day 303-Beer 303 Jumpin Jack India Pale Ale, Tree Brewing Co. Kelowna British Columbia

Its Halloween and what better way to celebrate than with a pumpkin and I am not fond of pumpkin pie so its a pumpkin beer. This one combines a traditional IPA and a pumpkin ale. The colour is dark amber/orange with nice head that leave some very sticky lacing that clings to the glass as you drink this brew. The aroma has some faint notes of pumpkin pie, nutmeg cinnamon and all that junk along with some caramel malts and citrus/grapefruit hops. The taste surprisingly is very nice, floral and citrus hops with some clove and other spices, the nutmeg is not noticeable, a good thing and  just a slight hint of pumpkin. It has a sweet background of caramel malts along with a peppery zest and some citrus/grapefruit and pine hop bitterness to finish the brew. I truly enjoyed this brew which is amazing considering I do not fancy pumpkin pie. 3.8 out of 5. Have a ghoulish night.

Day 302-Beer 302 Eureka Cream Ale, Bell City Brewery, Brantford Ontario

Tonight's brew is a cream ale, it pours an amber/copper colour with off white head that leaves some nice lacing. It is fairly strong for a cream ale at 5.8%ABV. The aroma is malty with a caramel base and a hint of some grassy hops. The flavour is very malty with caramel and toffee up front and some dark fruit undertones and a light spicy/grassy hop finish. Overall a very good cream ale 3.5 out of 5. 

Day 301-Beer 301 Hobgoblin, Wychwood Brewery, Witney England

Hobgoblin is an extra special/strong bitter. It poured a dark amber colour with tan coloured head that left sticky lacing.  The aroma is quite sweet, dark fruits, and toffee with a hint of some earthy hops. The flavour is similar toffee, roasted malts, dark fruits, mainly plum with a hint of smoked malt some spices and hoppy finish with a bit of an alcohol aftertaste.  Overall a good brew but nothing spectacular 3.5 out of 5

Day 300-Beer 300 First Draft Ale, Niagara College Niagara on the Lake, Ontario

I was a little afraid about tasting this one as the last brew, a lager, from NC was one of the worst brews I have tasted so this one is a bit of a surprise. It poured a golden amber with some very nice head that settled to a thin covering of lace that sticks to the sides of the glass as you drink this one. The aroma had a lot of bread yeast with a slight sour background but only slight. The taste has a bit of a hop spice to it but as it settles it leaves a very nice sweet creamy caramel/maple syrup flavour in your mouth. Overall a pretty good ale and in comparison to there lager an excellent brew. Very refreshing and very drinkable. 3.4 out of 5

Day 299 Beer 299 Uber Berliner Style Weiss, Nickel Brook Brewing Co. Burlington Ontario

Tonight's brew is a Berliner Weissbier, and I should learn to read about the style before I buy one. The label states it pretty clear, it is a sour style of beer as a result of a natural by-product of lactobacillus that occurs during a sour mash. The colour is a slightly hazy golden yellow that appears more watery than most brews. There is very little head and no lacing but there seems to be quite a bit of carbonation. The aroma is sour mash and bread yeast, already not my cup of bad tea and the flavour even worse. If you are going to try this one you better like sour beer. It does have a hint of lemon hidden in the very acid tasting sour mash. Not a beer that I would ever recommend even though it may or may not be a good beer for its style, 1 out of 5

Day 298-Beer 298 Rickard's Lederhosen, Molson Coors Canada, Toronto Ontario

Tonight's brew is from a big brewer but you need to try some of their brews too. This one is a Marzen or Octoberfest Lager. See Sept. 17 for a description and comparison. This one poured a clear amber/copper colour with lots of off white head that settled to a thin layer of sticky froth across the surface. The aroma was somewhat skunky, sour mash or musty hops of some kind, with some caramel malt in the background. Although the sour taste is still there, the flavour is better then the smell, some faint hints of caramel, nuts and roasted malts with a mild hop bitterness. It however finishes with a slight metallic taste from the alcohol content. Overall for a big brewery not a bad attempt at an old style of beer, get rid of the sourness in the first mouthfuls and the aroma and it would be a lot better, 3.3 out of 5

