Molson Canadian 67 Session IPA - MolsonCoors (Canada)

Molson Canadian 67 Session IPA - MolsonCoors (Canada) 3.0%

I'm dubious that this is going to be good, not because it's only 3% ABV but because it's made by MolsonCoors and they have a number of products in their portfolio that are less than desirable.

It pours nicely though! A proper head of white foam with a darker shade of amber coloured body in a glass. And... how about that? The aroma is strongly hoppy! Tropical fruit, resin and hints of something vegetal.

The flavour is also hop forward with the same mix of hop tones as in the aroma coming through clearly but without much intensity. The body is very thin (unsurprisingly, given it is a low calorie and very low alcohol beer) and it's a bit over carbonated as a result. The aftertaste is very short lived but over all this is an interesting beer. If very low alcohol and hops is something that you were looking for in a beer than I have to recommend giving this Session IPA a try. Really my only complaint is that it is over carbonated to my taste but I imagine that might appeal to some.

Moonlight Porter - Waller Street Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Ottawa)

Moonlight Porter - Waller Street Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Ottawa) 6.3%

Very dark in a glass, more or less opaque with only a very fine ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass. Toasty coffee and chocolate aroma with a pine and maybe slight citrus hops touch that blends well with the dark malt bitterness.

The flavour is strong and really good. Hoppy bitterness plays throughout but with coffee and chocolate tones and plenty of dark, earthy, dried fruit tones that intermingle with the evergreen, hops leaving you with delicious chewy, fruity, malty wood flavours. This is an excellent American Porter from Waller Street Brewing.

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

Beaver River I.P.Eh? - Greener Futures - Beau's All-Natural Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Vankleek Hill) 6.0%

Punchy fruity tones stem from the hops and ginger combination, citrusy, almost like the peel of an orange - that characterizes the hops character. There are also distinct rum tones to be enjoyed, floating above the other flavour these alcohol, spice and wood tones give this version of Beaver River I.P.Eh? a heady and indulgent boozy aspect despite the fact that it is only 6% ABV. Beaver River I.P.Eh? is quite bitter but with some malty sweetness. This is a fun version of an IPA, the ginger and the rum barrels play well with the other flavours. I'd pick it up again if they were to make it again.

Zizanie - Tête d’Allumette (Canada - Quebec - St-André de Kamouraska)

Zizanie - Tête d’Allumette (Canada - Quebec - St-André de Kamouraska) 3.9%

A barely cloudy gold in a glass without much of a head. The aroma is sweet, light, with white fleshed fruits tones like pear or white grape juice. The flavour is light but not as light as you might expect from the low alcohol content,  a delicious mix of mild crusty roll or giant pretzel tones from the malt, floral tones that bring to mind wide fields in August and a light hop bitterness with an umami finish that means the glass spends as much time at my lips as it does resting on the bar. Yum!

A quick note about the venue where I came across this rare beauty. Gainsbourg is a fine brewpub in its own right (reviews of their beers upcoming) but they also serve a great selection of Quebecois beers including this one.

Spark House Red Ale - Lake of Bays Brewing Company (Canada - Ontario - Baysville)

Spark House Red Ale - Lake of Bays Brewing Company (Canada - Ontario - Baysville) 5.0%

The colour is a bit on the dark side for a Red Ale and it boasts a large resilient head of off-white foam. The aroma is somewhat sweet, has a hint of maple and the caramelized sugars whose flavour is best characterized as red. They are a step beyond toasty but shy of roasty, they lie at the point on the carelization spectrum when blonde sugars turn to yellow and then a shiny red. They give Red Ales' their characteristic colour, flavour and name. These red sugars are the main flavour but they are balanced by a moderate hoppiness that keeps the sweetness from being too strong so that the beer remains refreshing.

Empirical Ale - Black Creek Historic Brewery (Canada - Ontario - Toronto) 5.0%

Empirical Ale - Black Creek Historic Brewery (Canada - Ontario - Toronto) 5.0%

Copper colour in a glass, nice moderate hop aroma with toasty bread, a sweet caramel or even maple touch mixed with an earthiness and wood tones (cedar or pine). Very nice aroma.

Cedar hops flavour, firm but not very strong, paired nicely with that malt flavour I mentioned in the aroma that is somewhere between caramel and maple with just a kiss of smoke. There is also an earthy flavour that mellows and broadens the flavour of the whole beer and although there is a caramel/maple tone Empirical Ale isn't particularly sweet. The mouthfeel isn't heavy, it has a watery aspect that keeps this beer refreshing and really goes well with the restrained hops flavour and the only moderate sweetness. I think this is an excellent beer and would say it most resembles an English IPA though the hops character is that of a North American hops.

