St Ambroise Framboise - McAuslan (Canada - Quebec - Montreal)

St Ambroise Framboise - McAuslan  (Canada - Quebec - Montreal) 5.0%

A deep red with a brown hue, this raspberry ale packs quite a flavourful punch. Malty but the tart wild raspberry flavour is the star player here and it pairs with a fresh and lively hops flavour to make a really nice fruit ale. St Ambroise Framboise has some light sediment and also a mix of tastes including pomegranate. Unlike many other fruit beers St Ambroise Framboise is not overly sweet so it still refreshing and not likely to give you that splitting sugar headache the next day like some really sweet beers can. It would pair nicely with light summer fare and it would be interesting to see what recipes it could be incorporated into, I am sure to great effect. A seasonal beer so it's only around for a limited time, I suggest you try it in the sun while you have the chance.

La Fin du Monde - Unibroue (Canada - Quebec)

La Fin du Monde - Unibroue (Canada - Quebec) 9.0%


A delectable spice filled floral aroma, matched by an amazing flavour. Strongly sweet, yeasty, bitter with powerful notes of citrus, pear, coriander. This product of Quebec tastes like a true Tripel from the abbeys of Belgium. To think, it's taken me so long to try this one!! La Fin du Monde is a little thicker on the toungue than some but really beautifully crafted and has a truly amazing mix of flavours not to mention the fact that it's cheaper by volume than any Tripel you can buy from Belgium. I'm definitely going to be picking up La Fin Du Monde again and again.

Ambrosia Blonde - Alexander Keith's (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax) 5.2%

A full gold colour in a glass. Keith's Ambrosia Blonde has a sweetness to it with a slightly caramel taste. It is only barely bitter but is fairly malty with some roasted malt flavour and has some mild wooden tones. The aroma is along much the same lines though the roast and the caramel flavours share the spot light whereas the roast stays more in the background of the taste.

A very pleasant beer: well balanced and tasty. Keith's has come out with several limited release beers lately, I really liked the Tartan Ale - I'm looking forward to seeing what they come up with next. Hopefully they are considering moving towards having a variety of their beers out there all year round.

Molson M - Molson-Coors Canada (Canada) 4.9%

Microcarbonated... okay whatever that means, the bubbles do seem smallish and the beer a little smoother than most. The beer is a light gold colour in a glass, a little malty and barely bitter. Overall fairly bland but refreshing. It seems like an upgraded version of a light beer: a slightly better kind of bland with slightly more alcohol.

Molson M is a good enough lager and when I think of just how bad some other international lagers are, I think Molson is justified in using the distinction (slogan?) of "premium lager".

Maple Cream Ale - Picaroons (Canada - New Brunswick - Fredricton) 5.0%

Maple Cream Ale - Picaroons (Canada - New Brunswick - Fredricton) 5.0%

This ale has a velvety head and is the colour of a dark genuine New Brunswick maple syrup. The aroma is a combination of wisps of smokiness and sweet, dark maple syrup reminds me of the campfires back in the sugar woods where syrup is best enjoyed poured over a scoop of freshly fallen snow.

The taste is sweet and distinctive: while there is a malty smokiness, sweet maple syrup is the dominant taste and smell too. Pick up this seasonal treat while it's here!

Alexander Keith's Tartan Ale (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax)

Alexander Keith's Tartan Ale (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax) 6.1%

A delicious smoky, malty mix with sweetness and a refreshing carbonation. It doesn't taste like a beer with a high alcohol content but at 6.1% it certainly qualifies as a strong beer. A glowing brown, like a polished penny in a glass. Keith's Tartan Ale (a Scottish Ale) is a surprisingly complicated beer for a mega-brewery, it's a good beer and a hopeful sign that Keith's Brewery may have some interest in making some beers with more character than the typical bland international lager.

Since it is only out for a limited time: Go out and get this beer while it's available!

Rickard's Red, White & Dark

Rickard's Red (Canada) 5.2%

Creamy and springy on the tongue , has a faint smell of plum mixed with the expected malty beer scent. Tastes malty and sweet with a mildly bitter finish and a hint of rosemary. Quite a pleasant beer: a red made drinkable for the lay person and beer enthusiasts alike.

Rickard's White (Canada) 5.4%

This wheat beer is a cloudy bronzed gold colour in a glass. It smells sweetly spicy and a little of apricots even though it is brewed with orange peel. Most often it is served with a slice of citrus (orange or lemon) but I tend to eschew garnishes with beer. It tastes just like it smells: sweet and fruity with hints of spice and it is very smooth and creamy. Quite a good beer ... especially for a Molson product.

Rickard's Dark (Canada) 4.8%

Roasted malt, not much bitterness and a slightly sweet taste. For a beer that claims to be a porter (or at least porter brewed) the coffee or dark chocolate tones I associate with porters are completely absent. I should point out that not all porters have to taste that way but, in my experience, they usually do - at least to some extent. And though dark in a glass it is translucent and not black, more like a dark brown. Additionally the carbonation is standard not the smooth small bubbles giving it quite a different mouth feel from most porters.

All in all, not bad for a dark beer but as a porter this beer is a bust though not at all bad tasting. It certainly isn't "a punch in the mouth of flavour" like the advertizing likes to claim. It's more like a darker version of Rickard's Red and a damn shame that they stopped making their delicious Rickard's Honey Brown, especially for This.