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

When one thinks of brown ale, a lot of people think about something like Newcastle. However, McAuslan has been brewing a brown ale for years that is superior to Newcastle (and many others). A slightly hazed mahogany pour with a thin creamy tan coloured cap. Aroma is roasted malt, coffee, caramel, and floral hops. The flavour is a nice sweet nutty malt flavour balanced out in the finish by the earthy hops.

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

This is a good beer, yet quite possibly, the worst beer brewed by McAuslan. It pours a very pale gold colour with a frothy white head that sticks around to hear a story or two. The aroma is dominated by biscuit malt, light spices, yeast, and floral hops. The flavour starts out with a definite maltiness before giving way to a spicy hop finish.

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

A good interpretation of the style. The pour is a transparent copper colour with a thin rocky tan coloured head. Aroma is grains, yeast, and earthy hops. The flavour is malted grains, some weak spice, and a hop finish. Nothing exciting, just a well done effort by McAuslan.

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

This is more a fruit beer, than a fruit laden American wheat beer, and the choice of a North American favourite like raspberries makes for a delicious beer. A murky ruby coloured pour, with a pinkish brown cap. The aroma is powered heavily by raspberries with some malt and yeast tones apparent. The flavour is very fruity, and not very beery, but then, do you buy a fruit beer to have it be slightly fruity, or in your face?

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

The one thing about McAuslan you can always count on is that they make very good beer. The pale ale is no exception. A light amber pour, slight haze, and a long lasting white cap provide the eye candy. Cereal malts and caramel are present in the aroma along with notes of light spice and earthy hops. Flavour is a nice balance between the mild sweetness of the malt, and the light bitter finish provided by the hops.

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

The beer appears a little on the light side for a stout. More of a dark brown than a black and the head is more of an off-white colour than a tan. The aroma is typical with roasted malt and cocoa with some underlying coffee hints. Flavour leans towards the bitter end of the spectrum. A decent tasting stout that could use some work on its’ appearance

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

A light rust coloured beer, quite clear, and topped with a nice white creamy head. Grains, light caramel, and floral hops dominate the nasal cavity while the tongue trips over sweet caramel notes and a bitter hop finish. This is a bere that you drink it and immediately forget you just had it and it leaves no real impression

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

This is a very bland lager beer. I’m sure it uses only the finest mountain water, and only the choicest Canadian malts and choices hops, but in the end you end up with a pale gold grainy lager that offers nothing to distinguish it from the dozens (or hundreds) of other lagers tried.

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

The brewery describes this beer as having 75 IBU, but I didn’t find it bitter. It’s a murky amber coloured beer with a weak off-white head, and plenty of effervescence. Citrus and grains dominate the aroma with the flavour being a mild hop finish that come after a biscuit malt front. Not a bad beer, but not something I would buy over and over again.

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

There are a lot of IPAs which use different varieties of hops to produce big bold grapefruity notes. This beer uses grapefruit instead and less aromatic hop varieties. In the end, the grapefruit notes aren’t as powerful as the name suggests. In the end, you get a golden coloured beer with a white cap and slight haze that has a very grainy aroma and a very bland blonde ale flavour.

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

When a brewer advertises honey in a lager or an ale, I expect to be able to ascertain a hint of sweetness somewhere, anywhere, but in this beer….not here. A very dark gold pour, the beer is topped by a thin white cap that doesn’t stick around long enough to get your name. Lots of grains on the nose with some floral and nutty hints, kind of like some honey browns I.ve tried. The flavour is decent, but the balance between the grains and the bitter hops would have been better served by the inclusion of honey.

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

You have to like the honesty with this brew. They tell you up front that they use flaked corn in the brewing process, so it is no surprise that you get some notes of corn in both the aroma and flavour. It’s a dark metallic gold colour, quite clear, and is topped by a small white cap. There is some smokiness in the air along with some citrusy hops, grains, and hints of corn. The flavour brings both the corn and smokiness more to the front. Not bad, but I feel sorry for pre-prohibition drinkers if this was a steady diet of what was around.