Dinner Jacket O'Red IPA - Arch Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Guelph)

Dinner Jacket O'Red IPA - Arch Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Guelph) 6.3%

A red hued gold in a glass with a big head of off-white foam. Cedar and resin aroma, with a scent of some sticky caramelized sugars you would expect from a Red Ale.

Very bitter, hops forward flavour at first and a very bitter aftertaste - a little metallic even. Honestly, Dinner Jacket seemed too bitter at first but I got accustomed to it quite quickly and more of the flavours came out rather than solely bitterness. Resin, cedar, pine and other faint wood tones form the hops character while crusty bread, and some nearly sticky candied fruit tones in the malty body. As promised on the label and by the use of oats, Dinner Jacket O'Red IPA does have a creamy mouthfeel.

In the end, the malt body of a Red Ale is what distinguishes this from other IPAs and a bit more of those Red Ale malt flavours as well as a bit less of the bitterness would make this beer a real standout.

Innis and Gunn Oloroso (Scotland)

Innis and Gunn Oloroso (Scotland) 7.4% 

A full gold in a glass with a big frothy head of white foam. A sweet caramel aroma, some bright, lightly spicy wood notes.

Sweet caramel flavour though not as sweet as some Innis and Gunn products that are really sweet. The wood notes are pleasant and lighter oak. This beer doesn't have any of the sourness that some oaked beers have hints of and there are some well placed dry, grassy hops flavours. Innis and Gunn seemed to make a big deal about the Oloroso barrels but I didn't find the flavour all that different from other barrels they have used. I find this is a really nice tasting beer, exhibiting better balance that some other Innis and Gunn ales while still keeping with their very sweet, very strong, cask aged beer tradition.

Rye Bock - Cameron's Brewing Company (Canada - Ontario - Oakville)

Rye Bock - Cameron's Brewing Company (Canada - Ontario - Oakville) 6.3%

It pours a slightly deep (slightly orange) gold in a glass with a finger of off-white foam. The aroma contains a touch of dry euro hops (fuggles?) that give it a fresh greenness and just a hint of the fruitiness rye malt brings as well as some biscuit tones.

The flavour is strongly characterised by rye malt: grain but with a red fruity berry touch, crusty bread, toast, and just a bit more smoky than barley. Cameron's Rye Bock has a tangy bitter finish and a very appetizing aftertaste of rye flavours, some lingering bitterness and umami. This Maibock variant has a bit more hops than you'd expect from a sweeter or darker winter Bock but the hop bitterness is really quite perfect for the style. Specifically the hops character stops short of being resiny: the flavour remains dry and earthy, as well as a mix of herbal and grassy. I think the flavour is perfect for a Maibock, or springtime Bock, and I like this beer quite a bit.

Hennepin - Brewery Ommegang (USA - New York - Cooperstown)

Hennepin - Brewery Ommegang (USA - New York - Cooperstown) 7.7%

A big foamy white head with a gold and cloudy body. A lovely and intriguing aroma mix. It taste firstly of citrus, light herbal and honey tones with some nectar. Most of these (though not really the citrus) would fit in a Belgian Golden Ale but there is also an earthy character with spiced aspect (I gather that is the ginger) and a hint of hops. This second grouping of aromas makes it quite clear that this is a Saison not a Belgian Golden Ale.

Hennepin has a strong yeast character as well: herbal and there is a flavour that is close but not quite banana along with some drying hops touches. It is quite bitter actually, nearly tart at times too, and very refreshing as a result. It's also quite carbonated and that would be, I suppose, the "champagne-like effervescence" from the label and it is an apt comparison. The malty body comes out in the finish, lightly roasty, toasty and with biscuit touches. It has a somewhat bitter aftertaste with traces of the nectar, herbal, hops mix that makes me like Hennepin so much.

This would definitely be a good aperitif beer and I think Hennepin would also go well with pasta dishes, barbecue and stir-fry.

Kellerbier - Creemore Springs (Canada - Ontario - Creemore)

Kellerbier - Creemore Springs (Canada - Ontario - Creemore) 5.0%

A cloudy gold in a glass - a colour a lot like honey actually - with a frothy head of foam. The aroma has citrus and spice and is more than a little reminiscent of a wheat beer. Great spicy hops and toasted bread taste. Moderately bitter with a touch of honeyed sweetness and a hint of grain. A creamy mouthfeel but a tasty citrus (orange) touch also lightens Kellerbier on your tongue. A very enjoyable beer with a good story (see image on the right).

