Random Reviews

markaberrant · Post by **markaberrant** » Thu Aug 23, 2012 10:31 am

Out on the town in Regina last night with the missus:

Bushwakker Saskadian Black IPA (tap) - I tried their Trephination DIPA last week and couldn't finish the pint. So yes, this is my local pub, but I'm not a blind fanboy. However, the Saskadian (great name in my opinion, btw) was incredible! Light enough body to put back 2 pints with ease (I find most Bushwakker beers quite heavy, hard to handle more than 1 pint in a sitting), clean american ale character, tons of american citrus hop aroma and flavour from the Zythos blend, just enough roast to know it is a Black IPA, and a well integrated bitterness that in the words of Goldilocks, was "just right." Yes, I may have helped put this recipe together (I originally came up with a Black DIPA recipe that they scaled back to an IPA strength), but I have to say it is one of the best beers I have drank in a long, long time. I talked to the 2 other experienced hopheads that I know and trust, they both agreed.

Spearhead Hawaiian Pale Ale (tap) - Almost no aroma, best i can come up with is a faint citrus flower character. Taste was better, but a rather non-descript american pale ale. Didn't tell my wife what it was, she's a pretty good taster, couldn't pick out anything remotely "pineapple" or tropical about it, even afterwards when I told her what the beer is. I couldn't pick it out either. Glad I finally got to try this and see what all the fuss was about, turns out my suspicions were correct.

Howe Sound King Heffy (tap) - the pint looks like a glass full of dirty dish water. No head. Big banana aroma, clove to balance in the flavour. Cloying, hard to drink, and nowhere near as elegant as the far superior pale weizenbocks from Ayinger or Weihenstephan. The best Howe Sound offering I have tried still continues to be the Rail Ale Nut Brown.

Sherbrooke/Paddock Wood Yasigi (tap) - interesting habiscus witbier. Missing the high carbonation of the bottle version takes away some of the refreshing qualities, but still tangy and tasty.

mintjellie · Post by **mintjellie** » Sat Sep 08, 2012 4:33 pm

Tree Raspberry Porter

3.53/5 rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Cola brown in colour, brilliant clarity. Massive beige head shows great retention and some lace. Noticeable raspberry aroma with an accompanying nutty note. Raspberry jam up front, mildly sweet, followed by strong nut and biscuit notes. Light chocolate as it approaches room temperature. Finishes short with slight earthiness and very low bitterness. Just shy of medium-bodied with low carbonation. Feels smooth and creamy, yet light. I like the aroma and flavour of this beer, but I have to deduct points for this really not being much of a porter. If it were sold to me as a raspberry brown ale, this would easily get a half-point nudge upwards in both categories. Maybe even a full point up in flavour for its structure.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 09-08-2012 20:30:10 | More by mintjellie

TheSevenDuffs · Post by **TheSevenDuffs** » Sat Sep 08, 2012 5:32 pm

markaberrant wrote: Bushwakker Saskadian Black IPA (tap) - I tried their Trephination DIPA last week and couldn't finish the pint. So yes, this is my local pub, but I'm not a blind fanboy. However, the Saskadian (great name in my opinion, btw) was incredible! Light enough body to put back 2 pints with ease (I find most Bushwakker beers quite heavy, hard to handle more than 1 pint in a sitting), clean american ale character, tons of american citrus hop aroma and flavour from the Zythos blend, just enough roast to know it is a Black IPA, and a well integrated bitterness that in the words of Goldilocks, was "just right." Yes, I may have helped put this recipe together (I originally came up with a Black DIPA recipe that they scaled back to an IPA strength), but I have to say it is one of the best beers I have drank in a long, long time. I talked to the 2 other experienced hopheads that I know and trust, they both agreed.

I had a bottle of the Saskadian last weekend that I acquired in a trade and I really enjoyed it. It was my first Bushwakker beer.

markaberrant · Post by **markaberrant** » Sat Sep 08, 2012 6:54 pm

TheSevenDuffs wrote:I had a bottle of the Saskadian last weekend that I acquired in a trade and I really enjoyed it. It was my first Bushwakker beer.

Glad to hear you liked it, I had another pint of it this week, I'm really pleased with how it turned out. And I just put back a pint of the original Black DIPA version that I have on tap at home, both are great.

G.M. Gillman · Post by **G.M. Gillman** » Sat Jan 05, 2013 4:59 pm

Sampled over the last week or two:

Thurn und Taxis Dark Lager: on the dry side, good notes of coffee of the brown tan, not black expresso, type, quite bitter and nicely fresh on draft. Few German beers drink well here IMO, due I would think to the voyage and probably pasteurization, but this draft version is excellent and the stoneware mug was cool. (This name is a brand of Paulaner and formerly belonged to an independent brewery. The style is Munich Dunkel).

Fuller London Porter (canned): a pleasant quaffer, a little light but porter was always lighter-bodied than stout (originally I mean). It could use more hops IMO. I had the draft some time back at beer bistro. It had a distinct aged (soy-like) note. The canned version did not exhibit this.

Harp Lager (canned). Disappointing, lightly acidic finish, not beery enough for me. I've had the odd glass of draft in the past, which was decent, but this canned version left me cold.

Gary

Belgian · Post by **Belgian** » Tue Jan 08, 2013 9:55 pm

2009 Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, aging has smoothed this one out really well. It's worth stocking up a future stash.

