Boundary Ale - Moosehead (Canada - New Brunswick - Saint John)

Boundary Ale - Moosehead (Canada - New Brunswick - Saint John) 5.3%

A deep amber colour in a glass with a head of off-white foam. An earthy but also resiny and sticky hops aroma with caramelized sugars and a malty body.

A slightly sweeter flavour than I expected, caramelized sugars that are on the red side of the Maillard process and just not quite roasty. Definitely still some hop tones: resin, cedar and a dry bitterness with just a bit of citrus. This ale is nicely balanced and has an appetizingly bitter aftertaste.

In my opinion this is the best beer that Moosehead makes (as a New Brunswicker that is saying something) and it's very nice: refreshing and complex. Boundary Ale is a lot (but not exactly) like an English IPA even if its hops character is a touch resiny.

Yukon Red - Yukon Brewing (Canada - Yukon - Whitehorse) 5.5%

Yukon Red - Yukon Brewing (Canada - Yukon - Whitehorse) 5.5%

A nice deep amber colour in a glass. A surprisingly hoppy aroma, roasty with a bit of a glaze-like aspect. Also a touch of molasses or toffee in the aroma.

A very appetizing mix of hops bitterness, red fruit esters, roasty sweetness and touches of grain. There is plenty of malt and just a bit of something chocolatey in the dry finish. The hops character is relatively muted but it provides a nice balance some mild spice. The hops character is slightly astringent with a little pine and a some fresh cut grass but none of these stand out very much because of the robust and positively yummy malt flavours.

Maudite - Unibroue (Canada - Quebec)

Maudite - Unibroue (Canada - Quebec) 8.0%

This beer pours a cloudy gold with a reddish/brownish hue.  It tastes very similar to Unibroue's La Fin Du Monde (which I absolutely love) but certainly has it's differences: sweet, bitter, floral, and yeasty, sure, but there is also a dark roasty red flavour lingering in there. I'm a little annoyed because I think I may have riled up the sediment too much while trying to get this bugger open, not that the sediment is unpleasant (far from it) but that it can sometimes conceal the other flavours. If this happens to you, you can always set it aside for a bit and let it settle but frankly it is great to drink any-which way. A general note, beers like this (with a yeast base in the bottle) can be aged like wine, though probably not as long, setting them aside can let the flavour evolve; too bad the brewery can't do that for us, eh?

Bah Humbug - Christmas Cheer! Wychwood Brewery (England)

Bah Humbug - Christmas Cheer! Wychwood Brewery (England) 5.0%

A quite reddish brown colour in a glass with a decent head and light lacing. A lightly cinnamon and malt aroma; a smell of glaze with some dried red fruits (cranberries). Hints of gingerbread and hops.

What a neat taste! Strongly cinnamon with cloves but with pronounced malt flavours of a red, like roast and glaze, and also sugary sweet crystal malt. The finish leaves your mouth feeling quite dry. The mix of flavours from this fine Christmas Ale puts me in a distinctly Christmas mood. Bah Humbug Christmas Cheer! from Wychwood Brewery would make a fun (and tasty) stocking stuffer for the beer geeks on your Christmas list.

Gahan Island Red - PEI Brewing Company (Canada - Prince Edward Island - Charlottetown)

Gahan Island Red - PEI Brewing Company (Canada - Prince Edward Island - Charlottetown) 5.3%

Quite a dark and reddish amber colour in a glass with an impressive frothy head and good lacing. Quite a mild aroma with some roast and some earthiness. A roasty flavour with dark malt notes that are somewhere between light molasses and chocolate all mixed with some wood tones, touches of caramel and a bitter finish. A touch of a vegetal flavour from the hops. Not sticky sweet like some reds. In fact it isn't particularly sweet at all which makes it sessionable.

McAuslan Brewing (Canada - Quebec - Montreal)

Griffon Red Ale 4.5%

Griffon Red Ale is quite sweet and it's the crystal malt they refer to on the back label that is responsible for that. In addition to the slightly nutty or wooden tones, I also taste a sort of fruity flavour of figs in the aftertaste.

A very pleasant red that is sweeter than most but is not sticky: most traditional reds are more roasty and reminiscent of a caramelized sugar. Interestingly, I would say the aroma has more of that typical stickiness I expect from reds. I find Griffon Red Ale to be more drinkable than most reds - drinking four or five of these Red Ales wouldn't be a challenge at all because it's more crisp than those other reds I was referring to. Overall, a good red and one that even those who wouldn't normally reach for a red would enjoy.

Extra Blonde Ale 5.0%

Very clear and just on the pale side of full gold in a glass. Sweet with a distinct caramel flavour, also fairly bitter. A little smoky.

