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

An IPA in the truest American sense. Lots of Pacific Northwest hops in this baby! A cloudy pour, an amber gold in colour, with a thin creamy light tan cap. Again, pine and citrus dominate the aroma with hints of grass and spices. Citrus dominates the flavour as well, nicely balanced by the malt.

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

Making a Berliner Weisse seems to have become a lost art among brewmasters, but thankfully you can still find them if you look hard enough. You can smell the tartness a mile away for this beer. A golden pink beer with almost no head. Lots of tart fruit and wheat in the aroma with some spice hints to round it out. Flavour is very well balanced with some mild fruit sweetness that gives way to the tart notes one expects from the style.

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

This is a piney IPA, and that’s never a bad thing. The pours is orange gold, very hazy, thin white cap. The aromatic story is all about the hops as all you get are pine, resiny notes, and citrus. The malt seems to have been shuffled to the basement. Flavour is the same, this is all about the hops, and not very well balanced.

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.

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

The first of several 8 Wired beers that Ontario is expected to see over the next couple of years. This one ia a clouded orange gold with a large frothy head. Lots of tropical fruit and citrus in the aroma, some herbal hops, and spices round out the aroma. Flavour is similar to the aroma with a tropical punch in the face flavour. I would certainly try this again if it comes back.

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

Finally a stout worth writing home about. An oily dark black pour results in a foamy chocolate brown head. Chocolate, coffee, burnt grains, and molasses comprise the aroma. Body is very full. Lots of chocolate and coffee in the flavours with some hop notes in the finish. Great beer.

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

One thing is certain, the graphic designer at 8 Wired is pushed all that hard to come up with new designs. This is the hoppiest saison I can recall. A golden pour with a bit of cloudiness and a large white head. The tropical fruitiness of the Nelson Sauvin hops bites through notes of pine and apples. The flavour is a little more rounded with the fruitiness balancing out the yeastiness.

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

Purchased at Liquor Control Board of Ontario store. It’s a clear gold colour with a white head. There are notes of biscuit malts, and earthy hops, and a little bit of spice. The flavour is quite bitter with acidic and metallic malty notes. Easily avoided.

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

This is the darkest witbier I think I have ever seen. A dark golden haze topped by a whitish cap. Aroma is on the spicy end of a witbier, although the wheat and citrus is still there. The flavour is quite peppery up front, but finishes smoothly with wheat.

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

Had this gem the other day, and it was mighty fine despite it being a warm summer day. A mahogany coloured elixer with a fruity bouquet that includes raisins, plums, some roastiness, and yeast. Alcohol is well hidden, and the flavour is balanced between hoppy bitterness, and the sweet caramel and fruit notes. A bit pricy at $4/bottle, but a damn good beer.

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

Purchased at Liquor Control Board of Ontario store. This is just an excellent beer. A nice dark brown pour with a generous foaming brown head. Lots of dark fruit and roastiness in the aroma with ample notes of caramel and yeast. Everything comes out in the taste though, with jthe dark fruits band caramel dominating.

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

A recent find at Ontario liquor stores, and certainly not in the same class as the brune. It pours a hazed light rust colour with a generous beige cap. Lots of yeast in the aroma with hints of fruit and spices. Flavour is similar with the grain and yeast dominating, and the fruit tones in the background. Would not buy again.

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

Tried at a bar. This looks, feels, and tastes like an enhanced version of the brune, and that’s not a bad thing. It pours a deep dark brown with red edges and a light brown cap. Plums and raisins dominate the nose with yeast, roasted malt, and caramel in the mix. Flavour is sweet up front with notes of fruit and malt with a bitter finish and a mild yeastiness.

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

Purchased at Liquor Control Board of Ontario store. Is this a tripel, or a blonde BSA, who knows? It pours a clouded medium gold colour with a rocky white head. The aroma is spice, yeast, citrus, and grains. The flavour is dominated by the grains and the citrus, but the yeast is ever present in the background.

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

A recent find at the Ontario Liquor monopoly. It pours a deep brown colour with hits of red. The head is light brown, frothy, and lasts a while. There is caramel, brown sugar, yeast, and bread in the aroma. The flavour is a tad sweet with hints of caramel, roasted malt, and yeast.

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

Tried at a bar. This beer literally blew my mind with how great it was. It poured a reddish-brown with a tan coloured cap that lasted. Dark fruits, caramel, and licorice were the primary aromatic notes with yeast and roasted malt present. The flavour was well balanced with notes of fig, raisins and toffee up front, and yeast and spices in the finish.

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

Tried at a bar. A clear mahogany coloured brew with a thin creamy light brown head. Caramel, citrus, and cereal make up most of the nose while the caramel notes dominate the flavour. Some alcohol is noticeable on the tongue.

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

Tried at a bar. Pours a clear amber-hued gold with a snow white generous cap that sticks around and laces well. Lots of hops in the aroma, some grassy malts, and notes of citrus. Flavour is typical of a British bitter with loads of toffee and citrus in the finish.

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

Tried in Germany. Pours a beautiful copper colour, almost clear, and a generous white head. The smoky wood aroma hits you as soon as the cap somes off. Notes of light fruit, malt, and earthy hops also apparent. The flavour has bacon-like notes in it, as well as fruit and grains. The smokiness certainly takes away from the Marzen character.

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

Tried in Germany. Pours a clear mud-brown colour with an off-white creamy head. Notes of bacon, wood, grains, yeast, and dark fruits in the aroma. Flavour has the smokiness rather subdued compared to the Marzen and Weizen (maybe if urbock had a ‘z’) with fruit and caramel hints dominating.

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

Tried in Germany. This pours a cloudy golden-brown colour with a loose off-white head that doesn’t last. Burnt wood, light fruits, and wheat comprise the aroma of this beer. The burnt wood/bacon notes dominate the flavour leaving the fruitiness of the wheat behind. The favourite of the Aecht Schlenkerlas for me.

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

Purchased at Liquor Control Board of Ontario store. A cloudy golden pour with a generous white head. Aroma is yeast, light citrus, spices, and grains. Flavour is a tad sweet to start, which gives away to tart citrus notes, before a bitter finish.

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

Part of the LCBO's winter warmer series for 2011. This is an excellent beer...pours a solid reddish-brown colour with a creamy light brown head. Aroma is full of sweet tones, caramel, plums, and sugar. The flavour is on the sweeter side of the spectrum as well, with a dryish finish.

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

Purchased at Liquor Control Board of Ontario store. A very pale golden colour with a huge white head, and good lacing. Lots of light fruits and citrus notes in the aroma, finishing off with a grains, spices, and yeast. Flavour is light fruits, yeast, spices, and a bitter citrusy finish.