Organic Old Ruby Ale 1905 - Duchy Originals from Waitrose (England) 5.0%

A full amber that seems to glow the way it catches the light. Ruby seems a bit of a stretch but (if it is meant to describe colour rather than style) as suitable a word as any. Quite a sprucy flavour paired with plenty of sweet roast stickiness, a mild touch of citrus in the middle and hops comes through on the back-end with a fairly bitter finish. A lively ale, the taste seems to change with each second as it passes from lips to belly.

Certified organic this ale is one of many varied organic products by Duchy Originals from Waitrose a partnership founded by HRH The Prince of Wales. More information can be found on the link below. I wonder if they'll knight me for linking to?

www.DuchyOriginals.com

Okanagan Springs Brewery (Canada - British Columbia - Vernon))

Okanagan Springs Brewery located in Vernon, British Columbia has been making beer since 1985. This taster pack included four varieties was purchased (and reviewed) in January. It seems like the composition of these taster pack changes with the season: a seasonal taking the place of the winter appropriate Brewmaster Black Lager. The labels of all of the bottles include a brief write-up of the beer and a few cool informative graphics.

Pale Ale 5.0%

A slightly hoppy and sweet ale, a little nutty and a somewhat caramel flavour. It has a smooth finish with a bitter touch.

Hopped 5.2%

A strong but not overpowering hops taste, it's more balanced than many hop heavy beers. Also not particularly bitter for a beer that tastes so strongly of hops.

Brewmaster Black Lager 5.0%

Malty with coffee and chocolate flavours. Quite dark in a glass with a frothy head. An interesting beer out of a standard brown bottle and a very detailed label tells us something of the beer. An interesting black lager, it has the same refreshing mouthfeel of a lager but with the flavours of a dark beer.

1514 5.0%

This lager is made in accordance with the Bavarian Law of Purity. The result is a lager with more than a hint of hops and malty tastes of freshly toasted bread. Tasty and refreshing.

Seaport Beerfest (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax)

Seaport Beerfest 2012

A few general notes about my recent Seaport Beerfest experience in Halifax: it was awesome despite the rain. I got a number of reviews done and it was great to see such a vast selection.

Of the beers I tried, the ones that really stood out were: Rogue's Roost's Barley Wine, Garrison's Comet Double IPA, Flacatoune a Belgian Pale Ale from Microbrasserie Charlevoix and Hell Bay's English Ale which I thought I was a superb English Pale Ale. There were many more beers that I tried and enjoyed and many more that I didn't have time to try. Hell Bay's Smoked Rye also gets special mention for being such an interesting beer even though I couldn't finish my sample for fear that the intense smoke flavours would mess up my palate.

I also would have liked to be able to make it to some of the ciders since I don't usually drink those. In fact, one of things I enjoyed most was being able to try beers that I wasn't expecting to be all that remarkable without having to shell out the cash to buy a 12-pack just to confirm my suspicions.

I'm definitely going next year and wholeheartedly recommend it to all you beer enthusiasts out there.

Waterloo Amber by Brick Brewing Co (Canada - Ontario - Waterloo)

This nice little number was only briefly carried by NB Liquor and at the time of publishing there are still some on the shelves of certain stores (use NB Liquor excellently useful Product Search to see which ones) but when they gone: that's it, that's all for Waterloo Amber in New Brunswick.

Waterloo Amber by Brick Brewing Co (Canada - Ontario - Waterloo) 6.8%

A red, roasty and sweet aroma with a hint of hops and more than a hint alcohol. There is a distinct alcohol warming and a bit of bitterness when drinking it after it has been out of the fridge for eight or so minutes. Best to let this warm up a bit so that the alcohol can mingle with the other flavours rather than stand out on its own. That's better: a nicely sweet and roasty body with a touch of honey and wooden edges though, with a still quite boozy finish.

For a beer with nearly seven percent alcohol by volume the flavours are on the light side, especially when compared to the darker, thicker, hoppier beers that one tends to find in that 'weight' class. Waterloo Amber is a good beer and really good for a strong beer. I think it would taste even better still if the alcohol content was slightly lower (6 or 6.2%) so it didn't mask some of the lighter flavours quite so much. A honeyed amber colour in a glass.

Another Fantastic Seasonal from the Pump House Brewery (Canada - New Brunswick - Moncton)

Thai Wheat - Pump House Brewery (Canada - New Brunswick - Moncton) 5.0% to 5.5%

Spicy, slightly nutty aroma. The taste is amazing: spicy like a touch of chili flakes and ginger with lots of floral, yeasty tones (a bit of apricot) typical of a conventional Belgian wheat and some nutty toasted bread malt flavours. A cloudy pale gold. A watery mouthfeel keeps it refreshing. I really want to pair this with stir-fry and similar food. A great beer with lots of great character and good balance.