Brunette - Village Brewery (Canada - Alberta - Calgary)

Brunette - Village Brewery (Canada - Alberta - Calgary) 5.0%

Dark brown in a glass, slightly cloudy as one would expect after the slight roll before opening the label directed. A sweet toasted crusty bread, and slightly light molasses-like aroma. The taste is sweet, brown sugar, crusty bread, and biscuit. The aftertaste is umami and lightly bitter. This is a nice tasting Brown Ale.

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.

Russian Gun Imperial Stout - Grand River Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Cambridge)

Russian Gun Imperial Stout - Grand River Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Cambridge) 8.5%

Dark brown in a glass with a veritable explosion of mocha coloured foam that leaves behind highly impressive lacing and a iceberg like cap of foam on the beer. A bit of alcohol, earthy yeast, dark chocolate, subtle red and dark fruit tones, brown sugar, some wood tones and maybe a touch of leather in the very pleasant aroma.

The taste has, in my mind, the perfect amount of alcoholic bite for a Russian Imperial Stout. The flavour is comprised of hearty umami, brown bread, dried fruit a touch of espresso, smoky wood tones, earthy, chocolate, a bit of a hops edge too - like pine needles which also fits my concept of the style.

I really like this Russian Imperial Stout, I'm very fond of the taste. It also seems to drink a bit higher in alcohol than 8.5%, good 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.

Rescousse - Dieu du Ciel (Canada - Quebec - St Jerome)

Rescousse - Dieu du Ciel (Canada - Quebec - St Jerome) 5.3%

A red hued brass colour in a glass with an off-white head that leaves behind thick Belgian lace. A strong malty aroma of grilled bread, toasty notes, maybe slightly nutty, a little bit of smoke and hints of tangy fruit tones. Rescousse has a lovely roasted malt flavour, sweet and nutty with just the perfect amount of lightly bitter hops to balance. The light smoky flavour along with a hint of fruit esters (apple) puts me in mind of autumn and leaves a roasty, umami aftertaste with the barest hints of smoke. The beer is absolutely delicious, a perfect example of the style and would be the perfect aperitif as Rescousse's robust umami flavour really whets the appetite. Bring a six pack of Rescousse to your next BBQ and you are sure to please and impress your hosts. Serve it to your guests and they may never leave.

As an added plus, eleven cents is donated to rescousse.org for each bottle sold in order to help species at risk in Quebec.

Sorachi Lager - Duggan's Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Toronto) 4.0%

Sorachi Lager - Duggan's Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Toronto) 4.0%

Pale gold in a glass with a fizzy white head that fades fairly quickly. A light floral, citrus aroma that is almost tart and has a distinct pine backing. The taste doesn't have the same tartness as the aroma. It is instead mostly toasted white bread flavours with some of that same light citrus (lemon and subtly orange) touch and a floral tone that is tugging on something in my memory, maybe like a Forsythia? Duggan's Soriachi Lager's finish has a slight coconut note and a tasty umami aftertaste. All in all, this is a different lager with a nice flavour, and more flavour in general than most lagers, and yet it is still light and refreshing to go along with its complexities.

Cream Ale - Cameron's Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Oakville)

Cream Ale - Cameron's Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Oakville) 5.0%

A full gold in a glass. Roasty aroma with a hint of fruit esters and a faint touch of grain. Well carbonated but a creamy mouthfeel. Umami and roast flavours dominate; overall well balanced with moderate sweetness and bitterness. Cameron's Cream Ale is sessionable and very pleasant, not overly strong tasting but nice.