Each week or so I buy an assortment of new beers to try for when I'm in the mood for something bubbly. I generally only drink one beer in a sitting, so they typically last me a little while. Here is this weeks collection.
Duchess Chocolate Cherry
Company: Unknown
Style: Belgium Kreik
ABV: 6.8%
Marketing: European, French Renaissance style artwork.
Color: Cherry red with a light pink foam that dissipated quickly.
Nose: perfumy, fruity and tart, with distinct milk chocolate undertones.
Taste: noticeably tart, some sweetness, tart cherry. Reminded me of a cider more than a beer.
Texture: sharply carbonated with a soft mouthfeel underneath.
Impression: all in all it was quite good but not my particular style of beer. The chocolate notes made it more interesting and more complex. I liked the nose more than the taste.
Longhorn Lager
Company: Unknown (Farmers Creed?)
Style: Lager
Abv: 5%
Marketing: American ranch style artwork, Texan longhorn cattle. Farmers Creed writting on back which I thought was too long. I lost interest in it and still haven't finish reading it.
Nose: lightly fruity aroma reminiscent of apriocot.
Taste: Malty yet bitter. Mild citrus notes.
Texture: Flat, lightly carbonated, velvety mouthfeel.
Impression: I didn't like it at first but it grew on me as I drank it. An okay beer, but mostly a bit plain. Nothing special. I probably wouldn't buy it again.
Blood Moon
Company: Whitewater Brewing Co
Style: Sour beer
Abv: 4.8%
IBU: 4
Color: Golden straw colored with thin champagne like bubbles that dissipated quickly.
Nose: sweet, citrusy, perfume, potpourri.
Taste: Immediately tart in a way that made my cheeks ache. Sour, as the style suggests. Citrus notes. Tastes more like a cider or radler than a beer to me.
Texture: Sharp and crisp.
Impression: I didn't care for it and tried to pawn it off on my wife. Too much like a cider for me and I wasn't in the mood for that at the time. I could see it being good after a few bitter beers when you need to change it up a bit.
Common Loon
Bobcaygeon Brewing Co
Style: Pale Ale
Abv: 4.6%
IBU: 36
Marketing: Forest at night imagery brings cottage country to mind. Very common art style for summer beers in Canada. companies love to associate beer drinking with going to the cottage, obviously the two go hand in hand.
Color: Golden yellow straw with a billowy white head. Ribbons of leftover foam around the glass. Looks extra good in the sunlight ;)
Nose: Citrus, specifically grapefruit, hoppy, grassy.
Taste: Dry with a strong long lasting bitter finish.
Texture: Light watery palat. Small bubbles.
Impression: I drank this one in the best place to drink beer at my home - the balcony. I can't remember if I liked it or not and didn't write it in my notes at the time. I was too busy with the photoshoot of the beer... I think it was decent. A bit hoppy for my taste but not over poweringly so.
Captains Log Lager
Cameron's Brewing Company
Style: Golden Lager
Abv: 5%
Marketing: Simple cartoon image. High contrast pastel colors. Looks childish to me. Displaying a few annual rewards on back of can.
Color: Golden yellow. Virtually no head. Looks like apple juice.
Nose: Bread
Taste: Sweet. Slight bitterness at the end. Bland overall. Very easy drinking.
Texture: Sharp bubbles. Watery mouthfeel.
Overall I'd say that there is not a lot going on with this beer. It's pretty bland and boring to me. I would not buy again. But very easy to drink. The type of beer that could be served at a beer garden where you drink large quantities and don't really care what you're drinking.
Marco Polo
Indie Ale House Co
Style: Italian Pilsner
ABV: 5%
Marketing: Luxury vibe, sort of high-end looking can, designer-like. My mind thinks - stereotypically Italian, or something.
Color: Pale yellow with white billowy head that refused to dissipate, even after sitting for a few minutes. It likely contained a head stabilizer of some sort.
Nose: Grapfruit.
Taste: Citrusy grapefruit with a lasting bitter finish. There was a mild oxidized skunkiness to it, much like Corona, possibly from sitting too long (I'm unsure if this beer was imported. The skunkiness was fleeting though and I didn't notice it after the first few sips.
Texture: Light bubbles, watery palat.
Impression: It was okay but I would not bother to buy again. This is my own judgement but it seemed bougie to me.
Helles Lager
Silversmith Brewing Co
Style: Golden Lager
ABV: 4.7%
IBU: 22
Marketing: Strange stained glass design reminiscent of a church. It probably has some sort of deep meaning for the company but I didn't care for it. It's not my style of art. Did not like the marketing.
Color: Yellow Straw with an even white foam.
Nose: Hay with mild citrus in the background.
Taste: Malty, mildly sweet with a nice bitter finish. Fresh tasting.
Texture: Light bubbles over a full bodied velvety texture . Somewhat creamy mouthfeel.
Impression: Excellent beer. Refreshing. My perfect style for a lager. Malty and not overly hopped like most beers tend to be in North America (please enough with the IPA'S already). Perfect example of not judging something by its appearance.
Well thats it for this round of beers. There were a lot of duds this time and a few non-ordinary beers. Helles Lager was the winner for best beer in my opinion.
It's a long weekend in Canada right now, so I'll be on my way to get a new batch of beers for the days to come. Until then, cheers everyone!
