Review: 961 Red Ale

961 is a very new, slightly petulant brewery from Lebanon. Founded during the 2006 Israel-Lebanese war, this North American-style microbrewery has expanded into designer brewpubs and large-scale distribution. I have no clue what the 961 stands for, the website, albeit slick, doesn't say.

Pours very dark auburn with a huge light tan head. Big aroma of Saaz hops with some floral notes. Hoppy, quite bitter to the point of almost sour. Earthy malt, lots of carbonation, plus ongoing hoppy bitterness in the aftertaste. I would almost call this a red IPA, this is so intensely bitter.

3.5/5

961 Beer, Beirut, Lebanon

Review: Mort Subite Gueuze Lambic

Lambics, a sour Belgian style of beer produced from wild yeasts, and terribly difficult to get a hold of in Canada. Sour is normally an 'off' flavour in beer, making a lambic a definite acquired taste. I was glad to find a bottle of a new lambic to try. (Due to monolithic government liquor stores in some provinces and less adventuresome palates in others, the variety of lambics available across the country is quite limited.) Mort Subite's Lambic is a blend of aged and young lambics and allowed to bottle-age for a year before shipping.

Poured amber with orange and gold highlights and a big foamy light tan head. The aroma is quite sweet, with hints of lemon and apple. Sweet and sour come out in equal force on the tongue, with notes of caramel, oak, pear, and lemon sharpness. A fair amount of carbonation creating a slightly puckering aftertaste.

4.5/5

Mort Subite, Kobbegem, Belgium

Review: Wred Wheat

Happy Canada Day! In honour of my nation's birthday I plan to kick back on the patio, enjoy some good Canadian microbrew and most likely end up with a horrific sunburn regardless of a lathering of SPF 60.

Wild Rose is a small but growing microbrewery in Calgary (with a lovely tasting room right next to the city's farmer's market) and has recently released a red wheat ale. I've never seen this blend before, but Wild Rose's unfiltered wheat ale is a favourite of mine, so I'm optimistic about this brew.

Pours a deep red with an off-white head. Crisp aroma of both wheat and caramel malt. Nice carbonation, with good flavours of toasty malts, spicy hops, and mild banana esters. Smooth but not too light; definitely has a backbone. This is quite excellent, even better than the aforementioned Velvet Fog!

5/5

Wild Rose Brewery, Calgary, Alberta

Review: Amrut Single Malt Whisky

Amrut is a distillery from India, of all places! ('Amrut', like 'whiskey', means 'water of life'.) India is starting to break into the market with a good dose of home-grown whiskies. Amrut was made from Indian-grown barley, but the peat had to be imported from Scotland.

Light golden in colour with a nose of liquorice, toffee, and hints of sweet citrus. Sweet honey flavour with pleasant oak notes. Mildly peaty aftertaste with more liquorice rolls up nicely. Definitely a pleasant and drinkable single malt. Cask strength at 46%.

4.5/5

Amrut Distilleries, Bangalore, India

Review: Rockbottom Sample Tray

Rockbottom Brewery is a brand new brewpub that opened here in Halifax underneath the great Your Father's Moustache bar. (Yes, this is one of those parts of the world where bars are stacked like masonry.) I popped into Rockbottom to get out of the sun and heat, enjoyed a fantastic Greek salad, then dug into a sample tray of their six beers.

Ale

Pours a very light gold with a bright white head. Mild aroma of grain and malt with just the lightest hint of hops. Flavour is much more robust, the hops come out very strongly, but unfortunately overwhelm any other flavours. 3/5

Wheat

Light hazy gold with a foamy off-white head. Mildly hoppy nose with hints of citrus. Stronger hoppy flavour with apple notes and a lingering hoppy aftertaste. The wheat itself doesn't come out too strongly, however. There was an option to add a shot of fruit liqueur into the wheat, and while I was cautiously curious, they were sold out. 3.5/5

Stout

Deep, almost black mahogany with a large tan head. Pleasant roasted dark malt aroma. Lots of chocolate on the tounge, plus coffee and dark malt, but surprisingly light in the mouthfeel. 4/5