Day 297-Beer297 Kissmeyer Nordic Pale Ale, Kissmeyer Beer, Vankleek Hill Ontario

Quite the list of ingredients in this one, Barley and Rye malts, Maple syrup, Heather Flowers, Rosehips, Cranberries, Wild Sweet Gale and Yarrow. A very interesting list to create a pale ale. It appears that this one is brewed by Beau's although the lablel doesn't state this.  It poured a hazy golden/peach colour with lots of fluffy white head that left some sticky lacing. It has some floral scents with hops and pine dominating the aroma. The flavour is lots of hops, floral and citrus with some sweet undertones. Overall an okay brew but the ingredients just don't add up to any special flavours. 3.5 out of 5

Day 296-Beer 298 Silversmith Black Lager, Silversmith Brewing Co. Virgil Ontario

Tonight's brew is a Schwarzbier, which in German means black lager, these are lagers and not porters or stouts which get there bitterness from burnt and dark roasted malts, these brews use hops similar to a regular German pils or lager. It poured almost black in colour with tons of creamy tan coloured head that eventually settles to leave lots of very sticky lacing that clings to the glass as you drink this brew. The aroma has hints of espresso, dark chocolate and dark fruits. The flavour is dark roasted malts, coffee, baker's chocolate and a hint of hops in the background.  It is almost a very light version of a Guinness.  Overall a very good black lager, 3.7out of 5.

Day 295-Beer295 Black Oak Saison, Black Oak Brewing Co. Toronto Ontario

This one is a saison or farmhouse ale. Generally there alcohol content is much higher than this brew and it has some unique ingredients that include orange zest and coriander. The orange zest affects its colour as it pours a hazy golden/orange colour with a small layer of white head that leaves some bubble patches on the surface of the brew. The aroma is yeast, floral hops and spice I guess the zest and coriander. The flavour has a toasted wheat background with hints of some sweet malts along with some coriander, cloves and hops. It is very carbonated almost giving a champagne feel. There certainly is a lot more aroma and flavour than expected for a light ABV saison, but still not what I would call a very good saison, 3.3 out of 5

Day 294-Beer 294 First Draft Campus Lager, Niagara on the Lake, Ontario

Niagara college has started a course for brewers, well the professor that oversaw this batch flunked. It did pour a clear golden colour, point one okay, no much head and no lacing almost an f, then the aroma, well it smelt like the dregs of the wine barrel from the days my father made his own wine in our basement  f minus, and the taste was even worse, it was beyond a sour mash, f double minus, as for the drinkability this was only the second beer in my sojourn that I could not finish a whole glass. 1.5 out of 5.

Day 293-Beer 293 Cameron's lager Cameron's Brewing Co., Oakville Ontario

Tonight's brew is a Euro Lager. It poured a hazy golden yellow colour with minimal head that left a very thin layer of foam across the surface. The aroma has hints of bready malts and some grassy/floral hops. The taste is typical euro lager, some malt sweetness with just a hint of hops creating a slightly spicy  flavour with just a tiny amount  of bitterness that disappears rapidly. This is a very refreshing and drinkable euro lager with some very nice flavours. 3.5 out of 5

Day 292-Beer 292 OREgasmic Ale, Rogue Farms, Indpendance Oregon

This is another APA, it poured a very muddy and murky brown with a cream coloured head that settled to a thin layer of lacing.  The aroma has a sweet overtone, caramel malts, dark fruits and a very piney background. The taste is also very sweet upfront with lots of roasted caramel malt and lots of hop, grassy, pine and citrus are all present. Overall not the best APA I have tasted but not the worst either, 3.4 out of 5

Day 291-Beer 291 Hr. Frederikson Imperial Stout, Amager Brygrus, Kastrup Denmark

This one is listed as a Russian Imperial Stout. These beers were first brewed in the 1800's for Russian Czars, high in alcohol content with lots of roasted malt, chocolate and dark fruit flavours. The hop content varies greatly from almost none to very high.
This one is 10.5% ABV and poured a dark almost black colour with a small tan head that left just a small ring of lacing around the edge of the glass. The aroma is dark bitter chocolate, espresso, caramel and plum with a earthy hop background.  is a nice herbal aroma to this. The flavour has a hop bitterness with a very sweet almost molasses taste with some roasted malts some dark chocolate, dark fruits and a bitter chocolate aftertaste. This one is a good example of the style but it has a little too much of a sweet background for me and the alcohol taste is very present as you drink this brew. It might be one to try in some of your gravy recipes or marinades. 3.4 out of 5

