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

Huge marketing campaign, beer not so huge. Both Rickard’s (Molson) and Alexander Keith’s (Labatt) decided to come out with Belgian style white beers at the same time and neither one was really all that good, and certainly not in the Hoegaarden stratosphear. This is a cloudy yellow beer with a weak aroma of wheat and orange peel and the flavour of coriander spiced sweat socks.

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

Formerly called the Underdog Brewhouse. The beer is in the German hefeweizen class but you wouldn’t know that by looking at it. A translucent light straw colour with a weak thin white ring for a head. Some weak bubblegum and clove notes in the aroma, as well as wheat. The flavour is very grainy, which is unusual for a hefeweizen, with notes of spicy hops and a yeasty finish. Should have been better when you consider this is a one beer brewery

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

There was a time when one could easily sample 90% of the beers brewed in Canada, mainly just by visiting the capital city in each province and asking for directions to the bar with the most taps. Then the 80s turned into the 90s and there was change afoot. It was during those mid-80s days when I tried the Oland and Moosehead beers for the first time on a trip to Halifax. Sadly, I was presented with a string of pale gold beers with white heads, and a definite grainy malt presence in the nose and taste. Fast forward 30 years, and nothing has changed.

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

This beer seems to have a different name every summer, but the the beer itself never changes. It’s a very clouded light yellow colour with a frothy white head that lasts. Lots of wheat and spices in the aroma. The flavour tends to lean towards the sweet side with the notes of orange and tangerine before finishing with a wheaty malt finish. No matter what they call it, always a refreshing summer brew.

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

This beer underwent a name change a few years ago when Amsterdam, already considered a ‘craft’ brewery’ decided to take the term seriously. However, while the name changed, the flavours stayed the same, which is unfortunate because Amsterdam Nut Brown Ale was a boring brown ale. The beer is closer to being translucent copper in colour than brown. There is usually a thin light tan coloured head. Aroma is caramel malt, some earthy hops, and grains. The flavour has always had that dishwater note to it which is why I try and avoid it…but the name change sucked me in.

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

A nice hoppy easy drinking ale. It pours a translucent gold colour with a bubbly white head. The first whiff is definitely citrusy hops, and then the tropical fruit notes and grassy malts set in. The flavour is light fruits, grass, and peppery spicy finish.

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

This was one of the last ‘regular’ beers of Amsterdam before they embraced what ‘craft’ really meant. This isn’t to say it’s a bad beer, but it’s certainly not their best beer. A golden hued copper colour with a slight haze, and a weak off-white cap. Lots of caramel in the nose along with ample amounts of bisuit malts and earthy hops. It tastes like it smells, although the caramel flavours are a tad sweet 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: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

Flight Delay is a nice IPA, especially for the Ontario consumer. It isn’t so overpowering on the hops to make you want to avoid it, and it isn’t so weak to make you wonder why they even call it an IPA. A slightly hazed golden yellow in colour with a frothy white head that sticks around. Cereal malt and citrusy grains make up the aroma although some notes of spice and yeast keep you interested. Flavour is a nice balance between the grapefruit notes of the hops and the cereal malt with the added complexity of tropical fruitiness and yeasty notes.

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

A beer named after a WWI flying ace is a great idea, but a better beer would have been nice. This is a mild brown ale that pours a translucent orange-brown colour. Aroma is nutty malt, caramel, and some weak citrusy hops…they tried, God knows they tried. Flavour is just as weak with the caramel and nut malts coming through more than the hops, but the weak body leaves this as a watered down mess.

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

If you watch Big Brother Canada, you’ve seen them drink this beer like it is going out of style. Note to self…it isn’t! This is Canada’s best selling Kolsch style beer, and there is really nothing to it. A translucent blonde colour with a thin snow white head. Grainy malt and earthy hops supply the majority of the aroma and flavour. This is really a gutless beer.

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

One of my local breweries, but unfortunately they still haven’t found out the meaning of quality control. You can come back to the same beer week after week and notice huge differences in both colour and flavour. The beer is usually a medium to dark gold with a slight off-white head. Aroma is usually cereal mnalt with some floral fragrant hops. Flavour is usually on the malty side with a hoppy balance in the finish.

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

A recent discovery for me as I was unaware that Big Rock had done a pale ale. The beer pours a red-tinged golden colour, clear, with a snow white ring for a head. Aroma is very malty with weak hints of citrusy hops. Like the aroma, the flavour falls short by being more on the malty side than on the hoppy side. Better than most Big Rock products however.

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

I opened the bottle and I expected Glen Campbell to pop out and start singing. Being a fan of Glen Campbell, I would have liked that because this beer misses the point on everything else. It describes itself as a Kolsch, but has more of that blonde ale boringness attached to it. A very light gold colour with weak grainy aromas. Flavour is just not there, again, leaning towards the boring blonde ale malty style.

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

Okay, they want you to believe it’s a pale ale, but it is really a blonde. Not a lot to this beer. A translucent medium gold coloured pour with a snow white bubbly head. Aroma is grassy malt, some weak citrus, and some metallic notes. The flavour is similar with a strong grainy flavour only slightly offset by the weak citrusy hop notes.

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

Like Amsterdam, Black Oak was there at the beginning of the craft boom in Ontario, but upped there game around 2010 when more entrants started entering the field. Unlike Amsterdam, Black Oak has always made good beer. This is a translucent brown beer with an off-white bubbly head. Roasted malt and coffee make up the aroma and flavour. Hints of chocolate keep it interesting

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: 4 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

Blueberry beers have always been hit or miss for me, but then, so are blueberries. I can’t think of any other fruit that is as inconsistent in flavouring from year to year. I suppose that is part of the problem when considering blueberry beers. Bodacious Blueberry Blonde is a dark metallic gold beer, pretty clear, with a small white head. The aroma is biscuit malt, and ripe blueberries. The flavour is biscuit malt, but only a hint of blueberry, and they seem to have become tart between the aroma and flavour stage. Like I said, hit or miss. Mark this as a miss.