Random Reviews

saints_gambit · Post by **saints_gambit** » Fri Jun 22, 2012 11:57 pm

sprague11 wrote:Green Flash Rayon Vert - Bottle has a bit of age on it, so the hops have faded a bit. Massive head, hazy gold pour, The Brett is prominent in this one - funky, barnyard, slight pool tarp.

I love "slight pool tarp" and I'm going to steal it so that it goes right next to "deep woods off" for Saison Dupont in my vocabulary.

sprague11 · Post by **sprague11** » Sat Jun 23, 2012 12:11 am

icemachine wrote:
sprague11 wrote:Tyranena Dirty Old Man Porter - Very low carbonation, but that's my only complaint about this beer. Awesome pour, Rye, Dark Chocolate and black coffee. the barrel doesn;t overpower, but instead compliments the sweet roasted goodness of this beer. Very nice.

Great Lakes/Amsterdam Farmhouse Saison - Nice hazy golden pour, drinks like a witbier with some serious barnyard funk. Cardamon, orange, barnyard funk, yeast - A very interesting and complex drink.
Thought you were going to save that Porter for the next time...

I have several.

G.M. Gillman · Post by **G.M. Gillman** » Sun Jun 24, 2012 2:29 pm

Black Creek Pale Ale: this is for the hop fans, a pale ale with characteristics of English bitter and APA. Good malty undertones too. Some of the typical Trafalgar earth notes are there, or at least I assume it is brewed there.

Granite Hopping Mad. A fine APA-style, tasted at the Granite yesterday and perfectly balanced for my taste.

Headstrong Black and Tan: I don't know if the beer has changed or my taste has, but I find it less good than when first released. Certainly drinkable and decent but I won't revisit.

Gary

icemachine · Post by **icemachine** » Mon Jun 25, 2012 8:31 am

sprague11 wrote:
icemachine wrote:
sprague11 wrote:Tyranena Dirty Old Man Porter - Very low carbonation, but that's my only complaint about this beer. Awesome pour, Rye, Dark Chocolate and black coffee. the barrel doesn;t overpower, but instead compliments the sweet roasted goodness of this beer. Very nice.

Great Lakes/Amsterdam Farmhouse Saison - Nice hazy golden pour, drinks like a witbier with some serious barnyard funk. Cardamon, orange, barnyard funk, yeast - A very interesting and complex drink.
Thought you were going to save that Porter for the next time...
I have several.

Cool

G.M. Gillman · Post by **G.M. Gillman** » Thu Jun 28, 2012 9:30 pm

Punter's Gold, a Volo House Ale at around 4% ABV and a perfect rendition of English pale ale. It dropped bright as a penny without filtration or finings Ralph said. This was non-cask, a cask version will be available there next weekend. Classy, the real deal for pale ale/bitter IMO.

Stratford Common Ale, so advertised at Volo tonight but informed discussion at the bar pegged it as possibly their pilsener, so perhaps a misnomer. A well-balanced, rich and fine-tasting beer, as good as Galt Knife at its best IMO but different again.

Sawdust City Belgian IPA - a bottled beer - thanks for the pour Sam. It had a longer name with the word pants in it I believe (I'm not a fan of long joky names and find it hard to remember them). An excellent Belgian-tasting strong ale, it reminded me of Duvel but was rather better IMO with a welcome note of citrussy hop, a New Zealand variety (Nelson Sauvin) I understand.

Ontario is getting so much better at making really excellent beer.

Gary

andrewrg · Post by **andrewrg** » Thu Jun 28, 2012 10:38 pm

I suspect it was "Princess Wears Girlpants."

And yeah, sometimes the Common is the Pilsner.

G.M. Gillman · Post by **G.M. Gillman** » Fri Jun 29, 2012 6:56 am

I was particularly impressed with the pilsener - if it was a pilsener - due to its exceptional balance and good flavour, although I like the common ale too, a category in which the brewery has carved a niche. Lagers are not easy to get right, there are quite a few decent ones but not that many fine ones IMO.

Gary

sprague11 · Post by **sprague11** » Sat Jun 30, 2012 10:44 pm

Stratford common has been excellent the last 2 or 3 times that I have had it.

icemachine · Post by **icemachine** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 10:56 pm

Stopped in at Allen's on my way back from Brewer's Backyard. They had "Cameron's Bordeaux Cask Ale" which I can't find any mention of online. It was served on draft, although they apparently have the Cask version next door at Dora Keogh.

It seemed to be a robust porter, dried fruit and faint coffee aroma, dark chocolate and dried plum flavours. Heavy bodied and low carbonation with only a bit of lacing. I think it was listed at 7%, but there was no hint to its strength in the flavour.

JeffPorter · Post by **JeffPorter** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 5:51 am

icemachine wrote:Stopped in at Allen's on my way back from Brewer's Backyard. They had "Cameron's Bordeaux Cask Ale" which I can't find any mention of online. It was served on draft, although they apparently have the Cask version next door at Dora Keogh.

