Wild Rose Hoodoo Hef

Today's beer: Hoodoo Hef by Wild Rose

Earlier this year, I tried the Foothillz Pilz by Wild Rose and quite enjoyed it. So when I saw this I knew I was going to have to try it too. To tell the truth, there is another of Wild Rose's seasonal offerings sitting in my fridge even now. Wild Rose seems to name it's seasonal beers after land marks here in Alberta. We have the foothills and (the as yet untried) Hop Smashed In named after Head-Smashed-In buffalo jump. Hoodoo Hef is named after the rock formations common to the Badlands near Drumheller, Alberta. On with the review!

Hoodoo Hef pours into the glass a golden amber with a moderate white head. My first whiff revealed a number of smells; one of the primary one being apple. There were also the smells of wheat malt and a very light scent of yeast. The first taste to hit me was also apple, again followed by pleasant wheat malt. There is also a slight taste of spice rounding out the flavours. As for hops, what hops? The hops flavour is so light as to be almost non existent. Hoodoo Hef is a very nice wheat beer with decent carbonation. I can only hope they make it part of their regular line up.

Rating:

May your glass always be full of good beer!

Erdinger Weissbier Dunkel

Today's beer: Weissbier Dunkel by Erdinger

I've been on a bit of a dark beer kick recently. Despite the fact that summer is the traditional time for lighter, hoppier beers, I still like darker beers. I have nothing against the so-called summer beers, except the fact that it makes it much harder to get a good dark beer. Weissbier Dunkel is odd for a dark dunkel beer as it is a wheat beer. On the label it calls its self a strong beer, but it is only 5.3%.

The Dunkel pours into the glass a dark brown as any good dunkel should. The head, however, is monstrous, not like any beer should be (with the exception of Guinness which starts out as nothing but head). Even after I stop pouring, with my glass only half full, the head keeps building, eventually overflowing my glass. There isn't much smell to the beer. Dunkel does have a wheat beer like taste to it with a touch of malt, and not much else. There are no hops evident. Despite the enormous head (or perhaps because of it) there is almost no carbonation in this beer. Perhaps carbonation would improve this beer. All during my drink, I can't shake the feeling that there's something not quite right about the beer. A dunkel should be bursting with malt and have a touch of hops and this beer has little of either. Very disappointing. I wouldn't buy this beer again.

Rating:

May your glass always be full of good beer!

Phillips Skookum

Today's beer: Skookum by Phillips

Skookum is another beer from the Phillips Hop Box and like all the beers from the Hop Box, it is an IPA varient. Two delicious Hop Box beers down, one to go! I have already reviewed the fourth beer in the box, Hop Circle.

Skookumpours into the glass a dark brown and develops a moderate, light tan head. The head eventually deteriorates to a foam with the consistency of whipping cream, very thick. My first whiff revealed the scent of hops and malt, with a bit more hops coming through. My first sip revealed a huge hit of hops, not terribly surprising since it is an IPA. There was also a light touch of malt. Despite the amount of hops, this is a very smooth beer and fairly easy to drink, which could be a problem if you drink too many of them as Skookum is a 6.5% beer. This beer would be a really good mid-afternoon beer on a hot day. I would like to see this be available by its self instead of only available through the Hop Box.

Rating:

May your glass always be full of good beer!

Granville Island Cascadian Dark Ale

Today's beer: Cascadian Dark Ale by Granville Island

I picked this up with a clutch of other beers about a month ago and have been waiting for the right time to try it. In the past few weeks I've passed it over just because I haven't felt like having that much beer. It is a big bottle at 650ml and it is a stronger beer than most, coming in at 6%. But tonight was the night to crack it open.

Cascadia pours into the glass a very dark brown and forms a huge tan head. I usually wait a bit to let the head die down before taking a sniff and a sip, but the head just doesn't settle. Even after I finished the beer, there was still foam at the bottom of my glass. My first sniff (mostly of the head) revealed nothing but hops. However later sniffs (after I had drunk a bit) did reveal some malt smells as well. There were some toasted malt smells as one might get from a porter too. My first taste yielded a nice blend of hops and roasted malt with the hops being a bit more prevalent. There was also a distinct citrus touch to the aftertaste. Despite the ginormous head, the beer its self has very little carbonation in it. Cascadian Dark Ale almost tastes like a porter, but with more hops. This is a very nice beer and easy to drink. I would definitely buy this beer again.