Day 290-Beer 290 Roman Line Lager, Black Donnelly's Brewing Co. Lucan Ontario

Visited great friends in Parry Sound Last night and delighted in a brew from J.D's brother's new venture, Black Donnelly's Brewing Co. Currently the beer is being brewed by another craft brewer as they gear up to produce there own beers.  This brew is still in the trial stages and is on tap at only a few pubs but I am sure it will catch on as it is a very drinkable lager. It poured a clear golden yellow with adequate head that left some spotty lacing. The aroma is typical lager, a little sweetness from the malt with some graininess. It is very mellow and very drinkable, and refreshing  just like most good lagers, with no hop bitterness or after tastes. Once they go into full production this one will make a great keg to have on ice beside the BBQ for the hot summer party. 3.4 out of 5
Visit there web site to get the story of the Black Donnellys and one of Canada's most infamous massacres

Day 289-Beer 289 Ayinger Brau Weisse Brauerei Aying, Aying Germany

Tonight's brew is a hefeweizen, Bavarian style wheat unfiltered wheat beer. It poured a cloudy golden yellow colour with lots of fluffy white head that left some stick lacing around the edge of the glass. The aroma has a lot of malt and yeast notes with some banana, fruit and spice in the background. The flavour matches the aroma and the style, sweet malts, a hint of honey, bread yeasts, banana and cloves. Before I started my beer tour I was never a hefe fan but I sure an learning there are some very good wheat beers out there and you do not need to add fruit to make them taste good. Overall a crisp clean finish with some very nice malt flavours, 3.6 out of 5

Day 288 Beer 288 Raven Cream Ale R&B Brewing Co. East Vancouver British Columbia

Every now and then you hit a do not buy this on again. It poured a chocolate/cola brown colour with little head and virtually no lacing at all. The aroma had hints of roasted malts and some grassy hops. The flavour was terrible, with some hints of malt and hops but the overall flavour was very sour, almost vinegar like, or skunky without the skunky smell. 2.7 out of 5, this is no where near what one expects of a cream ale.

Day 287-Beer 287100th Meridian Organic Amber Lager, Mill St.Brewery, Toronto Ontario

This is listed as an amber lager, it poured a golden colour with just an amber hint, a small amount of head that left some spotty lacing. The aroma has hints of biscuit malts and some hops but overall there really isn't much there. Some sweet malts and spicy/floral hops in the background. Nothing special about this brew organic or not, 3.3 out of 5

Day 286-Beer 286 Hop Nouveau 2014, Trafalgar Ales and Meads, Oakville Ontario

Another APA, this one an unfiltered brew poured a murky golden/peach colour with an overabundance of fluffy/sudsy white head that eventually left some nice lacing across the surface.  The aroma was caramel floral and citrus hops with a hint of spice. The flavour has a caramel base, quite sweet,  with a hint of banana, and some citrus hops, grapefruit and tangerine that leave a sweet creamy taste in your mouth with a background hint of grapefruit bitterness. Much like last nights brew its a little weak in the hops for an American pale ale but over all a good brew that I quite enjoyed. 3.7 out of 5.

Day 285-Beer 285 La Morsure, Le Trou du Diable, Shawinigan Quebec

This one is courtesy Bill O, thanks for another brew on this thanksgiving day. This one is an American Pale Ale, you can check out several others on my blog by searching the letters "APA" or the words American Pale Ale".  La Morsure translate to "the bite" as an APA should have. This one poured hazy golden colour with very nice white head that left a covering of lacing across the surface. The aroma consisted of sweet malts, honey, tangerine and hints of pine resin. The flavour started out somewhat sweet, honey and tangerine than moved to floral and citrus hops but not overly bitter as is expected with the style.  A little light on the hops for its style but overall a very good brew that is quite refreshing and easy drinking, 3.7 out of 5.

