yegbeers

[yegbeers]

Bhavik:

Delirium Tremens 8.5%

Purchased from Sherbrooke liquor store

Delirium is a beer that has been around myself for a long time, however being the child that I am I never ventured into the unknown until this year.

Pleasantly surprising this Belgian strong ale pours golden with a white head that lasts until you finish. Notes of citrus, coriander and clove are most apparent. Taste is very crisp for a strong beer and the 3 different types of yeast definitely have an impact on the complex taste.

I could see myself drinking this beer time and time again as it is very well balanced, and damn is that bottle pretty.

Who wouldn’t want to drink a beer out a glass with pink elephants on it?

4/5

[yegbeers]

Oscar: Bede's Chalice The Durham Brewery We have here a traditional Belgian tripel, according to the label this beer is bottled with a live sediment allowing it to mature and develop the flavor, which explains why there is an expiry date. Well if you like tripels this is the one for you, you can definitely taste a full bodied spicy orange that leaves a nice caramel after taste. Malt and hops definitely present like you'd expect from a tripel. What stands out from this beer is that mature taste that transitions from sweet to bitter malty and finishes on a caramel note. This beer pours into a nice caramel color and a large head that dissipates quickly after. Orange, peach, and malt smells present. A good tripel that I would recommend for those with a more refine taste. 4/5

[yegbeers]

Bhavik:

Duchesse De Bourgogne 6.2%

Purchased from Sherbrooke liquor store

I tried to write a review for this beer 3 times, and each time I wrote something, it came out as gibberish. That’s how good this beer is, it left me speechless. 

I will admit that the bottle threw me off, why would I want to drink a beer with a nun holding a bird? I’ll refer to that old adage: never judge a book by it’s cover; never judge a beer by it’s label. 

Duchesse de bourgogne pours a reddish brown with a beige head. Fruity aroma, with a hint of caramel, oak, and vinegar. Taste has a complex range from sweet fruit, sour mash, and dark malt. I also tasted mulled wine but what stood out was the amount of tartness. This was something new to me. Pleasantly so. 

Credit for this beer goes to my good friend Oscar: an advocate of beers from Belgium and the lambic beers. Oscar definitely knows the difference between a good beer and a great beer. I will never hesitate again. I cant wait to see what he gives me next. 

A beer from Belgium that tastes like no other beer I’ve had from Belgium. That being said this is in my top 5 beers of all time. No contest.

5/5 

[yegbeers]

Bhavik:

Lions Winter Ale - Granville Island Brewing 5.5%

Purchased from Liquor World Millwoods

Vanilla. If I were asked to describe this beer in one word it would be Vanilla. This does not mean that it is a simple beer, or a boring beer, no sir. I say vanilla because this beer takes a flavour and celebrates it on all fronts.

Pours a dark amber with an off white creamy head. Notes of treacle, and vanilla are most present in the aroma, bitter and sweet. Tastes of a creamy ale, slightly bitter hops, and of course finishes with vanilla. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were warming spices like cinnamon, clove and nutmeg.

This is a refreshing take on the “holiday” or “winter” or “Christmas” beers that every brewing company releases during the winter season.

This brew from Granville Island Brewing is only available in the winter season so stock up on it whenever possible. If not for yourself, then for the bitches, bitches love vanilla.

3/5

[yegbeers]

More beer reviews are coming...

[yegbeers]

Oscar: Samuel Smith's Indian Ale Purchased from Wine and Beyond. At first look you get a nice "sunset" color as described in the bottle, the abundant head disappears quite rapidly, although it's nice tasting. The first few sips really demonstrate the quality of this IPA; it truly enhances the flavors of India. It is a full flavored beer that has a good mixture of maltiness with a fruity hop. According to the bottle the recipe for this beauty has been used since 1758 from the same original well. I must admit this is an exceptional beer, it was recommended by Bhavik who knows a thing or two about the region where this Beer's spices came from. Without a doubt I will in fact be stocking up on this one. 4.3/5

[yegbeers]

