Cannery Brewing Blackberry Porter

Today's beer: Blackberry Porter by Cannery Brewing

So I've been on vacation for the past few days, but that didn't prevent me from drinking some good beers. Since I had no internet access during that time, I couldn't post any new reviews, so these next few reviews are a few days late. As such, I can only rely on my notes for the review, rather than on my notes and the remembrances of the beer as I write my review. I originally had this beer on July 20, 2012.

In the glass Blackberry Porter is almost black, but with a deep purple tint. There isn't much in the way of smell, aside from the standard beer smell, with a hint of blackberries. My first sip revealed a nice hit of hops along with a very strong taste of blackberries. There is also the slight taste of roasted barley. This is a very nice mellow beer, that goes down quite smoothly. I don't know that I would drink this beer on a hot afternoon, or even with a meal, but it would make a fantastic desert beer. Or a beer to sip on at night.

Rating:

May your glass always be full of good beer!

Tree Brewing Co. Black Tree

Today's beer: Black Tree by Tree Brewing Company

Today was another hot day here, and I decided to wait to have a beer until the evening. I wanted to have my beer outside but just as I got outside with my beer, it started to spit. It never really started raining and the spitting only lasted a few minutes, so I was able to enjoy my beer outside.

Black Tree pours into the glass a very dark brown, almost black, but not quite. There isn't much smell beyond the normal beer smell. My first sip revealed a small hit of hops, with a huge hit of malt. It's quite refreshing to have a nice malty beer after having quite a few hoppy beers. Even though hoppy beers are considered to be the proverbial summer beer, they can get a bit much. One of the first things that struck me about the Black Tree is that though it does produce a tiny head, the beer its self has virtually no carbonation. It's a bit weird, and I think if they could get some more carbonation into the beer it might make it a bit better. Though Black Tree is light on the hops, the hops do tend to linger on the tongue. There is the taste of chocolate and the hint of coffee. This beer would be good on a cool night, long after the heat of the afternoon has passed.

Rating:

May your glass always be full of good beer!

Yukon Imperial IPA

Today's beer: A.D.D. Imperial IPA by Yukon

I discovered this beer while looking for the Canada Day beer by Innis & Gunn. While I didn't find it, I did find two of the Yukon brewery's A.D.D. series. This is number 3 in the series.

Imperial IPA pours a cloudy yellow/copper colour in the glass with a small head that quickly dissipates. A sniff revealed the smell primarily of hops, but there was also the smell of citrus and grass present. As with most IPAs, there is a huge taste of hops. There is also a light taste of grass, which is fairly unique to this variaty. Due to the large amount of hops, the IPA starts quite bitter, but mellows as you swallow. There is also a faint taste of orange. This is a crisp and refreshing beer. There is a low amount of carbonation, but as I have oft said, carbonation levels don't make a beer good or bad. With the large amount of hops, I couldn't drink more than one of these a day.

I have to quote what's on the canister: "You don't need to buy this. In fact, you should just put it back on the shelf. They'll eventually return it to Whitehorse where we can crack it open, and our brew gang will drink it for you. We take our normal IPA - Ice Fog and load it up with extra hops and a ton of malt to make a hoppy brew that makes us smile, then laugh and eventually do silly things we are not going to talk about. So give us a had - PUT IT DOWN!"

Rating:

May your glass always be full of good beer!

Stiegl Radler Grapefruit

Today's beer: Radler Grapefruit by Stiegl

As with the Highland Cask review, it has been several days between the review of this beer and the posing of the review. Again, circumstances seem to have conspired to keep the review from going up in a timely manner. This I reviewed this beer on July 7. As a result I can only rely on my notes of this beer.

Radler Grapefruit is a cider like beer. The label says that it is half Stiegl-Goldbrau and half fruit soda. It pours into the glass a cloudy yellow/orange. There is the smell and taste of grapefruit, though the grapefruit taste isn't as strong as it could be. There is a slight spicy taste. I can't quite place what the spice is though.

Radler Grapefruit has an ultra low alcohol content at 2.5%. I shared this beer with both my mom, dad and sister, and none of us liked it. In fact, I believe it may have given me a migraine. I am prone to migraines, but beers usually don't give me migraines.

Rating:

May your glass always be full of good beer!

Innis & Gunn Highland Cask

Today's beer: Highland Cask by Innis & Gunn

First, I'm quite late posting my review of this beer. I did my review on July 6, but due to many factors combining, I have been unable to post the review until now. Due to the length of time between review and post I have only my original notes to rely on, so I'm sorry if the review seems a bit sparse.

Highland Cask pours into the glass a deep copper colour with almost no smell. Like all Innis & Gunns, Highland cask has been aged in oak barrels, in this case, barrels that had previously contained Scotch Whisky for 18 years. The oak flavour really comes through in this beer. There is a nutty flavour along the side of your tongue. Highland Cask is a very smooth beer with virtually no hops. There is also a hint of sweetness as you swallow. Though Highland cask is a decent beer, it isn't my favourite Innis & Gunn; there are several other beers by them that I prefer over it.

Rating:

May your glass always be full of good beer!

Dead Frog French Oaked Stiff Stout

Today's beer: French Oaked Stiff Stout by Dead Frog

When I split a beer with my dad (and mom in the case of the Rekorderlig), I often get a small portion, so I have no qualms about sampling a second brew, especially if I sample it with my dad, as was the case with the Dead Frog. My dad was reluctant at first to try this because he has had a Dead Frog brew in the past and really didn't like it. After I told him (several times) that this was a stout, he acquiesced, and was actually eager to try it.

As said this is a stout and as such poured black into the glass with virtually no head. There was very little smell, and all I did smell was the standard stout smell. The taste was primarily chocolate with some burnt taste in there, but not bunt in a bad way. There is a small taste of alcohol and an even slighter taste of oak. The carbonation in this beer is practically nonexistent, but as I've said before, the amount of carbonation is not a good thing or a bad thing. Some beers are better due to their lack of carbonation and some are better for their abundance of carbonation. I'd buy this beer again. It's nothing spectacular, but it is still pretty good.

Rating:

May your glass always be full of good beer!

Rekorderlig Wild Berries

Today's beer: Wild Berries by Rekorderlig

Happy Canada Day! I had been hoping to crack open an Innis & Gunn 2012 Canada Day special, but I have so far been unable to find one. I guess I'll just have to have one not on Canada Day.

My dad stumbled upon this a few years ago. It is one of the few alcoholic beverages the whole family enjoys (my mom doesn't like beer). It is also, unfortunately, a bit hard to find. When we find some we usually snap up several cans. The odd name is due to the fact that it is imported from Sweden.

To start, Rekorderlig is a pear based cider. It is flavoured with wild berries. In the glass it is a light pink colour and very fizzy, almost as fizzy as a soft drink. As a result, it develops a very large head that rapidly disappears. The first sip starts off with a big hit of raspberry, followed by strawberries and blueberries.

Rekorderlig is very easy to drink. Almost too easy. At 7%, it would be quite easy to get drunk with out realizing it with these ciders. In the words of my mom "it's like kool-aid for adults." I always by this when I see it available.

Rating:

May your glass always be full of good beer!