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

This is one dark pour. Coal black with a dark brown cap. Beautiful to look at. There is plenty of coffee, chocolate, and roast in the aroma to keep a stout lover happy. The flavour is very malty with a host of coffee and chocolate complexity.

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

This is the first of the Amsterdam craft beers to be brewed regularly and deservedly so. A cloudy rust coloured beer with a creamy light tan coloured head. Lots of caramel in the aroma along with citrusy hops and yeast. The flavour is an epic battle between the sweet caramel malt notes, and the grapefruity hop notes. Fortunately it’s an even battle resulting in a well balanced beer that eclipses all other Amsterdam brews for me.

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

Finding an American craft beer in Canada hasn’t been that difficult over the last decade, however finding quality American craft brewed beers has been a challenge. Liberty Ale is one that seems to be here today, gone tomorrow, but comes back again in due time. From what I’ve been told, this is one of the longest brewed beers in America by any craft brewery. It pours a red-tinged gold colour, clear, with a generous white creamy head. The aroma leans toward the citrusy hop style, but there are cereal malts and weak yeast notes too. Flavour is a nice balance between the cereal malt and the bitter citrus hoppiness. An excellent beer.

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

When Cameron’s first started brewing, their trademark was the case of nine, and this was one of the first beers they brewed, and while it has since been eclipsed by their rye beers, it is still the most flavourful of the original beers. Citrusy hops and caramel malts are both melded together to give this beer a great aroma and flavour that still make it one of my favourites.

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

If you’ve become a beer drinker in Ontario over the last 25 years, you associate Sleeman’s with the term ‘cream ale’. Cameron’s is the brewer that perfected it. A medium gold pour with a generous white head that lingers a while. Sweet grainy malt, and ample floral hops make up the aroma while the grainy malt dominates the mellow flavour.

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

I’ve heard there were only a couple of kegs of this made (I could be wrong, Toronto is a place I try to avoid) so I’m lucky I got to try it. An almost black beer with a brown creamy head. Unlike Big Butt, the smokiness in this one was less than subtle, but still not overpowering. The flavour was roasted malt, smoked meat, and weak coffee.

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

One of the more renowned beers that comes out of Belgium. It pours a dark gold colour, slightly hazy, with a white cap that lingers. The aroma is candy sugar, light fruit, yeast, grains, and some floral hops. The flavour is light sweet fruits, some burnt candy, yeast, and dessert spices. One of the first Belgians I tried over 20 years ago, and one I return to every now and then.

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

One of the premier brewers in the world, and this is a very well done ESB. While Scandinavian and American brewers continue to try and push brewing to the edges, Fullers continues to take time tested recipes and make them just like they always have, with great results. This ESB is a perfect example, a reddish-brown pour, translucent, with rich caramel aromas complemented by a creamy tan coloured head and resinous hop aromas. The flavour is toffee and citrus. Heavenly!

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

Fifteen years ago this was a highly sought after IPA in Ontario. Every time it was at the LCBO, it would sell out in short order. It pours a clear rust colour into the glass with good effervescence and a creamy light brown cap. Aroma was very piney and citrusy with some caramel malt and yeast thrown in to make it more beer-like. The flavour had a grapefruit zing on top of caramel feel, yet definitely balanced.

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

This stout entered Ontario as a brand new entry into the stout race and started near the top. This is a black beer with brown edges and a creamy light brown cap. Lots of coffee and roasted malt in the aroma and the flavour is nicely balanced between the sweet chocolate notes and the bitterness of the coffee and roasted malt

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: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

I first tried this beer when Carling was Carling O'Keefe, and the label was the black badge on a white bottle. This is one of those comfort beers one comes to enjoy. It's a pale gold lager that is truly enjoyable. The aroma is more malt than hops and the flavour backs that up.

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

This beer appears copper coloured in the glass, off-white head, very attractive. The aroma is hops and caramel with some hints of malt. The mouthfeel is full-bodied, mildly carbonated, and dry. The flavour is hoppy with a white grapefruit finish.

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

This is an orange coloured beer which has a very hoppy aroma. The head was white, thin, and stayed with th beer all the way down. The mouthfeel is medium-bodied, carbonation is mild, and there is a bitterness on the tongue. The flavour is hoppy, malty, and a grapefruit twist.

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

This was a very bitter beer in a recent chocolate stout taste test a few friends and I had. While the colour was comparable to some of the others, both the aroma and flavour were weaker on the chocolate side than the Youngs

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

A great tatsting chocolate stout. A nice dark black pour with a little syrupy viscosity. The aroma and flavour were both packed with dark chocolate. A nice bitter finish reminds me that it was well wprth it.

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

Another new IPA this summer from the wonderful people at the LOMCB. Not as bitter as the Cabin Fever, but better balanced. A bit bitter to be a summer thirst quencher, but a very good beer overall.

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

A North American twist on a classic British style is probably the best way to describe this beer. The pour is golden hued orange, cloudy, with a huge white cap on top. There is a definite citrus note in the aroma along with hints of pine, cereal, and spices. The flavour has more of a citrusy feel to it than the aroma, but it is nicely balanced by the bready malt and light spice treatment. Spot on the BJCP guidelines!

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

One of the 6 beers brought in as part of the Fuller's release at the LCBO. THis is a very mellow smooth beer. A clear amber pour, lots of sweet stuff in the aroma like chocolate, caramel, and hops. Tastes great with a sweetness that lingers.

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

This is far and away the best true pilsener in Canada. It pours a medium golden colour with a decent white head. Good grainy malt and floral hoppish toned in both the aroma and flavour. Just loved it!

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

If there is anything that MolsonCoors knows how to do, it's make a golden coloured lager like this one. The Beer Academy Dortmunder is what happens when you use quality ingredients instead of corn syrup and hop extract. Just an all round great attempt at a Western German lager

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

This is my favourite beer from the Beer Academy line. If I didn't know iut was a porter, I would have thought it was an excellent example of a plain stout. Pours a rich dark brown with black edges. Lots of roast and vanilla in the nose, along wioth a little fruit and some vanilla. Not overly bitter on the tongue, always a plus iwth a porter or stout.

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

Part of the 2013 Summer LCBO Release. A clouded golden orange pour topped with a huge white head, just like you see on a Canadian beer commercial. Aroma is slightly more citrusy than your typical Canadian lager. Flavour is quite malty, yet the hops are definitely present. Great job Mikkeller!

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

A recent one off available in Ontario for a whopping $22.80 a bottle. Thankfully a friend of mine spent the money and decided to split it with me. It pours darker than a lot gueuzes, a cloudy light brown colour to be exact. Head is white, and larger than expected. Funk is the name of the game in the aromatic department, wood chips, more funk. Flavour is funky lemons with a definite puckering moment. It smells like a great gueuze, it tastes like a great gueuze, but it's well overpriced, even if it a rare one off.