(This is the first part of a three-part series. Part two can be found here.)
It’s been a long time coming. So many new beers have come out in the past few months that between finding time to drink them and finding people to drink them with (which is harder than it sounds), I’ve had precious little time to actually write about them!
Still, most of ‘em are still available and some of ‘em are even worth checking out if you haven’t already done so.
My current favorite is the Great Lakes Green Tea Ale (650 mL, 4.2 % ABV, $4.95) . I first had a bottle with my friend Alex and we both found it quite refreshing. I hadn’t much enjoyed the brewery’s other products but this one is definitely the best of the bunch.
It pours with minimal head but has a nice, golden, cloudy hue. The lack of carbonation initially surprised me but I grew accustomed to it as I drank more. The nose was fruity with a bit of caramel which continued on with my first sip. The aftertaste where was I began to detect a bit of that green tea but I didn’t get much ginseng until the end.
By the end of the bottle, the tea flavour was a bit more pronounced which gave the beer a bit of an astringent feel but I still enjoyed it overall. Definitely one to try, especially if you want to pair it with some spicy food. It’s generally available everywhere but check the LCBO website first before you head out to pick it up. This beer is easily shared or you can drink it on your own.
If this is any indication of the leaps in quality that the Great Lakes Brewery is making, I think I’ll be looking forward to this year’s Orange Peel Ale. Recommended.
Alex and I also tried the Rogue Brutal Bitter (650 mL, 5% ABV, $6.95… ouch) . Pouring a golden orange colour with one helluva thick, foamy head, it had overtones of caramel maltiness and a bit of citrus and hops in the nose. The taste also started off sweet but finished pretty bitter (although not as nearly much as the name might imply). It did had really good length.
I’ve never been a fan of Rogue’s beers; I know they’re popular but they just never did it for me. This one was alright but I wouldn’t drink more than one and I’d probably split the bottle. Also I found it to be just a bit too expensive considering I didn’t love it. The Brutal Bitter is discontinued but you can find it with a bit of effort.
The third beer that we tried was another offering from Rogue called Kell’s Irish Style Lager (650 mL, 4.8 % ABV, $6.35).
Despite the confusing name (what’s an Irish lager anyway?) it tasted lot like an American lager. It poured a clear golden colour with a average head that shrank quite quickly. The aroma suggested malt with a bit of hops and an herbal, grassy quality that wasn’t entirely unpleasing. The taste was surprisingly bitter and didn’t give me nearly enough of the malts that I could smell but there was a yeasty presence that didn’t sit with me all that well.
At least it was crisp enough to leave me wanting another swallow but overall, I was left wanting something else. Kind of like most basic American-style lagers except more expensive. Like their Brutal Bitter, Kell’s is also discontinued but your best best is the Summerhill location if you really want to seek it out.
Having exhausted our lighter options, Alex and I went with a doppelbock for our next beer; Doppel Hirsch Doppelbock (500 mL, 7.2% ABV, $3.95).
I’ve never liked any of the doppelbocks I’ve ever tried. They’re far too sweet for me and a hefty alcohol percentage doesn’t really interest me either.
Pouring dark with a light tan head, it gave off a sweet, raisin smell which mingled with this weird maltiness I couldn’t quite place until I tasted it and amongst the wheat and dried fruits was this malty, metallic flavour that ruined the finish for me.
The Doppel Hirsch is discontinued but you can get one at the St. Clair and Keele location or Queen’s Quay.
After the Doppelbock, we needed something a bit lighter so we went with Cameron’s Dark 266 (341 mL, 4.5% ABV, 6x$11.95).
Unfortunately, it was a bit too unsubstantial for us. I was a bit confused until I did some research and came to the conclusion that was more of a dunkel (or dark lager) than brown ale. This reminded me a lot of Upper Canada’s Dark. It’s rather boring but I like it chilled in a frosty glass.
Pouring with a dark, cola colour there was a minimal head. The aroma was all malt with some molasses and cocoa and the taste was equally straightforward, ending with a bit of hops.
The Dark 266 is not discontinued but finding it can be a bit of a trick. Your best bet is the Summerhill location but Bay and Dundas has a few kicking around too.
Alex and I followed up this completely-average beer with something extraordinary: Young’s Double Chocolate Stout (500 mL, 5% ABV, $3.25). Not technically a spring release, this stout was (very wisely) given a general release by the LCBO and you can now find it everywhere.
It pours a dark, dark brown with a dark beige head that holds up well. Aroma has a nice blend of malt, coffee and, of course, chocolate. The taste is more of the same, just more intense with a bit of barley peeking through and a little bitterness to finish.
This beer was easy to finish and I’ve bought it several times since. It’s perfect for sharing but just as easy to drink on it’s own; I could very well have several of these over the course of a night but I’m just that kind of guy. Recommended.
Alex and I finished up with a trio of beers from Trafalgar. Released as a boxed set and not-so menacingly titled Triple Threat – Very Strong Beer (200 mL, 15% ABV average, 3x$10.95) they are that indeed.
The Black Bullet is apparently a Belgian triple and while my memory of what exactly constitutes a triple is hazy (so many nights at Beer Bistro…) all I got when I tasted this was a lot of sweetness with a strong aftertaste of alcohol. Since we were drinking these after eating, I suppose you could treat it like a icewine but it has none of the finesse one might expect from a benchmark example of the latter.
The Korrupter didn’t taste much different, even though it’s supposed to be a barley wine. With Alex, his partner and I sharing a bottle, it was just enough to be acceptable without going overboard but I don’t doubt that was because we weren’t having more than about 75mL each. I’m not a fan of this type of beer in general but Mill St. did it better with their winter release.
Critical Mass has some fruit flavour in there but the sweetness and booze dominate. I can’t imagine drinking an entire bottle of this. Where are the hops? Shouldn’t there be some bitterness in there??
Ostensibly brewed for shock value and rushed into production to meet licensing restrictions, this pack is yet another example of Trafalgar pushing a concept at the expense of taking the time to develop a truly great beer. Not surprisingly, this product is discontinued but you can find it at Summerhill. I say go with some icewine instead.
Overall, I would stick with the Green Tea Ale and the Double Chocolate Stout. The majority of these are not worth going back for seconds and when it comes down to it, that’s the big question that I think ultimately determines a beer’s worth.
I’ll have the second half of my beer review up next week.
