Innis & Gunn Winter Beer 2011. $14.95, LCBO

Before you do a double take at the price, know that this beer is part of a sampler of Innis & Gunn products available at the LCBO.  It comes with two of I&G's other offerings, as well as the branded glass you see in the shot. On to the beer!
This beer pours perfectly into the glass it comes with, the head just brushing the rim, and the shape focusing the nose in such a way that really helps you to appreciate the nuance of the recipe. Brilliant ruby red, with one finger of head that hangs around for a bit, it laces the glass pretty well and has little to no active carbonation visible to the naked eye. The colour is really stunning, there is no need to pass any light through it. Almost glows red all on its own. It smells like caramel malt, biscuity, with a spicy hint that eludes to cinnamon and nutmeg a bit, but I'm not sure if that is brewed in, or an effect of the whiskey casks it is aged in. The first sip brings more of the malts, caramel and toffee but not too heavy, and delicate, slightly citrusy hops that give way to some oak and vanilla. There is a dry finish that eludes to that cinnamon spike again, but I don't get much of it in the actual flavour, and I second guess myself a bit. But if that's what I taste, that's what I taste! The 7.4% ABV gives it a nice warming boozy feel, perfect for a cold winter night, or spreading some Christmas cheer. It is smooth, but not heavy, oily and slick but nicely crsip, almost micro carbonated.
      This isn't the kind of beer you pair with a meal, it's the kind of beer you sit by the fire and enjoy. Sure, you could find the perfect match for something like this, but it is so unique a product (as is the entire I&G line), that it really deserves to be savoured on its own. Innis & Gunn Original was one of the first beers that took me into a whole new world of possibility years ago. Four different I&G brews later and I am still impressed at the style and substance they have all had to offer. The complexity is there, but it never becomes over the top. In fact, you should really slow this one down and savour it. 8/10.

Yes, I still drink beer.

I just haven't had time to write about it this week. I definitely had some great pints though, from Great Lakes Brewery Winter Ale, Muskoka Winter Beard, some great Mill St. products, Shock Top Belgian White, Flying Monkeys Atomic IPA, and tonight will be some  Devils Pale Ale, and a duo from St. Peter's in a wicked new St. Peter's Pilsner glass!
I promise, I'll get back to business sometime in the next few days...
Cheers!

Brewer Spotlight: Railway City Part 3 of 3 - Failure to Launch

Sorry to those that were looking forward to the culmination of the series tonight. I went to Railway City an hour before they were scheduled to close, but alas the lights were off and the door was locked.
I bought myself a 6 pack of Flying Monkey's Smashbomb Atomic IPA instead, and if I manage to actually save one bottle of this nectar of the gods tonight, I may do a review tomorrow.
My apologies again. We will try for a re-do sometime this week.
Cheers!

Brewer Spotlight: Railway City Part 2 of 3, Dead Elephant Ale. $3.50, LCBO

This is the second installment of our Brewer Spotlight feature on Railway City Brewers, and the lead up to our tour of their brewery and some sampling of their product.

Dead Elephant Ale plays on the history of St Thomas Ontario, where Jumbo the circus elephant, owned by P.T. Barnum, was killed by a locomotive in a classification yard. A life size statue of his likeness can be seen in town, and I myself have experienced it many time from childhood on. Drinking this beer is a cool blast from the past for me, not just for the historic significance, but the reminiscing from my youth as well.
It pours a caramel colour, clear with one finger of head that has fairly good retention. It leaves a solid uneven cap and slight lacing on the glass. There is a  decent carbonation on the pour, but not many active bubbles as it sits waiting for me to snap some pictures. It smells like roasty caramel malts, pumpernickel bread, oranges, pine and sweet flowery hops. The caramel malt comes through in the flavour as well, with sweet pine, citrus, and a very long but muted bitter hop finish. The flavour doesn't bowl you over like American IPA's can, but the balance is good and the complexity is there. It isn't overly bitter either, which makes it more sessionable, as well as accessible, pretty impressive for a 6.8% Ale. It is medium light on the tongue, with a prefect amount of carbonation and not too slick, but not too dry.

