolate and a very distinct alcohol burn, but in a really nice way. You can taste all 10% of this beast. The typical Unibroue yeast is un-noticable here, as far as i can taste. Full bodied with a creamy mouthfeel.
Overall a really great sipper....truly a cool weather beer though. Very complex and balanced. Glad that i've got another bottle tucked away in the cellar to sit on for a year or two and revisit.

Nice! was this the 2013 you had?

midlife crisis · Post by **midlife crisis** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 3:41 pm

Side Launch Pale Ale, recently purchased cans: A cracker, completely in my sweet spot, very close to my personal ideal of beer (if I had to pick just one, it would be English Pale Ale). Those who prefer AIPAs and whatnot may scoff, but this might be my favourite new Ontario beer of 2014. There is perhaps, as Gary says above, a "new world" aspect to the hops on the finish, but to me it is firmly in the English camp overall. Which doesn't matter that much one way or another - I just know I really like it. Way to go Michael.

The Bar Towel

Random Reviews

Nickelbrook La Paysan

Unibroue 17

Re: Unibroue 17