Brasserie McAuslan's St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout -- Three Beers

This oatmeal stout is a stout for stout lovers. It's fairly thick, with a "mocha-coloured" head. I found it tasty, but not at all oaty -- much more coffee and chocolate to the malt, which the label describes accurately. The thing is, that that's just not my style. It's like drinking cold espresso, or since it's actually pretty sweet for something packed so full of beer, like drinking molasses. That's not to say I didn't like this one, though, just that I don't really like stouts. If I wanted one, I would gladly choose this beer. But be prepared for a real sweet malt if you're going to try it.

Rickard's Honey Brown -- Three Beers

Like its cousin the White Ale, the Honey Brown is fairly standard. There isn't even any honey to it. I guess they mean that the brown is honey, not that the beer is a brown with honey to it? I always liked JW Dundee's Original Honey Brown, 'cause there was an aftertaste of honey, a little bit of sweetness that didn't overpower the rest of the brown. But nope, not here. Just a tasty, toasty malt, low on carbonation and on hops. There is a mellowness that's honey-like, and for not having a lot of hops it's still fairly balanced. But it's nothing fantastic. Mostly just a good alternative within the Rickard's series.

Rickard's White Ale -- Four Beers

Rickard's White is a "Belgian-style, wheat ale"--and by Belgian they mean unfiltered. To me, this means that the beer is pleasantly fruity. To some, this means it's sweet. And it's true, it does have a bit on the sweet side, but I never really find beer to be exactly dry, not compared with almost any other alcoholic beverage. But back to the beer. I find it fairly standard for an unfiltered beer. It doesn't go out of its way to taste like much of anything except a beer with its yeast still in it, though there are some specifically citrus undertones to the fruit--probably because, in its standardness, it's "supposed" to be garnished with orange. (Personal note: don't really like orange garnish.) Its carbonation is probably the one way that this beer stands out from other unfiltereds. It's got a fairly effervescent quality, probably, what with being so sweet, why my uncle said it's like drinking pop--but I heartily disagree. Drinking it in Spring is like getting ready for Summer. I think it would be perfect for a drink on a patio. Overall, though, it's good, but only because the style is good. I'm also glad it's from a major distributor, bringing a wider variety of beers to the uneducated, Canadian masses.




Of note: As far as I know, there are two specific styles of unfiltered beer: Belgian, and Hefeweizen (German?). With a hefeweizen, to pour it, you're supposed to swirl the bottle before and half-way through pouring, to kick up the settled yeast so that it is poured into the glass. With a Belgian, while I would still swirl it to kick up the yeast, I've also heard tell that you're not supposed to drink the yeast that has settled and clotted at the bottom, that it's actually not good for you. I haven't died or anything, and as you can see in the picture, it's definitely in there. But what's the difference, between a hefeweizen (and I've swirled the real ones imported from Germany) and a Belgian? What's the difference between the yeasts, that some of it clots and some of it doesn't? Is it top and bottom yeast? If anyone ever reads this, and happens to know, lemme know?

Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale -- Five Beers

Mmm, two of my favourite things in the world: a seasonal beer, and a hoppy beer. Some winter seasonals don't know how to do it right, but Sierra Nevada does. It's got a fruit/spicy taste that tastes just like Christmas in a bottle--AND, it's got the bitter tang of a well-hopped ale. Makes me feel like celebrating.

[Label Text:  Special beers made for the winter season have been a brewer's tradition for centuries. To honor this heritage, we present this unique offering, Celebration Ale.]

Tree Brewing Co.'s Hop Head IPA -- Four Beers

Not for the faint of hop, "Hop head" is fairly accurate, and I've got to give it points for that (a favourite phrase of mine, by the way). It was almost soapy, but I can't care 'cause I love hop. It could be more balanced with a titch more malt, but I'm still going to give it four. Go local microbreweries knowing what real beer is! And for knowing what the story is and printing it on their label to educate the masses!