I like this beer, I really do. I don't want to sound like I am pandering, or shamelessly promoting local just for the sake of local, but between Iron Spike and this pint, these are two quality beers that I really enjoy. As a short disclaimer, there aren't too many quality craft beers that I don't like! It may lack the aggressive flavour profile of other "big" beers, but it certainly outweighs the pretenders. It's interesting, but easy enough to drink  that most people would have no problem liking this beer, including some of my Coors Light buddies. The pine, citrus and good dose of hops is highly enjoyable, and if the light beer crowd isn't careful, a gateway to hard to find, "mecca" type beers. I give it 8/10 and I drink it quite often.

Brewer Spotlight: Railway City Part 1 of 3

On Saturday, I am going to tour Railway City Brewing in St. Thomas, Ontario. As a lead up to that feature, I will review two of their products that are most readily available- Iron Spike Blonde Ale and Dead Elephant Ale. I purchased both of these bottles from my local LCBO, and they are available on tap at many southern Ontario bars.
Railway City plays on the heritage of St Thomas, mainly it's historic railway station, as well as the story of Jumbo the Elephant, who was killed on the tracks at a classification yard there in 1885. They offer a number of different brews ranging from easy drinkers to beer geek specials, but each I've tasted is high quality and flavour forward.

Iron Spike Blonde Ale pours a beautiful orange amber colour, with a small head, and little active carbonation. This beer smells delicious. I get savoury baked goods, honey, and assertive floral hops in there too. The smell is surprisingly bold and complex. I didn't expect this from a "lighter" beer like this, but that goes to show you the quality in this pint. The taste is a little yeasty, with caramel malt, honey, and light dried fruit. A really nice delicate hoppy finish cleans it all up, very floral and long on the palate, but not too intense. The whole flavour profile is fairly subdued, but it is complex, and very long on the tongue. It just seems to go for miles when you consider the type of beer. I think it could have used a little more carbonation, but the weighty mouthfeel and softness almost give it a cask ale feel, which is really nice if that's what you like. Altogether a nice package with the sweet honey notes, and the balanced hops.
Overall, I am very pleased with this beer. This is the first time I've had it since I started drinking craft beers regularly, and I can honestly say there is a lot of quality and attention to detail. Sure, it's not a revelation, but that is a limitation of the style. What it definitely is though, is a beer that anyone could pick up and drink, and a great gateway for the average person into the world of micro brews. It's also intensely local for me and I think that's really great! I give it 8/10, and I would buy it again.

Brew Crew Night Out: Gambrinus Bistro and Cafe.

                                                  The wife sampling Lake of Bays Brewery's Mocha Porter.
                                                                   Just one of the many micro craft beers on tap @Gambrinus


To town we go!
      I had been itching to hit Gambrinus Bistro and Cafe in London Ontario for months now, and last night I decided to scratch that itch. From all accounts, it is the best place for craft beer this side of the GTA. My wife and I headed there for a dinner date and she knew little of my scheme to go there based on the beer selection, and I didn't know how wrong I was to discount the food. The quality of what we ate, and drank is second to few, and most definitely the best I've sampled in the area.
      Gambrinus is located in the heart of downtown London, in Covent Garden Market. Steps from the John Labbatt center as well, you would be hard pressed to find a better location in this city. The atmospere is inviting, dimly light and warm. Dark wood, big mirrors and a spacious private feel set the mood for your evening out. The staff was courteous and friendly, with service being surprisingly quick, although we never felt rushed, and were often left to finish our drinks and talk. It wasn't busy, but I hear that it can be a madhouse when the JLC is rocking, so choose your poison, and your night wisely. The bar is fantastic, with plenty of top shelf bottles and an endless collection of tap handles diplayed above it on glass shelving. The food we ate was quality and made in house, from the Butternut Squash Gnocchi to the Sausages, even the sauerkraut was made in the kitchen and it showed. But the beer...Oh the BEER! Eighteen beers on tap, one on hand pump cask, and a list of bottles that covered nearly three pages of the drink menu. Flying Monkeys' Smashbomb IPA on tap, Aventinus Dopplebock from a bottle and Lake of Bays Mocha Porter on tap for dessert. I can't say enough about Smashbomb, it might be the best Canadian IPA I've ever tasted. Aventinus always struck me as a beer that would go great with German sausage and sauerkraut, and I was right- it's a match made in heaven. Mocha Porter left a little to be desired, but honestly in the company of the first two beers, I didn't really expect to have three revelatory drink experiences in one night.
      The only downfall about a place this good is that you can't have it all. I left jolly and stuffed to the gills, and I had barely scratched the surface of what Gambrinus has to offer. For beer geeks, this place is a must for anyone in Ontario as a destination, and the best in SW Ontario that I've seen.
Keep a booth warm and the beer cold, I'll be back!

