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%.

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen - Brauerei Heller-Trum/Schlenkerla (Germany - Bamberg)

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen - Brauerei Heller-Trum/Schlenkerla (Germany - Bamberg) 5.1%

Rauchbiers use malt that has been dried over a wood fire to give it that distinctive smoke flavour. The Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbiers are perhaps the best known of the style.

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen has a smoky, distinctly beechwood and slightly spicy aroma with a hint of the malts of a hearty brown ale. It pours a dark brown in a glass with an off-white head.

The taste is smoky, no doubt, with the same pleasant beechwood tones as in the aroma. Sweet, toasty not quite caramel tones in the background. Some light coffee flavours from the malt as well. There is the slightest bit of acidity in the moderately bitter finish that is characterized by the lingering smoke flavour and a malty taste of the brown crust of multi-grain bread.

For all its flavour Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen is still very smooth and easy drinking and would pair well with roasts, stews, pizzas (especially wood fired ones if you really want to play on the wood smoke flavours) and pastas with red sauces.

Underdog Pale - Broadhead Brewing Company (Canada - Ontario - Ottawa)

Underdog Pale - Broadhead Brewing Company (Canada - Ontario - Ottawa) 5.2%

Citrus as well as light resin in the hops driven aroma but balanced by malt tones that are lightly caramel. The taste is not particularly bitter, though of course that builds. The hops character is very citrusy with just a little pine.Sweetly malty but with a sticky bitter resin finish. Underdog Pale is a lightly brassy gold in a glass. A fine tasting beer and a great example of an American Pale Ale.

Beaver River I.P.Eh? - Beau's All Natural Brewing Co. (Canada - Ontario - Vankleek Hill) 5.6%

Beaver River I.P.Eh? - Beau's All Natural Brewing Co. (Canada - Ontario - Vankleek Hill) 5.6%

A glowing amber gold colour in a glass with a finger of frothy off-white resilient foam. A really resiny, cedar aroma with just a little bit of citrus (lemon) as well as sweet sticky malt backing.

The taste of Beaver River is quite bitter and hoppy. There is some lemony citrus, a green flavour and some grain; maybe even some alcohol coming through. Resin and cedar are there, and perhaps most prominent, but there is also quite a malty body, more than is suggested by the aroma. More of an American Pale Ale than an IPA (maybe that explains the '?' in the clever name) in both taste and alcohol content but pretty nice.

Big Red Cherry Ale (cask) - Mill Street Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Ottawa) 7.0%

Big Red Cherry Ale (cask) - Mill Street Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Ottawa) 7.0%

This cask wheat ale looks a lot like tomato juice: very red with a slight brown hue and very cloudy in a glass. The aroma is slightly hoppy with cherry and a tartness mixed with some subtle wheat touches that reminds me of rhubarb.

The taste has some wheat and coriander flavours along with the cherry, which is quite moderate actually, somewhat tart with some sticky red sweetness. The high alcohol content comes across quite clearly in the finish. There are almost more yeasty flavours in this cask version than there are cherry flavours though it is still quite clearly a fruit beer.

Grande Noirceur - Brasserie Dieu du Ciel (Canada - Quebec - St Jerome)

Grande Noirceur - Brasserie Dieu du Ciel (Canada - Quebec - St Jerome) 9.0%

Black, black, black in the glass. Completely opaque with a finger of brown head. The aroma is thick with dark malt flavours of smoke, prunes, a bit of coffee, an earthy sweetness with wood tones and little leather as well.

The taste is bitter and loaded with dark fruit flavours, no lighter esters of cherry but prunes and raisin flavours, as well as smoke, just a bit of grain and some molasses. The aftertaste is very bitter, smoky as well as a little boozy. The alcohol flavour fades quite a bit as the beer gets a little bit warmer. All in all, a strong and very nice Imperial Stout.

Plaid to the Bone - Picaroons (Canada - New Brunswick - Fredericton)

Plaid to the Bone - Picaroons (Canada - New Brunswick - Fredericton)

Like a female beer lover's perfume: caramel, floral with a bit of a nutty aroma. The floral is a little bit along the lines of lavender - I haven't had many interactions with heather but I imagine it's along the same lines as flowers of the heath such as lavender and clover. The taste is earthy and floral as well as highly drinkable.

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.

Big Rig Gold - Big Rig Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Ottawa)

Big Rig Gold - Big Rig Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Ottawa) 5.0%


Pale to full gold in a glass, more on the pale side. Light pilsner-like aroma with the barest hint of green and that classic dry European hops aroma. Big Rig Gold is very tasty and actually is a lagered ale even though it could be mistaken for a great pilsner because of its use of German malts and hops. Just like the label says, it would be great on the dock during summer.

Young's Double Chocolate Stout (United Kingdom)

Young's Double Chocolate Stout (United Kingdom) 5.2%


A deep black in a glass with a finger's width of tan head. Dark chocolate, smoke, and coffee all apear in the aroma as well as light fruit tones like dark cherry.

This stout uses actual dark chocolate as well as chocolate malts so it is no surprise that chocolate flavours lead the way as well as a smoky bitterness from the chocolate malt that keeps this stout from being very sweet. The smoke lends itself to some subtle wood tones that are supported by an appetizing grain flavour from the malty body. There is a little bit of fine sediment towards the bottom of the bottle probably from the added dark chocolate. It also make a really good beer cocktail (or beertail) when mixed with Fruli.

Innis and Gunn Rum Cask (Scotland)

Innis and Gunn Rum Cask (Scotland) 7.4%

Very sweet at first and throughout, a definite alcohol burn which suits the amazingly intense rum flavour. Oak tones as well as spice and a whole punch bowl of fruit tones. A very strong tasting and interesting beer. Unforgettable and definitely worth trying. A great aroma that reminds me of sunlight, spices and wood.

The Matador Imperial IPA - Flying Monkeys (Canada - Ontario - Barrie)

The Matador Imperial IPA - Flying Monkeys (Canada - Ontario - Barrie) 10%


The first thing I smell from the aroma is sweetness, and a hint of citrus or passionfruit and then the strong cedar and resin tones that characterize this Imperial IPA aged on Spanish Cedar. It pours a cloudy orange-gold colour with a lingering white head.

The taste is sweet with almost peachy fruit tones along with lots of malty, nearly caramel tastiness and the lovely balancing bitterness loaded with cedar tones, from the hops as well as from the actual cedar. There's nearly no sign of the high alcohol content either, which is quite surprising for a 10% ABV beer. Lots of resin and a peppery, spicy finish exactly as alluded to on the label. This large bottle of excellent beer is indeed perfect for sharing with beer aficionados.

Doppel Pils - Mill Street Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Toronto)

Doppel Pils - Mill Street Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Toronto) 7.0%

A full gold in a glass with an aroma of dry European hops with a malty heft - a perfect aroma for a Double Pilsner. The taste has a warm, sweet and satisfying malty body as well as the perfect amount of dry, hoppy bitterness and just a hint of alcohol - there's also a bit of a burn from the booze content. On subsequent sips other hops characteristics and malt flavours reveal themselves: a green vegetal flavour and some almost caramel-like sweetness. The aftertaste is refreshingly bitter; because Mill Street's Doppel Pils is a perfect balance of sweet and bitter flavours, this high alcohol beer is delicious but also dangerously drinkable.