Tall Ship Amber Ale - Garrison Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax)

Tall Ship Amber Ale - Garrison Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax) 4.6%

A reddish amber coloured drink, this ale tastes sweetly of toasted caramel malt. Its aftertaste is slightly bitter and builds as you drink but the initial flavour is of sweetness and malt. Like many ambers this would be a good place to start for someone looking to expand their palate from boring old international lagers for the first time.

Citra One Hop IPA - Garrison Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax) 6.5%

Citra One Hop IPA - Garrison Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax) 6.5%

Brassy gold colour in a glass. Lovely citra hop aroma of mango, passionfruit and papaya with some light vegetal touches; some tones of honey. Quite a bitter taste, a malty body, some hone and still mango as well as passionfruit a bit of a slightly metallic aftertaste that mellows after a few sips but reminds me of dandelion greens.

This hops provides a really neat hops character that dresses this American IPA up in exotic tropical fruit flavours. Citra One Hop IPA is the second of the One Hop IPA series by Garrison. I have already reviewed the first and I look forward to trying their next one as soon as it is released.

Pils - Garrison Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax) 4.8%

Pils - Garrison Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax) 4.8%

Full gold in a glass, nay beyond full gold. More like a brass colour. Sweet caramel aroma with some malty grain undertones.

Label from Garrison website

Quite a bitter taste, full of that dry European hops flavour I expect from a pilsner. A barely metallic finish preceded by some nice malty sweetness, a bit of roast flavour with a fresh grain taste. This is a solid Pilsner and just so much fresher than anything you can get from Europe that you gotta love it. While it's not make the kind of dynamic food pairings that some stronger tasting ales will form, Garrison's Pils pairs easily and casually with just about any food, like any good Pilsner. If only it wasn't February and I could suggest picking up a growler to serve it at your next BBQ; do it anyway!

Martello Stout - Garrison Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax) 4.8%

Martello Stout - Garrison Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax) 4.8%

A delectable aroma that is bitter and dark, full of coffee and chocolate tones with hints of sweetness and a touch over something that makes me think of black olives. Opaque and black in a glass with a tan head of foam that leaved behind nice lacing. The taste is also dark and delicious. Garrison's Martello Stout has a strong coffee flavours and a pleasantly creamy mouthfeel. A few mild touches of hops come through at different point balancing the malt nicely. A bitter almost smoky long lingering aftertaste makes sure you won't forget what you're drinking. This thick (nearly meal replacing), malty yet refreshing and low alcohol beauty of a stout should be a pub staple.

Comet One Hop IPA - Garrison Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax)

Comet One Hop IPA - Garrison Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax) 6.5%

A full gold/amber colour in a glass, just the colour of sap, with a nice off-white head. An aroma chock full of melon, a little celery and fresh cut grass, as well as some resin. Much more of the resin in the flavour as well as some citrus but still lots of melon. A hearty and sweet malt body balances this bitter and delightful hops forward beer. There is some grounding earthiness to the taste as well which is quite nice.

I first enjoyed and reviewed Comet IPA at the Seaport Beerfest in Halifax in August, 2012. The version there was billed as a Double IPA and did taste a little different and had a higher ABV. Plus it was delicious then so I thought a separate review of the bottled product was definitely worth it.

Not only is the taste enjoyable but it's the concept behind this limited release that I am most excited about. In my opinion, Garrison Brewing is practically providing a public service to the craft beer community by making a series of One Hop IPAs (this is the first). By using only one kind of hops drinkers can gain a familiarity with exactly how each varietal expresses itself. I, for one, am looking forward to the next one in this series. Stay tuned as I intend to review them all as they are released.

15th Anniversary Malt: Vanilla and Cocoa - Garrision Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax) 9.0%

15th Anniversary Malt: Vanilla and Cocoa - Garrision Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax) 9.0%

Opaque, dark chocolate black/brown in a glass with a thick beige head. Bitter dark chocolate aroma with a mix of faint dark fruit and some doughy rye bread tones with some subtle hops aromids too. Some light sediment at the bottom of the bottle that adds some grain and fairly prominent oatmeal flavours. The sediment really adds an interesting dimension to the beer so I'd strongly suggest pouring the whole bottle into one glass (or into a pitcher and then into glasses if you are really intent on sharing).

Strong tasting: roasty, a little smoky, slightly tart dark fruit and dried red fruit tones, alcohol with the bitter flavour of the darkest of chocolates.  This mixing of light sweet malts with touches of caramel (crystal and caramel malt) with a smorgasbord of dark (and very dark) malts and then coupled with the high alcohol tastes like an alcoholic fruitcake made with brandy (maybe a splash of whiskey - if anyone actually makes fruitcake with whiskey) and absolutely loaded with dried fruits.