Red

Coppery-amber with a small tan head. Nose of hops and caramel malt. Mild caramel flavour, a fair dose of hops, but very two-dimensional. Again, surprisingly light in the mouthfeel. 3.5/5

IPA

Amber-gold with a very small white head. Strong hop profile in the nose with an almost floral hint to it. The hops, sadly, almost completely disappear in the flavour. There are some nice sweet floral hints and the hops try to come back for the aftertaste, but this should be a pale ale, not an IPA. 3/5

Nut Brown

Deep brown with amber lowlights and a small tan head. Great nutty aroma with a good rounding of coffee. Flavour has lots of coffee, nut, caramel, and roasted malt notes rolling around, but still comes off smooth and mellow. Definitely my favourite. 4.5/5

Rockbottom Brewery, Halifax, Nova Scotia

Review: Bud Light Lime

Normally I'm a microbrew drinker, but I've received a bunch of emails from readers asking for me to review more big name brands. By a turn of good luck, I managed to get my hands on a six pack of Budweiser's new beer, Bud Light Lime. This beer has been available in the States for a while, but it is only now (as of yesterday) being sold in Canada, partly due to a concerted Facebook effort to bring it up here. They've been promoting the upcoming launch of this beer by handing out limes on the street. 

Pours a clear light yellow with a large, foamy white head. Strong but realistic aroma of lime juice with just a hint of sweet grainy malt. I was worried that this beer would be too sweet, but no, it really does taste as if you squeezed a lime into it! Nice and tart, although the flavour of the beer is a bit subsumed under the lime (to be fair, it is a light beer). I know I normally don't say this about macrobrew, especially flavoured or light beer, but I think I actually like it!

I think I'll need to carefully conserve the rest of this six pack, it's not launching here in Halifax until June 8th. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll take this out on the patio, for this is nothing if not a summer beer.

4/5

Anheuser-Busch Inc., St. Louis, Missouri

Review: De Koninck Four Pack

I picked up this four pack of Belgian ales a while ago, stuck it in the fridge with all intents on getting into it that weekend. Unfortunately, exams came and I completely forgot this gem, hidden behind some local fruit wine. Now's the 

time to crack this puppy open and see what we have here!

Amber

De Koninck's flagship beer. Pours a deep, hazy orange-amber with almost no head. Aroma of Saaz hops, citrus a yeast. Surprisingly light mouthfeel, light flavours of hops and citrus with a strong bran aftertaste. Fantastic aroma, but the flavour is a bit of a letdown. Still, not horrid. 3/5

Blond

A stronger blond (6%) originally brewed to celebrate the 400th birthday of van Dyck, also from Antwerp. Pale orange with some gold touches, some carbonation but very small white head. Aroma of hops, yeast, citrus, and a hint of grapefruit. Flavour starts strong with bright citrus notes, but fades to more subdued grainy hops and a bitter aftertaste. 4.5/5

Winter Koninck
Made in honour of the farmers that, since they could not farm in the winter, brewed instead. Deep, hazy amber brown with small, fizzy off-white head. Aroma of citrus, spice, and apples. Flavour is nutty, with notes of hops, citrus, and a bit of sourness. Aftertaste is unfortunately of cardboard. Light for a winter ale, only 6.5%. 4/5

Tripel

Hazy amber with a thin off-white head. Aroma of Saaz hops, toasted malt, and a waft of grapefruit. Robust flavour of hops, floral notes bordering on sugarcane, and a touch of brandy in the aftertaste. Very full and smooth in the mouth, though the 8% alcohol definitely makes its presence known. Very nice tripel, definitely the best in the pack. 4.5/5

Brouwerij De Koninck NV, Antwerp, Belgium

Review: Cerveza Imperial

Cerveza Imperial is an adopted beer; originally brewed in Florida, it proved so popular in Costa Rica that the company uprooted and moved its main production to that nation from the States in 1924. It is widely known as a 'centralized' beer, although I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not.

Pale yellow with a small foamy white head. Sweet light malts with a bit of grass in the aroma. Dry, generic pale lager, with hints of hay. Nothing special. Guess 'centralized' is a gentle way of saying 'generic'.

