Kissmeyer Nordic Pale Ale - Beau's All-Natural Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Vankleek Hill)

Kissmeyer Nordic Pale Ale - Beau's All-Natural Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Vankleek Hill) 5.6%

Full gold in a glass, cloudy too. It totes a resilient heady of creamy white foam. A berrylike (gooseberry?) touch to the hoppy floral, herbal, pine and citrus (tangerine) aroma.


The taste is floral, spicy, herbal, resiny, sweet but perfectly bitter with a delightful berry flavour throughout that is a little tropical and never seems out of place or inappropriate. A very tasty beer. Overall the impressive ingredient list (rose hips!) and the delightful flavour combine for a spectacular beer.

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.

Angry Moose - Stack Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Sudbury)

Angry Moose - Stack Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Sudbury) 9.0%

A crystal clear amber gold in a glass. A sweet and somewhat peachy aroma mixed in with all those hops! Cedar, resin and citrus. As it warms there is a bit of toffee

Bitter flavour with lots of evergreen flavours a mix of cedar, pine and ... well that's just about all the evergreen trees I know. Oh wait, spruce! A caramelized sweetness that reminds me of the way burning sap smells which is exactly where some sweeter barrel tones come from as the charring on the inside of barrels before their use in aging beer or spirits brings out and caramelizes the sap and sugars in the wood. This beer is really amazingly balanced and it really conceal its alcohol content well. If they can produce this beer consistently to this high quality, and consistency can be a problem for new microbrews as they start up, I can see this Imperial IPA bringing home some awards for Stack Brewing.

Empirical Ale - Black Creek Historic Brewery (Canada - Ontario - Toronto) 5.0%

Empirical Ale - Black Creek Historic Brewery (Canada - Ontario - Toronto) 5.0%

Copper colour in a glass, nice moderate hop aroma with toasty bread, a sweet caramel or even maple touch mixed with an earthiness and wood tones (cedar or pine). Very nice aroma.

Cedar hops flavour, firm but not very strong, paired nicely with that malt flavour I mentioned in the aroma that is somewhere between caramel and maple with just a kiss of smoke. There is also an earthy flavour that mellows and broadens the flavour of the whole beer and although there is a caramel/maple tone Empirical Ale isn't particularly sweet. The mouthfeel isn't heavy, it has a watery aspect that keeps this beer refreshing and really goes well with the restrained hops flavour and the only moderate sweetness. I think this is an excellent beer and would say it most resembles an English IPA though the hops character is that of a North American hops.

Russian Gun Imperial Stout - Grand River Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Cambridge)

Russian Gun Imperial Stout - Grand River Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Cambridge) 8.5%

Dark brown in a glass with a veritable explosion of mocha coloured foam that leaves behind highly impressive lacing and a iceberg like cap of foam on the beer. A bit of alcohol, earthy yeast, dark chocolate, subtle red and dark fruit tones, brown sugar, some wood tones and maybe a touch of leather in the very pleasant aroma.

The taste has, in my mind, the perfect amount of alcoholic bite for a Russian Imperial Stout. The flavour is comprised of hearty umami, brown bread, dried fruit a touch of espresso, smoky wood tones, earthy, chocolate, a bit of a hops edge too - like pine needles which also fits my concept of the style.

I really like this Russian Imperial Stout, I'm very fond of the taste. It also seems to drink a bit higher in alcohol than 8.5%, good times.

Detour - Muskoka Brewery (Canada - Ontario - Bracebridge)

Detour - Muskoka Brewery (Canada - Ontario - Bracebridge) 4.3%

Mango, ruby grapefruit aroma with pine and hoppy loveliness. A darker gold in a glass with a head of foam that leaves behind some lacing.

A bitter beer first and foremost with pine hops in the forefront but the hops also combine with the malty body for a flavour that I'll describe as toasted bread topped with a sprinkle of sugar and a fresh citrus (orange as well as grapefruit) and mango salsa, or perhaps a chilled compote. Yes, I'm aware that this is a beer and not an entree at brunch but Detour has some serious depth of flavour and the most amazing thing to me it that it's only 4.3%!

I am a big fan of hoppy beers that are low in alcohol (my favourite beer in the whole world is Pump House Brewery's Special Old Bitter) but it is especially impressive that Detour has so much malt flavour as well and is still only 4.3%. I really hope that this is not just a seasonal and that instead is available year round because this beer would be the perfect accompaniment to all sorts of yard work or summer sporting events.