Pale Ale 5.0%

Caramel and sweetness, and also quite bitter: sprucy with hops in both the taste and aroma. A strong malt backing bracketed by the sugary sweet caramel flavour of what I suspect is crystal malt, and the sprucy hops bitterness with some faint red fruit esters for character.

An interesting beer, complicated and tasty but the mix of flavours seems just barely out of sync: the caramel sweetness doesn't entirely mesh with the robust hops bitterness, although I am often sensitive to caramel overload. All in all, McAuslan's Pale Ale is an enjoyable American Pale Ale on the sweet, caramel end of the spectrum with a nice hops character.

Saint Ambroise Apricot Wheat Ale 5.0%

A pale apricot orange colour in a glass. Fairly mild aroma, a strong apricot taste. Not dissimilar to an apricot wine. It is barely bitter (a little more so in the aftertaste), sweet, perfumy and has a background of moderate malt. It is like a somewhat strong tasting lager with apricot added. The apricot flavour is well done and captures the nice aspects of the apricot and is blended nicely with the malt of the lager - an excellent flavoured ale.


Note: I have previously reviewed their excellent Raspberry Wheat seasonal, Saint Ambroise Framboise.

The Split Crow (Canada - Nova Scotia - Truro)

The Split Crow (Canada - Nova Scotia - Truro)

Our waitress at the Split Crow was extremely helpful providing a sample of all four of their unique beers free of charge (we bought several more after sampling) and answering my questions to the best of her ability. These beers are brewed by Garrison specially for the Split Crow pub so they aren't technically brewpubs but they do have beers you can't get anywhere else.

I was disappointed by the inability to get ABV for every beer but was impressed to see suggested beer and food pairings in the menu. There is also a Split Crow pub in Halifax and Bedford, Nova Scotia.

Split Crow Cream Ale 4.4%

A very nutty aroma and flavour that lingers roastily in the aftertaste. Malty and a bit hoppy and bitter as well. Gold in a glass. a very tasty beer with a bit of a watery mouthfeel that keeps it refreshing.

Rafter Red Ale 5.0%

A very sweet, nearly sticky aroma; hints of caramel and coffee in there. Considering how pleasantly pungent the aroma was, the taste is relatively understated. Mostly malty and hoppy with some bitter roasty with dark tones that leave a somewhat smoky aftertaste. Don't get me wrong, the taste is still very good just a notch of intensity below the aroma.

Shippey's IPA ? %

The weaker of the bunch, not hoppy at all. Yellow, fizzy... really nothing much to it, an IPA in name only - in the style of Alexander Keith's. The slightest touch of citrus. [Almost a slight touch of citrus in the taste (could just be leftover from other beers).]

Split Crow's Proprietor's Ale ? %

Light, malty, sweet, slightly floral a little appley, a little nutty. A nice yellow fizzy refreshing beer with a bit of character. Pale gold in a glass.

Clocktower Brewing Sampler (Canada - Ontario - Ottawa)

At $14.95 I thought this sample tray was a bit on the expensive side but the glasses were large for samples so that made up for it. An enjoyable time all around: good brews and the food was good too. Unfortunately I can't find my photos so this is going to be a rare photo-less review but there are plenty of pictures on their website. Enjoy!


Kolsch 4.4%

Nice hops spice and malty sweetness gives this beer a nice round finish. The aftertaste is a little skunky like a true Kolsch from Koln Germany, but otherwise it's not very similar to an authentic Kolsch: it's better. Pale gold


Raspberry Wheat 4.4%

Not drowning in raspberry. A fairly bitter finish and aftertaste that is not typical of wheat. Served with a slice of lemon on the rim which I removed at first. With the lemon in the beer it seems sweeter and obviously more lemony, I think it is better with the lemon but I recommend trying it both ways. Barely cloudy gold.


Wishart's Bitter 5.3%

Oak woodiness was first to jump out at me. It is bitter and the hops is a little spicy and floral. Pretty nice. A copper colour in a glass.


Clocktower Red 5.3%

A brown red it's so red. Very hoppy but not overwhelming. Malty and sweet tastes just a little fruity like and finishes with a bit of a burnt flavour suitable to a red.


Bytown Brown 4.8%

Bitter and dark. Roasty, hints of chocolate, quite a bit like coffee. Malty and sweet.

Bushwakker Sampler (Canada - Saskatchewan - Regina)

Bushwakker Sampler (Canada - Saskatchewan - Regina)

This brewpub had great beer, good eats and a fabulous jazz group playing the night we were there. If you are in Regina this place is a can't miss. The location is a little weird: the neighbourhood is sort of industrial and run down but the brewpub is a gem. They had plenty more beers than I was able to sample and a whole pile of specialties and seasonals too.

