Brooklyn Pre-Prohibition Era Lager

This is probably the first beer that has been recommended to me so far in 2011 and luckily it's from a trusted source. I'm always reluctant to try new beers that only come in 6 pack form (see last review) but it just so happens that the LCBO near my work had a few of the bottles for sale individually. I'm not sure what happened, maybe a bottle disappeared or shattered, and now that means I could buy 2 bottles for $4.60. I now wonder... where is that mysterious 6th bottle? This should be pitched as the beginning of a plot-line at the new Pixar board meeting - seeing as most CGI cartoons are probably enjoyed more by adults than kids anyways (like, did you see see "Up"? It's only aimed at kids because they don't understand what makes that beginning montage sadder than an orphan's funeral) I'm getting off topic, let's get back on it.

I've had some Brooklyn beers before, specifically the Black Chocolate Stout which I'm almost certain I reviewed not too long ago. It was pretty good and I think that this is an all around decent brewery. Their website is pretty helpful and looks nice. Now, about this beer, it is Pre-Prohibition style, which basically means the recipe dates back to the 1800s. Their flagship beer, with an amber colour, it has a deep core of maltiness with a bit of bitterness and hop action. There's a lot more to the explanation which isn't really that interesting to try and paraphrase for whoever is reading this. From what I gather though, this will be a fairly caramel-like sweet beer that has a bitter hoppy kick in the aftertaste. I hope it isn't THAT sweet though as I am craving something bitter. The website also recommends pairing it with basically meat.

This stuff pours out very nicely. It has a perfect yellow and orange glow to it. First sip. Very interesting. I need another. Well, it's definitely fizzy and it's definitely a lager. I wouldn't say it's necessary light, however it is damn smooth and pleasant. I am actually extremely pleased with how there is barely any sweetness to it considering how malty it supposedly is. I feel like I taste more of a hoppy bitterness than a maltiness, but I swear this is not a super hoppy IPA style drink. I am thoroughly impressed. Reminds me a bit of the Muskoka Premium Lager but with a lot more going on. More flavour, more aftertaste, essentially more of a bite to it.

Just took a bite of haddock and then a swig of this stuff and I've got two words for you: Fucken Right. That tasted awesome. Totally brought out the hoppy flavour. This is a great beer. Probably the best lager I've ever had.

90%: Best lager I've ever had. The malty core is really not that sweet and gives it a beautiful amber glow. The beer tastes like a great refreshing lager with hints of hops and a bitter finish that is as smooth as it interesting. Extremely delicious with food as well as it brings out the hops a bit more.

Barley Days Yuletide Cherry Porter

Okay, I'm back. I've been pulled out of hiding to write in this beer blog again. Maybe it's due to the fact that I know there are at least two people that read this that don't have the same last name as me. Maybe it's also due to the fact that although I had been on a pretty good healthy streak since Christmas's "devastation of decadence" I had recently learned from CP24 that drinking a beer a day is good for you! They mentioned that it lowers your chance of high blood pressure and type 2 Diabetes. That's pretty awesome, eh? They also mentioned that people who had a beer a day while also maintaining a healthy "Mediterranean" style diet (tons of fruit and veg, some fish) actually ended up losing weight. There's probably issues with what they are saying and maybe that doesn't mean I should sit back with some fish and chips and let the brews ride in but it's gotten me to write this blog again. It's not like I stopped drinking beer, just took more of a break on the weekdays.

This beer, the Barley Days Yuletide Cherry Porter, is only available in 6 pack. Which, lets face it, is kind of a bitch. I don't necessarily want to try something if I have to commit to a higher price tag and more bottles of the stuff if I end up not liking this. However, I knew I was having some relatives over and we could share it so that gave me the chance to try something that sounded interesting. I am a fan of porters and I did really enjoy the Trafalgar Brewery Cherry Ale when I had it a few times last summer (totally light, totally sweet, totally unique!) I've also tried Barley Days' Harvest Gold Pale Ale and Wind & Sail Dark Ale which were both pretty great and I would highly recommend. So, I figured, lets give'r.

According to the Barley Days website, this beer's mix of English hops and malts with cherries is supposed to give it "lush flavour". Sounds alright to me.

It pours really dark with a light brown head. The one problem that I kept running into with this beer is that it foams up really easily. Not sure why that is, I may be a retard, but I haven't really dealt with a beer like this before where majority of the bottles I open I have a wicked foam problem.

First sip is really fizzy, that slightly metallic/smoky porter flavour soothes in. I can barely taste the cherry. Even in my mouth it feels like it turns instantly into foam just by a simple swish of the tongue. I feel like if this beer was not as fizzy it would be a bit more pleasant. It still is very nice, but mainly because I love a good porter and this one is quite drinkable.

