Trafalgar Maple Bock

habfour · Post by **habfour** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 7:59 pm

Anyone try this yet? Went to Wilson LCBO and 'zip' all gone already.

pootz · Post by **pootz** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 5:02 pm

habfour wrote:Anyone try this yet? Went to Wilson LCBO and 'zip' all gone already.

Yup tried it...you aren't missing anything unless you like beer that tastes like maple candy

tuqueboy · Post by **tuqueboy** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 5:34 pm

pootz wrote:you aren't missing anything unless you like beer that tastes like maple candy

i didn't think it was that bad. found there was actually a bit of substance to it, unlike most trafalgars i've tried. sweet, yes, but there was actually a bit of a roasted flavour as well. maybe, given their horrendous quality control history, i was simply surprised it wasn't infected.

pootz · Post by **pootz** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 8:49 am

I didn't detect much grain/malt at all.....just a big blast of cloying maple sugar...fairly one dimensional and certainly not well crafted.

lister · Post by **lister** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 5:17 pm

I picked up some up at Queen's Quay. Damn it, why is it so hard to make a good maple beer?!

The taste that stands out and crushes whatever maple flavour there is (if any) is the usual "Trafalgar taste" which is just revolting. I find that awful taste even masks whatever sweetness present. Just really, really unpleasant to drink. The rest of the bottles are being returned next week. Bleah.

At least the Nicklebrook offering can't be as bad as this. Hopefully that's on tap somewhere tonight...

clasher · Post by **clasher** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 9:39 pm

I'd have drank it if it tasted like maple candy, but it just tastes disgusting. There must be something else that ruins this beer... if it was just sweetness I could handle it and manage to finish it, but there is this awful 'flavour' that overpowers any maple or malt flavour that might have been there.

tuqueboy · Post by **tuqueboy** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 11:42 pm

clasher wrote:I'd have drank it if it tasted like maple candy, but it just tastes disgusting. There must be something else that ruins this beer... if it was just sweetness I could handle it and manage to finish it, but there is this awful 'flavour' that overpowers any maple or malt flavour that might have been there.

was it infected maybe? which has been a problem for them in the past. maybe i got the lucky 3 bottles which weren't.

clasher · Post by **clasher** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 12:56 am

It's definitely got some serious sour/vinegary notes, it'd been re-capped and I'm taking it back tomorrow.

tuqueboy · Post by **tuqueboy** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 12:58 am

clasher wrote:It's definitely got some serious sour/vinegary notes, it'd been re-capped and I'm taking it back tomorrow.

sounds like an infection to me.

Belgian · Post by **Belgian** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 1:02 pm

The maple bock is one Trafalgar they seem determined not to sell anywhere near Toronto.

I did try the (Trafalgar) Celtic Ale and that was not a bad session beer really, a bit light but tasty. Wondering about the Paddy's Irish Red too. How come this one brewer gets so many LCBO shelf products? (All that weird Elora stuff too.) There's so much else going on in Ontario, why not have Black Oak put out a Saison in bombers?

BTW, the (Trafalgar) Celebration Ale you see filling empty space on the Seasonals shelf has an expiry of May 2007 so it can't be very fresh anymore. Perhaps something to avoid. Unless you like off-seasonals.

JerCraigs · Post by **JerCraigs** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 9:43 pm

lister wrote:Damn it, why is it so hard to make a good maple beer?

The maple tends to ferment out it you add it as syrup or sugar. The only one I have had that I particularly enjoyed was a scotch ale from Dieu du Ciel that had been aged in maple liqueur barrels - and that was AWESOME.

Gedge · Post by **Gedge** » Wed May 02, 2007 2:17 pm

So does everyone dislike this beer? I tried a bottle yesterday and didn't mind it. I agree that it's very sweet, but I didn't have any trouble finishing the bottle. I only bought the one and likely won't buy another - a "meh" kind of beer IMO, so I'm kind of surprised at the strongly negative reviews I've been reading.

pootz · Post by **pootz** » Wed May 02, 2007 4:52 pm

Gedge wrote:So does everyone dislike this beer? I tried a bottle yesterday and didn't mind it. I agree that it's very sweet, but I didn't have any trouble finishing the bottle. I only bought the one and likely won't buy another - a "meh" kind of beer IMO, so I'm kind of surprised at the strongly negative reviews I've been reading.

Well go get a NickelBrook maple porter now and remember what the Trafalgar tasted like as you sip the NB Maple beer....

The Negative response to a lot of trafalgar brews is because they all have this funky yeast taste or off tastes from bad process or infections or poor shelf life.

I've had enough bad Trafalgar stuff that it just doesn't interest me enought to buy it any more...maybe jjust one to sample but 90% of the time Trafalgar brews are a letdown for me anyway

SteelbackGuy · Post by **SteelbackGuy** » Wed May 02, 2007 5:05 pm

Just had the bock two nights ago. One of the worst beer experiences I have ever had.

GregClow · Post by **GregClow** » Wed May 02, 2007 7:56 pm

For those who are looking for the Maple Bock downtown, there were a few bottles on the shelf at the Atrium on Bay LCBO as of 5:30 PM today.

The Bar Towel

Trafalgar Maple Bock

Trafalgar Maple Bock

Re: Trafalgar Maple Bock

Re: Trafalgar Maple Bock