Congratulations to @dhlwilson!

@dhlwilson follows @brewcrewreviews on Twitter, and is the proud recipient of a Mill St. Seasonal Sampler pack! Keep your eyes peeled for our next contest!

500 hits by the weekend! Stay close for free beer!

Just be the 500th hit on the site! Send me a screen capture of the Hit Counter at 500, and I will personally send you a Mill St. Seasonal sampler pack! Then, after we have both sampled and reviewed the beers, you'll get a guest spot on 2 individual reviews, covering 3 beers from the pack each time! See the link for original contest post and details http://brewcrewreviews.blogspot.com/2011/11/100-post-milestone-now-on-twitter-and.html

BRASSERIE DUYCK-JENLAIN OR BIERE BLONDE. $7.50, LCBO

The final review in our Winter Beers Round 1 comes to us from France. This bottle caught my eye at the local LCBO, and I just had to have it for the collection. Here's hoping the beer inside is every bit as good!
After marveling at the bottle for a few minutes, and trying to read the French label (I failed), I poured this into my favourite pint glass and let it sit to warm up a little, as the suggested serving temp is fairly high, 6-8 C.
The colour is really something, a luminous, crystal clear deep yellow. There is a small, white sea foam head that dies off quickly, leaving only a thin cap on top, fed by a lot of carbonation. It smells very yeasty, with grains, honey, corn, clove and birch tree. The first sip catches me off guard, over carbonated and unbalanced, but not complex. I decided that it is still too cold, and let it rest some more to research the brew and the maker. Going back a few minutes later, I find it a little easier on the palate. Yeasty and bready, honey, light fruit like apricots, and warm on the tongue with a boozy undertone. There is a little bit of savoury in there, clove-like as you would find in many Belgian and German brews. The finish lingers more and more as the beer warms, with a small amount of herbal and floral hops poking through. The booze levels off as it warms too, and combining with the hops and a slight metallic aftertaste, give a hint of perfume in the finish. When it was too cold, I wrote that it was overly thick and cloying, but overly carbonated as well. Those factors seemed to centralize as it warmed up, and I'm happy that I don't have to write something bad about the mouthfeel. While it remains a little thick and sticky, it really fills out as you work through the pint, and the headiness of the 8% ABV really makes you slow down and appreciate the flavours as they work.
Overall, this beer is more interesting than most blonde ales, but less complex than Belgian beers. The flavour is somewhere in between an Pale Ale and a Tripel.  The overall experience is a little underwhelming, but nothing about it is bad, and is likely overshadowed by the great bottle.  I don't know if I'd buy it again, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to someone looking to try something different. 6/10

MovemBEER

Brew Crew is supporting Movember this year! Oh, if only we lacked the pride to snap pictures of our sweet 'staches....but alas we will only subject the people around us to the growths on our faces!
If you love beer, and want to help fight cancer dontate at http://www.movember.com/m/2773708

100th Hit Milestone! Now on Twitter and Beer Giveaway!

Thanks to everyone who has shown support this week, we eclipsed 100 hits pretty quick!

      As a thank you, and honestly, to keep generating some buzz (no pun intended), we are going to do a giveaway!  The person who can send us a screen capture of the blog with the Hit Counter at 500 will receive the new Mill St. Brewerys' Seasonal Sampler Pack, as well as the opportunity to do a collaborative review of each beer, posted here on the site the following week. The picture must be posted on our new Twitter account- @BrewCrewReviews.

