Oktobock (Wild Oats Series #24) - Beau's All Natural Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Vankleek Hill)

Oktobock (Wild Oats Series #24) - Beau's All Natural Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Vankleek Hill) 7.0%

A deep gold in a glass, crystal clear with a head of white foam. The aroma is sweet, lightly malty with a distinctly lager yeast touch as well as that dry, lightly spicy hoppiness of Czech or German hops.

Drily bitter and spicy hops continue in the taste but are rounded out beautifully by a robust malty body and also have a slight herbal touch. Touches of caramel, a roast glaze and grain are highlights of a malt character that suits the style perfectly to my taste. Ocktobock's has a bitter finish (again, entirely appropriate) and a malty, roasty aftertaste.

Oktobock is just about exactly what I expect when I drink a Bock: that ineffable lager taste, drily bitter and barely spicy European hops, malty sweetness (an emphasis on roasty, sugary or caramel tasting malt as the brewmaster chooses), a refreshing feel even though the mouthfeel is thicker than a lager and marginally syrupy.

In a way my expectations are a little coloured by the travel time it takes for German bocks to arrive in Canada which can cause the hops to become a bit attenuated. With a beer brewed just outside of Ottawa the blush isn't off the rose, so to speak: the beer is fresh and the hops flavours have more depth and variety. Also since Oktobock is a Maibock interpretation, it is expected to be somewhat more bitter than a Bock or a Helles Bock.

Galt Knife Old Style Lager - Grand River Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Cambridge) 4.4%

Galt Knife Old Style Lager - Grand River Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Cambridge) 4.4%

A deep, deep gold in a glass; slightly cloudy with very light sediment. A frothy white head with slight lacing but even though my glass was clean it wasn't "beer clean" because I forgot to rinse my glass prior to the pour (note: d'oh!) so it's probably my fault there isn't more. Pouring another dash (into a beer clean glass this time) had better head and lacing.

A malty aroma with biscuit and honey touches and a prelude of the bitterness; just a hint of yeast like you'd get from fresh bread. Delightfully bitter taste for a lager with lots of biscuit, grain and bread tones. The hops character is mostly just bitter without being at all floral but it has a bit of some leafy green flavour to it. Also, there is just a hint of something like clover in the sweetness of the malt. A bitter aftertaste with notes of grain and hints of that clover taste again. Galt Knife Old Style Lager is a very nice lager, refreshing but interesting and suitable for just about any occasion.