Orval Trappist Ale (Belgium)

Orval Trappist Ale (Belgium) 6.9%

The first one I tried was VERY bubbly - probably because I served it right out of the fridge instead of at 12 to 14 degrees Celsius as they directed: word of warning!

The second was very bitter, spicy, sweet, floral with some wood tones: this is a beer that won't go unnoticed. This is much as I expected from a Trappist ale though I do find it to be more bitter than some of the other Trappist ales I have tried. A fun, exciting and exotic beer to try for anyone interested in a taste adventure.

A cloudy orange amber colour in a glass. Trappist ales always cloudy with natural sediment because they are bottle fermented.

Also of note, this beer has a "bottled on" date and a "best before" date - five years later! Like many Trappist ales this one can be aged essentially like wine.

A Beer From Ontario & One From Norway

Creemore Springs Premium Lager (Canada - Ontario - Creemore) 5.0%

This lager is malty and sweet, a little bit skunky, and is amber in a glass.

A very smooth pleasant taste with a bit of bitterness.

Frydenlung Bayerol (Norway) 4.5%

A brownish red in a glass, this beer is smoky and malty. And fairly bitter. It's a nice mix and darker tasting than I had expected. Hints of black licorice and oak.

Kingfisher (India) 4.8%

Very pale gold. Malty, bitter and little bit skunky: very lightly flavoured. This bottle might have been a little stale. Regardless, the beer is really quite bland so it is easy to drink but not palate cleansing-ly refreshing per se.

But on the plus side Kingfisher is from India and has a beautiful bottlecap.

Alexander Keith's Dark Ale (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax) 4.1%

My first impression is that it is highly carbonated and really mild tasting despite being so dark that it was barely translucent. Skunky like regular Keith's with a bit more of a malt taste and slightly bitter.

Alexander Keith's Ambrosia Blonde and Tartan Ale are both really good but I found the Dark Ale didn't have the depth of flavour I would like. Might be a starting point though for people interested in broadening their beer horizons before trying the really strong tasting beers.

Though it is certainly not bland, it is hardly what I was expecting from a dark ale and in that way in reminds me of Rickard's Dark, another mild (though slightly paler) dark ale.