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

Part of a new Wellington Mix-Pack. Against the Currant is a ‘Kettle Sour’, these are all the rage in Ontario right now. The body is gold with pink hues, some slight haze, and minimal white head. Aroma is a mix of yeast and sweet wild berries. A bit misleading. The berries become tart on the tongue however giving the sour its’ true identity.

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

Arkell is an area south of Guelph that managed to get a beer named after them. Not a lot of people live there, and similarly, not a lot of complexity to this beer, but then, it’s an English Bitter so that’s no surprise. The beer pours a dark gold colour with brown hints, very light for a Bitter, with a thin foamy white head. Aroma is nutty with hints of floral hops and caramel. Flavour is quite malty with notes of caramel, and a bitter hop finish. If Arkell was bigger, maybe they could brew a better bitter.

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

This was a great beer, almost like chocolate milk and alcohol. Everything about this beer says chocolate. It looks like chocolate milk in a glass, the strongest component of the aroma is milk chocolate and the most dominant flavour on the tongue is milk chocolate. Wellington did well with this beer.

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

A staple of the Wellington Brewery going back to the 90s. A dark brown body, although translucent when held up to a powerful light. Head is thin, light brown, and creamy. Caramel and nut tones dominate the aroma, although weak notes of chocolate are present. The flavour starts out sweet and malty, but then reality sets in and the finish is quite bitter.

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

One of the oldest, if not the oldest, craft Imperial Stouts in Canada. I’ve had this beer several times because its’ good, but I’m always wondering why it can’t be better. It’s a black beer with a decent creamy light brown head. Lots of dark chocolate and roasted malt in the aroma and flavour but again, there is something missing

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

Another of the old guard of Wellington beers, and probably my least favourite of the originals. A solid chestnut pour with a thin creamy light brown head. There are roasted malt and floral hop notes in the aroma, with a tough of yeast and figs. Not a lot of sweetness up front for me, this beer is a bitter beer from the start.

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 3

This beer is in the running for the worst American Wheat style I have tried. It just isn’t that good. It is a pale straw colour with a weak white head. Aroma is metallic in nature, some weak wheat and barley notes, and I’ve yet to notice a hop. Flavour is a hit mess of off-flavours that are inconsistent with wheat beers.

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

This beer is a pale ale in name only as it’s a solid amber colour with a huge white head. Quite a bit of effervescence. Aroma is weak and almost non-descript. There are bready malts and perfumy hops present, but nothing overpowering. The flavour is bland and non-offensive but nothing that makes you gag.

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

This came in a black silver can with only a sticker. What’s up with that? A solid mahogany coloured brew with a creamy light tan coloured head. Nutty malt, roasted malt, and caramel dominate the olfactory senses although there is some chocolate notes in the flavour. Not a bad beer at all

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

Wellington is not known for their lagers, and this is an ugly beer bottle. A clear golden body with a small white head stares at me in the glass. Aroma is weak grass, some floral hops, and not much else. Flavour is very grainy, almost no hops cut through until the very end.

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

A small brewery is making a big stout with some big flavours. A solid black beer with thin creamy light brown head that lingers. A huge pop of roasted malt and bitter chocolate notes hits you in the face upon opening while the flavours are a little more subdued, but still the same. Very impressive for a small brewery.

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

This beer defines the definition of average. It’s a good looking coca-cola colour with a thin tight creamy tan head. There isa a lot of roasted malt and oats in the aroma with hints of chocolate, enough to make you want more. The flavours aren’t as bold as I would like with the roasted malt hiding the oats and chocolate notes

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

The beer appears in the glass as a light amber coloured ale with a thin cream coloured cap. Aroma is malty with cereal and biscuit goodness, some peppery notes, and grassy hop notes. The flavour is nicely balanced between the malty grains and the weak hops. Better than I expected from an unheralded brewery.