Rating:

May your glass always be full of good beer!

Schloss Eggenberg Doppelbock

Today's beer: Doppelbock by Schloss Eggenberg

When I picked this beer up, I had been looking for another dunkel (or two) to try after my encounter with Phillips Dr. Funk. I managed to find this one and another dunkel (which will be reviewed later). Doppelbock is a strong beer from Austria coming in at 8.5%.

Dopplebock pours into the glass a rich brown in colour with a moderate light tan head that persists. My smells of the beer revealed nothing. I couldn't smell anything from this beer. My first sip, however revealed a huge hit of malt. This beer is all about the malt with the only trace of hops being in the finish with a very light taste of hops. There is also a subtle sweetness to the beer which is intriguing. There was one flavour, though it tasted familiar, I couldn't identify. Weaving through all these flavours was the slight taste of alcohol, but that's not really surprising given the amount of alcohol. Though I did enjoy this beer, I probably wouldn't buy it again, there are probably other dunkels out there that are better.

Rating:





May your glass always be full of good beer!

Tring Side Pocket for a Toad

Today's beer: Side Pocket for a Toad by Tring

One of the things about writing a beer blog is the fact that you have to go back and drink (and review) beer that you've had in the past, whether it's good or bad. Side Pocket is the former. It gets its name from an old Hertfordshire saying that means 'of no use'. Like many beers from the UK, Side Pocket comes in at 4.5%.

Side Pocket pours into the glass a beautiful amber colour with a moderate white head that disperses fairly quickly. My first sniff reveals the smell of hops, but not much else. There isn't a lot of smell to this beer. There is a fair amount of taste however. The first thing I tasted with my first sip, surprisingly, wasn't hops, it was caramel. There was also the taste of hops, but it didn't leap out right at the front. Though this is described as "The Hoppy One", there is just enough malt to keep the hops from being overpowering. A decent amount of carbonation makes this a very nice drink. Side Pocket is very smooth and easy to drink.

Rating:





May your glass always be full of good beer!

Marston's Oyster Stout

Today's beer: Oyster Stout by Marston's

Please note this stout does not have any oysters in it! It is named Oyster Stout because apparently it goes very well with oysters and other shellfish.

Tonight is cold and rainy, a perfect day for a stout. I've had Oyster Stout before and I've had this one sitting in my fridge just waiting for the perfect time to drink it. Tonight's as good a night as any!

Oyster Stout pours into the glass a very dark almost-black-but-not-quite brown. It produces a moderate tan head that dissipates very quickly. It took a while to find the scent of this beer, but that's probably due to the fact that it was still quite cold when I poured it. After it warmed up a bit, I detected the faint (again probably due to the cold) smell of apples. There was also the smell of caramel and malt. The dominating taste of Oyster stout is apple. There is also a slight taste of malt, but none of the usual coffee or chocolate tastes one usually associates with stout. Like any good stout, there are virtually no hops present. There is also almost no carbonation, not unusual in a stout, but not common either. Unlike most stouts, Oyster Stout is quite fruity. Oyster Stout is not your common stout. It didn't really satisfy the craving for a good black beer, but it's good in it's own right.

Rating:

May your glass always be full of good beer!

Dead Frog Nut Brown Ale

Today's beer: Nut Brown Ale by Dead Frog

I have previously reviewed a Dead Frog beer (Oak Aged Stout) and found it pretty good. I was looking for a beer today that wasn't heavy on the hops; I just didn't want a lot of hops today. I looked at a few other beers in my fridge (stouts mostly) before deciding on this one. It was a difficult choice, there are a few dark beers in my fridge but they are rather large and I didn't feel like a big beer tonight. I have some reservations about Dead Frog, though only second hand (my dad doesn't really like Dead Frog).