1.5/5

Productoria La Florida, San José, Costa Rica

Review: Dogfish Head Raison D'Etre

I've heard many, many good things about Dogfish Head, but I've had to make pilgrimages to the States every time I want to try their brews. While in Washington DC this spring, I stopped by a great little pub called Brickskeller that boasted over 1000 beers, including some of the best of America's microbrews, including this one.

Raison D'Etre has an odd makeup for a beer; it's made with beet sugar, green raisins and some good ol' fashioned Belgian yeast strains. Pours a rich, deep amber with very little head. Clear but not overpowering aroma of dark malts, raisins, and brown sugar. Rich and complex flavour that keeps on developing as you roll it around your mouth. Starts light with some raisin and dark malt, then develops some good flavours of hops and oatmeal, then rounds off with some more brown sugar. Despite this beer being 8%, the alcohol doesn't overwhelm you or get in the way of the flavour.

I'm pretty sure I'm willing to go back to DC just to have this brew again.

5/5

Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales, Milton, Delaware

Shaken, Not Stirred

To coincide with the DVD release of Quantum of Solace this week, Smirnoff has released a special set of James Bond recipes! Bond's vodka martinis have always been Smirnoff, and while I personally prefer stirred gin martinis, I am a huge James Bond fan, so I am all over this. Doesn't hurt that Daniel Craig is damn fine.

And shucks, for the sake of authenticity, I'm using Smirnoff, but if you must, you can substitute any high-end vodka. Ice cold vodka and glasses as always, people!

The Quantum

1 shot Smirnoff
1/2 shot bitters
1 shot blood orange juice

Shake well with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, garnish with orange zest.

The 007 Black Tie

1 shot Smirnoff
1 1/2 shots champagne
A small splash of sugar syrup or a half teaspoon of white sugar
1/2 dozen fresh mint leaves

Shake the vodka, sugar and mint leaves with ice. Strain until clear into a flute, top with champagne, garnish with a mint leaf.

The 007 Martini

1 1/2 shots Smirnoff
Splash of dry vermouth

The classic. Pour the vermouth over ice in the martini glass. Swirl around, discard contents of glass (this will leave just enough vermouth to call it a martini and not just a glass of vodka). Shake vodka well, strain into glass, garnish with lemon zest.

The Vesper

1/3 shot Smirnoff
1 shot gin
Splash of white wine vermouth

Shake with ice, strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon zest.

Alright people: favourite Bond, favourite Bond movie? Go!

Review: Cuca Fresca Silver Cachaça

Cachaça is an uniquely Brazilian spirit, closely related to rum (despite the label, it isn't actually rum). Like rum, cachaça comes from sugar cane, but while rum is from distilled molasses, cachaça is made straight from distilled sugar cane juice. Cachaça is rarely exported from Brazil, but now Cuca Fresca has started to bring this liquor into North America.

I managed to get my hands on a bottle of the unaged silver, a three year old cachaça is also available. Crystal clear with a sweet, floral sugar cane aroma. Light, elegantly smooth flavour with pleasant hints of citrus and oak. It's a bit like rum, but much more complex and interesting. I'm quite enjoying Cuca Fresca, I think I'm going to start replacing white rum with it in my mixed drinks.

Bonus: the bottle comes with an adorable parrot stir-stick. D'awww!

5/5

Cuca Fresca Exports LLC, Socorro, Brazil

Review: Great Lakes Orange Peel Ale

I have a love-hate relationship with fruit beers. When they're good, they're good, and when they're bad, they're bad. I always feel like I'm taking a bit of a gamble with a new fruit beer, but Great Lakes has put out an orange peel infused beer (as well a seasonal chocolate orange batch), and I'm willing to take a risk. The brewery adds fresh oranges and peels into the wort before fermentation, which I take as an extremely good omen. Post-fermentation additions or even worse, liquid flavourings or concentrates seem to produce the worst fruit beers.

Hazy deep orange with a small foamy off-white head. Hearty pale malt nose with an pleasant edge of hops and a hint of citrus. Tangy flavours of tangerine and peach with enough hops to keep the beer humble. Quite crisp and dry, but a bit too light in the mouthfeel. Still, this is an extremely nice fruit ale, you can taste the orange, but it's not overpowering.

