Cameron's Dark 266

Brewed by: Cameron's Brewing Company
Brewed at: Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Type: Seems like a stout.
A/V 4.5%

First Impression
"Hand Brewed by Beer Artisans" Fancy! A couple of gold medals to boot! Still and dark; deep brown with tragically little head.

First Sip
Stoutish. Passably strong malts with more hop contribution than I'd like to see in a stout. So maybe it's not stout.

Halfway
Certainly enjoyable enough. Trying to warm it up a couple of degrees to see what else awakens - but I am thirsty.

Bottoms Up
Okay, so it's more like a stout than a lager but it's also more like a lager than any other stout that I've had. If there was a point midway between stout and lager take twenty-six paces toward stout and that is about where you'd find "266". Twenty-seven paces. Or thirty. Somewhere there. Not bad. I've had better but this is by no means a "bad" beer. But then again, what is? Aside from Michelob Ultra, but is that really beer? Really? No, it's not.

77/100

Wellington Arkell Best Bitter

Brewed by: Wellington County Brewery Inc.
Brewed at: Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Type: Session Ale
A/V 4%

First Impression
Session ale! Sounds like fun! Looks the part. Dressed in powder blue with a cartoony theme it manages to embody the serious intent of craft brewing with the light-hearted spirit of proper beer drinking. Fantastic colour for a light beer with a good head on its shoulders.

First Sip
A nice, light, yet impressively complex mouthful. So this is what is meant by session ale! You can enjoy drinking it and make a session of the exercise. I could get used to this sort of thing.

Halfway
Whereas I tend to appreciate brute force and ignorance in a beer I get the impression that this took a lighter touch to produce and yet I am enjoying this more than I could have expected. The trinity of brewing are adequately represented in this beer without the sledgehammer effect of more potent brews.

Bottoms Up
For the newbie Arkell Best Bitter offers a gentle introduction into full-flavoured beer as hops, malt and yeast share the spotlight. For the seasoned beer drinking enthusiast, this is a fine beer to to drink outdoors as less discerning individuals guzzle Mexican or American macrobrews while conducting the adult version of an Easter egg hunt for Titleists in the rough...

82/100

Cameron's Cream Ale

Brewed by: Cameron's Brewing Company
Brewed at: Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Type: Cream Ale
A/V 5%

First Impression
I had a beer from Cameron's once. Lager if I'm not mistaken. It was of a fine quality as I recall. This one looks very similar. The money at Cameron's clearly being spent on more than the graphic design. Lovely rich colour. Small, speedy bubbles. Slightly sweet smelling.

First Sip
Not bad. Refreshing. Light fruit accentuating a firm but fair hop quality.

Halfway
Fair to above average. Not my cup of tea - or ale in this instance. Easy to drink, satisfying if not terribly interesting.

Bottoms Up
Overall, hard to say that it's disappointing, because it isn't. Not really. Being as unbiased as possible; this is a truly solid Cream Ale. Not much to pick on at all. Hard to wax poetic about something that I find as exciting as doing laundry. If you find Cream Ale attractive give it a go. Why not?

68/100

Schneider Weisse Tap 7 Original

Brewed by: Weisses Brauhaus G. Schneider & Sohn
Brewed at: Kelheim/Bavaria, Germany
Type: Bavarian Weisse
5.4% A/V

First Impression
I thought that I'd had this before, such is the typically Bavarian styling of the package. Quite dark for a weisse beer, with a beige head. Bottle fermented. Smells fantastically of sweet fruit.

First Sip
A nice, friendly softness of a beer. Bavarian wheat beers tend toward smooth, well rounded edges and Tap 7 is a fine example. Nearly a vanilla bean sweetness.

Half way
The 5.4% and the slightly dark liquid is all bluff. This beer looks like it would steal your lunch money but it is truly as friendly as my neighbors ten year old Golden Retriever. The beer smells markedly better than Riley however.

Bottoms Up
A bottle of Tap 7 should properly be considered a sample. This beer is to be drunk in a licensed premise, out of a chilled, bulletproof-thick, glass; filled from a tap and delivered to your table by a smiling professional. The disappointment I now feel at having only purchased a single bottle for the purpose if this review would be thereby averted. The only thing that could improve this beer would be the knowledge that there was a gloriously frigid keg full of the stuff readily available to produce pint after pint as required.

