Dominus Vobiscum Double - Microbrasserie Charlevoix (Canada - Quebec - Baie-Saint-Paul) 8.0%

Dominus Vobiscum Double - Microbrasserie Charlevoix (Canada - Quebec - Baie-Saint-Paul) 8.0%

A cloudy beer with a creamy tan head of foam. It is a deep brown colour with a deep amber hue very much like the colour of mahogany (like the label says).

A strong and unique aroma: there are apple juice tones, which is a bit weird but the other aspects balance it; there is grape, raisin, biscuit and molasses; finally, barley candy with subtle leather and an underlying earthiness. Makes for a heady, intriguing and delicious aroma.

The flavour is strongly malty with molasses and barley candy sweetness and lots of dark, dried fruit flavours like raisin, dates and prunes. There is a floral aspect to the overall flavour that is likely contributed by the yeast present in this bottle-conditioned beer. Dominus Vobiscum Double is neither overly sweet or bitter but just very flavourful and interesting. A really lovely beer full of character.

Gilgamesh - Beau's All-Natural Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Vankleek Hill)

Gilgamesh - Beau's All-Natural Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Vankleek Hill) 8.9%

Very dark brown, a bit cloudy and, in combination, this makes it just about opaque.

Dark fruit, and brown bread aroma with touches of molasses. Some earthy wood tones. Gilgamesh is still pretty cold at the moment but I still pick up a bit of the rum barrels: subtle spice, that touch of molasses and noticeable alcohol. Of course I would have to say that the wood tones fit with the rum barrels too.

Strong molasses flavour and sweetness, reminds me of gingerbread cookies that are heavy on the molasses and light on the ginger. Or are those molasses cookies? But I digress. Slight tongue tingling from a combination of the alcohol and some pleasant run spiciness. Chewy dried dark fruit flavours (raisin), as well as the previously referenced molasses and malty goodness all along. Gilgamesh delivers a delightful mix of dark malt flavours and a subtle roster of rum barrel flavours, very nice and dangerously drinkable to my taste.

Porter Baltique - Les Trois Mousquetaires (Canada - Quebec - Brossard) 10.0%

Porter Baltique - Les Trois Mousquetaires (Canada - Quebec - Brossard) 10.0%

This Baltic Porter pours an opaque, and bordering on black, brown in a glass with tan head that faded fairly quickly and features an aroma of prunes, figs, leather, raisins, black currants, espresso and dark chocolate.

The flavour is, well, exquisite. The dried dark fruit flavours continue from the aroma along with quite a lot of sweetness. There is an earthy, leather tone to the flavour as well as just a hint of the high alcohol content. It is definitely on the sweeter side of what I would expect from a Baltic Porter, less bitterness and the malt flavours aren't as pronounced or nuanced as I have had because they sort of get glossed over by the sweetness. Also Garrison and Rock Bottom Baltic Porters have the slightest salt flavour. It is still a very good beer but I think it would be a lot more interesting if it had just a little less sugar.

8th Sin - Hop City (Canada - Ontario - Brampton)

8th Sin - Hop City (Canada - Ontario - Brampton) 5.0%

Very dark, nearly opaque, with an off-white head which is lighter than I expected for a beer with such a dark body. Milk chocolate aroma, with a subtle earthiness, a bit of coffee, a tiny bit of grain. Chocolatey flavour with a bit of dark, dried fruit tones and a grounding earthiness as well as the taste of the crust of dark bread. The mouthfeel is a bit surprisingly (and pleasantly) light while still being creamy. The aftertaste is more strongly earthy with light prune and raisin flavours to match the chocolate.

This is a really tasty beer, I can honestly say I have never had a Black Lager that had this depth and breadth of dark malt flavours. The is something to it that I am finding hard to put into words that seems more like a lager than an ale but I think I would be bluffing if I asserted that, in a blind taste test, I'd be able to tell the difference between this and an equally tasty dark ale with a similar light mouthfeel.

Christmas Ale - Shepherd Neame (United Kingdom)

Christmas Ale - Shepherd Neame (United Kingdom) 7.0%

A reddish gold colour in a glass with a frothy, white head of foam. A dry, slightly herbal hop aroma with light red fruit and plum flavours. Sweet, lightly boozy and herbal taste with caramelized stickiness and dark malty flavours mixed with some light fruit tones (apple, raisin, plum). Shepherd Neame's Christmas Ale has sherry traits but also the robust malty body of a nice amber ale. The mix of flavours reminds me of really good fruitcake and is pretty close to my ideal concept of an English Christmas Ale.

Fuller's Vintage Ale 2012 (United Kingdom - London)

Fuller's Vintage Ale 2012 (United Kingdom - London) 8.5%

Just on the amber side of gold and barely cloudy with not much of a head, although I am pour it out in dribs and drabs so that I can savour this beer that I have been saving for more than a year. Sweet, nectary, peach and apple pie aroma. Apple because of some esters but pie because of the sweet, somewhat roasty malt flavours. Subdued but solid resiny hops, earth tones and a touch of alcohol blends this all together tantalizingly.