4.5/5

Great Lakes Brewery, Etobicoke, Ontario

Review: Ikon Vodka

Ikon is a well-established Russian vodka that is finally starting to gain real popularity in North America. First distilled in 1862, Ikon not only survived but thrived after the Revolution and remains strong today. Turns out that this vodka is still craft-distilled in Russia in the same town where the distillery was first founded.

Very clean nose with a hint of fresh pine needles. Silky smooth but bracing, crisp finish with just a touch of pepper. Wow! This is really good stuff. New favourite vodka. It's as good as Grey Goose but at a wonderfully low price. Love it.

5/5

Ikon Distillery, Urzhum, Russia

Review: Shiner Bock

This bock comes from a small German-immigrant town in Texas. This beer was first brewed as a seasonal in 1913, making it an early example of a craft brew.

Deep auburn with a large foamy off-white head. Caramel and light malts in the nose with a mild hoppy finish. Smooth but a bit light in terms of flavour, but some nicely balanced malts. Quite refreshing, this would make a great patio beer.

Unfortunately, this beer is exclusively available only in the States, although a few liquor stores in Alberta have started to import it.

3.5/5

Spoetzl Brewery, Shiner, Texas

Review: Szekszardi Voros Kekfrankos

Despite being one of the oldest wine regions in the world, Hungary has a very low international profile. Southeastern Europe grows many lesser-known varietals, including kekfrankos, a central European varietal (usually known as blaufränkisch).

Deep ruby lights and nice legs. Spicy, plummy aroma but unfortunately has an mildly vinegary 'off' smell ringing the nose. Shockingly light mouthfeel, but what little flavour there is seems like a blend between pinot noir and communion wine. I like odd little varietals, but this is just bad wine.

1.5/5

Hungarovin LTD, Szekszard, Hungary

Review: Nova Schin

Nova Schin is a pilsner from Brazil, of all places! It comes from Brazil's largest independent brewery and is aggressively being promoted in the UK. They're also the brand that came up with the mildly controversial ads of heavily pregnant women enjoying their non-alcoholic version of the beer. I, not being with child, have the regular kind.

Very light yellow with a small fizzy head. Small aroma of grain. Balanced pale malts and hops, but overall, very light flavour. Slightly tinny aftertaste. Pretty generic pilsen, not great though not horrible.

2/5

Primo Schincariol, Itu, Brazil

Review: Red Pig Mexican Ale

Mexico, like many Central American countries, has always struck me as a staunch lager nation. I was quite pleased to dig up this ale from the oldest brewery in Baja California.

Deep copper with a foamy light tan head. Floral but not overwhelming hops in the aroma with light citrus notes. Nice balance in the flavour between bitterness and sweetness, although the mouthfeel is quite light for an ale. Still, Red Pig is complex and flavourful and very refreshing.

4.5/5

Cerveceria Mexicali, Tecate, Mexico

Review: Alberta Pure Vodka

Alberta Pure is a cheap-ish brand of vodka from my home province. This stuff comes in big, plastic bottles and has been used as a standard for underage teens in Calgary to spike their drinks for decades. Let's give it a go!

Really astringent smell, like rubbing alcohol. Sweet nail polish remover flavour that at least is pretty smooth. Low grade. I tried mixing it with drinks, but the rubbing alcohol smell comes through coke, cranberry juice, and black tea all way too strongly. Leave this one for the kids.

On the plus side, the distillery will let you have a whiskey barrel for only 20 bucks (provided you pick it up yourself). That's a sweet deal.

1.5/5

Alberta Distillers Limited, Calgary, Alberta

Review: Dubonnet Ricard Red

Dubonnet is a French wine apertif flavoured with all sorts of herbs and spices. Technically it's a vermouth, but instead of being a martini additive, it's drunk straight, on the rocks, or in lemonade.

Poured a burgundy red with a sweet red wine aroma. Has a round, dessert wine flavour, but tastes a bit musty. I don't know what the spices are in it, but I'd rather take normal red wine over this. I will try it in lemonade one day though, that sounds like it actually might work.

There are other brands of Dubonnet, but this one is not only the most popular, but the brand preferred by the Queen to mix with her gin.

