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

Just what the world needs more of….bland pale lagers. There really isn’t a whole lot to say about this one. It is a medium gold colour, clear, with a generous snow white cap that lasts long enough to spell ‘it’. The aroma is typical grainy malt with hits of European hops and yeast. Flavour is quite grainy too with metallic and acidic off-tastes in the mix.

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

One of these days I hope to find a cream ale that is creamy and not a thin bodied wannabee. Like all others, this is a thin bodied wannabee. A clear amber pour with a thin off-white head. Caramel and yeast dominate the aroma with hints of maple and earthy hops there to remind you it’s a beer. Flavour is on the sweet side, not surprisingly, with notes of caramel, maple, and brown sugar. Too sweet to finish.

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

At 5.5%, this comes in at a very weak ABV for an English style winter ale, especially in a day and age where a ‘light and refreshing’ summer saison can come in at 6%. A transparent dark amber pour with a slightly creamy off-white head. Light fruity aroma with hints of caramal and vanilla coupled with some floral hops. Flavour is spicy caramel malt, a little vanilla, and a little hop bitterness. Still, not a winter warmer by any stretch.

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

Like a lot of Granville Island beers, this isn’t very close to style, It pours a murky golden-brown with a generous snow white head. The aroma is grains, yeast, and spices, but lacking in the clove and bubble gum area that a good heferweizen has. Similar comment on the flavour as the sweetness that comes up front with a good German hefe is not present, instead a bland herbal flavour is up front before a hoppy finish.

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

Formerly known as Crazy Canuck Pale ale, but I guess now that it has reached the ripe old age of five, the craziness has slipped away. Originally this was the American Pale Ale that all APAs in Ontario aspired to, and for me, it is still one of the best. The beer pours a light golden-tinged rust colour into the glass with a generous sized white head. Aroma is citrusy hops, and grainy malt, and maybe a bit of caramel. Flavour is all about those hops with grapefruit flavours galore.

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

This beer will be 600 years old soon, and personally I think it has stood the test of time. A beautiful medium gold colour with maybe be an inch of foamy white bubbles on top. Grains, weak floral hops, and spices dominate the aroma. The flavour is dominated by the grains and yeast with the hop flavour present mainly at the finish.

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

The beer pours a cloudy reddish-gold with a medium sized white cap that lingers. The aroma is roasted malt, caramel, some applish notes, yeast, and earthy hops. The flavour really concentrates on the roasted malt and caramel character with somewhat of a hoppy finish. It really is the dark notes in this one that bring out the flavour however.

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

A typical well made German hefeweizen. A hazed metallic gold in colour with a foaming white head that lingers to the last drop. A lot of wheat, bread, yeast, and banana in the aroma with some subtle clove notes. The flavour is a nice balance between the malty sweetness and the bitterness provided by the yeast and spice.

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

A true German Marzen! A clear metallic gold colour with a thin creamy white head which sticks around long enough to learn about your troubles. The aroma was a nice mix of yeast, grains, and caramel with some hops thrown in for good measure. The flavour is well balanced between the sweetness of the grains, the caramel, and the hops. A nice autumn beer.

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

I hate it when a company advertises their beer as something and then doesn’t deliver. Fortunately for Highlander, they delivered all the elements they described in this beer, and they did it well, surprisingly considering the brewer. The beer pours a solid black with brown edges where it meets the glass. The cap is brown, and creamy, and lasts a few minutes. The aroma definitely has a smokiness to it, as well as plums, molasses, vanilla, and roasted malt. The smokiness also has a presence in the flavour, but gives way to sweet malt notes such as caramel and molasses.

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

I’m not sure what the brewery was attempting here but they failed. The beer pours a weak gold colour and any cap that I was expecting to see, never materialized. The aroma was weak grains, some acidic notes, a little yeast, and musty hops. The flavour was very macro blonde ale-sih. Grainy, metallic, and a bitter hop finish.

