Random Reviews

[midlife crisis]

Old Tomorrow Canadian Pale Ale (can from LCBO) - surprisingly good! Just a nice, solid quaffer, like an APA (or in this case, a CPA I guess) should be. Well made and plenty of hops - enough to instantly distinguish it from a macro beer (in my case, a Granville Island Pale Ale that was decidedly mediocre). Not an extreme beer but very drinkable.

[G.M. Gillman]

That hop reference about Saphir is interesting but it is nothing nothing like classic Hallertauer. It has a very unusual perfume, almost like Turkish Delight. I like mixing it with porters to make a kind of Black IPA with this hop accent.

[Belgian]

Buxton Jaw Gate, a classic British Pale Ale and the hops fall squarely in the west-coast citrus hop department. I like the combination of styles, the herbal and mineral qualities & the palate still seem English. Nice looking ale too! Light filtering.

[saints_gambit]

That hop reference about Saphir is interesting but it is nothing nothing like classic Hallertauer. It has a very unusual perfume, almost like Turkish Delight. I like mixing it with porters to make a kind of Black IPA with this hop accent.

So practically lavender/rosewater thing?

[G.M. Gillman]

That hop reference about Saphir is interesting but it is nothing nothing like classic Hallertauer. It has a very unusual perfume, almost like Turkish Delight. I like mixing it with porters to make a kind of Black IPA with this hop accent.

So practically lavender/rosewater thing?

Yes exactly so. It makes a great Black IPA too, I blend the Keith's with a good porter to achieve this. Anchor would be a good one.

[midlife crisis]

Black Oak Epiphany No. 1: I quite like this. Very creditable impersonation of a Belgian quad from a local brewer. I like the interplay of the woody sweetness and the firm hops lingering in the background. Good work Ken, Jon and Black Oak team!

[Belgian]

Mikkeller Monk's Elixir, a really nice tribute to beers like Rochefort 10 and Westmalle Dubbel. Might even pass it off as a Westvleteren 8 except that it's notably drier than many Trappists, showing some good leafy hops.

Good mineral and dark fruit tastes, some red-wine character like Pinot grape, possibly the star of the release if only because they put the damn chili peppers in the otherwise outstanding Texas Ranger.

> I'm pondering a blend of this and one of the St. Bernardus beers, they would balance each other out extremely well I would be inclined to believe...

[midlife crisis]

^ Sounds good, thanks! I may do a side-by-side of that and the Epiphany.

[Belgian]

Achel 8 Bruin, last one from a year ago, super nice brew and very shelf-stable from the bottle conditioning. I was wondering why this beauty from the much-vaunted Achelse Kluis trappist brewery (or the 8 Blonde) did not (re)appear this year. Also partly amazed the Rochefort 10 did come back, since the SKU's must be killing these stores, making it hard to even walk through the aisles without tipping over enormous stockpiles of different beer. Anyway it's a good one. The Extra would also be great sometime, maybe next Xmas...

[midlife crisis]

Mikkeller Monk's Elixir, a really nice tribute to beers like Rochefort 10 and Westmalle Dubbel. Might even pass it off as a Westvleteren 8 except that it's notably drier than many Trappists, showing some good leafy hops.

Good mineral and dark fruit tastes, some red-wine character like Pinot grape, possibly the star of the release if only because they put the damn chili peppers in the otherwise outstanding Texas Ranger.

> I'm pondering a blend of this and one of the St. Bernardus beers, they would balance each other out extremely well I would be inclined to believe...

I see what you mean. That Mikkeller is austere and minerally (in a good way) and the Black Oak Epiphany suddenly tastes very sweet (but with a luscious viscosity in the mouth) when they are compared side by side. A blend of the two is outstanding though!

When I ran out of Mikkeller I substituted in a bottle of Black Creek Empirical that I had hanging around because I hadn't particularly enjoyed it when first bought. It made a nice (if used sparingly) blending agent with Epiphany too!

[Belgian]

Hacker-Pschorr Münchner Kellerbier, good peachy color and fairly clean biscuit-apple-honey flavors with very rounded hops creating a sweet emphasis. Finishes with a flicker of minty hops and a touch of lemon over the sweet biscuit. Moderate body. Good extremely fresh bottle from The Beer Store but I'm sure not promising this will curl your toes.

Boneshaker IPA Draught at Rancho Relaxo, this seemed like kind of a wreck with jangly bitterness.

Mill Street Vanilla Porter, has some toffee from the malts and a nice vanilla note, but it tastes like a blend of beer and water! I don't remember it tasting so diluted but could chug a can of this.

Mill Street 100th Meridian Organic Amber Lager, better than it sounds with some malty body and tastes very cleanly brewed without any flaws. Could enjoy again!

Anchor Porter, lovely bit of roast and cocoa in this perfect medium-bodied ale. Some dark fruit sweetness. Let's hope this one sticks around!

[Philip1]

Mill Street Vanilla Porter, has some toffee from the malts and a nice vanilla note, but it tastes like a blend of beer and water! I don't remember it tasting so diluted but could chug a can of this.

I didn't like it at all. The French Press Vanilla Stout is much better. The vanilla taste is just right - it isn't subtle but it is not overpowering either.

[midlife crisis]

Barley Days Shucker Paddy Scrimshaw Oyster Stout - saw this in LCBO for the first time a few days ago, though it may have been listed for a while, I don't know. Brewed on Oct 1/14, which is prominently displayed on the paper streamer over the bottle cap. This is really good. Nice dry stout with a hint of the sea. Full of flavour for 4% abv. Moves right to the top tier of lower alcohol Ontario beers, for me.

[JeffPorter]

Barley Days Shucker Paddy Scrimshaw Oyster Stout - saw this in LCBO for the first time a few days ago, though it may have been listed for a while, I don't know. Brewed on Oct 1/14, which is prominently displayed on the paper streamer over the bottle cap. This is really good. Nice dry stout with a hint of the sea. Full of flavour for 4% abv. Moves right to the top tier of lower alcohol Ontario beers, for me.

Huh. Been a while since I've been to the Ceili, but I always thought GLB made his Oyster Stout.

[midlife crisis]

May have been the case in the past, Jeff, but this is clearly from Barley Days. I think you'd like it.

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