Nut Brown Ale pours into the glass brown with a almost non-existent tan head. My first smell revealed only the standard beer smell, nothing really stood out. The malt hit me like a ton of bricks with my first sip. There is a lot of malt in this beer. I also got some flavours of toasted malt and some hints of coffee and chocolate. There are almost no hops in this beer. I guess I got what I wanted. Nut Brown Ale tastes almost like a porter, but not quite. It tastes like there's a flavour missing but I can't quite put my finger on what it is.

Rating:

May your glass always be full of good beer!

Phillips Krypton

Today's beer: Krypton by Phillips

While looking up some information for the Analogue 78 on the Phillips website, I came across several beers that I was eager to try but had never seen. Then I noticed that they said they were only available in the Hop Box. I immediately phoned my local liquor store to inquire if they carried the Hop Box. They did. The Hop box is similar to the Phillips Show Case; it has 12 beers, 3 each of 4 varieties. In the Hop Box, however, all the beers are hoppy beers. Krypton is described as a Rye PA, because in addition to the usual ingredients found in beer, they have added rye.

Krypton pours into the glass a cloudy deep yellow with a large head. My first sniff revealed a large smell of hops with a very slight floral scent. I got hit with a huge hit of hops on my first sip. This is definitely in the IPA family. In addition to the monster hit of hops, there was also citrus tones and even a touch of spice to round out the overall taste of this beer. Like the Analogue 78, this beer is a really good drink on a hot summer day.

If you're not sure if you like hops (or even if you're pretty sure you don't), or if you know you like hops and want to expand your beer palette, I would wholeheartedly recommend picking up a Hop Box, you're almost sure of finding something you like in it.

Rating:

May your glass always be full of good beer!

Phillips Analogue 78

Today's beer: Analogue 78 by Phillips

Occasionally, at my local beer store, a case of beer gets dropped. When that happens, they sell all the undamaged beers as singles. I often look over these singles to see if there's anything that looks interesting. This is one such find. I believe it comes from a Phillips Show Case that broke open.

Analogue 78 pours into the glass a cloudy but brilliant yellow. There's a moderate white head that builds. My first sniff reveals not much beyond the standard beer smell, perhaps a touch more hops than in the standard, but not much. My fist sip reveals that this beer, though not a wheat beer, does taste rather like one. There is a lot of carbonation in this beer and it brings all the flavours bursting into your mouth. I have said that carbonation (or the lack there of) does not make a beer good or bad but there are cases where a beers carbonation really adds to the beer. Analogue 78 is one of those rare cases. There is a balance between the hops and malt, with just a touch more hops than malt. This is a wonderfully crisp and refreshing beer that is quite easy to drink. An especially good beer on a hot afternoon.

Rating:





May your glass always be full of good beer!

Verhaeghe Vichte Duchesse De Bourgogne

Today's beer: Duchesse De Bourgogne by Verhaegue Vichte

I picked up this beer a few months ago and decided to try it today. While I was drinking it, I wasn't sure if it had gone off or not, and so I wasn't sure if I was going to be writing a review of this beer tonight, or if I was going to have to buy another one to make sure. After checking it out on a few sites, it turns out that the beer had not in fact gone off, but that the tastes that I was tasting are the way it's supposed to be. On with the review!

Duchesse pours into the glass a ruby brown with a small but very persistent tan head. I had to wait a while to let my beer warm up after I poured it. Duchesse is meant to be drunk around cellar temperatures; the bottle suggests between 8-12 C. Even after waiting several minutes for my beer to warm up to an appropriate temperature the head remained.My first sniff reveals the smell of red wine vinegar. With my first sip all I can taste is the red wine vinegar. After reading some reviews of this beer, I could have been tasting sour cherry, but to my palette, it tastes a lot like red wine vinegar. There is also a slight taste that I can't quite put my finger on. There is no taste of malt or hops anywhere in this beer.

Due to the sourness/vinegar tastes, I wouldn't buy this beer again. It has received high ratings from many people, so give it a try, you may like it. Personally, I'm not a fan.

Rating:

May your glass always be full of good beer!

