The Bar Towel

Gedge wrote:So does everyone dislike this beer? I tried a bottle yesterday and didn't mind it.

I too had a good bottle (and I wasn't going to bother!)

It begins VERY much like a good German Doppelbock - namely a substantial malt personality with some interesting complexity and hints of 'wild' barnyardy flavors.

The finish is a little short though, not as complex and lingering. Hint of maple. This is fairly good served cold.

I wouldn't call it 'sweet' Per Se - Kastell Donker to me is 'sweet' - this Bock is just malty without being roasty-bitter. It's very much worth risking a try even though it's different for a Bock.

I think I got a bad bottle. Ugh.

I too think I had a bad bottle, it was incredibly sour. Kinda nasty.

I split one with a couple of friends the other night, and it wasn't overly off, but seemed to be on the way. It was mainly noticeable in the aroma, which had a bit of a sour dishwater thing going on. The flavour wasn't as bad, but was just kind of "meh".

I thought the flavour showed potential but it was just too muted and boring. Some nice flavours, but not nearly enough of them. Guess they really don't care about us six guys with tastebuds... i mean beer geeks.

Sounds like they had a bottling hygiene issue if every bottle was different. If you get a bad one return it half-full.

For comparison I grabbed a Weltenburger from the stash last night which tasted absolutely great - full and rich, a true 'Monk's lenten fast beer.'

Speaking of mapley beer I have a bomber of Heritage Maple Bush Lager chilling in my fridge right now, $5.00 from Cooper St. Made with maple sap in place of regular water.

Weird seasonals!

Hey Belgian,
I grabbed one of those Heritage Maple Bush bottles as well, in Mississauga. Has anyone tried it yet? I also grabbed the Trafalgar, just to see what the stink is. It got me thinking...maybe I should try a bunch of "maple" tinged beers.

Nickelbrook porter isn't in bottles yet, and the only other one I'm aware of is UC Maple Ale.....is i worth trying?

Figured it would be a fun little experiment......

ALSO - I grabbed some Spitfire Premium "Kentish Ale". What's with this one? I never saw it listed.....and a search here shows it is from some OLD fall releases? Am I getting something old with this? It seems to be at a number of LCBOs.

El Pinguino wrote:ALSO - I grabbed some Spitfire Premium "Kentish Ale". What's with this one? I never saw it listed.....and a search here shows it is from some OLD fall releases? Am I getting something old with this? It seems to be at a number of LCBOs.

IIRC, that beer was in clear bottles. In which case I dearly hope that it's NOT 2-3 year old stock. Yikes!

Could be a new general list beer, as the LCBO already deals with Shepherd Neame for their Bishops Finger.

This stuff is utterly vile and I can't fathom how it got past the front door of the brewery. Given the generally negative reviews I think that Trafalgar has done a serious disservice to their fellow Ontario micro brewers and the LCBO made a big mistake in selecting this as part of their seasonal release given its obviously uneven quality. C'mon you guys - both of you - its like you're not even trying. That's ignorant. Shame on you.

For the foolish, brave, or curious there are a couple dozen bottles available at the Lansdowne store beside the Chapters in Peterborough. You might get lucky and get a "good" bottle - such as it is.

My poor history with Trafalgar products led me to walk right past it.

I've been bitten several times and am subsequently very shy...

Well, last time I was by there I grabbed a number of their little sample bottles of what I guess were experiments or one offs. Relatively cheap to try and they were 50-50 in terms of drinkability. I generally find their stuff too thin-bodied, like they are skimping on ingredients or something. I'm beginning to wonder why they are still standing. This last thing with the Maple Bock is just flat out incompetent and insulting to the consumer.

GregClow wrote:

El Pinguino wrote:ALSO - I grabbed some Spitfire Premium "Kentish Ale". What's with this one? I never saw it listed.....and a search here shows it is from some OLD fall releases? Am I getting something old with this? It seems to be at a number of LCBOs.

IIRC, that beer was in clear bottles. In which case I dearly hope that it's NOT 2-3 year old stock. Yikes!

Could be a new general list beer, as the LCBO already deals with Shepherd Neame for their Bishops Finger.

it is new general list. new stock. though i'd grab it quick before it goes skunky. friggin clear bottles. when will they learn...

Ya,
Tasted fresk (the spitfire that is), pretty tasty stuff, but nothing overly special to me.

Tried my Maple Bock too, along with the Maple Bush from Heritage. I don't plan to try either one again though.