Bia IPA - Birrificio Del Ducato (Italy)

Bia IPA - Birrificio Del Ducato (Italy) 6.5%

Full gold in a glass with a slight haze. The head faded fairly quickly leaving minimal lacing. The aroma is sweet, honey and grain with hops that smell of tropical fruits: papaya, nectarine and maybe some peach.

The taste is quite sweet with touch of candi sugar and caramel while still having a bitter bite and finish. To my taste this beer is heavily loaded with drying hops that you would expect in a pilsner or European lager; there are, no doubt, other hop types used as well since the hops character of this beer features more than dryness and some hops spice but also subtle tropical fruit flavours. However, this heavy use of pilsner hops stands out to me because its use in an IPA in conjunction with other types is interesting and I can't quite think of another beer that does it to this extent. Combined with the sweetness of this IPA, the hops come across as more nectar than resin with faint fruity notes of peach and tangerine that remind me of a zinfandel wine. Bia IPA is an interestingly subtle IPA that still packs in the hops but is different from those North American IPAs that tote loads of cedar and resin flavours.

New Grist - Lakefront Brewery (USA - Wisconsin - Milwaukee)

New Grist - Lakefront Brewery (USA - Wisconsin - Milwaukee) 5.3%

Very pale gold in a glass, almost like a cider with a nearly nonexistent head. All of which is typical of gluten free beers. The aroma is very lightly citrusy (tangerine perhaps) and fairly tart.

The taste is a just little tart at first, especially in the finish, but is otherwise very beer like. New Grist is a little overcarbonated to my tastes but has a convincing malt flavour with light grain flavours and even some light dry european hops. This is a very convincing Pilsner style gluten-free beer and while it is a little light on flavour that makes it a whole lot better than some of the gluten-free options out there. If Lakefront added just a little bit more dry hops flavour I think it would be about as close to a Pilsner as a gluten-free beer could be.

Opa's Gose (Wild Oats Series #05) - Beau's All Natural Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Vankleek Hill)

Opa's Gose (Wild Oats Series #05) - Beau's All Natural Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Vankleek Hill) 5.0%

A cloudy gold in a glass with a thin head and a sour, citrusy (lemon) aroma that features tones of grain and some dry Pilsner like hops.

Quite sour with plenty of yummy yeast flavours: nectar, floral and herbal with banana as well. I grew accustomed to the sour flavour very quickly and by the third sip or so didn't really notice it much more than I would with other yeast heavy beers that sometimes comes across as a touch sour. Other Gose beers (sour ales) have been much, much more sour so this one is tame in comparison. There is sediment at the bottom of the bottle but it only adds further strength to the yeast flavours - no additional acidity. The included sea salt is fun: in small doses I found it did add to the flavour somewhat and caused some amusing but under control foaming action. But for goodness sake don't put in the whole four gram package, the baggie pictured below was photographed after I had added the desired amount of salt.

Opa's Gose would pair well with plenty kinds of foods. I found that it paired well with some greasier fare as the tart touch cut through the grease nicely and was quite refreshing.

La Pitoune - Le Trou Du Diable (Canada - Quebec - Shawinigan)

La Pitoune - Le Trou Du Diable (Canada - Quebec - Shawinigan) 5.0%

Gold in a glass with a big white head of foam and that gradually collapsed into a large iceberg of very resilient foam in the middle of the glass. There is some very fine sediment and it makes the beer a little bit cloudy. A dry european hops aroma that is herbal and has a bit of yeast too.

The taste is drily bitter with a floral, herbal and lightly spicy touch. The herbal flavours sometimes comes across as the slightest bit of banana while the malty body has tones of grain and loads (or loaves?) of toasted bread flavours. It is refreshing and quite nice even though this style doesn't give the brewers at Le Trou Du Diable a chance to show off some of their exceptional flavours like their other beers do. La Pitoune is a nice Pilsner on the bitter side of the average Pilsner and also with more of a herbal taste.

Scottish Pale Ale - Innis and Gunn (Scotland)

Scottish Pale Ale - Innis and Gunn (Scotland) 7.0%

Sweet, caramel-heavy aroma filled with barrel tones but not dark, smoky barrel tones. Instead it is a light oakiness of a white wine. Full gold in a glass and crystal clear with a fairly thin head.