Day 284-Beer 284 Big Rock Traditional Ale, Big Rock Brewery, Calgary Alberta

I am posting this one a little late but I did have the beer last night at my brothers house as we celebrated thanksgiving. We all have lots to be thankful for and to remember as my brother so eloquently stated. My Niece  donated this brew to the cause, thanks Kayla.  It poured an amber/copper colour with  just a little head that left only a spotting of lacing. The aroma was sweet, caramel and toasted malts. The flavour was similar caramel malts up front with a hint of orange zest and some grassy hops. Overall an okay brew 3.4 out of 5.

Day 283-Beer 283 Canuck Pale Ale, Great Lakes Brewing Co. Etobicoke Ontario

Although they call this one a Canuck Pale Ale it is in fact an American Pale Ale, see July 23 for a description of American pale ales. This one  poured a hazy golden/orange colour with nice creamy head that left some spotty lacing around the edge of the glass. The aroma is a citrus cocktail, grapefruit, tangerine, orange zest with a hint of tropical fruits. The taste has a hint of pineapple and caramel as it first hits your mouth, with a nice creamy feel than the hops begin to kick in with a nice grapefruit and orange zest bitterness but nothing overbearing and a nice dry finish that leaves a hint of caramel on your palate. Overall a very good brew, I know I will try this one again 3.9 out of 5

Day 282-Beer 282 8th Sin Black Lager, Hop City Brewing Co. Brampton Ontario

Tonight's brew is a Schwarzbier ( German for black  beer). Unlike porters and stouts they are much lighter  and refreshing, similar to pilsners, but with much more colour and flavour. Tonight's poured  a clear black colour with lots of tan coloured head that left some nice sticky lacing. The aroma was dark chocolate and espresso with hints of smoke in the background. The taste  has hints of smoked malts, dark roasted coffee and chocolate with just a small amount of hopy spice and pepper in the finish. A very good example of its style and overall a nice refreshing brew 3.6 out of 5.

Day 281-Beer 281, Reserve Tripplebock, Wagner Valley Brewing Co. Lodi New York

This is beginning to pay off, had a little card game at my house tonight and Bill and Don both brought beers for me, the host, wow. So tonight's brew is from Don's trip to the finger lakes in NY.  Thanks for the treat. Tonight's brew is a dopplebock, see August 12th for a description of the style. This is the 5th dopplebock that I have evaluated and although not the worst it just did not impress me. It poured a deep amber/mahogany colour with almost no head and dissipated quickly leaving virtually  no lace. The aroma although not strong was  very sweet with hints of chocolate, coffee and some dark fruits. The taste is much the same, honey, molasses, a metallic taste of alcohol some dark fruits with  no hops or hop bitterness. Both Don and myself would not rate this as a beer we would buy again, and, not much better, if at all, then a beer from the big brewers, Tom on the other hand liked it a little more but still was not overly impressed 3.4 out of 5.

Day 280-Beer 280 Resurrection Roggenbier, Cameron's Brewing Co. Oakville Ontario

Had a great day on the course today, we played Thundering Waters, a John Daly Course, I scored pretty good and we all had a great time, thanks guys. Then as I am watching tv and starting my brew for the night a commercial comes on for a new series RESSURECTUION, kind of spooky, anyhow as for the brew a roggenbier ( a rye beer),  it poured a cloudy dark amber colour with off white head that settle to just a thin layer across the surface. The aroma has hints of banana and clove similar to a hefeweizen but with a sour background of rye, yeasts and some herbal hops.The flavour also had a sour element from the rye with lots of bready yeast, banana, dark fruits and finishing with a bit of spice, pepper and a hint of grassy hops. Overall an okay brew but not one I would rush to buy again, 3.5 out of 5.

Day 279-Beer 279 Imperial Compass, Southern Tier Brewing Co. Lakewood< New York

This one is an APA with a little additive to spice it up.. Rose Hips. It's also a strong one at 9%ABV.  It poured a golden orange colour with lots of head and carbonation bubbles that left only a small amount of lacing. The aroma was lots of citrus, grapefruit, orange zest with some sweet overtones of honey. The flavour is very sweet for an APA lots of honey up front with a background of grapefruit and floral hops finishing with only a slight bitterness that is than overtaken by sweet malts and the taste of alcohol. Not the best example of an APA and I am not sure where the rose hips fit in 3.4 out of 5.

