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

After years of trying to get people to think that Moosehead was a premium craft brand, the Oland family finally gave up and gave us the Clancy’s line of beers. We weren’t fooled. Clancy’s Amber is a pale golden colour with a weak white ring that doesn’t lace well. Bready malt, weak caramel, and metallic notes permeate the aromatic senses while the taste is a weak caramel flavoured blonde ale.

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

Like Moosehead Pale Ale and Moosehead Lager, I have a sneaky suspicion that Clancy’s Amber and Clancy’s Red are the same beer in differently labelled bottles. The first giveaway is that neither beer is really all that red or amber in colour, more of a pale gold with orange hues. Again, the aromatic base is bready malt with very weak hints of caramel. The flavour does nothing to remind me of a Vienna style lager.

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

When this came out, there were people who were predicting it would take the Ontario IPA market by storm, and after it swung and missed, those people forgot their words (even though they were published). This is an average beer at best, but a below average IPA. It pours a clear copper colour with very little head. The aroma is more caramel than citrus, although the citrusy hop notes are certainly there. The taste is again, more sweet than citrus. Not one I seek out.

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

I remember when a Centurion was a character from the 1970s Battlestar Galactica, and now it’s a beer. This is described as a Spruce Ale but not much in the way of spruce aroma. Had I not known it was a spruce ale, I would have thought it was just a boring blonde ale because that is what it looks like, smells like, and tastes like. Apparently at one time this was known as Twisted Spruce Ale……who knew?

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

This is a recent purchase from the beer store monopoly in Ontario. It follows the CAMRA doctrine, yet I have it in a bottle…try that on for size (where’s my cask?!?!?!?!). A golden yellow pour with a bubbly white head that says ‘see ya later’ after a few seconds. Typical British aromatic notes with grass, inoffensive hop notes, and yeast. Flavour is rather dull with a decent balance between bland grains and bland hops. Sometimes I think that ‘Real Ale’ is not for me.

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

Is this supposed to be simply a take on German styles in general or is it supposed to be an authentic attempt at a Marzen? It fails if the latter. A nice golden pour with some red highlghts, and a creamy white head that lasts. Aroma has more hops than a true marzen, and they compete unfavourably with the sweet malt. Flavour is the same for me, too hop forward for a true marzen instead of the malt being the star.

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

This is supposed to be a seasonal winter warmer, and based on that description, it fails miserably. The glass is holding a cloudy light copper coloured beer with a one inch frothy white head. Weak notes of vanilla, grass, and musty hops permeate the air. The flavour leans towards the bitter side of the spectrum with very little malt or vanilla influence.

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

This is described as an Imperial IPA, but is anything but. The alcohol is noticeable enough that maybe a strong ale moniker is in order. It pours a cloudy amber colour with a decent sized light brown head. The aroma is caramel, and hops, and the alcohol is noticeable. The flavour is definitely affected by the alcohol with a definite pronounced sweetness.

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

This beer is only available in a 750ml bottle, and that’s too much. In the glass, the beer appears as a transparent reddish-brown colour. The head is an off-white colour, slightly foamy. There is honey present in the aroma, but for the most part it is caramel and some musty hops. The flavour has sweet notes from both the honey and caramel, and finishes with a bitter finish.

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

I’ve been seeing this crop up in liquor and beer stores across the Ottawa Valley so I had to try it. It’s nothing memorable, that’s for sure. A slightly hazed reddish-0brown pour with a generous off-white head. Bready and caramel malt notes comprise the aroma with a hint of weak earthy hops. Flavour is a sweet malty onslaught that can’t be balanced by what little hop presence exists. A fail in my eyes.

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

Another medal winning beer that doesn’t have any apparent medal winning characteristics. A transparent dark brown pour with a weak bubbly off-white cap. Aroma is weak roast, weak caramel, and floral hops. The flavour is a metallic nutty flavour with hints of roasted malt, yeast, and weak hops.

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

It was very hard to rate this beer. It purports to be a Berliner Weisse but not much about the beer said that to me. For one, it wasn’t tart at all, and two, I didn’t detect any wheat. It is a crystal clear pale gold in the glass that starts off with a huge white foamy head, but that is gone in no time. There is definitely cucumber in the aroma, but the aroma is rounded out with artificial perfumy notes of light fruit and spices. The flavour is light, but again, the spiciness is more artificial than real.

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

They say blondes have more fun. I regret to inform people that is not the case in the beer world. Blondes are boring and this one is no exception. The beer pours a light gold colour, translucent, with heavy effervescence. The aroma is biscuit alt and floral hops, and the flavour is pretty much the same. If you don’t try it…you aren’t missing anything

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

THis beer was a bit strong for me, and way too sweet for my liking. Really just overfermented resulting in a glass of alcoholic sugars. I'll probably never try again.

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

This is now available in Ontario in 6 packs, and I'm afraid it all needs to go back from whence it came. This pale ale is a weak golden orange in colour, with a thin head. Lots of skunk in the aroma to go along with weak hops. Flavour is milky sweet....and that's not good in beer.

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

This is a blast from the past. A gimmick to sell Canadians on a dark lager. It was more clear golden-brown than copper, and sweet as all heck. Better than what else was available, but ahead of it's time.

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

This is probably my favourite session beer. It's available at every beer store, and liquor store in the land, and goes well with hockey and most of the food I indulge myself with.

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

I have never been a fan of this beer, it's also not one you see around all that often. I have it every once in a while, but there is nothing outstanding about it.

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

If this is Tuesday, it must be Belgium. Sadly though, it's Monday and this beer is as Belgian as Kanye West. A murky golden rust colour with a weak light tan coloured head. The aroma is very grainy with citrus, yeast, and furniture polish in the mnix. It tastes like a weak alcoholic fruit drink. No yeast, no grains in the flavour.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

The success of Rickard’s Red over a decade finally prompted Labatts to do something and Alexander Keith’s Red Amber Ale was born. A very clear reddish-brown pour, it comes with a generous off-white head. The aroma is dominated by off-notes of metallic caramel, stale grains, and weak spicy hops. The flavour is a mish-mash of everything with acidic notes thrown in for good measure.

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

This is Broadhead’s staple beer. It looks like a macro blonde ale with it’s straw gold appearance and snow white cap. It smells slightly better than a macro blonde ale missing the metallic and phenolic notes that the macros adore. It tastes slightly better than a macro blonde ale missing the vomit inducing off-flavours that the macros crave. I’ll rate it like a macro blonde.

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

Living close to this brewery made me interested in their offerings, tasting them has sort of turned me off of them unfortunately. This is as described, an amber coloured beer, slightly hazy, and with an off-white cap. Aroma consist of caramel, weak citrusy hops, and plenty of off-putting earthy notes. Flavour starts out sweet, but by the time the finish is there, it is quite acidic. Not a winner.

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

When I was in University many decades ago, there was a ginger beer available from England that was very good, but over time it disappeared from the shelves. This is not an ideal replacement. The beer pours a cloudy copper colour with a weak light brown head. The aroma is really just ginger and caramel, and anything else is lost in the mix. The flavour is a muddled mess of caramel notes, ginger, and citrus.