8th Sin - Hop City (Canada - Ontario - Brampton)

8th Sin - Hop City (Canada - Ontario - Brampton) 5.0%

Very dark, nearly opaque, with an off-white head which is lighter than I expected for a beer with such a dark body. Milk chocolate aroma, with a subtle earthiness, a bit of coffee, a tiny bit of grain. Chocolatey flavour with a bit of dark, dried fruit tones and a grounding earthiness as well as the taste of the crust of dark bread. The mouthfeel is a bit surprisingly (and pleasantly) light while still being creamy. The aftertaste is more strongly earthy with light prune and raisin flavours to match the chocolate.

This is a really tasty beer, I can honestly say I have never had a Black Lager that had this depth and breadth of dark malt flavours. The is something to it that I am finding hard to put into words that seems more like a lager than an ale but I think I would be bluffing if I asserted that, in a blind taste test, I'd be able to tell the difference between this and an equally tasty dark ale with a similar light mouthfeel.

Big Mouth Pale Ale - Hop City Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Brampton)

Big Mouth Pale Ale - Hop City Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Brampton) 5.0%

A brassy gold colour in a glass with a finger of white foam. The aroma is resiny but also has touches of mango and citrus. The taste is bitter but with less of a pronounced hops character than the aroma. Cedar and resin (without much sticky sweetness until the beer warms a little) are the primary flavours while the mango that I found to be fairly prominent in the nose, especially immediately after pouring, is more subdued. The malty body is toasty and pleasant but this American Pale Ale is mostly about the hops and the refreshing bitter bite.

Barking Squirrel Lager - Hop City (Canada - Ontario - Brampton and St John NB)

Barking Squirrel Lager - Hop City (Canada - Ontario - Brampton and St John NB) 5.0%

Gold with an amber hue in a glass, a fluffy head leaving nice lacing. Malty lightly roasted aroma, a touch of hops. Sweet taste with the barest roast touch and equally light (if not lighter) apple touch. A hint of astringent bitterness which is the only taste of hops that comes through in this beer. A nice lager with some complexity of flavours and yet it is still as sessionable as the label claims. My only complaint about Barking Squirrel Lager isn't really a complaint at all but... the brewer's name is HOP City; it has an admittedly bad-ass cartoon squirrel holding a HOPS nugget on its label; and it also mentions on the label the blend of hops they used and yet... Where's the hops flavour? But of course it's not required by the style and the beer is otherwise enjoyable so I won't hold my cartoon-squirrel-inspired expectations against them.