Oscar: Black Sheep Ale Bought from Wine and Beyond. It has been a while since we had some reviews so I thought I would drink a beer to keep this rolling. We have here a product of a Quebec brewery also called Black Sheep. It is in all essence an Ale type beer of course but not that traditional. It pours into a transparent golden color with minimum head that dissipates quick, the malt taste is very present in this beer which in my opinion gives it a nice contrast to other ales. After the first few sips a noticeable bitter taste is left teasing your taste buds making you crave another sip. This ale also has a very subtle sweetness to it that allows for a nice transition of flavors. Overall a nice Ale with its own unique taste that allows it to stand out from other more typical ales. I was definitely pleased and will likely buy again. 3.8/5

[yegbeers]

Bhavik:

Harviestoun Ola Dubh (Black Oil)

Purchased from Wine and Beyond Windermere - 8%

I think I have found my new love. Words can not describe how much I value this beer. Now there is something you should know about me… I live for stouts, they are my favourite class of beer, dark rich, complex and full bodied. The first beer I ever tasted was Guinness and thus my infatuation with stouts has grown ten fold.

This beer was given to me by my colleague Oscar. He decided that this was the beer that I needed to review and damn him, he was right. Thank you.

The 12 year oak aged beer pours deep black with caramel head that lingers well until the last drop. This is my first beer from this brewery and definitely not my last. Notes of coffee, chocolate, and smoke hit you like a freight train. Taste is heavy with roasted malts, sharp espresso, dark cherry, which smoothes into an oak finish, very complex.

This English beer is not for the faint of heart. If you haven't had the pleasure of regularly drinking complex full body beers this brew will hit you so hard you will never want to drink it again, that would be a grave mistake. That being said, work your way up to this beer and like myself you will be pleasantly surprised.

If you actually read this review you already now what my score is going to be, if you didn't...I hate you, go back and read it.

5/5

[yegbeers]

Bhavik:

Samuel Adams Boston Winter Lager

Purchased from Wine and Beyond Windermere - 5.6%

First of all no that is not bottle looks like. I purchased this winter brew from my new favorite liquor store in Edmonton called Wine and Beyond. This behemoth of a vessel is called the Mega Growler which holds 2 liters of delicious beer. The unique thing about Wine and Beyond is that you’re able to sample from a constantly rotating selection of beers and purchase directly from tap…the advantage: a brew so fresh that it forces me to ask why this wasn’t available before.

I have never been a fan of Samuel Adams, the smell of their Boston Lager creates an uneasiness in my stomach no other beer could match. That being said this winter lager surprised me enough to purchase an entire 2 liters with one sip.

Pours a deep ruby color which I truly love. Dip your nose right into the glass and you will notice citrus, cinnamon, and ginger (ginger and beer always pair beautifully IMO). Taste is sweet, slightly fruity with a hint of spice.

I have never been a big fan of lagers, but this brew is an exception, I could easily see myself going through several pints of this while watching a hockey game (thank god the lockout is over) and not get sick of the taste. If you are looking for a rich and full bodied lager this is the choice for you.

3/5 

[yegbeers]

Durham Evensong

Yang:

Purchased from Wine and Beyond - 5% Strong Ale

Pours Ruby with thick foamy beige head. It looks very impressive due to it’s thick reddish color with large amount of bubbles rising through the body. Smells very strong, caramel, sugar and very earthy. With the first sip, you’ll notice the immense complex flavor. Somehow they managed to create a strong beer that taste of caramel, chocolate, coffee and mixed it with rich fruity tastes of raspberry, apples and citrus. For anyone that likes amber ales, note that this is not an amber ale. As the bottle states “Traditional Ruby Ale”, and it truthfully so. An amber beer would normally taste of a heavier bodied ale with a sweeter taste. This however gives you the body and rich bitterness of a strong ale but also provides some sweetness with use of fruits. This is so well balanced and I never thought that one could mix such a strong ale with such fruitiness.

I wouldn’t call this a fruit beer, and I claim that this is definitely one of the best English Ales out there, a must try for anyone interested in trying something different. So complex, so much rich bitterness yet perfectly balanced with fruitiness and drinks very easily.