The sampler includes Tankhouse Ale, Stock Ale, Organic Lager, and Coffee Porter, along with seasonal brews ESB and Franconian Bock, both previously available only on draught. I look forward to reviewing this pack with the lucky winner, and posting up the review in a dueling style for each beer, posting your thoughts, then mine!


*Contest winner must be legal drinking age and located in Ontario due to shipping laws...

MILL ST. BARLEY WINE. $11.95, LCBO

       This is my first foray into barley wines, and I wasn't sure what to expect. Mill St. in Toronto has quickly become one of the best local breweries around, and has amassed such a following that its' micro brewery status is often obscured by its' huge reputation. 

       Mill St. Barley Wine is brewed once a year, every year. The bottle is a literal collectors item, made of ceramic, with a wire top and the vintage printed on it. With the high ABV, this is definitely a beer you could cellar, as adding some age would likely repeal some of the booziness and add some complexity. Fittingly, I poured it into a large Bourdeaux wine glass. This type of beer lends itself to a smaller serving size anyway, and it looks pretty cool too. With a wicked pop and a little smoke show, it pours a multi-hued, ranging from chestnut browns at the outer edge of the glass to deep ruby red in the middle. There is no head, and little carbonation. The liquid is visibly more viscous than most beer, with the small amount of carbonation slowly making its way to the surface. It smells like roasted malts, chocolate malts, fresh multi grain bread and aromatic honey. It honestly smells delicous, like you could spread it on toast and eat it. I don't know what I was expecting, but it tastes like a larger than life English Ale. It is very heavy, and slick on the tongue with very little booziness at all. It is an absolute malt bomb, with sourdough bread, and a slight, lingering bitterness that builds through the glass with every drink. There are some dark, sweet dried fruits, like plums, but nothing that plays a forward role. There is also a nice sweet bourbon flavour that along with the hops that builds with each sip, giving the thick sticky sweetness more balance. It is really syrupy and decadent, something along the lines of icewines and apertifs. There is a surprising amount of carbonation, that I would imagine dies down with age. 

Overall, this was quite an experience. I expected more complexity, like scotch or cognac, but I won't chalk it up to the style, just this bottle, and it's youth. Taking into the consideration the price, but also the special nature of the beer, I give it a 7/10. I will buy one to cellar, and I will definitely spend some more time on the style. 

DOMINUS VOBISCUM TRIPLE. $5.95, LCBO

Dominus Vobiscum
"May God be with you"
      Located in Charlevoix Quebec, Microbrasserie Charlevoix is currently brewing some of the best Belgian beers not only in Canada, but the world (including Belgium). This is the second product I have had the pleasure to taste,  and after the mind altering experience of the first (Dominus Vobiscum Blanche), I am quite excited to try this high ABV belgian on the first cold night of the winter.
      Triple pours a hazy golden orange hue, with a big head that I have to fight back with a judicious pouring hand. Hanging around forever, the head is constantly fed by the alarming amount of active carbonation streaming up my trusty pint glass. It smells of yeast, sweet pink grapefruit, cilantro, clove, dried apricots and musty apple. The first cautious sip (did I mention its' 9% ABV?)  brings a whirlwind of flavours as belgians seem to do, with light malt, bread, clove, and dried fruit all playing roles in the body. The finish starts off with bitter grapefruit and orange pith, and winds up with herbal hops that are buoyed and lengthened by the warm booziness of it all. Much like a good wine, this beer has legs. The carbonation keeps it refreshing, and the medium weight balances the light syrup, but not oily mouthfeel.
      Overall this is another fantastic beer from Dominus Vobiscum. The heavy ABV is very well hidden, even dangerously so, by the artful craftsmanship of this brewers' hand. True to form and true to function, the flavour fills the soul and the mind if you aren't careful. Watch out! I give it 8/10.

Winter Beers are here!!!