Sweetly sugary but with malt tones like barley candy, dried fruit flavours (dates, raisins) and lingering peach or marmalade tones. These sweet flavours are grounded with spicy, herbal hops tones and medium bitterness. The aftertaste is slightly bitter, earthy, with a caramelized sweetness and leather hints with a faint lingering touch of that marmalade flavour. I think the flavour of Fuller's Vintage Ale 2012 is truly delightful. If I had to describe it in only one sentence I'd describe it as such: a lighter body and perhaps slightly sweeter barley wine but with all the complexity. Bear in mind that barley wines are among my favourite beer styles of all time so this is high praise indeed.

On the strength of Fuller's Vintage Ale 2012's flavour I plan to pick up two or three of their 2013 (and 2014 and 2015 and ...) edition: one for a year from now; one for a vertical tasting with a one-year-old 2014; and one for a vertical tasting with a one-year-old 2015 and two-year-old 2014. Vertical tastings take a long horizon and a good deal of planning and foresight (not to mention a place to actually properly store the beer) so I still haven't done a proper one (once, out of luck I managed to find a few Orval bottles at an NB Liquor store that were bottled eight months apart) but this beauty of a beer from more than twelve months ago has convinced me that it has to happen.

Obsidian Imperial Porter Rum Barrel - Cameron's Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Oakville)

Obsidian Imperial Porter Rum Barrel - Cameron's Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Oakville) 9.2%

This barrel aged brewed pours as dark as its namesake with a head of fine, tan (nearly brown) bubbles. The aroma is molasses, caramel, rum barrel tones, alcohol and burnt sugar. It tastes of chocolate flavours (both dark and milk chocolate) oak, dark dried fruit (like prunes and raisins) leather, black coffee, smoke, a bit of nearly maple as well as molasses tones and a somewhat spicy booziness that reveal the rum influence. Overall, Obsidian tastes like a sweet rum and chocolate fruit cake.

It may be too late to buy this beer but if my description sounds appealing keep an eye out for the next addition to Cameron's Oak Aged Series.

Edit (November 21st, 2013): I have been informed by Cameron's Brewing that Obsidian is still available at the brewery and at the LCBO.

Doppelbock - Les Trois Mousquetaires (Canada - Quebec - Brossard)

Doppelbock - Les Trois Mousquetaires (Canada - Quebec - Brossard) 8.6%

A reddish chestnut colour in a glass with a big head of frothy, resilient, off-white foam.

A malty, sticky, caramelized aroma with red fruit, a sugary molasses, and some alcohol tones tones a bit like fruitcake. A really delicious fruitcake.

Sweet with some flavour tones that remind me a bit of sherry but with much more depth and breadth than I have ever taste in a sherry. Some red fruit tones, as in the aroma, tastes of a light molasses, a hint of wood (likely from the hops) and plenty of dried fruit like raisin, dates or prunes but with a lighter taste to them.

Les Trois Mousquetaires' Doppelbock has a surprisingly light mouthfeel which keeps this beer very enjoyable and without allowing the sweetness to become cloying even at warmer temperatures (the suggested serving temperature is between 10 and 14 Celsius). There is a little sediment at the bottom of the bottle and it tends to make the beer a bit more yeasty and just the slightest bit sour so I would leave the last centimeter of beer in the bottom of the bottle to avoid that.

Captivator Doppelbock - Tree Brewing (Canada - British Columbia - Kelowna) 8.0%

Captivator Doppelbock - Tree Brewing (Canada - British Columbia - Kelowna) 8.0%

Dark brown that is deep and nearly opaque but acquires some darkly glowing amber tones when you hold it up to the light; a fairly thin off-white head of foam. There is some light sediment at the bottom of the bottle but nothing you need to avoid.

The aroma is delicious. What, you want me to be more specific? Ok, it's richly malty and sweet with touches of caramel and white cake but it is heavily laden with sweet dark fruit tones like baked raisins or prunes as well as molasses tones and vanilla.

The taste is quite sweet and very malty, dark fruit tones and molasses a more than bit of vanilla. A mix of dry hops, tastes of alcohol and some faint wood tones takes some of the edge off of the sweetness but this is a very sweet and very delicious beer. This is a sweeter and lighter doppelbock than some that have more roasty or coffee, chocolate and smoke flavours but it is still loaded with malt flavour and it is quite high in alcohol

It is a limited edition so I strongly recommend checking your local stores to see if they have any left and buy a few. Enjoy one now and set aside a few for aging or for a special occasion.

Sinha Stout - Lion Brewery Ceylon PLC (Sri Lanka)

Sinha Stout - Lion Brewery Ceylon PLC (Sri Lanka) 8.8%

Black and utterly opaque in a glass. A vigorous pour generated a inch of mocha foam that settled quickly but did not completely dissipate sticking around the edges and and left some nice lacing. The aroma is chocolate heavy with some coffee, and a touch of grape or perhaps more like raisins and prunes. There is something also a little milky, like you'd find in a milk stout in the aroma. No signs of the 8.8% alcohol in the aroma until it warms up just a little. There is an issue with the aroma though, it is a little bit musty which may be as a result of a little oxygen tagging along in the bottle during the travel time from Sri Lanka to Ontario.