2006 Chimay Bleue - I think this stash of beer is getting drier and a bit lighter-bodied, and the flavor has improved - more complex and subtle instead of sweet and heavy. Deliciously easy to enjoy!

Derek · Post by **Derek** » Wed Jan 09, 2013 1:23 am

G.M. Gillman wrote:Sampled over the last week or two:

Thurn und Taxis Dark Lager: on the dry side, good notes of coffee of the brown tan, not black expresso, type, quite bitter and nicely fresh on draft. Few German beers drink well here IMO, due I would think to the voyage and probably pasteurization, but this draft version is excellent and the stoneware mug was cool. (This name is a brand of Paulaner and formerly belonged to an independent brewery. The style is Munich Dunkel).

Fuller London Porter (canned): a pleasant quaffer, a little light but porter was always lighter-bodied than stout (originally I mean). It could use more hops IMO. I had the draft some time back at beer bistro. It had a distinct aged (soy-like) note. The canned version did not exhibit this.

Harp Lager (canned). Disappointing, lightly acidic finish, not beery enough for me. I've had the odd glass of draft in the past, which was decent, but this canned version left me cold.

Gary

Where did you have the Thurn und Taxis? I'd love to try their roggenbier.

I've also noticed that the London Porter seems almost too fresh from the can. It has been a while since I've had it served in any other way, but I recall it having a little more depth to the flavour; the can seems to have a sweeter balance. Still a nice quaff though. I've always liked the Fullers yeast profile.

G.M. Gillman · Post by **G.M. Gillman** » Wed Jan 09, 2013 3:58 am

It was at Twisted Kilt. Some interesting imports there including a Maredsous Brune (draft), served also in excellent condition but the taste is not really my thing.

Gary

G.M. Gillman · Post by **G.M. Gillman** » Tue Jan 15, 2013 10:04 pm

Liberty Ale: firm American hopping, good flavours, attenuated malt: the first APA (1975), still a classic.

Amsterdam Boneshaker: on draft at beer bistro. Big but well-knitted flavours, APA again but deeper and more complex than the Anchor product. A local classic IMO.

Molson Export Ale in Montreal. So disappointing. This is not the Export I remember even from 10 years ago when it had an earthy, distinctive palate. The finish was prickly on the palate, starchy-like. A Molson Dry sampled on the same visit seemed richer and more beer-like: yet one would have expected the opposite.

X Ale: on draft at Albion brewpub in Joliette, QC, brewed to an 1830 London recipe. This blew away almost every beer I've had in the last year. A great beer with emphatic flowery hopping yet rich at a fairly low attenuation, English-tasting in the best possible way. The Albion, housed in a charming 1800's building, is one to watch.

Gary

Belgian · Post by **Belgian** » Tue Jan 15, 2013 11:00 pm

^ Gary I had a similar experience with 'good' MolBatt beer in Quebec City, perhaps 15 years ago. Maybe it was Blue - it tasted surprisingly 'beer-like' and pleasant at the time!

I was aware even back then that there was BEER beer, and then there was the foul toxic swill that everyone drank around Kingston Ontario (Old Vienna, O'Keefe, Export, Canadian, 50, Blue.) Somehow Quebec tastes were more refined with their macro brews. Though that doesn't explain Laurentide!

G.M. Gillman · Post by **G.M. Gillman** » Wed Jan 16, 2013 7:57 am

Laurentide was decent when it was brewed as an ale, a long time ago..

The current 50 is much better than the current Export IMO.

By the way the ABV of Albion's X Ale I mentioned is 7.5%.

Gary

cmadd · Post by **cmadd** » Wed Jan 16, 2013 8:45 am

X Ale: on draft at Albion brewpub in Joliette, QC, brewed to an 1830 London recipe. This blew away almost every beer I've had in the last year. A great beer with emphatic flowery hopping yet rich at a fairly low attenuation, English-tasting in the best possible way. The Albion, housed in a charming 1800's building, is one to watch.

Have you tried Ruth from Hair of the Dog? This review reminds me a lot of it. I think most consider the low attenuation a point against it, but I enjoyed it too.

G.M. Gillman · Post by **G.M. Gillman** » Wed Jan 16, 2013 11:39 am

I know Hair of the Dog but not the Ruth iteration. Low attenuation is appropriate for a historical mild ale style. Pale ales were drier, thus received higher attenuation.

Wasn't Hair of the Dog a recreation of a strong German style, Adam Bier perhaps? This is from memory...

Gary

matt7215 · Post by **matt7215** » Wed Jan 16, 2013 11:46 am

G.M. Gillman wrote:I know Hair of the Dog but not the Ruth iteration. Low attenuation is appropriate for a historical mild ale style. Pale ales were drier, thus received higher attenuation.

Wasn't Hair of the Dog a recreation of a strong German style, Adam Bier perhaps? This is from memory...

Gary

Hair of the Dog is a brewery. They do make a beer called Adam which is there take on a historic Adambier.

Ruth is a American Pale Ale made by Hair of the Dog

G.M. Gillman · Post by **G.M. Gillman** » Wed Jan 16, 2013 12:25 pm

Hair of the Dog was originally brewed in tribute to beer writer Fred Eckhardt. That was the Adam emulation. It sounds like a brewery of this name has since been established which makes the Adam and other styles (or did it exist under that name when the first beer was made?). I think HOTD Adam was stronger than the mild ale in question, but then too beers in different places can often resemble each other in taste!

Gary