Cascadian Dark - Wild Rose (Canada - Alberta - Calgary) 6.0%

Cascadian Dark - Wild Rose (Canada - Alberta - Calgary) 6.0%

Black, just about opaque in a glass. Nice lacing. Hoppy, spicy, floral, pine hops character also bitter and slightly astringent. A moderate grain flavour. There is a little pineapple to the hops some faint dark malt coffee-ish flavours but very much in the background. The aftertaste is still hop dominated but has a little more coffee, grain and smoke. All in all this is a really nice hops forward dark IPA.

Wild Rose Cherry Porter (Canada - Alberta - Calgary) 6.5%

Wild Rose Cherry Porter (Canada - Alberta - Calgary) 6.5%

Black and opaque in a glass with the barest (potentially imagined) red tint. Heavy dark malty aroma of coffee, smoke, dark red fruit. Thick creamy mouthfeel with a coffee and dark dark chocolate taste explosion; a lovely dark cherry flavour and a bit of grapes actually. Just a bit of fresh cut grass hops. The dark fruit flavour is slightly tart which is a perfect counterpoint to the malt. A smoke and dark fruit aftertaste, sweet and tart, chocolate, coffee and delicious. A really special porter that has earned its place on the list of 1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die.

Wild Rose IPA (Canada - Alberta - Calgary) 6.0%

Wild Rose IPA (Canada - Alberta - Calgary) 6.0%

Pours an orange gold in a glass the colour of which I find reminiscent of sap. A floral, piney, resiny, slightly metallic aroma with fresh-cut grass and (more so at first) more than a little grapefruit and orange. A big, fluffy, frothy head with good lacing. It's really nice served a little warmer than fridge temperature though the foam can get impressively crazy when its warm. Quite a bitter taste, spicy, floral hops with a taste of citrus, cut grass and a bit of earthy grain flavour. Wild Rose IPA has a sweet citrus and hoppy finish; a roasty and toasty aftertaste that is bitter and a bit sticky. The overall bitterness and lightly watery mouthfeel would make this a great beer to pair with food as it is palate cleansing while still being somewhat light and refreshing. With this beer Wild Rose has made a nice IPA that is similar to a West Coast IPA in someways but interestingly different in other ways.

Royal 100: 1910-2010 - Mount Royal University & Wild Rose Brewery (Canada - Alberta - Calgary)

In honour of the 101st anniversary of Mount Royal University I will review the beer released to celebrate their 100th:

Royal 100: 1910-2010 - Mount Royal University & Wild Rose Brewery (Canada - Alberta - Calgary) 5.0%

Tastes of red malt make this beer taste warm with bitter hop tones. The mix of flavours were perfect for winter. A tasty beer and a grand one liter bottle - handy for homebrew too! A deep reddish amber colour in a glass.

It was brewed by the neighbouring Wild Rose Brewery for Mount Royal University located in Calgary in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Mount Royal University's founding.