97/100

Rogue Yellow Snow IPA

Brewed by: Oregon Brewing Co.
Brewed at: Newport, Oregon, USA
Type: India Pale Ale
A/V 6.5%

First Impression
Schizophrenia. dictionary.com offers this definition:

2.
a state characterized by the coexistence of contradictory or incompatible elements.

Let's consider the above definition shall we? "Yellow Snow"?!? For realsies? Then a pseudo-communist era graphic sporting a red star above a stylized snowboarder cuddling a black lab. Perfect! That just about covers everyone, including those with a fondness for urine slushies...

First Sip
And the irony is complete. A confusion of visual and conceptual elements on the label, a symphony of IPA grandeur within the jug. Citrusy. Bitter. Cloudy. This IPA has all the elements. Now somebody get it a brown paper bag.

Halfway
Perhaps not as devil-may-care as some other pedal-to-the-metal IPAs but robust enough to hold its own.

Bottoms Up
Forgive the name. Lovers of the hop-happy brew known today as IPA take heart; the brewers in Oregon are still allowed to dump absurd quantities of excellent hops into steaming worts in pursuit of lip-smacking, craft Pale Ales. Perhaps the consumption of such ales should be limited while designing the marketing effort for such a fine refreshment as this, no? Yellow Snow. Honestly.

76/100 (86 if otherwise named)

Lupulus Dominus Vobiscum

Brewed by: Microbrasserie Charlevoix
Brewed at: Quebec, Canada
Type: Extra Strong Beer
10% A/V

First Impression
Most will pass this beer over for wine, such is its visual likeness to the common packaging of the libation of the vine. A big three quarter liter, green, champagne bottle with a dignified, painted-on label. A plethora of pious references and heavenly nods really do little to restrain ones expectations.

First Sip
An unduly careless pour necessitated a panicked gulp of gloriously expanding head. Gobsmackingly delicious. Allow me to collect myself.

Halfway
Bright amber, golden hued, with the slight cloudiness of bottle finishing. A round, full, balanced palate of peaceful hops and thoughtful malts woven with one full tenth of pure spirit make for what some might safely consider one of the worlds finest beers.

Bottoms Up
Those who have occasion to drink alone are oft regarded with a raised eye-brow, however in the case of this Québécois masterpiece, perhaps being alone allows the quiet solitude with which to best accompany the brew. Spotlessly well accomplished. Bien joué.

100/100

Saison

Brewed by: Niagara Oast House Brewers
Brewed at: Niagara, Ontario, Canada
Type: Strong Beer
A/V 8.4%

First impression
Classic! Golden slightly hazy, packed with energetic bubbles and a fluffy, airy head.

First Sip
Hold the phone! Rich with the palate of fresh brewery type activities! Malted grains, hops, fermentation. Just a smidge tart. "Farmhouse Ale Collection" does it get any better?

Halfway
Lovely stuff! Really enjoying the Saison! A first rate microbrew beer.

Bottoms Up
Loved it. This is craft brewing. Wonderful ingredients, well combined, makes for good beer. Others hoping to do well at beer making pay attention to the people at Oast House. They've got a few things figured out.

95/100

2012 Mill Street Barley Wine

Brewed by: Mill Street Brewery
Brewed at: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Type: Barley Wine
A/V 11.5%

First Impression
Barley wines in general represent something of a special effort on the part of the breweries and brewers who produce them. It follows then that the vessel employed to carry the beloved elixir to market is often a reflection of the excitement that simmers alongside the wort. Bottles with caged corks and terra cotta jugs being the order of the day. Mill Street elects to go with a clay jug with a resealable swing top. Handsome.

First Sip
An inviting ruby tint glows from the coppery amber. A cheeky haziness hints at the special nature of this strong beer. Sweet spices reminiscent of Peking Duck and Hoisin Sauce tantalize the nostrils.

Half Way
The deep, malt extract type sweetness warms the palate. This is a beer to be thoughtfully enjoyed as you might a glass of fine Australian Shiraz.

Bottoms Up
For the Barley Wine novice, 2012 Mill Street Barley Wine is a great place to start. It is a strong example of exactly how diverse the world of beer can be to those with a sense of adventure. Sweet and deep with spice layers this is a beer of note.

92/100