Blonde du Quai - Shiretown (Canada - New Brunswick - Dalhousie)

Blonde du Quai - Shiretown (Canada - New Brunswick - Dalhousie) 5.5%

Gold in a glass, lightly cloudy. A raw, unfinished sort of aroma which is appetizing all the same: sweet, honey, clover, grass, grain, wet mash (which is, more or less, malt being boiled). The taste is sweet but impressively balanced. The raw character comes through in both the grain flavour of the malt and also grassy, pine flavour of the hops. A somewhat acidic finish and a bit of pine and grapefruit comes out in the aftertaste that finishes a tasty beer.

Pink Fuzz - Beyond The Pale (Canada - Ontario - Ottawa)

Pink Fuzz - Beyond The Pale (Canada - Ontario - Ottawa) 6.0%

A sweet red ruby grapefruit aroma, cedar and resin hops as well. A bit of fresh, floral vegetable like really sweet, raw and fresh off the vine green bean.

A cloudy pale gold, more like yellow, in a glass with a slight pink hue that turns the colour of the beer to just like grapefruit peel. Cedar and pine flavours, grapefruit as well (though more subdued than in the aroma). The grapefruit is a little tart, more like actual grapefruit than the grapefruit-like aroma citra or cascade hops can give a beer. Overall, this is quite a nice fruit flavoured wheat.

If you happen to be in the Ottawa area you can buy Pink Fuzz in growler format straight from the brewery. If you do, be sure to agitate it gently so that the sediment is more evenly distributed: it holds a lot of the flavour. Of course, Pink Fuzz is also available on tap throughout Ottawa; a format in which this tasty brew never fails to please.

Autumn Hop Harvest Ale - Amsterdam Brewery (Canada - Ontario - Toronto)

Autumn Hop Harvest Ale - Amsterdam Brewery (Canada - Ontario - Toronto) 5.6%

Herbal, citrus (orange and a hint of grapefruit), a bit floral, pine and sticky resin rounds out hops character of the aroma while there is also some earthiness and biscuit and honey tones from the malty body. Clear full gold in a glass.

To go along with its moderately hoppy flavour and sweet grain tones, this beer made with fresh hops (as in added without being dried first) has a pleasant peppery earthiness. The combination of spice and earth tones feels to me a bit like autumn incarnate (distillate?) which I think is perfect for a seasonal such as Autumn Hop Harvest Ale. The aftertaste is moderately bitter hops that tastes of pine as well as a little herbal, citrus and some resin too. This is a nice American Pale Ale in its own right but I feel it also is a good example of the appeal of fresh hop beers and the variety they can bring.

Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel - Brasserie D'Achouffe (Belgium)

Chouffe Houblon Dobbelen IPA Tripel - Brasserie D'Achouffe (Belgium) 9.0%

Gold, slightly cloudy in a glass with a big head of white and very light foam. A yeasty, nectar and herbal aroma with hints of mint and flowers. There is a bitterness of hops lingering in the background. The sediment at the bottom of the bottle is very fine but it does add to yeasty characteristic of this fine Belgian ale.

Bitter taste but also sweet and yeasty. Pine hops flavour without any sticky resin flavour; more like a dry bitterness that has flashes of pineapple to my taste. The pineapple may be as a result of mixing with some of the nectar and floral flavours of the yeast. The flavour is just what I expect from a Tripel: herbal yeast notes with floral hints while being sweet with some honey tones except it also has strong hops flavours and is not heavy on the tongue. In fact, many Belgian Golden Ales, Dubbels and Tripels are often a little syrupy (though in a good way) but I think Chouffe Houblon high alcohol content thins this beer a little so it plays lighter and thinner on the tongue, even though it is quite deliciously sweet. The bitterness of the hops also cleans out any very sweet highs. This is a really nice Belgian IPA or Double IPA if that's what they are calling it.

Baldwin Fish-Eye - Kensington Brewing Company (Canada - Ontario - Toronto/Guelph)

Baldwin Fish-Eye - Kensington Brewing Company (Canada - Ontario - Toronto/Guelph) 6.5%

An amber orange in a glass with a frothy white head with impressive staying power. Seriously this head last and lasts, it may contribute to the flavour being more bitter since the foam often contains the more volatile hop oils. An aroma like a pine and cedar forest but with some citrus (orange) and a perfumy floral touch too. I could contentedly just sit and smell this beer for quite a while.

