Beer Review
Hopwired IPA — 8 Wired Brewery
Did you ever read The Chrysalids in school? Remember Sealand, the awesome country where telepaths were normal and encouraged? Sealand was New Zealand. It survived the nuclear holocaust, basically because it's such an …
Omerta Blood Orange Pale Ale — Bellwoods Brewery
Fruit in beers, what can I say? They range from light lime lagers to the epic Cantillion Lambics, and lots of iterations in between. In some cases, the fruit is really the only thing you taste, in other cases it used to …
Roman Candle IPA — Bellwoods Brewery
I love a good fireworks display. When I was younger, it was all about lighting off the kind you buy at pop-up shops on the way to the cottage, firing them off over the lake on Victoria Day, Canada Day, and midnight on …
Goedemorgen — Amsterdam Brewing Co.
Three years ago, if you had asked me about Amsterdam Brewing, I would have talked about their excellent quality, their awesome staff, and the (large) part they played in my journey into craft beer. I would not have …
Hop Series Hallertau Hop Ale — Alexander Keith's
Single-hop (and indeed, single-hop/single-malt pale ales), are becoming a bit of a "thing" in the beer scene. Using careful hop additions to draw out the characteristics of the hops is something of an art form. It's not …
Market Pale Ale — Amsterdam Brewing Co.
One of the best parts of spring returning, is the return of the dozens of farmer's markets around Toronto. Nothing is better than wandering around, seeing neighbours, and meeting the people who grow your produce. I take …
Hops Series Cascade Hop Ale — Alexander Keith's
Well it's New Brew Tuesday (okay it was...), and I'm flying by the seat of my pants! As I type this, I'm actually at a launch party of Alexander Keith's new Hop Series Cascade Hop Ale at the Duke of Westminster. Now, …
St Ambroise Erable — McAuslan Brewery
I don't even know if I can adequately describe in words how much I love maple syrup. When I buy a new bottle (always Ontario), I open it on the spot and take a swig. Ben does this now, too. Be aware, if you are pouring …
Vicar's Vice Old Ale — Amsterdam Brewing Co.
At this point, I expect many of my readers to be anxiously awaiting the save-the-date notice for my impending marriage to Amsterdam Brewing's Iain McOustra. I mean, I love the guy. And you're probably getting sick of …
St Ambroise Pale Ale — McAuslan Brewery
I was seriously shocked when I checked and discovered I had never actually reviewed McAuslan's St Ambroise Pale Ale. I mean, I drink it frequently, both in bottles and on draught. I often sing it's praises to others, and …
25th Anniversary Bourbon Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout — Great Lakes Brewery
I like celebrating my birthday for like, at least a week. Between dinners with family, drinks with friends, drinking crazy and rare bottles of beer, and indulging myself, I find I need at least 5 days, though 9 is …
VSPA — Cameron's Brewing Co.
Well, new year, right? I needed a big beer for the first New Brew Tuesday. Luckily, I took one such bottle to the cottage for New Year's, and remembered to photograph it and make notes and everything. I'm nothing if not …
Fish-eye P. A. — Kensington Brewing Co.
In a perfect world, every small neighbourhood would have it's own brewery (or two or three). Historically, beer could only be physically moved a fairly short distance, between freshness (a lack of refrigeration) and the …
Winter Beard Double Chocolate Cranberry Stout — Muskoka Brewery
I remember drinking Muskoka Cream Ale at my family's old cottage outside Bala, in probably 1999-2000. The beer was nice, and I found it so cool that it was made in Bracebridge. Then Muskoka kind of went of my radar. When …
Bog Water — Beau's All Natural Brewing
I'm actually very shocked I don't have a review of this one. Beau's has been making their winter-seasonal, Bog Water, for at least a few years. It's a beer I look forward to each year, and yet, no review. So let's start …
Pauwel Kwak — Brouwery Bosteels
".....And you'll just need you to leave a shoe at the bar". So you might hear at a bar in Belgium, after being handed a glass of Pauwel Kwak. This is because the beer is traditionally served in a specialty glass, similar …
Paulaner Hefe-Weizen — Paulaner Brauerei GmbH
Know what goes down like magic on a hot summer's day? A solid wheat beer. Know what goes down like magic on a dreary fall day? A solid wheat beer. Don't believe me? That's crazy talk. While most people look to bright, …
BNL Strong Beer — Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery
*** Update*** On release, this beer was called "BNL Imperial Stout". I've left the name in the title for continuity, but it's the same beer. I grew up in Scarborough, which probably isn't as bad as you think if you're …
Lions Winter Ale — Granville Island Brewing
Bloody hell it's cold out there. I know we're still north of 0*C in Toronto, so it's only going to get colder, but the morning walk with the Beagle down to the beach was a frosty one. And while I'm the first person to …
Rickard's Oakhouse Winter Lager — Molson-Coors
Well, I'm getting closer to caught up on the review front (so so close!). This one is actually timely! Rickard's is obviously committed to doing a rotating seasonal beer; Cardigan was the fall seasonal, and now we have …