Spearhead Moroccan Brown Ale

Brewery: Spearhead Brewing, Toronto, ON (contract brewed at Cool Brewing, Toronto, ON)
Style: Spiced Brown Ale
ABV: 6.0%
Availability: Year-round in bottles & on draught in Ontario

Deep and bright copper-brown body with a thin off-white cap of foam that has pretty good staying power. Aroma is quite sweet, with a nice base of caramelized grain and brown sugar, and overlaid notes of dried fruit and mild cinnamon. Medium-full body that gets a touch sticky on the palate as it warms. Flavour is pleasantly robust, with dark sugar and dried fruit sweetness off the top, some cinnamon spiciness coming through in the middle, and a quick & moderately dry finish. To my taste, it’s too sweet for everyday drinking, but a nice diversion when the right mood strikes.

Dead Frog Brazen Northwest Ale

Brewery: Dead Frog Brewery, Aldergrove, BC
Style: American Strong Ale
ABV: 7.5%
Availability: Year-round; bottles in British Columbia

Deep & bright copper-amber colour with a small and tight off-white head. Aroma is big and lively, with punchy citrus and spruce backed by sweet caramel and dried plum. Flavour is quite malt-forward at first - caramel, chocolate, even a bit of coffee - but as it warms and opens up, the hops really start to pop, with lots of bitter orange & grapefruit peel and herbaceous pine notes. By the end of the 650 ml bottle, both the hop-driven bitterness and the moderately high alcohol content make themselves known with no apologies. And none needed - it is called Brazen, after all.

Red Racer Pale Ale

Brewery: Central City Brewing, Surrey, BC
Style: Pale Ale
ABV: 5%
Availability: Year-round; draught in British Columbia; cans in BC, Ontario and several other provinces

Clear golden-orange with a small cap of white foam. Aroma makes it obvious that there are West Coast hops in there - nice hit of citrus, a bit of lychee - but the Maris Otter malt provides a subtly sweet and nutty counterpoint that balances things out well. That balance continues into the flavour, where starting notes of biscuits and honey are quickly joined by orange peel and mellow pine notes. It doesn’t have quite as much character as its IPA and ESB siblings in the Red Racer family, but this is still a solid and enjoyable session ale.

Amsterdam Fracture Imperial IPA

Brewery: Amsterdam Brewery, Toronto, ON
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 9%
Availability: Limited release of bottles at the brewery store

Dark copper-orange with a small white head that sticks around and leaves some nice lacing. Big aroma with tons of citrus oil and tropical fruit, on a strong base of orange-caramel malt. Big body as well - a bit sticky on the palate, especially towards the back of the tongue. Flavour is definitely hop-forward, but not simply bitter - more complex than that, with notes of grapefruit juice, orange zest, honey, spearmint, caramel, spruce, and an interesting floral note in the finish. Quite good!

Le Castor Blonde Pale Ale

Brewery: Microbrasserie Le Castor, Rigaud, QC
Style: Pale Ale
ABV: 5%
Availability: in bottles & on draught in Quebec

Slightly hazy honey-orange with a thick cap of creamy white foam. Aroma starts with a sharp cattiness, but that quick recedes, leaving a more soft and mellow herbal hoppiness over graham cracker malt. Flavour is fresh and well-balanced, with notes of toast and honey malts, fresh cut grass, orange peel and a bit of apricot. Finish is crisp and clean, with citrus peel hops slightly lingering. A lovely session ale.

Granville Island Ginja Ninja

Brewery: Granville Island Brewing, Vancouver, BC
Style: Ginger Beer
ABV: 5.5%
Availability: spring/summer seasonal - in bottles & on draught in BC

Bright golden-orange body with a tight white head. Aroma has a nice combo of fresh & candied ginger and a balanced lager. Flavour is similar - ginger is obvious, but not overpowering, meshing well with the mellow lager. Finish has pleasant ginger heat and a touch of citrus. Body is clean and crisp, carrying the flavours perfectly. A great warm weather refresher.

Left Field 6-4-3 Double IPA

Brewery: Left Field Brewery, Toronto, ON (contract brewed at Grand River Brewing, Cambridge, ON)
Style: Double IPA
ABV: 8.4%
Availability: Draught at select bars & restaurants in Toronto and area

Rich golden colour with unfiltered haziness and a small off-white head. Big and sticky aroma of fermented pineapple, citrus, pine, orange oil. Full bodied, feels great on the palate. Juicy, hop-forward flavour of citrus peel, pineapple, some caramel malt to balance, and big grapefruit notes in the finish. Great!

Rickard’s Shandy

Brewery: Rickard’s (division of Molson Coors Canada)
Style: Shandy
ABV: 4.5%
Availability: Bottles & cans across Canada

Hazy straw-gold colour with a creamy white head that dissipates quickly. Pleasant lemonade aroma that seems natural, but not homemade - more like a store-bought lemonade made with natural lemon flavour. Body is crisp and clean, suitable for a summer refresher. Flavour is that of a simple pale lager with mildly sweet malt, barely noticeable hops, and an agreeable lemon drop finish. Not bad, but if I was really craving a shandy, I’d probably make my own with a more flavourful lager and fresh lemonade.

Bellwoods Farmhouse Classic

Brewery: Bellwoods Brewery, Toronto, ON
Style: Saison bottle-conditioned with Brettanomyces
ABV: 6.5%
Availability: Draught at the Bellwoods brewpub; bottles at the Bellwoods retail store

Hazy golden-orange with a MASSIVE thick & puffy snow white head. Once the head dissipates a bit, some nice aromas start to come through - fruity, pineapple-ish esters; grassy and citrusy hops; mild Brett and yeast notes. Flavour feels a bit more subdued than the aroma, but is still solid, with all of the characteristics promised by the aroma. Finish is moderately dry and very moreish, with very little evidence of the 6.5% abv. Another great one from Bellwoods.

Dead Frog Commander Imperial Stout

Brewery: Dead Frog Brewery, Aldergrove, BC
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 10.5%
Availability: Limited edition release

Deep ruby-black body with a thin and quickly disappearing khaki-tan head. Strong aroma of charred wood, molasses, licorice and dark chocolate. Flavour holds all of those notes as well, along with some bourbon vanilla in the middle, and a warmly boozy and astringently bitter finish. Body is a bit thinner than expected from the style, but still full enough to support the flavour. Good, but I think 6 months or so of aging will do a lot to mellow the rough edges and make it much better.