Harviestoun Mr Sno'balls

Today's beer: Mr Sno'balls by Harviestoun

I picked this up at the same time as the Viru and Skull Splitter. Having previously had a fantastic beer by Harviestoun (Ola Dubh Special Reserve 12) I picked this up. This should be interesting, I though, a pale ale to counterpoint the stout that is Ola Dubh.

Mr Sno'balls pours into the glass a dark brown. Not what I was expecting. With a name like Mr Sno'balls I was expecting a light coloured beer. I can't really detect any sort of scent with my first whiff. It may be that the beer is a little on the cold side. Eventually I got the faint smell of malt. My first sip reveals the same thing as my first sniff: almost nothing. A bigger sip and I catch the faint taste of malts. For a beer this dark, one would expect it to be "thick" rather like a stout, instead it's rather light; I don't want to use the word thin, because it gives the wrong sort of connotations. This beer lacks substance. There is a hint of hops on the back of the tongue at the beginning, and the taste of hops does build the more beer is drunk, but it never really achieves a balance. There simply isn't enough other flavours to balance with. After the success of the Ola Dubh, Mr Sno'balls is very disappointing.

Rating:

May your glass always be full of good beer!

Orkney Skull Splitter

Today's beer: Skull Splitter by Orkney

I picked this bottle up along with the Viru that I reviewed yesterday. The thing that really caught my eye was the label. How could I say no to a label like that?

Skull Splitter pours into the glass a deep rich brown with virtually no head. With my first whiff I detect the smell of red wine vinegar. Very unusual. A second sniff reveals the smell of figs, another unusual odour, I wouldn't have even been able to identify it if I hadn't read it on the label. My first sip reveals the faint taste of figs. The largest flavour by far is the rich malt flavours. There is almost no hops to this beer. The carbonation is very low in Skull Splitter, which, along with the fantastic flavour makes this a very easy beer to drink; it's very smooth. One does have to be careful with this beer though, as it is 8.5%. Not only would I buy this again, I'm also eager to try more of the offerings by the Orkney Brewery. If they're anything like this beer, they're sure to be fantastic!

Rating:

May your glass always be full of good beer!

A. Le Coq Viru

Today's beer: Viru by A. Le Coq

I picked this bottle up today. What caught my eye initially was the unusual shape. While most bottles have a fairly standard shape that varies little from bottle to bottle, Viru is in an octagonal bottle. When I first picked it up I also noticed it is from Estonia, and having never had an Estonian beer before, I decided to give it a try.

Viru pours into the glass a mostly clear straw colour with virtually no head. The beer guy at my local liquor store has said that the clearer a beer it, the more filtration it's gone through. The more filtration it's gone through, the more flavours are inevitably removed. My first smell I detected a slightly spicy smell. Things are looking up for this beer. Alas, the first sip dispelled any hopes of a good beer. My first sip revealed the light taste of apple, but virtually no hops or malt. Though easy enough to drink, there is very little taste in this beer. It is an unremarkable lager. Oh well, can't win them all.

Rating:

May your glass always be full of good beer!

Haand Bryggeriet Dark Force

Today's beer: Dark Force by Haand Bryggeriet

Note: The writing/posting of this entry was delayed several hours.

After the beer-that-wasn't, I decided I needed to have a real beer. After perusing the selection in my fridge, I settled on Dark Force. I've had it for a while now, and now seems as good a time as any to try it.

Dark Force is a "Double Extreme Imperial Wheat Stout". It pours an opaque black into the glass with a large dark brown head. My first whiff brings forth the smell of citrus, with roasted malts along with some of the standard stout smells. Dark Force is meant to be drunk quite warm, the bottle suggests 10-14 C.  As it warmed up, I caught the distinct smell of rich chocolate. My first sip revealed some rich toasted tastes. I also detected hints of coffee and chocolate. Dark Force is a very thick beer, unlike the previous beer. Dark Force is also a very strong beer at 9%. I really enjoyed this beer and I am going to see if my local beer store can get in more of the beers by this company. In my opinion, this beer, while being good anytime, would be fantastic on a cold night with a hot bowl of stew.

