NOTES: The smell is really great - hoppy and bitter. Taste was hoppy and bitter with a touch of sweetness. Nothing mind blowing, but easily finished.
NOTES: This brewery was just bought out, so I grabbed a six pack before they changed it. Pours brown with a cream cap that laced the glass. Slight hops on the nose. Definite hops on the flavour. Bit of biscuit as well. Nothing outstanding but easy drinking and just hoppy enough to keep it enjoyable.
NOTES: Worst beer pic ever? That’s what happens when you have a cheap pay-as-you-go phone that doesn’t let you download your photos. Had this on tap at the Woolwich Arrow in Guelph. 7.2% ABV. Caramel brown colour with small head that disappeared quickly, mainly to the side of the glass. Smell was heavy on the caramel and a bit of scotch. If I haven’t known better I would have guessed this was a Scotch Ale. Taste was heavy on the caramel as well; quite sweet. Booze not hidden.
NOTES: Brewing in the middle of Ontario.Pours to a light golden yellow with a small white head that’s gone by the half way mark. Smells of grains with a bit of hops. Taste is much the same: grainy, slight (ever so) hops with a hint of sweet caramel malt.
NOTES: A few months ago I was given a bottle of this at the brewery, unlabeled just like the photo. I’ve had it in my fridge for a while now; To be honest I have no idea what it’s taken me this long to have it. However I was out at a bar the other night and they had this on tap, so I decided to not only give it a go, but finally break open my bottle when I got home. Pours to a dark black however light can make it’s way through. Beautiful tan head that stuck around for the entire ride. Looks very much like a black lager. That all changes with one sniff however; Wow, I’ve never smelt such a hoppy black beer before. Hops had a very earth smell to them, with a bit of marijuana funk as well. Taste was nice and floral hoppy at the front, no weed and/or hemp to it at all, but the back end of this brew was more like a thin porter: roasty malts with a smooth but bittering finish. Man this is good! The bottle I had was less hoppy with no weed smell. It was either the aging or a change in their recipe that’s the reason for this.
NOTES: Ruby orange, like the inside of a dark grapefruit. Bubbles stuck to the sides of the glass but wasn’t visible on top of the beer. Smell and taste was of sweet malt, mild hop with a touch of earthiness to it.
NOTES: Light copper with a frothy white head that skims the top. Smells like biscuits and malt. Taste like it too, but a slight bittering hop as well. Medium bodied with average carbonation.
Battle of the Dunkelweizen’s! My wife made an amazing lamb curry tonight, and since dunkelweizen’s go great with curry, I thought why not try both.
WEIHENSTEPHANER HEFEWEISSBIER DUNKEL
NOTES: Pours to a lovely hazy chestnut brown in a thick off white cap that stuck to the sides of the glass and skimmed top of the brew the entire way down. Smell is of banana bread, toffee, brown sugar and wheat. Taste is much the same, with the brown sugar to start and the banana at the back, however the wheat taste is very prominent throughout. Creamy and smooth body with medium carbonation. Really a fantastic beer and one that will be hard to top.
ERDINGER WEISSBIER DUNKEL
NOTES: Pours to an even lovelier hazy walnut with a thick off white cap that stuck to the sides of the glass but pretty much disappeared on the top of the liquid. Smell is of a mild chocolate malt with a bit of banana. Almost non-existent; I really had to stick my nose in and get a good sniff to smell this. A bit of maltiness to start out with in the mouth, a bit of coco powder with an earthiness at the back. Very mild and clean with a bit of a yeast from the wheat, but not very prominent at all. Thin body with light carbonation. Overall it’s good, but the Weihenstephaner blew it out of the water.
HISTORY: This brew is the result of the long friendship of Brooklyn brewmaster Garrett Oliver and Schneider brewmaster Hans-Peter Drexler. Each brewmaster brewed essentially the same pale, hoppy weissbock in the others brewery, but with different hopping to reflect the local hop flavor.
NOTES: Schneider version. Pours to a very cloudy hazy organgy-yellow. Head disappeared right away to just skimming the top. Smells of citrus hops and overripe bananas. Taste was high on the citrus, low on the bananas. An overall yeasty flavour seems to be very prevalent as well. Hop extract flavours as well (compared to fresh hops). Alcohol was also front and centre. As the beer warmed it turned kinda syrupy.
NOTES: Pours to the exact same colour as the ginger-molasses cookies my wife just made. Nice big head that goes down to just a skim on the edges where the beer and the glass met. Main smells are of cloves, bananas, molasses and raisins. Tons of other smells in here but much too complex to identify each one. Same can be said for the taste: very complex. Burnt bananas, caramel malts, molasses, raisins and alcohol are mainly what I’m tasting. Licorice on the back end as well. This bottle was pretty fresh and usually high ABV quads age very well, so I’ll age the other one I have.
NOTES: Hazy raisin in colour with an off white head that skims the top and laces the side of the glass. Let’s see, I smell red wine, brandy, bananas, raisins, plumbs. Taste is plumbs and raisins and warm brandy with dark caramel. This list could go one forever, this is one complex beer. 8.5%ABV shows itself as it warms. Between the suggested serving temp (5-7°C) this beer is perfect.
NOTES: Pours to a cloudy orange-brown with and extremely carbonated off white head that diminished to just skimming the surface. Smelled of Belgium yeast, citrus hops and raisins. Taste as high on the fruit/citrus with almost a dried bread to it. 8% ABV is very well hidden. Highly carbonated body.
NOTES: Pours to a very dark chocolate brown with a dark tan head that disappeared right away. Smell was heavy bakers chocolate with a bit of booze. Smooth and flavourful without being bitter or boozy, at first. As it warmed it looses some real dessert appeal and becomes pretty boozy.