A taste that is sweet and yet more balanced overall than many Innis and Gunn oak aged beers. The oak comes in rather light, is in balance with the sweetness and there is even some subtly peppery hops bitterness. A lightly sugary finish of caramel and a lingering oak aftertaste.

Innis and Gunn's Scottish Pale Ale is deceptively high in alcohol. I say deceptively because it is easy drinking and you certainly do not taste any alcohol despite it being 7.0% ABV. Innis and Gunn's oak aged beers, though still very good, are often very sweet and very oaky but, because of the amount of hops used, their Scottish Pale Ale is neither really. As a result, if you found some previous Innis and Gunn's beers too flavourful, this one may be more your speed; however, for those of you hoping for a hops forward beer from Innis and Gunn, this one is not it but it is still very good.

West Coast IPA - Churchkey Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Campbellford)

West Coast IPA - Churchkey Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Campbellford) 5.0%

Gold in a glass; not much of a head. The aroma and taste are very similar: dominated by the hops character of melon and muted grapefruit with a touch of cucumber and earthiness that combine to be something much like a gourd or mild squash - not quite pumpkin because the flavour is too cool and mellow. A slightly strange kind of IPA.

Shawinigan Handshake - Le Trou du Diable (Canada - Quebec - Shawinigan) 6.5%

Shawinigan Handshake - Le Trou du Diable (Canada - Quebec - Shawinigan) 6.5%

A cloudy orange colour in a glass, like the colour of a peach (just like the label suggests), with a nice fluffy white head. Sweet, honey and melon aroma with citrus (orange and nectarine) as well as a resin background.

Be warned before pouring: there is some heavy duty sediment at the bottom of the bottle. While a little of it may even enhance the flavour the dregs you'll get from pouring every last drop of this otherwise delicious beer, are overly yeasty, bitter and otherwise not very nice.

The taste is bitter at first with a great hops character of pine and still some melon and nectarine tones. Yeasty banana, maybe a little apple juice, green pear, and bread flavours really come out mid-mouth. The hoppy finish that is also heavy in slightly spicy honey is followed by an aftertaste that I would describe as dry cedar while the label calls it "dry spruce" and while I feel like there is a difference there, it is very slight.

Twice As Mad Tom IPA - Muskoka Brewery (Canada - Ontario - Bracebridge)

Twice As Mad Tom IPA - Muskoka Brewery (Canada - Ontario - Bracebridge) 8.4%

A colour between gold and brass in a glass with a thin darkened off-white head. Very sprucey and sweet aroma. The taste is bitter but also very sweet and loaded with a lovely sprucey hops flavour. A bit of sticky resin in the finish and aftertaste but overall this is a sweet and light-on-the-tongue Double India Pale Ale full of great "forest" flavours as well as a little citrus and floral touches. Deceptively high in alcohol: it certainly doesn't taste 8.4% alcohol.

Montgomery's Courage (1830-1839) - Black Creek Historic Brewery (Canada - Ontario - Toronto) 5.0%

Montgomery's Courage (1830-1839) - Black Creek Historic Brewery (Canada - Ontario - Toronto) 5.0%

This beer has quite the aroma that I could smell immediately upon opening the bottle, even before I poured it: distinctly rye with some bitter cedar hops and a earthiness that gives the historic brew a rustic feeling of authenticity. A lovely glowing deep orange in a glass with a thin head that lacks some staying power.

Strong rye notes, grainy and hearty all in one, with cedar and resin hops flavours that demand to be taken seriously the moment the rye lead flavour subsides just a bit. The earthen tones of the aroma carry through in the flavour and, to my taste, do an excellent job of bringing together the hearty rye flavour, the Cracker-Jack caramelized sweetness with the resin and cedar bitterness. The finish is almost sweet with the hops peaking mid-mouth and the coming back strong, sticky and a little peppery in the aftertaste. I should note that I am drinking this quite warm (about 15 degrees Celsius at the time of opening) as I feel suits a historic brew such as this.

Montgomery's Courage is the third of Black Creek Historic Brewery's series of Historic Beers of Canada that brews it's way through the history of Canada one decade at a time, starting with Rifleman's Ration, followed by Dray Horse Ale and now Montgomery's Courage. Not only is it a delightfully historic recipe but it is so well balanced and delightful I think it will have to be the benchmark against which I measure all other Rye Pale Ales from this point onward. I look forward to whatever the Black Creek Historic Brewery has planned next.