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

The beer pours a clear ruby colour with a weak thin tan coloured ring for a head. The aroma is weak caramel, stale grains, and floral hops. The flavour is metallically sweet with a weak bitter finish. For years this was marketed as Highlander Pale Ale, however this is neither a pale ale, nor a Scottish ale. It’s not very good to be honest.

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

At one time Hockley Valley made decent beer. Those days seem to have passed. This is described as a blonde ale which means anything is possible. It pours a light gold colour, a little bit of haze, and thin whitish ring for a head. The aroma is light fruit, cereal grains, and earthy hops. The flavour is gross however, the grains taste old, and the hops just don’t come through. Plenty of metallic notes however.

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

Available only in cans, no draught anywhere. A clear rust coloured pour, with an off-white foamy head. The aroma is dominated by notes or caramel, hops, weak cereal grains, and a hint of yeast. The flavour was completely devoid of any hoppy notes, just caramel sweetness and yeast. Maybe only in cans is a good thing…easier to avoid!

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 3 | Mouthfeel: 3 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 3

Classic? Classic what? I’ll keep this review brief because the less said, the better. The beer is yellow, very clear, and a snow white head. The aroma is phenolic in nature with corn and spice in the mix. The flavour is bland, with metallic and acidic overtones making it almost undrinkable.

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

When this came out, it was better than most craft beers available in Ontario, but then, it wasn’t the typical blonde or pale lager all the craft brewers were creating at the time. Hockley Valley Dark pours a clear mahogany colour with a decent sized head. The aroma consists of roasted malt, chocolate, coffee, and caramel notes. The flavour is well balanced between the sweet chocolate notes and the bitter chocolate and roasted notes.

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

This pours a transparent light gold colour with a generous white frothy head and lots of carbonation. The aroma is very grassy with hints of hops and yeast. The flavour is very grainy and devoid of hops. Quite a disappointment.

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

A classic interpretation or an Irish Dry Stout, even at the same ABV as a Guinness. But that is where the comparison ends because Guinness rocks and Hockley rots! The beer pours a very dark brown colour, almost black, with a thin bubbly head, certainly not as creamy as a traditional dry stout. The aroma was roasted malt, nuts, and coffee. The flavour was more nutty than it was roasted malt/coffee flavoured, that sort of put me off too!

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

A classic witbier, quite possibly the original. This beer pours a hazed light yellow colour with a huge bubbly white cap. The aroma is wheat, coriander, and yeast. The flavour is sweet wheat malt, and finishes with a spicy bitter finish. Very refreshing, but nothing real exciting here.

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

One of the telltale signs of a macro brewer is the inability to brew any beer greater than 5% without the alcohol becoming noticeable in the flavour. James Ready 5.5 is a perfect example of a beer that has such a pronounced alcohol presence in the aroma and flavour that only a 16 year old buys it on his prom night. Makes you wonder how these ‘accomplished’ brewers are unable to accomplish the simple task of brewing a 5.5% beer while every craft brewer on the planet thinks that 5.5% is ‘light’.

Aroma: 2 | Appearance: 2 | Mouthfeel: 2 | Flavor: 2 | Overall: 2

The label says this is beer. The colour, aroma, and flavour say this is water. Molson Exel has more aroma and flavour with only 1/8th the alcohol content. Very sad indeed!

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

This beer is older than I am. A recipe dating back to 1501 it’s a Dutch originated Belgian Ale currently back in Dutch territory. It appears as a cloudy light yellow liquid with a weak bubbly white head. The aroma has some tripel characteristics to it with notes of yeast, honey, grains, and citrus. The flavour has a definite spicy and citrusy hop note to it with the malt in the background.

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

As far as fruit beers go, this one isn’t bad. It pours a pale red, almost dark pink colour with a white head. The aroma is grains and blueberries. The flavour is stale grains with some sweet blueberries and acidic notes.