Old North Mocha Porter

Brewed by: Lake of Bays Brewing Company
Brewed at: Baysville, Ontario, Canada
Type: Porter
5.2 A/V

First Impression
A nice fashionable label design. A big, thrill inducing bottle. Water, Malted Hops, Barley and Coffee. What else do you want. Makes me wonder what the caffeine content might be?

First Sip
Yep. Water, Malted Hops, Barley and Coffee. Emphasis on the coffee. Excuse me! Barkeep! May I get some cream and sugar over here?

Halfway
It settles down quite nicely, the coffee now playing well with the malted barley et al.

Bottoms Up
Good not great. I enjoy coffee but too much upsets my belly. There is definitely caffeine in this one, so probably drink it early in the afternoon.

68/100

Cobblestone Stout

Brewed by: Mill Street Brewery
Brewed at: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Type: Stout
4.2% A/V

First Impression
Mill Street is the home of some of Canada's finest craft beers. The can virtually cries "Stout!" from the chilly depths of the fridge. Okay an uncommon moment of honesty here for me... Opening the can, the nitrogen load scared the hell out of me. When pouring this, treat it as a you might a Boddington's - or dare I say a Guinness?

First Sip
Lovely. Simply stoutish loveliness. A little roasty and nicely malty and soundly bitter.

Halfway
Regretting deeply that there was only one of these treasures in my fridge.

Bottoms Up
If Guinness is the standard bearer for stout this upstart "Cobblestone" is doing the old man proud. The head is very much like that of the revered "Black Stuff". As the next generation at times builds properly and productively on the advances of the last, "Cobblestone" pays an honest and loving tribute to great stout. Well done. Indeed, very well done.

99/100

Lions Winter Ale

Brewed by: Granville Island Brewing Co.
Brewed at: Vancouver, British Colombia, Canada
Type: Specialty Ale
A/V 5.5%

First Impression
There's a helicopter hidden in the deep green paint job, see if you can find it! Looks appealing enough. Granville Island is a west coast Canadian brew house which has been making some headway across the country over the past few years. Good stuff so far. So let's see how the winter offering fares.

First Sip
Chocolate syrup!?! WTF? The label makes mention of a "vanilla finish" but there has never been a beer made to taste so alike chocolate syrup!

Halfway
Yep definitely tastes of chocolate syrup. Weird. Not bad per se.

Bottoms Up
Medium-dark amber with a golden head and an almost overpowering chocolate syrup flavor, this might be a beer that finds a loyal following, myself not included. I do respect the brewer's adventurous nature at work, no doubt, but the final product is just not for me. Too chocolatey.

60/100

Hockley Canadian Amber

Brewed by: Hockley Valley Brewing Company
Brewed at: Orangeville, Ontario, Canada
Type: Amber beer
A/V 4.2%

First Impression
Another beer from the three fellas in the commercial unit in the heart of that cosmopolitan sleeper of a town, Orangeville. I know the place all too well... Pinch nose and tilt head...

First Sip
All bias aside, someone got the malts right in this one. Poured into a bespoke brewers glass chilled to the second most recent ice age, my lip nearly stuck to the glass.

Halfway
A little haziness peeking out from the clarifying glass. A typical small batch craft quality speaks to the origins of this shed brewed drink.

Bottoms Up
For a bit of a lower alcohol beer you'd be hard pressed to find a more flavorful sample at 4.2% spirit. Good job boys. Enjoy the blues and jazz.

76/100

Bavaria

Brewed by: Bavaria N.V.
Brewed at: Holland
Type: Lager
5.0

First impression
A perfectly lovely can clad in silver and blue. Brewed in Holland this should be refreshing.

First Sip
Somehow bitter up front with malt and grain late to the palate. Golden and white, prototypically European.

Halfway
Refreshing, the sort of thing to be drunk on a sunny patio in the late spring. No surprises.

Bottoms up
Solidly reliable refreshment. Brewed with mineral water! So it's good for you! Next warm spring day head for a sunny table outdoors, and enjoy this crowd pleasing Bavarian!

77/100