Hoppy cedar and resin taste along with nice toasted bread and grain flavours. Pleasant orange flavours and malt sweetness balance some of the hops.  Quite a grain heavy finish. Late onset of a robustly bitter aftertaste. A nice IPA, more orange flavour with a more bitter aftertaste than the average IPA (if the term 'average IPA' means anything). If you like really bitter beers and the citrus character of hops this one is a riot and would go well with just about any strong flavoured food.

Shawinigan Handshake - Le Trou du Diable (Canada - Quebec - Shawinigan) 6.5%

Shawinigan Handshake - Le Trou du Diable (Canada - Quebec - Shawinigan) 6.5%

A cloudy orange colour in a glass, like the colour of a peach (just like the label suggests), with a nice fluffy white head. Sweet, honey and melon aroma with citrus (orange and nectarine) as well as a resin background.

Be warned before pouring: there is some heavy duty sediment at the bottom of the bottle. While a little of it may even enhance the flavour the dregs you'll get from pouring every last drop of this otherwise delicious beer, are overly yeasty, bitter and otherwise not very nice.

The taste is bitter at first with a great hops character of pine and still some melon and nectarine tones. Yeasty banana, maybe a little apple juice, green pear, and bread flavours really come out mid-mouth. The hoppy finish that is also heavy in slightly spicy honey is followed by an aftertaste that I would describe as dry cedar while the label calls it "dry spruce" and while I feel like there is a difference there, it is very slight.

Miami Weiss - Great Lakes Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Toronto)

Miami Weiss - Great Lakes Brewery (Canada - Ontario - Toronto) 4.5%

A very cloudy gold colour in a glass. Lots of pine, pineapple, passionfruit and maybe a little bit of guava, all from the hops, in the aroma.

Bitter taste with not nearly as much hops in the taste as in the aroma but it hoppy with some pine and guava. The mouthfeel is creamy, as is typical of a wheat, but with a bitter bite. There is light sediment on the bottom of the bottle; it doesn't change the flavour all that much when it ends up in your glass.

There is a pretty silly suggested serving temperature on the bottle: 1 to 3 degrees Celsius. That is about as cold as you can get a beverage and is more appropriate for flavourless light beers like Coors Light than a hoppy wheat beer like Miami Weiss. At that kind of temperature this beer is only very bitter with the faintest hit of hops, please ignore their suggestion and serve it warmer so you can enjoy the lovely hops character.

Naughty Neighbour - Nickel Brook Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Burlington) 4.9%

 Naughty Neighbour - Nickel Brook Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Burlington) 4.9%

Gold in a glass with a fizzy white head. A nice aroma of cedar, pine and the faintest bit of resin as well as some toasted bread malt aromas. Hops continue to lead in the taste as well with further pine, floral almost melon hop notes and a bit of citrus (lemon and orange) as well. Naughty Neighbour is bitter but still light and refreshing with just enough of a sweet malty flavour for balance. The finish has hops (especially melon and pine) and a bit of grain, while the aftertaste is a pleasant pine and cedar buzz. A great American Pale Ale that is very sessionable at only 4.9%.

Solstice d'Hiver - Brasserie Dieu du Ciel! (Canada - Quebec - St. Jerome) 10.2%

Solstice d'Hiver - Brasserie Dieu du Ciel! (Canada - Quebec - St. Jerome) 10.2%


A glowing reddish brown in a glass with a nice off-white head that leaves behind good lacing. There is a little bit of sediment in the bottom of the bottle. The aroma is sticky and malty with dark fruit tones, a bit of alcohol, raisins, molasses, cherries and barley candy.

There is definitely a taste of alcohol but that doesn't obscure too much of the nice flavour of dark and red fruits (particularly cherry) along with roasty, toasty and sticky malt. While sweet, Solstice d'Hiver is also just a little bit hoppy with some wood tones (pine mainly) and a quite bitter aftertaste. A nice Barley Wine, a bit more bitter than others I've had.

Pénombre - Brasserie Dieu du Ciel! (Canada - Quebec - St. Jérome) 6.5%

Pénombre - Brasserie Dieu du Ciel! (Canada - Quebec - St. Jérome) 6.5%

A very dark brown, not quite opaque with a tan head that leaves behind good lacing. The aroma is roasty with dark chocolate and coffee/espresso hints but also some resiney hops. I'm looking forward to tasting this one - the aroma sets my mouth watering.