Not entirely unexpectedly, this beer gets better as it warms: the fruit esters and touches of high alcohol are still decidedly there but mix more deliciously with the deep malt flavours and the vanilla really starts to come out. It is still very bitter, and there are still chocolate flavours, but rather than striking me as a mostly dark chocolate flavoured beer I'd almost say molasses and maple with some smoke sum up the flavours better (with the aforementioned fruit esters and tastes of alcohol). The hops flavours also come out more as it warms but this brew is still a celebration of malt rather than hops. Obviously there's a lot of depth to this malty beauty: try it cool, try it warmer and enjoy it all round.

3 Fields Harvest - Garrison Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax)

3 Fields Harvest - Garrison Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax) 6.3%

A full orange-hued gold in a glass; slightly cloudy though I saw no sediment. Good frothy head with lacing. A coppery, honeyed, hoppy aroma with hints of grape juice. Quite sweet but with a balancing bitter taste. The source of the aroma I had likened to grape juice has divided in the taste into floral and resiny hops with nectar tones and almost citrus, as well as a malt character that faintly borders on raw along some toasty bread tastes. There is a suggestion in the flavour and aroma that reminds me of fallen leaves in the fall which is actually quite nice and certainly seems to suit the season.

Garrison 3 Fields Harvest is an example of a rash of new beers from the Maritime Provinces that use fresh or "wet" hops (to indicate that they haven't been dried). Brewers in the Maritimes have the opportunity to use wet hops during harvest time now that numerous hop farms big and small have sprung up all across the region.

Two IPAs and a hoppy American Pale Ale from Garrison Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax)

Imperial IPA -Garrison Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax) 7.0%

This unfiltered strong ale has a hop smell so strong and bitter it's almost metallic. It's a glowing reddish orange colour in a glass and is cloudy with some light sediment. The beer itself, quite unsurprisingly, tastes strongly of hops but with a caramel malt backing that prevents the beer from being one dimensional. However, even with this backdrop of sweetness, if you don't like hops this beer is not for you. If you DO like hops, this Imperial IPA has a hoppy bite that mellows as the glass empties and an interesting malt character making it an authentic and tasty IPA.

Comet Double IPA - Garrison Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax) 7.0%

Had the chance to try this one out of a cask at the Seaport Beerfest. Quite good. Incredibly foamy. The aroma was very much watermelon and melon hops. Tastes extremely bitter, more along the lines of a sprucy hops but still with some melon tones balancing it out but overall less melon than there is in the aroma. Certainly sweet and had malt flavours but deliciously dominated by the hops.

Hop Yard Pale Ale - Garrison Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax) 5.3%

This dry-hopped pale ale is just on the lighter side of medium amber in a glass and it pours a slightly cloudy gold with a nice fluffy head and good lacing. An aroma strongly of resin and sweet nectary hops. A very bitter very floral hops taste, citrus, melon and lots of cedar. Quite sweet with some toasted bread malt tones as well which grounds the high-flying hops taste which still dominates this lovely example of an American Pale Ale.

Depending on the sip this beer is sweet, malty, with fruity melon tones and very hoppy. If you love hops this beer is great: complicated and delicious. If you hate hops do not mess with this beer or really any other dry-hopped beer for that matter. If you are in between on whether or not you like hops give this one a try, and it may just make you a believer.

Two Mighty Beers from Garrison Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax)

Ol' Fog Burner - Garrison Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax) 11.5%

Amazingly bitter, sprucy, a touch sticky with a strong alcohol burn when served very cold. A nice smoky, sweet and mellowing aftertaste. A cloudy amber, a shade on the red side. It was served too cold, I think it ought to be taken out of the fridge several minutes before serving.

Upon further drinking it is definitely best served nearly warm as it changes from being barely drinkable to very nice. A thick liquid with a nice head. A sprucy flavour with tones of molasses flavour. Molasses, sprucy hops, sweet caramel and toasted bread aroma. Much better warm, as are many high alcohol beers.

Baltic Porter - Garrison Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax) 9.0%

Smells salty like seawater. Also quite sweet, caramelized, red, roasty, molasses, hoppy but more so than hoppy it is the high alcohol that come through. The taste is very much high alcohol, a bit of spruce, salty like kelp (almost or something), very roasty, dark malt and super salty finish. Amazing how a beer can taste salty, if I hadn't had the Rockbottom Balticus already I would say this is the first beer I ever had like this but it's along much the same lines.

Definitely high alcohol flavour, roasty, a touch of cedar along with the roast and molasses combines to make it somewhat resiny. A good beer but not for the faint of heart. A touch of plum carrying throughout, baked beans, very strongly molasses. Herbal and green tones comes through with the high alcohol, hops and yeast (lees). Fine sediment on the bottom of the bottle that it is best to leave in the bottle.