Dortmunder ?%

A blended beer, it is very smooth and malty but bitter and has more than a hint of bananas in its flavour. Also somewhat musty and woody, an interesting balance/interplay of flavours.

Last Mountain Lager 5.2%

Malty but quite hoppy with a musty fruit finish.

Regina Pale Ale 4.5%

Nicely sweet pale ale this one: I'm sure there is some crystal malt in this brew's kettle. Bitter finish but well balanced and tasty.

Dungarvon Irish Red Ale 5.0%

Smooth and a little toasty. Hints of honey, not as dry or bitter as some other reds.

Sodbuster Brown Ale 5.0%

Tastes and smells of caramel, very sweet with roasted malt backer. Some bitterness and a slight coffee hint.

Palliser Porter 5.8%

A true porter: bitter and black, tastes of coffee and dark chocolate. If it was just a little less bitter it could pass as a dessert beer. A nice way to finish the sample tray.

Gahan House Tasting (Canada - PEI - Charlottetown)

Gahan House Tasting (Canada - PEI - Charlottetown)


In historic downtown Charlottetown, Gahan House is a great restaurant with an even better brewery attached to it. A nice pub style restaurant by day, the Gahan House turns into a boisterous pub by night. A favourite watering hole for plenty of professionals in the after-work crowd and a perfect spot for a lunch or a pint while in the city. Their taster tray is a delight and was a pleasure to review.


Harvest Gold Pale Ale

A light sweet malty body. Slightly bitter hop finish.

Sir John A's Honey Wheat Ale 4.5%

An interesting beer: tastes of grain and bread. It slightly sweet, slightly skunky, malty, barely bitter. A hardy tasting beer that still manages to be very refreshing.

Gahan House White

Smells citrusy. A bit of a silky sort of soapy mouthfeel tastes very much of lemon.

Honey Brown (Mix of Sir John A's Honey Wheat Ale & Ironhorse Brown)

Tastes like a sweet thin brown. Somewhat roasty and some faint coffee tones.

Island Red 5.3%

Late onset of flavour, it is sweet and really quite bitter for a red. Roasty and a little caramel.

Ironhorse Brown

Roasty, some coffee flavours. A little tangy. A very pleasant brown ale one of the highlights of the sample tray.

1772 IPA 7.0%

Smells like hops and alcohol. Tastes strongly of hops with a melon character but also with a cedar/sprucy hops aspect. Quite sweet and caramely too. A nicely balanced IPA that people who don't normally like IPA might enjoy because it is quite sweet and, although it has a strong hop flavour as the type demands, it has a mix of hops characteristics and is not overly bitter. Definitely high alcohol: has a bit of a burn.

Sydney Street Stout

Smells very smoky and roasty. Tastes very strongly of dark chocolate/cocoa, roast. Barely carbonated. A great stout, very much in the tradition. Would work as a dessert beer and reminds me of Norwegian Yule beers.

Tartan Ale (2012) - Alexander Keith's (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax)

Tartan Ale 2012 - Alexander Keith's (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax) 6.1%

As promised on their website in 2011, Alexander Keith's Tartan Ale was a work in progress. I am very pleased to once again find Tartan Ale in the beer aisle in 2012. I think the 2012 version is even better than I remember so I've decided to review it again.

Alexander Keith's Tartan Ale is quite sweet, with a touch of caramel; it has a subtle hops backing and is full of roasty red tones. It is somewhat bitter and at times I taste some hints of coffee. Overall it is complicated and interesting but well balanced and still very drinkable. Tartan Ale is a red tinted gold colour in a glass and, in my opinion, far and away the best beer Keith's makes.

Picaroons: PART TWO

Picaroons is a great brewery located right in my own "backyard" here on the East Coast of Canada.

This is the concluding half to my review of the eleven Picaroons beers I've had the good fortune to try. In addition to the eleven I've tried, I'm looking forward to their Maple Cream Ale that I've heard is coming out at the end of March.

Irish Red - Picaroons (Canada - New Brunswick - Fredricton) 4.8%

Sweet roasted caramel malt, a dark taste with a bit of tang. Malty with a mildly bitter and sweet aftertaste. A good red though they are not my most favoured style.

Man's Best Friend - Picaroons (Canada - New Brunswick - Fredricton) 5.0%

Black in a glass with a velvety froth. Coffee, hints of the taste and mouth feel of oatmeal, malty, milk chocolate. It is sweet but bitter, well balanced and very pleasant. This is a good porter and like most porters you likely wouldn't drink more than one but you would drink the first one very happily.

Simeon Jones River Valley Amber Ale - Picaroons (Canada - New Brunswick - Fredricton) 4.5%

Smells of sweet caramel malt. Doesn't taste overly sweet though, tastes malty, barely bitter and a hint of what I would describe as pumpkin spice, with a roasted malt edge. A very pleasant amber ale.


