Otro Mundo Golden Ale

When travelling in foreign countries, you can sometimes come across situations where you feel as if you need to know more about how a group really thinks. For example: Otro Mundo Golden Ale, Export Quality. You must ask yourself: does this particular company care more for their own citizens, or foreigners? Perhaps beverages sold in country can have up to 1 part per billion of rat poison, anything that tests higher must be sold to foreigners? Or maybe they like the hard currency that outsiders can provide, and give them the good stuff?

Price: AR$18.00 for 330mL (About $4 CAD/USD)

5.5% Alcohol/Vol.

Drinking impression: So-so. A little tangy at first, but not much body. The search for a full flavoured Argentinian beer goes on.

Would you buy it again?  Likely not. Despite being of Export Quality, I don't expect to see this at the LCBO anytime soon.

Would you drink two in a row? Nah, too many other unexplored options to try.

Best time and place to drink it: When sitting with a senior Argentinian government official. Pour him a glass and see if he is willing to drink it.

Out of ten: A three. 

Traquair - Jacobite Ale

Jacobite Ale is a Scottish beer brewed in honour of Bonnie Prince Charles. The ingredients list is short and to the point: Strong Beer, Coriander.

This is a smooth dark ale, with herbal, almost medicinal, overtones. It started out interesting, but I got bored of it about half way through the glass. There just wasn't that much going on, and once I identified the medicinal flavour it became a little overwhelming. Not a bad beer per se, but not something that you'll drink more than one bottle of in a sitting.

Four out of seven thumbs up.

Schoune La place du marché

One of the nice things about living in Ottawa is the easy access to Quebec microbrews just across the river.  The Beer Store stocks a couple of Quebecois beers, and they're not exactly from craft brewers.  I'm much more likely to find something interesting in Gatineau, and if not, at least a case of Stella is cheaper.  Technically bringing any kind of alcohol back across the bridge is illegal, but I've never heard of anyone being prosecuted for it.

On our last trip to La Trappe à Fromage I picked up a few bottles of "La place du marché" (5% abv) from Schoune brewery (which I've never heard of) in Saint-Polycarpe, QC (which I've also never heard of).  The bottle was pretty unremarkable, but since Schoune's website was last updated in 2003 I'm guessing graphic design is not a priority.

Of course none of that matters as long as the beer is good.  Sadly it is not.  It's a yeasty blonde, and unlike last week's entry it has some character.  Unfortunately that character is mostly yeast.  The nose is sweet and cider-y, and yeasty.  The taste is best compared to yeasty apples.  The finish?  Well, you get where I'm going.  There seemed something overall off about this beer, although since the entire six-pack tasted the same wasn't due to a bad bottle.  I'm predisposed to like these obscure beers, but not this one.  Oh well, there are plenty more where that came from.

Derwent Real Ale

This week's beer is the Derwent Real Ale from the Two Meter Tall brewery (the name comes from the height of the brew master). This is a small batch brew made entirely from ingredients grown in the Derwent river valley in Tasmania. This particular batch was brewed on March 24 2011, and I tasted bottle number 1274.

The label says they are experimenting this time with some locally grown spelt. Unfortunately I don't think it was a very successful experiment.

The beer has an orange colour that I associate with fruity Belgian beers, but it isn't particularly fruity. The initial sip is inoffensive, but the aftertaste is where we run into trouble. It leaves some kind of coating (spelty?) in your mouth, which really isn't what you're looking for in a beer.

While I definitely applaud their beer making philosophy, and I'm glad they tried the spelt experiment,  I don't think it needs to be repeated in the future. Sometimes you need to be happy with a null result.

I give this two and half out seven thumbs up.

Waterloo Radlermass

Brick Brewery has a long history of brewing outside the box. Waterloo Radlermass  (German for "cycle-beer") was their major experiment over the summer. The story is that shortly after WWI, a german innkeeper was visited by a swarm of thirsty bicyclists on a sunny day. They drank and drank, and our poor innkeeper was at risk of running out of beer. So he started serving a mix of half-beer and half lemon soda and was quickly beaten to death by irate cyclists. The moral of our story is to never dilute beer.

Price at the LCBO: $1.95 for 473mL
4.8% Alcohol/Vol.

Drinking impression: Surprisingly good. More of a cooler taste than a beer, but far less sweet than a traditional vodka or rum cooler. The lemon taste is noticeable, but not overpowering. The carbonation seems a little lighter than normal, which helps to create a very refreshing impression. The aftertaste is a pleasant lingering lemon flavour.

Would you buy it again?  Yes, though as a seasonable experiment, it may not be available again.

Would you drink two in a row? Yes. On a summer day, this seems like a drink that would go quite nicely in a bottomless frosted mug.

Best time and place to drink it: I can certainly see enjoying this on a hot day after a long bike ride.

Out of ten: A seven. To score higher on a beer blog, it needs to taste more like a beer. A fine drink, and worth seeking if you can still find it.