Day 278-Beer 278 Le Paysan, Nickel Brook Brewing Co. Burlington, Ontario

Tonight's brew is a Belgian Saison, see Day 201, July 21 for a description of the style or search saison for comparables as saison is quickly becoming one of my favourite styles of beer.
This one poured a typical cloudy golden yellow colour with lots of head that when it finally subsided left only minimal lacing. It's aroma has a sour background with hints of tropical fruits, citrus and bready yeasts. The taste has hints  of lemon and tangerine zest up front with some spices and pepper in the background and a dry floral hop finish. Its not the best sample of the style but it still is an okay brew. 3.5 out of 5

Day 277-Beer 277 Elemental Porter Ale, Renaissance Brewing Co. Marlborough New Zealand

Hey Malcolm this ones for you. This one is an English Porter. The name apparently dates back to the 1700's when this style of beer was popular with transportation workers in London. This one poured almost black in colour with a small tan head that left some nice sticky lacing. The aroma was molasses, caramel, espresso and roasted malts. The flavour included coffee and caramel with a sweet toffee background. A good brew but not a great example of its style. 3.5 out of 6

Day 276-Beer 276 Jever Pilsner,Friesisches Brauhaus,Jever Germany

Tonight's brew is a German Style Pilsner. German Pilsners should be very light straw to golden in color with dense rich head. Generally they are also well-hopped, brewed using Noble hops such has Saaz, Hallertauer, Hallertauer Mittelfrüh, Tettnanger, Styrian Goldings, Spalt, Perle, and Hersbrucker. These varieties exhibit a spicy herbal or floral aroma and flavor, often they have a strong citrus background with lots of hop bitterness.
This one is a good example of its style, it poured a clear golden yellow with nice white head that left some nice lacing across the surface. The aroma has a grassy hop and citrus zest background. The flavour similarly has a nice grassy hop background with a hint of citrus and a slight sweetness in the background  and a nice dry bitter finish. Overall a very good pils, 3.6 out of 5.

Day 275-Beer 275 Quidi Vidi British Ipa, Quidi Vidi Brewing Co. St Johns Newfoundland

This one is an IPA, it poured a golden amber colour with very little head that dissipated very quickly leaving just a small amount of lacing. The aroma was sweet malts with a hint of citrus hops. The flavour has a citrus/grapefruit bite up front with a sweet background of honey and caramel malts and a not much on the finishing hop bitterness typical of a great IPA, 3.5 out of 5

off golfing for a few days so here is my catch up for beers 271,272, 273 and 274

Off on another golf trip, played Parry Sound Golf and Country, Bigwin Island and Rocky Crest, had a great time with the crew, drank to many beers but I always had room for my beer of the day.




Monday Day 271-Beer 271 Eight -Ball Stout, Lost Coast Brewery, Eureka California
It is listed as a sweet oatmeal stout. It poured almost black in colour with lots of nice tan head that left some nice sticky lacing. The aroma was coffee/espresso with hints of caramel and toasted malts. The taste is coffee up front with a nice subtle hint of hops. Overall a good brew 3.6 out of  5.


Tuesday Day 272-Beer 272 Paulaner Hefe Weissbier, Paulaner Brauerei, Munchen, Germany
It poured a  hazy, golden color with a okay head that left only a small amount of lacing. The aroma was typical hefe, banana, cloves, a little caramel sweetness. The flavour was sweet up front with hints of cloves, citrus and pepper. Overall okay but not the greatest hefe I have sampled 3.5 out of 5


Wednesday Day 273-Beer 273 Lancaster Bomber, Thwaites, Lancashire, England
This one is an extra special bitter/strong bitter. This one doesn't live up to it's name or style. It poured a amber/copper colour, with adequate head that left almost no lacing. The aroma had hints of caramel and grassy hops. The flavour was off somewhat with a musty background some hop bitterness and carmel. This one didn't rate well 2.9 out of 5.


Thursday Day 274-Beer274 Castello Birra Italiana / Friulana Blonda, Castella Di Udine, San Giorgio di Nogaro, Italy
This one is a euro lager. It poured a clear golden yellow with only a small amount of head that left almost no lacing at all. The aroma was almost non existent with just a hint of sweet malts and some floral hops. The flavour had some ssweetness up front  with just a hint of hops to finish the beer. Another strike out 3.2 out of 5.