4.5/5

[yegbeers]

Oscar: Reserva 1925 This is a traditional lager from Europe, easily comparable to any other lager out there. Like my colleague Yang said this lager is similar to Stella Artois just a little sweeter. The taste of maize and barley are very noticeable, it pours into a nice crystal clear golden color with a small amount of head. Now I'm not a big fan of lagers, but being that I'm Spanish I feel like I should be fair to my countrymen so here is my score. 3/5

[yegbeers]

Bhavik:

Hite

I have never enjoyed Korean beers and this is no exception.

Pours golden with little to no head which disappears within seconds of pouring. Tastes of rice, sweet malts with a bitter finish. No real aroma with this brew.

A poor lager with little to no taste and high carbonation. If you want to feel bloated after eating bulgogi and Kim chi this is the beer for you, in other words…skip it.

Purchased from Wine and Beyond, Windermere.

0.5/5

[yegbeers]

Reserva 1925

Yang:

This bottle is the prettiest beer bottle I’ve seen to date. This must contain something very special. Oscar and I split a 6-pack of this which was found at Wine and Beyond.

This is a European style Lager, and when I say that I mean I am going to compare this to a Stella Artois, which I would say is a standard European lager. Hops, Maize, Barley, crisp and medium body. Poured into a chilled Pilsner glass, amber colored, medium amount of head with low retention.

First sip and it reminds you of a Stella Artois, but definitely sweeter. After a few sips you’ll realize that it tastes just like a Stella but much more in every way. Sweet hops, heavy maize taste and very crisp. Can’t taste of alcohol at all, and at 6.4% that is definitely worth some value. Tastes like a premium beer, has a much more complex taste than the average lager and definitely pairs well with any food.

I’m not a big fan of beer that has maize taste, however I don’t mind it in this beer. The flavors are really balanced and nothing really stands out.

A good European Lager, definitely fancy and tastes premium. Next time you grab that Stella / Heineken, grab this instead and give it a shot.

3.5/5

[yegbeers]

Asahi Black

Yang:

ビール is beer in Japanese, and when Japanese Beer is mentioned I'm sure you are all thinking of drinking Sapporo at a sushi restaurant. This Japanese Import however means serious business.

This is a lager, so one would not expect it to be this dark, but it pours ruby black with a generous amount of head and little retention. First impression is that you are drinking a stout that is lighter bodied and very balanced. Tastes of roasted malts, chocolate, caramel and a hint of brown sugar. I would certainly be fooled if someone told me that this was a stout. 

Now Bhavik loves stouts, so generally if you like a Guinness but like it to be less thick, filling and acidic I would say this is a beer you definitely have to try. I would call this a very good looking beer with complex aroma but slightly lacking in flavor compared to a good dark ale. Very smooth and easy drinking. 

Found this bottle at Wine and Beyond. Poured into a frozen pilsner glass, must be served very cold.

3.5/5

[yegbeers]

Oscar:

Bianca Brùton

Bienvenuto a Italia! This is an easy drinking blonde ale, from Italy of course; if you hadn’t already guessed from the title.

I would consider this more of a summertime beer, best enjoyed on a beach indulging in some Vitamin D. This Italian gem is characterized by a rather acidic taste heightened by the coriander and orange accents, pours into a beautiful light yellow/golden color with minimal head.

If you are into blonde ales this is a must try, specially on a hot summer day.

4/5

[yegbeers]

Bhavik:

Red Horse Extra Strong

Malt liquor from the Philippines, need I say more.

I wouldn’t consider this a beer but rather a malt liquor due to the simplicity of taste and high alcohol content (8%).

Pours a golden yellow, with minimal head, this strong beer is better than a traditional North American malt liquor however…it’s still malt liquor.

I am not going to write anymore, malt liquor tastes like malt liquor and reeks of sweaty underwear.

How many times can I say malt liquor in one review?

Skip this one, I just jumped on a grenade for you, you’re welcome!

0.5/5

[yegbeers]

And more beer reviews coming this way too...