Milk chocolate flavours but a bit of a thin mouthfeel with some taste of alcohol in the finish. Ah, but let it warm up a little bit and the mouthfeel is there as well as the chocolate flavour, dark fruit, some leather tones. Also the finish is more smoke and dark chocolate with some alcohol, but not much, and just a little of that musty flavour. The aftertaste is dark fruit first and then some chocolate.

Overall, Sinha Stout is actually pretty good considering it was only $2.15 and it is 8.8% ABV. It is not the best stout but the only real knock on it is that is was musty and thin at times.

Sticke Alt - Les Trois Mousquetaires (Canada - Quebec - Brossard)

Sticke Alt - Les Trois Mousquetaires (Canada - Quebec - Brossard) 6.0%

A reddish brown and slightly cloudy colour in a glass with an off-white head of resilient foam. The aroma is sweet and sticky with dark fruit and caramelized sugar tones that border on light molasses. Toasted bread and nuts with some faint wood tones as well in the aroma.

Roasty sweet taste with a strong, nutty, grain flavour. Quite a bitter finish and just a bit spicy from the hops. Raisin, molasses (not blackstrap, much lighter instead), prunes, touches of apple. Put all that together and I would say Les Trois Mousquetaires's Sticke Alt tastes like baked red apples, prunes and raisins with honey, and half-caramel molasses over toasted nutty bread with a bitter finish and a umami aftertaste. A beer such as this is best paired with food and, as the label suggests, grilled food and semi-soft cheeses are well suited.

Grande Réserve 17 (2012) - Unibroue (Canada - Quebec - Chambly)

Grande Réserve 17 (2012) - Unibroue (Canada - Quebec - Chambly) 10.0%

A cloudy reddish brown colour in a glass with a smallish but resilient head. The aroma is loaded with oak along with some spice, cinnamon and nutmeg and herbal characteristics typical of Unibroue's brand of Belgian style ales.

The taste is again very oaky with an alcohol content you can feel. Sweet and spiced with fruit, raisin and herbal flavours, some light hops. Really spectacular and distinct. At various points in drinking the beer it reminded me alternatively of a white wine, a red wine, brandy or cognac. This is a phenomenal beer and a 'must try', there is so much to this beer that I think each person might take away something different.

Barrel Full of Monkeys - Paddock Wood (Canada - Saskatchewan - Saskatoon) 10.0%

Barrel Full of Monkeys - Paddock Wood (Canada - Saskatchewan - Saskatoon) 10.0%

Super dark in a glass and completely opaque. A hefty, thick, delicious, dark and strongly malty aroma: raisins, dates, a bit of pear, chocolate, wood tones, some alcohol as well as a hops impression that adds only bitterness and balance. At times this tasty aroma reminds me a bit of molasses cookies.

Coffee and dark chocolate for an instant but then washed over by a spectacular flood of dark dried fruit flavours of raisin, prunes, dates and smoky wood notes; chocolate returns only with a little alcohol which puts me in mind of liquere and fruit filled chocolates. The beer definitely imparts a alcohol glow right away but the alcohol doesn't do anything but accentuating the flavour; Barrel Full of Monkeys doesn't taste at all like it is one tenth pure ethanol (at least). The malty, smoky aftertaste with touches of the aforementioned dark fruit is very appetizing so while this beer deserves to be savoured on it's own it would go very nicely with some darker olives and other such strong flavoured finger food.

Words don't seem to do it justice in describing how tasty this beer is and they also make a cherry version. Paddock Wood's Barrel Full of Monkeys is only an annual release so if you get the chance to buy some DO IT!

Tokyo Black Porter - Yo-Ho Brewing (Japan - Nagano) 5.0%

Tokyo Black Porter - Yo-Ho Brewing (Japan - Nagano) 5.0%

Super dark, black and totally opaque in a glass with a brown frothy head. Raisin, grain and coffee, a little dark chocolate and smoke in the aroma.

Delicious dark malt flavours: smoke, coffee, raisins and other dried dark fruit flavours, complete with a dark chocolate backer. The smoke flavour is quite heavy and has a charred characteristic to it. The malt dimension as a whole is thick and delightful, and the mouthfeel is quite smooth and creamy. This porter is not too bitter for all it's smokiness and on the whole is exceptionally well balanced. Tokyo Black is exceptionally good and I heartily recommend it.

Lake of Bays Brewing (Ontario - Baysville)

Pale Ale - Lake of Bays Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Baysville) 5.0%

Noticeably hoppy aroma that carries through to the taste. Caramel malt is the delicious counterpoint to the bitter hops that is the main flavour of the aftertaste. This well balanced and interesting beer was a delight to enjoy while overlooking one of Northern Ontario's many beautiful and picturesque lakes.

Mocha Porter - Lake of Bays Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Baysville) 5.2%

This porter is very dark in a glass but not quite opaque and it smells of coffee and oatmeal. The taste itself is mainly of black coffee, a little watery as a porter compared to a stout usually is, and a bit like raisins with a hint of black olives. Actual coffee was added to this porter which seems a little like cheating to me but the end result is very tasty.