      Winter's cold grip is not yet upon us, but it is not far off.  Among many other wonderful things, winter brings with it a special niche in beer. High alcohol beers may appear raucous and juvenile to the uninitiated, but to those in the know, they represent a exciting taste experience.  The alcohol content is a side effect of the yeast and barley reacting, creating fermentable sugars. More yeast, barley, sugars and time equals more alcohol yes, but potentially more flavour as well.
      Check back over the next few days for reviews of three high alcohol beers. It may take a while, these aren't exactly the type you sit down and polish off a few with friends.

I almost forgot! A quick shoutout to Lynden Park Mall LCBO in Brantford. They have one of the most consistent selections of craftbrew beers, and are currently stocking some great Christmas items too. Hint Hint.

Great Lakes Brewery- Devils Pale Ale. $2.60, LCBO

      I'm not gonna lie. This is one of my favourite beers. It just seems to hit the sweet spot between drinkable and mindblowing. Not boring in the least, but it doesn't bowl you over either. It is also fairly local, readily available, and well priced. As promised, this is the review of Devils Pale Ale.
      As seems to be the trend with Pale Ale's lately, this surely ain't pale. It pours a deep caramel colour, with a deep ruby hue in the light. Half a finger of head takes 5 minutes to dissipate, giving way to an uneven, yet substantial cap. The smell is big and focused, with pine and citrus up front right away. There is no need to go searching, it asserts itself. The body of the taste is malts, yet not overly chocolaty or sweet. It is very sour and citrusy, like grapefruit and orange marmalade. Adding to the sourness, a slight cannabis tone creeps in. This is followed up by big hops, resinous and floral. It is medium bodied and nicely balanced with great length and a complex flavour profile.
      This beer is a personal favourite of mine, a drinkable Pale Ale, interesting and sessionable. It goes great with big greasy food, like a gourmet burger and sweet potato fries. Considering the flavour, the price, and the availablility it gets a 9/10 from me. I would buy it again, and in fact, I do! Weekly!

Renaissance Brewing Company- Stonecutter Ale. $4.60, LCBO

   

There are a couple of things that get me excited about a beer, namely, things that elude to a lot of flavour.
A big, creamy head with colour. Smells reaching you on the pour. Lacing on the glass and a high alcohol content. These attributes usually let me know I'm in for a good ride. I didn't know what to expect when I bought Stonecutter. New Zealand Scotch Ale? Almost five bucks a pint? But when I poured it into the glass, I knew I was in for a treat.
      In the glass, it is a deep chestnut brown, and cloudy enough to block out all but only the edges of light. There is a good, solid head that is pale yellow and creamy. It hangs around long enough for me to get my camera and eventually gives way to a nice little cap. The fragrance isn't exceptionally strong, but it is pleasant and complex, and definitely smells like something I want to drink. Malts abound in the taste (apparently Stonecutter is brewed with nine different ones), but it isn't too sweet, just complex and nicely balanced. The label promises caramel, toffee, chocolate and licorice, and the brew doesn't disappoint. There is also a nice pine flavour, reminiscent of better IPA's although it is more roasted and caramelized, less raw and sour than IPA's. The finish is very good, with floral and resinous hops giving it a bitter, complex end. This creates an incredible balance and a great ride. The 7% alcohol content gives it a nice Scotch component, not unlike Innis and Gunn Oak Cask.
Overall, I really like this Ale. After a few bland euro-lagers, Stonecuttter really stands out as a quality craft beer, and nearly justifies the steep price tag. I give it 8/10 pints, and I would gladly buy it again.

ZUBR. $2.35, LCBO

ZUBR is Polish. Polish beers are usually easy drinking Lager's with a little more flavour than the average Can-Am Lager. So to be honest, I expect an easy drinking, enjoyable beverage. And that's exactly what I get.
It is a clear, dark straw colour in the glass, almost an amber hue. There is no head to speak of and quite a bit of active carbonation. There isn't alot of nose on this beer, and I'm going back to the bottle for some concentrated aroma. It smells of light malt, sweet fruit bread, with a little bit of floral hops and some of that euro-lager skunkiness. Surprisingly, this beer has more weight than expected on the taste, but it is still wheat, corn, sweet light honey, with very little hops or bitterness at all. The 6% alcohol content gives you a little warming sensation, but not much. The mouthfeel is medium, and kind of syrupy.
Overall, it's pretty bland. It does prove a point though. You can brew an easy drinking, tasty beer without making it week and watered down. It may be appear to be pretty light fare, but the alcohol content kind of balances that. For most people, this would be an acceptable party beer. You could easily serve this to your guests and hear no complaints. Nothing bad here, but nothing exceptionally good. I guess you could justify the price based on the alcohol content, but not much else. Grad some buds and top a few bottles. 5/10 pints.