3.5/5

Ricard SA, Marseille, France

New Blog

Well, you all know I like to indulge in a libation or two, but I'd like to share that I'm also a bit of a glutton I love cooking and good food! I'm starting up a parallel blog to Liquor Log featuring recipes and dining experiences. I'll see if I can work in some food-booze pairing crossovers. First up on the new blog is my favourite recipe for portobello and lemon risotto, followed by whatever I'm going to do with the pound of frozen llama meat sitting in my freezer.

Come and check it out: Victual Blog

Review: Fire Rock Pale Ale

Fire Rock Pale Ale is a little gem that I found on a foray south of the border. Kona is a Hawaiian brewery that prides itself on using Hawaiian-grown ingredients when possible. I think the malt in this is local (I didn't know you could grow barley in tropical climates), and I'm really digging the label art.

Deep orange gold with a big cream-coloured foamy head. Hoppy aroma with hints of pine needles. Good bit dollop of hops on top of subtle citrus and floral flavours. There's enough hops in here that I'd really call it an IPA instead of just a pale ale! Crisp and refreshing, I'm quite fond of this one. The added Hawaiian vocabulary lessons under each cap are a nice touch. I think I know where to go on my next vacation.

4.5/5

Kona Brewery, Kona, Hawaii

Review: Drambuie

Drambuie is one of those drinks that we always see in the liquor store of have a bottle in the back shelf of our liquor cabinet, but very rarely try. Drambuie is a type of scotch blended with honey and secret herbs.

Drambuie actually has a pretty interesting history, it started when Prince Charles Edward Stuart fled from England to the Isle of Skye. He was harboured by Captain John Mackinnon. To reward Mackinnon, the prince gave the family his secret recipe for Drambuie. The Mackinnon family continues to be the sole producers of the drink and keep the herbs used a secret.

Drambuie itself is a light golden-amber, with a strong honey nose. The flavour also has a very strong honey feeling, along with some herbs and a smokey aftertaste. Very sweet, unique, and tasty. Crack open that bottle in the back of your liquor cabinet and give it a try.

4/5

Drambuie Liqueur Company, Isle of Skye, Scotland

Review: 1554 Enlightened Black Ale

New Belgium is a Colorado microbrewery that makes Belgian-inspired beers with a North American slant. The recipe for this black ale comes from a Belgian manuscript dating to 1554, hence the name. I picked up a six-pack while south of the 49th Parallel and brought it back over the border; unfortunately, it is not available outside of the United States.

Deep but clear dark mahogany, a bit like a light stout, with a large light tan foamy head. Aroma of roasted caramel malt. Good round flavours of chocolate and coffee with a touch of sweet toffee malt. A bit light and carbonated in the mouthfeel, although I should remind myself that this is a Belgian-inspired beer, not a straight-up Belgian. Still, probably one of the most refreshing dark ales I've had in a while. I think I need to smuggle more of this across the border.

4.5/5

New Belgium Brewing, Fort Collins, Colorado

Review: Alley Kat Apple Cinnamon Mead

This is a bit out a season, since this is meant to be a spiced Christmas mead, but I don't think I can wait half a year to try this. Alley Kat is a small Canadian microbrewery that has recently branched out into meads; this and a year-round raspberry mead. I'm always intrigued by mead, although sometimes it can run too sweet for my tastes.

Light sparkly gold with no head and a bit of carbonation. Aroma of honey, white wine, cinnamon, and interestingly, a hint of graham crackers. Complex flavours of ginger, cinnamon, apple, honey and jasmine. Very lovely, and not sickly sweet in the least!

4.5/5

Alley Kat Brewing Company, Edmonton, Alberta

Review: Mildiani Tsinandali

It is an interesting but complete coincidence that I should dig up a Georgian wine at the same time that the nation itself is featured so heavily in the news. However, I won't get into my opinion on the war, I'm just here for the booze. Georgia doesn't export much of its wine to North America, but it is one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world.

Tsinandali is a blend of two relatively uncommon but ancient (and unpronounceable) grape varieties; rkatsiteli and mtsvane.

Light straw-gold in colour, fruity aromas that reminds me of unset lemon-flavoured Jello, oddly enough. Mild but sharply acetic flavour, lots of esters in the aftertaste. Odd, and not really in a good way.

2/5

Mildiani Wines, Tsinandali, Georgia