Two Limited Edition Brews from Garrison Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax)

Tilford's Nit-Wit - Garrison Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax) 4.8%

The winner of Garrison's Ultimate Brew-Off was designed by Scott Tilford and then scaled up by the folks at Garrison, and the result is a cool beer indeed. Gold in a glass with an awesome floral aroma of spice and yeast. Quite bitter and tart as well as yeasty and spicy with a mix of citrus flavours. Not a small amount of hops flavour in there too. I recommend drinking this one warmer than fridge temperature in order to fully appreciate the impressive mix of flavours.



Garrison 15th Mango and Ginger (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax) 9.0%

A very hoppy aromawith melonesque mango tones; sweet and sticky with a bitter edge. A touch of ginger - the way it smells cooked not raw. Noticeably high in alcohol, very bitter. Gingery, spicy, hoppy (cedar) flavours as well as mango and melon with a hint of citrus. A lingering very bitter finish. Caramel sweetness throughout. Cool label with the fifteen types of hops used.

Orangey gold in a glass. Some light sediment towards the end that adds to the taste: fruitier with more depth in the hops. I also found it tasted better as it warmed even though it had been already been out of the fridge ten or more minutes before I poured.

Two Fruit Flavoured Wheats from Garrison Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax)

Raspberry Wheat - Garrison Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax) 4.6%

A very cloudy yellow in a glass and well carbonated. It smells like a wheat beer with a stronger apricot-ish scent than raspberry. The taste is quite bitter along with tart raspberry flavours. This is a genuine wheat beer that tastes like it was actually brewed with raspberries rather than just having raspberry flavour added afterwards. However, if you are looking for a fruity beer to share with a non-beer lover, be forewarned that this beer isn't very sweet so may not be the best conversion tool. It is very good though.





Blackberry Wheat - Garrison Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax) 4.6%

A really nice blackberry aroma, hints of coriander; so it actually is a wheat beer. The taste is much same as the aroma. Gold colour but slightly cloudy giving it a reddish hue. A very pleasant fruit flavoured beer.

Seaport Beerfest (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax)

Seaport Beerfest 2012

A few general notes about my recent Seaport Beerfest experience in Halifax: it was awesome despite the rain. I got a number of reviews done and it was great to see such a vast selection.

Of the beers I tried, the ones that really stood out were: Rogue's Roost's Barley Wine, Garrison's Comet Double IPA, Flacatoune a Belgian Pale Ale from Microbrasserie Charlevoix and Hell Bay's English Ale which I thought I was a superb English Pale Ale. There were many more beers that I tried and enjoyed and many more that I didn't have time to try. Hell Bay's Smoked Rye also gets special mention for being such an interesting beer even though I couldn't finish my sample for fear that the intense smoke flavours would mess up my palate.

I also would have liked to be able to make it to some of the ciders since I don't usually drink those. In fact, one of things I enjoyed most was being able to try beers that I wasn't expecting to be all that remarkable without having to shell out the cash to buy a 12-pack just to confirm my suspicions.

I'm definitely going next year and wholeheartedly recommend it to all you beer enthusiasts out there.

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.

Spruce Beer - Garrison Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax)

Spruce Beer - Garrison Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax) 7.5%

Garrison's Spruce Beer is a dark brown that appears to be almost a burnt crimson colour when viewed in a certain light. The aroma is quite predictably sprucey but sprucey like a spruce tree not like a sprucey hops but it is a strong dark maple flavour with hints of smoke that greats you on the first sip and lingers into the aftertaste. It must be the mix of molasses and caramel malt that becomes what I am tasting as maple and smoke.

The spruce flavour is from actual spruce and fir tips that are used in the brewing, which I have to say is pretty fantastic. Garrison claims this is North America's oldest beer style and tells its story on the label. The use of pieces of trees is far-out and yet authentic because if there is one thing the east coast of Canada has it's lots of trees.

Fairly sweet but also quite bitter, this is a thoroughly interesting and complex beer. It a must-try for beer drinkers and history buffs alike, and it's a seasonal so don't delay: get out there and try it.

Winter Warmer - Garrison Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax)

Winter Warmer - Garrison Brewing (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax) 6.5%

Smells roasty, sticky and like caramel. A dark amber in a glass, a little like burnished wood. Very strong flavour, sweet with a somewhat floral spicy punch and fairly bitter with cloves but also with a hops flavour that is ever so slightly (and pleasantly) green.

Not an ale for the faint of heart but perfect for a curling up with during a dark winter's night. Would be a great drink to serve at any Yule, Christmas or New Years Eve party and would also make a great stocking stuffer for that beer lover on your list.

Truly a great winter style beer, I'm not surprised at all it brought home a Silver Canadian Brewing Award in 2009.