Now I'm just trying it with some brie on crackers. The beer does taste a bit better. I'd say at this point that the cherry is detectable but it's almost like you have to think about it and find it as opposed to having it subtly present itself within the porter's overt darkness.

70 % : Tasty and drinkable but nothing stands out about this porter even though it is a cherry porter. The cherry flavour is really hidden and the beer is way too fizzy and foamy.

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier

Okay, so this is clearly the hardest to pronounce beer that I have reviewed thus far! Also, wait till I tell you what it supposedly tastes like... bacon! Yeah, gross eh? I had one beer expert buddy tell me it tastes like bacon and another tell me it tastes like a ham sandwich. Although, to me a sandwich would have veggies, mayo and bread involved so I was a bit confused by that and I pray to God (or Santa (or Satan)) that this beer does not have a hint of mayo or else my toilet may have a hint of mayo as well if you catch my drift. So to be perfectly honest my curiosity is similar to a car accident on the side of the road. I just have to see what this tastes like even though I might regret it. So I already have pretty low expectations in terms of the enjoyment factor. However, I will say that so far I am impressed by the fact that there is a beer out there like this and my beer buddy who said it tastes like bacon was in the midst of recommending it on it being a great beer not just a fucking weird one!

Now, there is a lot to read on the website for Schlenkerla. This beer is the original, the Marzen, as they also offer an Urbock, a Wheat, a Lager, a Lentbeer and an Oak Smoke. Sounds legit! This brewery produces smokebeers. It achieves a smoky flavour by exposing the malts to the smoke burning beech-wood logs. This is explained in more detail on the site but it does sound interesting. It does also warn that if it tastes strange on first swallow to keep at it and it'll become better. I'm nervous.

I've just opened the bottle and took a whiff and it definitely smells smoky. It pours out pretty smooth and dark but not nearly as dark as most stouts and porters I've had. The smoky smell is quite strong and I can instantly see what my friend was saying about a bacon quality and I haven't even taken a sip yet.
First sip, the taste is basically what you'd expect from the smell but it has a light aftertaste which makes it easier to drink. The smoky flavour hits you at first and then the flavour descends into more a bitter lager flavour with an almost metallic quality that is not really all that great. It is getting better with each gulp, but really I almost feel like that is due to the smoky taste disappearing and more of a stout-like flavour evolving out of it.

I'm now trying the beer with some savoury crackers. Already the cracker tastes amazing after the beer, lets see if it goes both ways. Hmmm, it's not so much that the taste of the beer is altered all that much but I found that I enjoyed the beer a bit more. Maybe this beer works best with food? Although I could only recommend salty, savoury, kind of food.

I will say that it is true that the beer gets better with each sip. I'm definitely enjoying it more than I thought would. However, I'm still not sure if I would get this again or even recommend it unless you just want to try a beer that tastes smoky.

70% : Decent beer, interesting smoky bacon-like flavour and scent. The aftertaste is more of a bitter lager though which is not amazing. Goes well with salty and savoury food. Only recommend trying this if you are interested in a more bizarre type of beer drinking experience.

Muskoka Double Chocolate Cranberry Stout

(Written this past Sunday)
This weekend has been really weird. Friday night I chipped my tooth somehow on a bottle of Great Lakes Winter Ale! Luckily the chip is so damn tiny, you can barely see it at all, but it's left my front tooth feeling jagged against my tongue and so annoying so dentist here I come! Then saturday I was harassed by some random homeless woman. She swore at me because I was actually in a rush and told her that as politely as I could saving me from hearing her entire (fictional) life story that brought her to Union Station broke and homeless. It's okay though. I went to the LCBO to get some Christmas presents and thought I deserved a treat to review later tonight. Luckily I stumbled upon this giant bottle. I've been really into stouts and porters lately (blame the winter) and I saw 'double' and 'chocolate' and my eyes lit up. I thought to myself: I deserve this.

I've had some Muskoka beers before. They make a really great lager actually, which I normally am not a huge fan of, but this one I could tell was probably one of the best lagers out there. I also had the Harvest Ale which was pretty decent. Their website shows all the different kinds of beers. Unfortunately it doesn't have anything about the Double Chocolate Cranberry Stout! Oh well, the title is long and specific enough to really encapsulate what you are going to experience. I am stoked!

Pours dark, thick and black like a stout should. Maybe it's just because it says it has Cranberry in it that I feel like the head has a tinge of pink amongst the dark brown. First few sips are delicious. It's kind of light in texture and the chocolate really kicks you in the aftertaste. The initial flavour is a subtle cranberry sweetness that mixes with the dark stout taste. I think making it 8% alcohol was a great idea because it's strong enough to add to the flavour but not too strong to make it overly bitter or sickly. I am really impressed by this. It's a truly chocolaty and sweet affair while still remaining bitter and dark. Some sips I almost feel like I'm drinking a dark cocoa gone cold. I know that may turn a lot of beer drinkers off, but you know what, it's the holidays and you need to embrace flavoured beers like this. Winter ales and Chocolate stouts are what Christmas is all about. This is a great beer to sip while sitting by a fireplace, an old man tapping away on the piano, an old woman baking you cookies in the next room, and an elf massaging your feet.

