Saint of Circumstance - Collective Arts Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Burlington)

Saint of Circumstance - Collective Arts Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Burlington) 4.7%

A slightly cloudy gold in a glass with a thin but resilient head of foam. The aroma one is of citrus and sweetness in a way that reminds me of lemon sugar cookies. It is also herbal with faint touches of peach, clover and field flowers. There is also a hint of some something vaguely spicy like ginger or cinnamon.

The flavour is herbal and zesty from the, well, orange and lemon zest. It is also complemented nicely by the biscuit-like flavour of malty body and the subtle accent of piney hops. A very pleasant beer, nice use of citrus.

Rhyme & Reason - Collective Arts Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Burlington)

Rhyme & Reason - Collective Arts Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Burlington) 5.7%

Brilliant gold in a glass with a big fluffy white head of foam. Very citrusy hops aroma of grapefruit as well as peach and mango tones with cedar and resin as well.

Fairly bitter hoppy flavour: pine, cedar and other woods tones as well as citrus flavours reminiscent of grapefruit peel and oranges. Quite bitter, still very drinkable as long as you like bitter beers. There is a toasty, biscuit malty body that, in combination with citrus hops character, reminds of range marmalade on scones.

Collective Arts Brewing does something interesting with their labels, there are different ones on nearly every bottle. There seem to be upward of 60 different labels in at least 2 serieses. It makes the completionist in me want to buy far too many bottles of beer but at least the contents are also enjoyable.

Nickel Brook Gluten Free - Better Bitters Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Burlington)

Nickel Brook Gluten Free - Better Bitters Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Burlington) 5.8%

An interestingly hoppy aroma before a cheesy aroma that some gluten-free beers have barges in; although the two do find some balance in the end. I'm not sure if that particular aroma is due to the sorghum or not, but the hops still carries through lightly. Pale gold in a glass and with a quick-fading, soda-pop-like head: after all, the proteins that allow beer's unique among beverages frothy head to form are necessarily absent from a gluten-free beer.

The taste is sweet and tart, maybe even a touch metallic at first. It is really quite bitter and the hops come through, at times more than others, with nice floral and cedar hop notes. Other than the bitterness, the overall flavour is milder on the whole than most gluten-free beers I have reviewed. This combination of factors, particularly the skillful use of hops, makes Nickel Brook Gluten Free perhaps the most similar to conventional beers out of the gluten-free beers I have tried. That being said, its flavour certainly still takes some getting used to and there are some other gluten free beers which manage to taste very good, in my opinion, even if they don't taste much like conventional beers. Overall, a good gluten-free alternative and, if you are into gluten-free, a must-try.