AECHT SCHLENKERLA RAUCHBIER. $3.15, LCBO

 

        I don't know a lot about smokebeers. Heck, this is the second one to be in my glass, but there is one thing I learned on the first one. Stick with it. The first sips are going to bowl you over with meaty, smokey flavour. Sure, you'll pull some subtleties out of you know where to make it seem like you have this great sense of taste, but let's be honest. They taste like the bottle says. Smoke.   Once you get that flavour on your pallet though, the beer becomes much more drinkable, like a good solid stout. Not quite as sweet as an English, not quite as dry as an Irish.
      In the past, before modern things like electricity, any roasting, cooking, and brewing were done with wood fire. It stands to reason that many beers had smokey flavours, and that with advancing technologies, beers were able to move away from uneven roasting, dark malts and smokey overtones.
      Aecht Schlenkerla aims to preserve this smokebeer past, and offers a multitude of brews that all have smoke based flavours. Marzen seems to be the original recipe, brewed in Bamberg, Germany since god-knows-when. It has a great old school bottle that mentions the 1405 without claiming to have been brewed since then. It pours a deep chestnut colour, a glows deep ruby in the light. A big 2 finger head takes about 5 minutes to settle into an uneven but substantial cap. This beer actually crackles and pops like Rice Krispies when left to sit. The smell is very heavy smoke. Like smoked pork hocks and beef jerky, just meaty and thick. It reminds me of putting on a sweater that was worn around a campfire the night before. I decided to let it warm up a little and do some research on it, as darker beers generally drink better when warm. The first sip is smoked meats up front, followed by a roasted malt profile that is present, albiet dwarfed. The smoke is dense, like wet beechwood on a fireplace. It is thick and humid, and a little overpowering at first. But I stick with it, and the smoke starts to play more of a backround role. The problem is, I get this astringent, soapy finish, then a metallic kick like someone put a penny on my tongue. I keep drinking, but it doesn't subside much at all. To be honest, I had to grab a fresh bun and some cheese to slog my way through this pint, the foreign materials in the finish proved too much for me to handle alone. I want to give this beer the benefit of the doubt, and say that it is likely better out of tap in the original pub in Bamberg, Germany. In the bottle?  I give it just 2/10 pints, and I wouldn't buy it again. Try Trafalgar Ales and Meads-Smoked Oatmeal Stout for something I enjoyed more.

Wychwood Bah Humbug Christmas Cheer Ale. $3.50, LCBO

   

  Before I get into this beer, I want to talk about Wychwood Breweries. In my humble opinion, Wychwood is one of the most complete companies in the industry. They never take a beer off, never roll out a Bud Light carbon copy to make sales. Every beer is a well crafted, well designed, flavour forward pleasure. I implore you to visit the website www.wychwood.co.uk. Not only is it well designed, but there is some seriously informative content, and the artwork is fantastic. On to the Brew!
      Bah Humbug is a seasonal beer, brewed for release in November and just in time for Christmas. The bottle depicts Charles Dickens' Scrooge, with the ghosts of Christmas Past and Future over his shoulders. All of the Wychwood artwork reminds me of older illustrations of The Lord of the Rings, and that's just fine with me!
       It pours a dark caramel colour, with a glowing ruby hue when held up to the light. There is little active carbonation, and about a finger of off white, grainy head that recedes to an uneven, but thin cap. The smell is roasty malt, molasses, and very fruity with a slightly floral twist, and a sweet leathery undertone. The body is typical, quality English Ruby Ale, reminiscent of Hobgoblin or Bombardier. Sweet and roasty malt, cereal grain, but the finish is impossibly complex without being overly bitter or cloying. What cinnamon is there tastes of sweet, quality sticks, not the cheap, bitter powder sold cheap in the grocery store. It feels like the hops and cinnamon are battling each other, but instead of being exponentially bitter, they actually work together to create a deep, complex and dry bitterness. (The effect reminds me of making chili, when you cook down multiple spices to a deep, meaty spicyness, not a blazing hot sauce inferno) The spicy and dry finish is quite nice, and you almost get away without noticing the cinnamon at all, which is great for me.  The light carbonation quickly gives way to a medium weight and an oily length. The depth of palate along with the complex finish makes this a nice calm, sip-able beer to ponder on a quiet winters' eve.
      I really like this beer, the festive theme, and the legacy that comes in every Wychwood bottle. As with all of their beers, the bottle is a lot of fun but the beer inside is all business. Crafted to be good, not gimmick, Bah Humbug gets 7/10 pints from me!  

