Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

I have acquaintances who measure how good a bar is based on whether or not you can get a Heineken. If you can – it’s a go to bar. If you can’t, then it is to be avoided at all costs. Heineken to me is a bad beer. A pale golden beer with a soft white cap that smells like old grains and skunks. It tastes like stale grains and bathwater. Surprisingly, there are worse beers out there.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

The flagship beer for the Half Acre brewery. Quite clear for a pale ale, medium gold in colour with some rocky islands for a head. Lots of citrusy hops and pine in the aroma with a hint of caramel and bread. Well balanced flavours with the caramel leading into a piney hop finish.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

I was not too excited to try this beer because when I heard the name Frank because my first thought was Frank D’Angelo. Fortunately he’s not behind the brewery. Unfortunately the beer isn’t all that good. It’s nice and dark, but the aroma and flavour is a hot mess. Too much roasted malt, and not enough of anything else.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

A brewery that comes with a great reputation and it should be no surprise that this was a great beer. A dark brown beer, the cap is creamy, brown, and lasts a while. The dominant aromatic is yeast, but there are also hints of dark fruit, plenty of seasonal spices, and molasses. The beer starts out sweet with the fruit and molasses notes, but the finish is mildly bitter. There are notes of yeast. An excellent beer.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

A world renowned ale that has the unfortunate reputation of being ‘just another Irish Stout’ in a country that produces Guinness. Personally, this is a very good stout. A dark mahogany colour with a creamy light brown head. No cascading effervescence here. Both the aroma and taste are roasted malts with light touches of coffee and dark chocolate

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

A very aromatic pale ale. A pale golden orange in colour with a small off-white cap, it’s nothing special to look at. The aroma is what is special here with lots of citrus, tropical fruit, and piney notes in the mix. The flavour falls in line with the aroma, some sweet malt up front, but the notes of citrus and pine are the star here.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

I am still trying to figure out the difference between a gueuze, a kriek, and a lambic, regardless this cherry elixer is one of my favourites. Cherry red in colour, mainly clear, with no head at all. Tart fruit, yeast, and musty notes comprise the aromatic component, The flavour starts off sweet before giving way to a tartness. Dry finish.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

This is the perfect kriek, or so the name would imply, and personally, it is pretty damn good. A dark cherry red pour with a thin pink set of bubbles that resemble a head. Tart fruit, yeast, funk, and vinegar make up the bouquet. Lots of sweet and tart cherry in the flavour. No hint of the 8% alcohol.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

When it comes to Lambics, Boon does it right. This is a fine scarlet red beer with a bubbly pink head. Lots of yeast.funk in the aroma to go along with the tart raspberries. The flavour is nicely balanced between sweet and tart fruit, and vinegary funk.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

For the amount of cherries used in this beer, I would expect a far redder colouring. A slightly hazed light cherry red with a pink head. Lots of tart cherry in the aromatic mix with notes of yeast, vinegar, and funk. The flavour is similar, well balanced between the tartness and the sweetness of the cherries.