Rating:

May your glass always be full of good beer!

Bud Light Lime Mojito

Today's beer: Lime Mojito by Bud Light

When I first started this blog, I told the beer guy at my local beer store. He handed me this beer with a bit of a smirk and told me this was possibly the worst beer in the world. He also said that it should not be my first review. It has taken until today to build up the courage to try it.

Lime Mojito pours into the glass a crystal clear pale yellow. In fact, it almost looked like apple juice in my glass, if not for the head, which vanished quite quickly. My first exploratory sniff revealed the light scent of lime. There was no beer smell at all. My first sip had my taste buds confused, there was a jumble of flavours all competing to be least present. There was a very light taste of lime and the mint presented its self as an aftertaste. There is virtually no beer taste, no malt and certainly no hops to speak of. As I drank it, I found myself wondering 'am I really drinking beer?' I did find there was a very unpleasant aftertaste on the tip of my tongue if I went too long between sips. By the end of the can it was very hard to drink with out gagging. There is no way I would ever by this. Ever. It may not be the worst beer in the world, but it is pretty close. After drinking this, I find myself wanting a real beer.

Rating:

May your glass always be full of good beer!

Phillips Amnesiac

Today's beer: Amnesiac by Phillips

It's been a while since I updated this blog, but life happens. I picked this beer up a while ago and have been meaning to try it ever since I first picked it up, but I never got around to it. It's apparently one of my brother in laws favourites.

Amnesiac is a strong beer, coming in at 8.5%. It's also a double IPA which means lots of hops. Philips, for the most part, I've found is often quite light on the malts and heavier on the hops as it is, so it'll be interesting to see how they handle a double IPA. Amnesiac pours into the glass a brilliant, cloudy yellow with an extremely persistent head. In fact, the head lasted until I finished my glass. My first whiff revealed (surprise, surprise) hops and something I couldn't quite identify on my first smelling. After drinking some of the beer and smelling again, I caught the faint smell of fresh cut grass. My first sip, though half foam, gave me an absolutely massive hit of hops, not terribly surprising, since, as I said, this is a double IPA. The interesting thing is that I could taste at least two different varieties of hops in the first few sips. Not many beers can use several hops and have the different varieties stand out, they tend to blend together. There is also the faint taste of citrus.

While I do like hops, Amnesiac is a bit too hoppy for me and there is no way I could finish a full bottle in one go. In fact the bottle in the picture is currently sitting in my fridge with a stopper in it, and will consumed at a later time. If you are a hop fiend, you will love this beer. If you don't like hops a lot, stay away from this beer.

Rating:

May your glass always be full of good beer!

Samuel Smith Old Brewery Pale Ale

Today's beer: Old Brewery Pale Ale by Samuel Smith

As a result of yesterdays post, instead of grabbing a locally available brew, I grabbed this one, out of England. I have had a Samuel Smith beer before: their Oatmeal Stout, almost a direct opposite of a pale ale. This should be interesting.

This pale ale pours into the glass a dark amber. Not what I expected. I expected a very light coloured beer. A moderate head forms, but dissipates fairly quickly. My sniff reveals the smell of hops and apples. My first sip gives only a very faint taste of hops, but with all the bitterness of a well hopped beer. With further tasting I found the taste of hops along the sides of my tongue. There is also a faint taste of apples. This beer is very well balanced, with the malts perfectly counterpointing the hops so that neither one takes over. There is decent carbonation. While not always necessary in a beer, sometimes the carbonation adds that little something extra a beer may need. On a hot day like to day, I found this beer very crisp and refreshing. I would most definitely buy this beer again.

Rating:

May your glass always be full of good beer!

International beers

It has been brought to my attention that I have been reviewing beers that are mostly only available in Canada, and some only available in Western Canada. The reason for this is these are the beers available here. I may be able to get some international beers, and indeed I would love to try some regional beers from other parts of the world. If anyone can recommend any beers they think I should try, leave a comment and I will definitely try to find and try them. As I have said in my very first post, I like all  beers and I am always eager to expand beer repertoire. In fact, I am still looking for a beer recommended to me from my first post.