Pike Seattle Brewing Co.'s Scotch Style Kilt Lifter Ruby Ale -- Three Beers

A pleasant scotch ale. For those who aren't "in the know," a scotch ale is one where the malt used for the beer is the same as that which would be used to make scotch (simple? obvious? tasty? yes). This particular scotchale is medium-bodied, very lightly carbonated, and more importantly, malty but not too malty. And malty like nothing but a scotch ale could be. My favourite part of the maltiness is that it's dark and spicy, without making the beer overly thick or overly malty. No sickly-sweet caramel malts here; just a hearty, well-balanced-yet-unique beer. While it might not be my favourite beer overall, it's a pleasant beer to come home to after the Coors Lights I'd been drinking as a guest in someone else's home. I can't speak to the price, 'cause I'm still a guest in this home (I'm on the road as I write this), but I'll give it some credit for having a funny name. Three it is!

Green Flash Brewing Co.'s Barleywine Style Ale -- Two Beers

I bought this beer, 'cause I wanted to try out a barleywine, and was in my first real beer-selection alcohol store since good old Half Time in Poughkeepsie (Best. Beer. Store. Ever.). It was interesting, and I could... possibly buy it again. I don't think I would though, but only because it's not exactly my type of beer, though I could clearly see someone else enjoying it, if this were their cup of suds. It had a rich but mild hop flavour (not even close to IPA hops, barely a pale ale hop); and a deep, deep malt flavour, like of a stout or porter. It also had an sweet side to it that was almost enjoyable, only it wasn't enough of a fruity sweet, and too much of a caramel sweet, for me. Even though it had the malt flavours of a stout/porter, it didn't have the thickness, which I enjoyed. But, for $4 for 24 oz., the price was a little steep.

Anderson Valley's Hop-Ottin' IPA -- Six Beers

I didn't write a review of this beer while I was drinking it ('cause I was drinking a lot of it), but apparently I managed to take a couple of pictures of the bottles while I was drinking it, so I figured I'd do a review of it anyways. And I can do a review of this one from memory.

This beer is fantastic. Absolutely fan-freaking-tastic. It is one of the hoppiest beers I have ever tasted--and good, real IPA hops, with "a bite like a rattlesnake"--but nowhere near soapy. Not even close. It is so perfectly blended with gentle, smooth malt, that it comes off thick and rich, while still having that refreshingly bitter bite that makes me want to sit out on the porch with six of these, and watch the sun go down after a hard day's work... Seriously. Never have I ever seen an IPA so dark, nor tasted one so fresh and light. It's a perfect beer, made for hop-heads and gentler-of-palate beer drinkers alike, even for first time beer drinkers that 'til now have thought that beer is gross. Second (and a very very close one) only to Anderson Valley's Winter Solstice; and points for being available year round.

Enjoyment vs. Value

A Discovery News article, about a study done where the more expensive the wine, the more people enjoyed it--even through neurological scans, not just by a rating scale.

Yes, this study was done about wines, but there's no doubt that the point of it extends to other consumable products. Or does it? To me, a huge reason to pay an extra dollar a bottle of beer (and, you know, not buy beer in cans) is because of the additional taste. The thickness of taste, the extra texture. I could tell the difference. And I've paid $4 more for a bottle of beer that was imported, and really liked it--but I haven't better enjoyed a beer at a bar when paying $4 more than the cost.

Comments?

Lagunitas' IPA -- Four Beers

This is an excellent IPA. "Suicidally hoppy" is right. Nothing but hops, all the way down, in this one, but by no means in a bad way. Even with such a powerful hop kick, it's still gentle enough to be light and leave only a little aftertaste. It has what I think of as a "tight" carbonation too, where you don't feel bubbles or excess gas in your mouth, but there's a tingle all through your mouth, as if the bubbles were just smaller than usual somehow. More like champagne than pop. I don't remember the price, but I'll check later. A four if it's cheap, a three otherwise, and it'll definitely become a regular for me. [Update: now that I'm rating out of six beers--what was I thinking rating out of five beers and not six?--it's a four either way.]

[Label text:
-Thanks for choosing to spend the next few minutes with this special homicidally hoppy ale. Savor the moment as the raging hop character engages the IMperial Qualities of the Malt Foundation in mortal combat on the battlefield of your palate!
-Life is Uncertain, Don't Sip!]