Rickard's Blonde

As exciting as it looks

I've always had a soft spot for Rickard's Red.  It's not a particularly good beer, but we drank a lot of it in university.  It's the memories more than anything else that keep me coming back to these beery madeleines.  As a bonus, it's inoffensive enough that my wife is able to drink it if she's in the mood for beer.

In the mid-90s the Red was the only beer sold under the Rickard's name.  Since then Molson has followed the lead of successful brands everywhere and plastered the Rickard's logo on every colour of beer they're able to produce.  I'd previously tried the White (a vaguely Belgian style) and the Dark (something like a porter).  The "taster's pack" I bought on my last trip to the Beer Store ($22.95 for 12 bottles) included something new -- Rickard's Blonde (5.0% abv), a beer that claims to have "refreshingly flavourful taste" with "lively hop character".

In fact it has neither of these things.  This is one of those beers that is usually advertised as "best served cold" since it has nothing else to recommend it above tap water.  It tastes essentially like Labatt Blue or Molson Canadian, with just a little more hopping.  As for finish, there is none.  I literally could not taste anything from the beer after it had left my mouth.

There's nothing *wrong* with this beer exactly -- certainly if it was a hot day and someone offered me one I'd drink it -- but there's no reason to buy it either.  University-me knew better…I should have stuck with the Red.

Nickel Brook Gluten Free

Nickel Brook brewery offers "Penny for your thoughts! Nickel for your thirst!". In the case of their Gluten Free, they also offer, you guessed it, no gluten. In fact, the can says "Gluten Free" four times, and the beer has no other name. A rather direct, if perhaps unimaginative, piece of marketing.

Price at the LCBO: $2.95 for 473mL.

Drinking Impression: Flat, a little bitter, and disappears from the palette almost instantly. Give them some credit, it does taste like a beer. Just not a very good beer.

Would you buy it again: Not without doctor's orders.

Would you drink two in a row: Not without strict doctor's orders and no other beer options.

Best time/place to drink it: ...doctor's orders....

Out of ten: Two. 

Mountain Goat Steam Ale

Mountain Goat Beer is a small micro brewery in Melbourne. Their motto is "eat sleep drink goat".

Their steam ale is certified organic and made with Citra hops. The Citra hops give it just a bit of a sweet citrus flavor and aroma. Overall a nice refreshing summer beer. Five out of seven thumbs up.

Seven Sheds Willie Warmer

This week's beer comes from the Seven Sheds brewery in Railton,

Tasmania. Our map of Tasmania lists the following highlights for Railton: topiary, fiber optics & brewery. Today we' ll focus on the beer.

Hops

The Willie Warmer is advertised as a spiced dark ale, "guaranteed to warm the extremities". It's a rich beer without any harshness, and a hint of smokiness. Overall I give it six and half thumbs up out of seven.

The beer can be bought at the brewery for $10 (au) for a 750ml bottle. As an added bonus there is a hop garden next to the brewery for your viewing pleasure.

Mill St. Cobblestone Stout

A's mother wanted to treat us to dinner tonight, so we bundled up and went down to the Corner Bar and Grill.  This pub opened a few months ago, replacing the old neighbourhood standby, Puzzles.  It lacks the faded cigarette and stale beer ambiance of its predecessor, but the Grill has become one of our favourite places around here anyway.  It's usually not too busy, and the food is better than average for a pub.  Even our toddler, M, likes it, with her regular dish of sweet potato fries and chicken fingers.

The grill also has a decent beer list, featuring a slate of Mill Street brews along the usual domestic selection.  I don't know a lot about Mill St. other than that they're based in Toronto and are opening a brewpub in town later this month.  This I do know: the beers I've had from them have been tasty, so I'm always willing to give another one a try.

Tonight's selection was the Cobblestone Stout ($5.50), described on the menu as a "traditional style Irish black stout with roasted malt flavour and a hint of toasted walnut and chocolate in the finish".  The beer was a little slow to arrive, causing M to wander over to the bar and ask "where's my daddy's beer?".  Luckily they were bringing it out then so she was appeased.

The beer itself was as advertised -- a good stout, not too heavy, with a nice finish that was slightly nuttier than a Guinness.  Just the thing for a cold (and getting much colder) night.  I'm definitely looking forward to checking out Mill St's brewpub when it opens.

Innis & Gunn Original

Legend has it that Innis & Gunn was discovered by accident by a crew of warehouse workers who were drinking on company time. Good story, and it might even be true. They brew an ale, then let it soak in oak casks for 77 days before bottling.

Price at the LCBO: $ 3.00 / 330 mL bottle
6.6% Alcohol/Vol.

Drinking Impression:A complex, slightly thick tasting beer. Definitely something to sip and savour, rather than chug.  A tasty beer.

Would you buy it again?: Oh yes.  

Would you drink two in a row?: Probably not. A little on the expensive side ($72/case) for that sort of thing. Best enjoyed as a treat.  

Best time/place to drink it: On a fall evening after some really good BBQ.

Out of ten: A solid 9.