Sooo nice, smoky, dark chocolate, roasty malt with bitterness especially in the aftertaste. There is a pleasant and mild cedar or resin flavour to the beer as well. A bit of pine comes out as the beer warms. Pénombre is a really nice beer, it bills itself as a Black IPA but it seems more like an American Stout but it's a blurred line not a clear demarcation so if they want to call it a Black IPA I'll call it a delicious one.

Hopfenweisse - Les Trois Mousquetaires (Canada - Quebec - Brossard) 6.0%

Hopfenweisse - Les Trois Mousquetaires (Canada - Quebec - Brossard) 6.0%

A big frothy proper wheat beer head with impressive resilience and nice lacing. The orange, citrus aroma typical of wheat beers brewed with orange peel is accentuated by the choice of hops to give an aroma that is exactly as they claim on the label: papaya and mango. I can also detect something like banana too although more like banana, in fact the whole thing smells a lot like a smoothie but with a hoppy pine-like touch. As time passes, a more herbal aroma comes out as well. Hopfenweisse (a pitch perfect name too, by the way) is a glowing orange in a glass and is cloudy with some light sediment.

The taste is quite bitter: a great deal more of the pine aspect of the hops character comes through. The papaya and mango flavour is still there but more muted. Malt and wheat characteristics are also there but again mostly overshadowed by a fairly bitter pine hops flavour with some touches of mango. No surprise that this reminds me of the last hoppy wheat ale I tried, Electric Unicorn White IPA by Phillips Brewing out of Victoria, British Columbia.

The marketing reps earned their pay-cheque with this one: the stylish bottle (like a mini champagne bottle), minimal but chic label and lettering, and the clever name all ooze opulence. The aroma is very cool and the taste is quite good too but I am just a little disappointed that more of the papaya, mango couldn't come through in the taste also the wheat characteristics are somewhat silent. All that being said, the hop aroma is nearly worth the price of the beer on its own and the taste is going to be very pleasing for you hopheads out there. Hopfenweisse is an interesting example of what I would characterize as an American Wheat: a wheat ale with a pile of aromatic hops.

The Premium Malt's - Suntory (Japan) 5.5%

The Premium Malt's - Suntory (Japan) 5.5%

Gold in a glass with a bubbly white head with some staying power. There is something about the heavy tappered bottle and the gold label that seems very Eighties chic to me.

The aroma is malty and sweet but there is also a dry hops character to it with some skunkiness, likely from being light struck despite the heavy and dark brown glass bottle. As regular readers of the blog may recall, I don't really mind a bit of skunkiness. Even though I know it is technically an off-flavour, I think it can bring out the hops nicely in the right beer.

Quite a dry bitter taste with some genuine hops flavour that is green, somewhat spicy and almost bordering on pine. Some light malty sweetness for balance but there is quite a backing of hops. This a very nice Pilsner actually, I must say I am pleasantly surprised by this beer. I would definitely have a Suntory Pilsner Beer again if I were in Japan and the situation called for a Pilsner!

Propeller Double IPA (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax) 8.2%

Propeller Double IPA (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax) 8.2%

Very strong hoppy pine aroma with a bright citrus (mix of lemon and orange) element. A dark brass colour in a glass.

Very bitter with plenty of wooden, earthy tones mixed in with the strong hops flavour. A sweet and toasty, nearly caramelized, malt flavour mixes with the bitterness of hops to remind me of a tart unripe dark cherry in a very, very good way.

Propeller's Double IPA is a great way to beat the heat and a good beer to share to unwind after a day at the office. Just like the label says this is a "TRUE hop bomb, for TRUE hop heads". It's hops character is nicely accentuated by the malt to make a beer that is more than just really hoppy. A can't miss for you hopheads out there.

Hoppelganer Double IPA - Rockbottom Brewpub (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax)

Hoppelganer Double IPA - Rockbottom Brewpub (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax) 8.0%

The powerfully hoppy aroma is strongly citrus, floral (maybe even apricot) with pine and some melon that, in combination, have some touches of pineapple. Apricot-orange and cloudy in a glass. The taste is very bitter and pumped full of pine. Malty sweetness tries to get through but gets deliciously stomped on by spicy hops loaded with citrus tones. An awesome Double IPA from my favourite brewpub in Halifax.