Timber Hog - Picaroons (Canada - New Brunswick - Fredricton) 5.0%

Black, black, black in a pint glass. Smells sweet and of malty caramel. This stout is thick and even sounds thick as you pour it in a glass. It is sweet and tastes strongly of caramel malt, appropriately bitter, a little bit nutty and all round good. It is, however, very filling and 500ml was a little hard to finish. Although, it was good to the last drop.

Winter Warmer - Picaroons (Canada - New Brunswick - Fredricton) 7.5%

Lovely sweet smell of caramel malt that carries over into the taste: initially very sweet with a nice overload of caramel flavours; a touch of hops accents the malty tones. The combination leaves a mild bitter aftertaste. Quite nice and typical of North American winter beers.

Yippee IPA - Picaroons (Canada - New Brunswick - Fredricton) 6.5%

Smells of malt and hops - more malt than hops. Tastes of hops and malt - way more hops than malt: very green, hoppy and super bitter. Initially somewhat sweet and tastes of caramel malt but very quickly that is washed away by a stinging hopes taste that is very bitter and linger on and on. It gets less bitter with the drinking.

Since your bitter taste buds are more concentrated at the back of the tongue you can hold a tiny sip of this beer at the front of your mouth, just behind your teeth under but not touching your tongue, to enjoy the sweet caramel malt taste before swallowing it and fully activating the hoppy bitterness. It's an interesting beer because you can play with it like this. Picaroon's Yippee IPA definitely would be a fun entry in any beer tasting.

Picaroons: PART ONE

Picaroons is a great brewery located right in my own "backyard" here on the East Coast of Canada. I have had the good fortune to try eleven of their beers and will be posting reviews of each them.

Presented here in PART ONE, and in alphabetical order, these are the first five. Cheers!


Best Bitter - Picaroons (Canada - New Brunswick - Fredricton) 5.2%

Sweet, delicious roasted caramel malt flavour that matches the pleasant burnt amber colour it has in a glass. A bitter aftertaste hits late but is a nice counterpoint to the caramel. The smell is almost surprisingly sweet like a malty candy store.

Blonde Ale - Picaroons (Canada - New Brunswick - Fredricton) 5.0%

Scent of hops spice mixed with malt. Quite a mellow sweet malt taste, a little buttery with a slightly bitter finish. Very drink-a-lot-able and pleasant.

Dark and Stormy Night - Picaroons (Canada - New Brunswick - Fredricton) 4.8%

Dark in a glass but translucent. Roasty and malty; bitter and a little sweet. It was a litle oddly sour but that does not detract from the other flavours. Good but tastes a little thin which could be a bit of a drawback if you were looking for a stick-to-your-ribs dark ale, however, on the plus side, it also means you could happily have more than one or drink it with food. Though it is a dark beer it is very drinkable even for people who wouldn't normally drink anything darker than a lager or maybe a red.

Feels Good Imperial Pilsner - Picaroons (Canada - New Brunswick - Fredricton) 7.0%

Smells like a strong pilsner. Tastes like a strong pilsner drowning in hops: way too bitter and green for my tastes. Also with a long lingering aftertaste that makes it slow to drink. In time, (ie. through much of the bottle) the hops mellows and the beer tastes sweeter but is still really bitter. If you just can't get enough of hops, then this one would be great for you!

Fox Tail Ale - Picaroons (Canada - New Brunswick - Fredricton)

Made specially for the Snooty Fox restaurant in Fredricton, New Brunswick, this draught beer is amber in a glass and has the typical Picaroons crystal/caramel malt taste, but its flavour is also fairly dark and roasty. A little waterier than most Picaroons offerings presumably because it's a draught beer rather than from the bottle; all in all, a fine choice from the taps.

Three Beers For Beer Geeks

Wychwood Brewery Hobgoblin Traditionally Crafted Legendary Ruby Red Beer (England - Oxfordshire) 5.2%

Fairly red, fairly bitter. Kind of fruity and caramel-ey. Generally mild in flavour despite the grandiose name.



Beer Geek Breakfast - Mikkeller (Denmark) 7.5%

Black, black in a glass. Smells bitter and faintly of black olives (?). Tastes malty and quite pleasantly bitter and most unsurprisingly of black coffee. Really tasty, I would recommend drinking this out of a wine or brandy glass if possible.







Erdinger Alkoholfret (Germany) 0.0%

Sweeter than most wheat beers, though I usually find that most no or low alcohol beers are sweeter than their counterparts (because the sugars weren't changed into alcohol by yeast? mayhaps) but still it has a mild wheat beer taste. A bright gold in a glass. Nice to look at, nice to taste, nice to have as a middle of the day alternative to alcohol bearing beer.

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.