I know I said that Aphrodite was my favourite chocolate stout, but this may be it instead. I think it has a slightly better texture. Don't get me wrong though, Aphrodite is fucking amazing and you all need to try it!

90%: Fantastic beer! Delicious and has a great light texture to it. Initial flavours of cranberry are subtle and tasty then it finishes off with a lingering dark chocolate wash. All of this comes in the vehicle of a perfect stout. Perfect holiday beer! Sip this one with a loved one by the fireplace.

Meantime Coffee Porter

Okay, what really drew me into this beer was the bottle. I know the picture sucks, but you can still see that this bottle doesn't really look like it contains beer. However, it was in the beer section, and it wasn't really that expensive, so I was sold. Also, I tried a sip of the Mill Street Coffee Porter a week ago and thought it was amazing so now I really want to get more into coffee porters! The one thing that does worry me a bit though is the coffee factor because on occasion I can be a little sensitive to caffeine and coffee seems to have the greatest effect on me. I go through periods where I am drinking coffee 1-2 times a day but then I go through periods where I almost never drink it. These periods are a few months at a time and they are always due to me being overwhelmed by coffee and then curious of whether it really does effect me badly. Blah blah blah.

Now, Meantime Brewing has a website. Looks like they make a lot of interesting beers. It is in fact based out of London, so that will give me a bit of an idea of what to expect. Unfortunately they don't give a lot of information on the Coffee Porter itself but the site is kinda cool and they seem to have a pretty serious selection.

The smell is nice, just a hint of coffee, combined with the usual smell of a porter makes for almost a mocha-like scent. Initially it tastes great, the coffee is perfectly subtle against the smooth dark flavours of the porter. However the aftertaste is kind of metallic and unpleasant. I just tasted the foam of the porter on my mustache and it tasted like pure coffee. It's a bit fizzy tasting and it's expectedly bitter. What I really like is the balance of the coffee flavour, it really doesn't over-or-under-whelm you. The metallic aftertaste seemed to disappear after a few sips, so that is good, although that taste is really the only downside to the flavour of the beer.

Now I've just had a few bites of a tuna salad sandwich and then took a sip of the Coffee Porter. Hmmmm. The metallic aftertaste is back. I really don't know what that is but it's unpleasant. It's really a shame because the beer is almost amazing. It's a hard recommend.

70%: This beer almost rules but is turned down by the metallic aftertaste that arrives after the initial sips and any sip after food. Other than that, it has a perfect balance of coffee flavouring and a good scent. It's a shame about the aftertaste.

Dieu Du Ciel Solstice D'Hiver

That's Winter Solstice, for those of you who do not speak French, myself included. I did not even plan to do two Dieu Du Ciel reviews in a row but here we are. In that case, I will keep this one shorter and leave all the bits about the brewery and website out. However, if you are interested, here is the website. Click on St. Jerome for the brewery itself and that's how you can discover all their great beers that are usually available at the LCBO (including Corne Du Diable, which as I mentioned before, is a delicious hoppy IPA).

I will tell you a bit about this beer though. It is a Barley Wine. I have never tried a Barley Wine. I like wine, it's okay though, definitely not in love with it. Barley? Sure! Barley Wine? I don't know, but okay, let's try it. The website's description of this beer is actually amazing and I don't want to copy and paste but just mention that it's brown, bitter, hoppy, high alcohol (9% ABV!) and has flavours reminiscent of red fruit. There's way more described here and it makes me feel like I'm reading something by Lord Byron. Great! I am very impressed by this brewery. That Aphrodite beer I reviewed last week was the most chocolaty 'chocolate stout' ever. Now from reading the description, I don't think this is going to be like other winter ales that are out now. I love winter ales and I really should review one soon. If you're interested in trying one: the St. Peter's Winter Ale is my personal favourite and has the strongest/darkest flavour; the Great Lakes' Winter Ale is also fantastic, more of a balance in darkness and comes in a big bottle; and Samuel Adams' Winter Welcome is a good choice for value and is pleasant but a bit lighter for a winter ale.