Wellington SPA. $2.60, LCBO

      I have a bit of an obsession with interesting bottles, in fact I collect them. This leaning tends to make me shy away from trying new beer in cans, but I have been thoroughly impressed with some canned beers lately, like Devils Pale Ale, from Great Lakes Brewing (Review to come).  In light of my canned revelations, I have decided to be more open to trying new beer in cans, and to be honest, most of the stores in the area are running dry on bottled beer I've yet to sample.
      Wellington County Brewery, located in Guelph Ontario, brings us this Special Pale Ale (SPA) in a 473ml can. I had seen Wellington cans in the LCBO on regular occasion before tonight, but this brew is my first sampling of their wares.
      SPA pours a dull caramel colour, with a ruby hint when held up to the light. What little head it musters is gone quickly, leaving only a thin snowflake cap. There doesn't appear to be much carbonation, which is pretty telling for what is in store. I can tell you one thing -pale this ain't. But it is true to form for a traditional style English Ale. After allowing the beer to rest and warm up a bit, the smell is still pretty hard to find, and I end up going back to the can to try to find some aroma. Barley malt, a sweet caramel/ molasses body, and a nutty floral/herbal note that hints at subdued hops not inconsistent with the style. The first big mouthful brings a malty, grainy, sweet flavour, with a fruity/floral finish that is less than bitter but still crisp and refreshing. This is a medium-light beer, not noticeably oily or long, but has a nice creamy texture and peppery character that opens up as it warms.
      Overall, this is a fairly good beer, true to form, although the premium price isn't necessarily reflected in the product -there are more interesting Pale Ales out there  for the same price, and cheaper beers that are just as good for the casual drinker. Nothing really disappointing, but nothing impressive either. It is a nice move away from easy drinkers, but it won't gag your company like a 2X IPA. I don't mind this brew, but if I craved the style, I'd likely gravitate toward Pedigree VSOP.
5/10 on the Pint Scale.

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." - Benjamin Franklin

Ok, so I admit. When it comes to beer, I am a little wet behind the ears. When it comes to beer, namely, craft beer, I am a novice. Sure I have dabbled. Like some forbidden fruit, I had stepped down the aisle at the store with the "weird beers". I picked one that looked interesting, drank it. I liked some. Others not.
But here is the kicker-I didn't KNOW what I was drinking. I didn't know what made it special, or different, or -weird. And I didn't know you could know. But I was wrong.
Beer is as diverse as the people who make it.  And, aside from the plethora of watery, weak beers that most of us drink on friday nights, they are brewed with love, consideration, passion, and care. Drinking the prized brew of a Brewmaster is like gaining a glimpse into his soul. You see what he loves, what he cherishes, what he wishes for, and what he thinks is good. Really Good. Sometimes you disagree, and sometimes you share a moment with a kindred spirit hundreds, even thousands of miles away. And if you are lucky, there is someone at the table to share that, among many other great moments with as well.
So enough with the philosophical talk (I admit, I've had 2 wonderful German beers tonight, and am staring at a third glass). This site is about Beer. Reviews, news, and events. I will be contributing the bulk of the content at first, but my hope is to have some correspondents join in the fun, hopefully from different parts of the country, and ultimately the world. Keep an eye out for updates. New content weekly.