Blueberry Ale

Brewed by: Blue Point Brewing Company
Brewed at: Patchogue, NY & Rochester, NY, USA
Type: Novelty Ale
A/V 4.6%

First Impression
Could it look more micro? Old Westy lettering, "Barkeep, whiskey for my men, water for my horses and a Blueberry Ale for me!" Somehow I think not...

First Sip
Very blueberry to smell! Clear, light amber, bond white head. Refreshing!

Halfway
Even though it's the dead of winter (-17 Celsius outside) this beer makes me think of sitting on a dock at a cottage catching bass.

Bottoms Up
Subtle, but definitely a good summertime grass cutter or cottage beer. Not heavy and a friend to many.

77/100

Wellington Special Pale Ale

Brewed by: Wellington County Brewery Inc.
Brewed at: Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Type: Pale Ale
A/V 4.5%

First impression
I like Wellys current can motif. Simple, a little cartoony but really gives an impression of quality. The beer looks like a gold standard pale ale; medium deep amber. Disappointingly watery head though.

First Sip
Ugh. There is something of a local quality that I've noticed in several beers from this little corner of Ontario, it's a sort of grainy almost breadlike connotation. I don't know if it's an over enthusiasm with malts or what but I'm not a fan. Not a good Pale Ale in my estimation.

Halfway
Nearly entirely flat. Each sip is just like the last. There is definitely something going on with the malts in this beer that I am not happy about. Don't get me wrong, I love malt. I love beers made with abundant malt. Check out my posts on some of the English ales. Malt is the brewers friend. But there are a smattering of beers brewed in the Guelph - Waterloo area that share this peculiar flavor which for me is not enjoyable. Maybe it's a local grain or something that creates the specific quality I'm speaking of.

Bottoms Up
To be fair this odd taste must appeal to or go unnoticed by legions of beer drinkers as I've encountered it with some of the most popular micros local to this area. So maybe it's me. In any case this is my blog. If you don't like my opinion write your own blog. It's free. And if you do let me know. I read other people's beer blogs. And find myself disappointed with those too. Maybe I should write a blog about beer blogs...

48/100

Doppel Pils

Brewed by: Mill Street Brewery
Brewed at: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Type: Czech-style Lager
A/V 7%

First Impression
A new-school/old-school label, Mill Street has had some fun with labeling lately and they tend not to disappoint with the vessel interior either. Looks like lotsa hops to be had with the Doppel Pils, so this should be good!

First Sip
Lovely golden colour. A subtly citrusy nose and a really nice, soft, curvy sort of hop on the tongue.

Halfway
Surprising drinkability for a big ole pile of steeped hop buds! For fans of hops this is an interesting beer. It is hoppy for sure but it is hoppy without the typical clout of a heavy hopped beer.

Bottoms Up
This is once again a well crafted beer from the brewers of Mill Street in Toronto. They've managed; to as great an extent as I've experienced, to load up the hops without getting crazy. Either through careful selection of some pretty special hops or by artfully and precisely folding the hops into the brew or both carefully selecting and masterfully brewing the whole orchestra they've accomplished a beer of distinction. The finer qualities of the brewers bud have been revealed in as polite a fashion as is likely possible. As a fan of atomic hopping of beer to the point that the bitterness is nearly painful I must admit this could easily make a daily refreshment in my home. My recommendation: buy some, chill it and drink it. It's pretty darned good.

89/100

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