Wow, this pours out really thick and really brown. I'm not sure if I've ever seen a beer like this before because it's not exactly thick and black like a stout or porter. It does smell a bit like a winter ale, so maybe I should expect something along those lines. Woah, very strong flavour. Very sweet and the alcohol has a huge presence. It says it's very bitter and hoppy but I'm finding the bitterness is that of a vodka or rum and not of a hoppy type of bitterness that I usually love. This is quite intense but I'm not sure if I'm in love with it. It's really thick and syrupy too which seems to bring out more of the sweetness and high alcohol content. I feel like I'm almost drinking cough syrup. Maybe this is what barley wine tastes like? The bitterness lingers on this too. At this point I am leading more towards disliking this beer. I do have to give it points for being unique and it doesn't taste like a "shitty cheap beer" by any means but I just don't really find these flavours or the texture of the beer very pleasant.

I'm going to try a sip after eating a cracker to see if the taste changes even though I feel like this might be a waste of time. Well, I think I tasted a bit more of the hops that time. Now that I'm getting more into the beer, it tastes a bit like a Trippel Belgian trappist style beer, like a Chimay or something. More bitter though, heavier, and more like cough syrup. I am pretty surprised by my reaction to this beer because the description made it sound like it was going to be a real treat and while it is definitely an interesting beer it's not a very pleasant one. It's hard to recommend this beer, I really could only do it if I knew someone who wanted a harsh cough-syrupy-like beer.

65 %: It's not a bad beer and I know Dieu Du Ciel is a strong brewery but this is really unpleasant. It really hits you like a swig of cough syrup with it's thick texture, high alcohol bitterness, and strange sweetness. Almost like a winter ale gone bad and mixed with rum. I can't really recommend this but I also can't slag it for poor quality - it doesn't taste like a 'shitty cheap beer' but it also doesn't taste good.

Dieu Du Ciel's Aphrodite

In august my girlfriend and I went to Montreal for a few days as a little affordable vacation. It was pretty cool. I've been there a few times but the last couple of times I went were for just playing a show and left no time to explore what the city had to offer. Also, it really wasn't until 2 or 3 years ago that I really started to take an active interest in beer so this time I was going to make it a priority to see what Montreal was brewing. The Unibrou brand is way popular, you can get their giant bottles anywhere/everywhere, and while the beer is good it's not really my cup of tea. One of my buddies at work (and fellow beer snob) Bart informed me of a few great pubs to check out. One in particular - Le Saint Bock - floored me. It was a few blocks away from the hotel we stayed at so we ended up going there every night. My first visit there I asked for a Corne Du Diablo, one of the beers produced by Dieu Du Ciel, and the waitress warned me: "It's very strong, do you like IPAs?" I grinned and said yes. She brought out a pint of one of the best IPAs I've ever had. It was beautiful, bitter, and full of flavour. I think I'll take that as a good sign if the bartender gives me a warning before trying a beer: "Are you certain that you want to corrode your mouth with so much flavour that your tongue will turn black and your eyes will roll back in your head?" (The answer will always be: yes, very much so.)

I noticed a few months back that Dieu Du Ciel beers started popping up in the LCBOs around here. Surely enough I picked up 3 bottles of Corne Du Diablo but I hadn't ventured into any other kinds of beer. I kept getting recommendations but it wasn't until tonight that I decided that I really need to try another one. I picked up this interesting looking bottle of Aphrodite. The little description card at LCBO described flavours such as vanilla and cocoa and it is a strong stout. Sounds pretty out there, but I am very much stoked to try it!

The website for Dieu De Ciel is a bit confusing because they have a couple locations and also brewpubs too. I do recommend navigating till you get a selection of the beers they carry because they all sound very complex. The Aphrodite is said to have won a bunch of awards in back in 2003. It also goes on to describe the flavours of vanilla, dark chocolate, bourbon and roasted malt being present. Despite its colouring, they claim it's accessible enough for most beer drinkers. Aw, I thought this was the beer for the elite? Well, either way it still sounds pretty interesting.

It pours out pretty thick and dark with dark foam as well. It smells like any stout, but maybe a bit weaker. First sip, very nice. Initially I taste the coffee-like bitterness but then my tongue is coated with dark chocolate. The vanilla bean flavouring is very subtle. Maybe I'd want just a bit more vanilla flavouring to come forward to make this beer stand out more but it still is very delicious. I'm guessing that what the vanilla bean does is strengthen the cocoa flavouring because for a beer that is not called a Chocolate Stout it may in fact be the most chocolaty tasting stout I've ever had. It's also not overly smoky tasting too. The only downside is that it's $3.50 for a 341 mL bottle. If this was a bit cheaper I'd probably pick this up more often.

I just ate a few crackers and now am taking a sip. It basically tasted the way I figured it would. I know crackers aren't considered a good pairing food, but essentially I just wanted something to cleanse the palette and make way for a bolder taste which is exactly what it did.

87% : A tasty chocolaty stout. The vanilla flavour really just boosts the chocolaty flavour. Coats your tongue in chocolate and coffee. Quite delicious and intense. I say try anything by Dieu Du Ciel and you'll be in for a treat - especially the Corne Du Diable!