It seemed to be a robust porter, dried fruit and faint coffee aroma, dark chocolate and dried plum flavours. Heavy bodied and low carbonation with only a bit of lacing. I think it was listed at 7%, but there was no hint to its strength in the flavour.

Unless I'm mistaken, that's their "532" - a double version of their 266 Dark Lager aged in wine barrels.

markaberrant · Post by **markaberrant** » Wed Jul 11, 2012 2:21 pm

Bock tasting last night:

Bushwakker Harbinger Maibock - killer stuff, very authentic

Paddockwood Maibock - I have no idea why they don't just call this a Bock, it is red and very malty. It also has fruity esters, vegetal notes, and harsh lingering bitterness. Not my favourite offering from Paddock Wood, this beer needs some serious retooling.

Trois Mousquetaires Maibock - poured hazy, all I could smell was tart lemon, taste was lemon and pepper, effervescent and light in body. An amazing saison, but an absolute disgrace of a Maibock. Hoping it was just the one bottle.

Bushwakker Baron Bock – very solid and authentic in taste.

Anchor Bock – scorched toffee, burnt roast and west coast hops do not make a bock.

Ayinger weizen bock - love this beer, great pale weizenbock.

Schneider Aventinus wheat doppelbock - maybe my memory is failing me, as I don't remember it tasting quite this way, but this beer has a ton of different fruit flavours going on (sour cherries, apricots, apples, with banana bringing up the rear), with the rich maltiness virtually nonexistant.

Fish Leavenworth Navigator doppelbock - american hops and american malts, tastes like an imperial red ale, not a german doppelbock.

Hofstetten Granit Bock – too much carmel, a tad sweet and heavy, but a reasonable Austrian example

Trois Mousquetaires Doppelbock - all I could smell and taste was brined green olives. Couldn't stomach more than 1 sip. Disgusting.

Celebrator doppelbock - one of the most complex, elegant and immensely enjoyable beers on the planet

Samichlaus Classic Barrique 2011 – Barrel aged version, I've been coming around to Samichlaus after a few years absense and have really been enjoying it. The american oak adds even more layers of vanilla, with the tannins helping the considerable alcohol dry out the finish of this over the top malt bomb.

Those LTM bocks were extremely disappointing, really hoping the entire shipment isn't like this.

Celebrator, Ayinger, Samchiclaus and the 2 Bushwakker bocks were far and away the best of the night. Wish there were more great bocks being made.

sprague11 · Post by **sprague11** » Sun Jul 15, 2012 11:37 pm

New Holland Charkoota Rye - More a smoke beer than a Dopplebock. Dark pour, some raisin and fig in the taste but smoke dominates - be it to the benefit or detriment of this beer is your call but the bottle called for me to have this with all things pork so I had this with some BBQ'd sausage and ribs and for all their faults, New Holland wasn't wrong in this case. lower carbonation, but it was delicious with the right food.

JeffPorter · Post by **JeffPorter** » Mon Jul 16, 2012 8:38 am

Cameron's 266 Dark - never really tried it that I could recall.

Pours a deep mahogany. Nose is all German hops with a bit of caramel in the back - not sure which malts are used. Taste is roasted malts with the bite of the hops. Strikes me as a schwartzbier.

It's actually quite nice and refreshing...I'd drink it again.

matt7215 · Post by **matt7215** » Mon Jul 16, 2012 9:31 am

Augusta Ale - 473ml can from the LCBO. light orange with a lasting off white head. simple pale ale. not enough late hopping for my tastes. would have been a great beer for ontarios market 5 years ago but we have much better APA options now. scroll past and grab some crazy canuck.

Creemore Pilsner - this beer has always been hit or miss with me. i had a bottle over the weekend that was quite good. lots of malt depth and balanced hopping. Im not sure why they call it czech style cause it doesnt taste anything like a czech pils, but it was a drinkable north american premium lager.

Bellwoods Biere de Garde - bomber from nickelass, thanks nick! simple estery belgian ale nose. lotsa of fermentation character in the flavour. really lacking malt body if its trying to be a biere de garde. a mediocure belgian amber ale. i havnt been to impressed with the 3 Bellwoods ive tried.

JeffPorter · Post by **JeffPorter** » Mon Jul 16, 2012 1:02 pm

matt7215 wrote: Bellwoods Biere de Garde - bomber from nickelass, thanks nick! simple estery belgian ale nose. lotsa of fermentation character in the flavour. really lacking malt body if its trying to be a biere de garde. a mediocure belgian amber ale. i havnt been to impressed with the 3 Bellwoods ive tried.

It's funny you mentioned this...while I've loved most of the stuff I've tried, and really enjoy the witchshark, I found the "single" IPA lacking in aroma and just that juicy hop flavour...it just seemed bitter. I only had it once, though, and so I should re-try it before I judge.