Georgian Bay Beer - 5% - Midland Beer Works

I bought Georgian Bay Beer based on it label more than anything else. A true tartan for the background and a silhouette of the Georgian Bay landscape speaks to you, especially this far from summer.

Midland Beer Works has a solid beer here. This is the kind of beer I would pick up by the case as a stand by for folks dropping by the cottage. When the drop in turns into a BBQ and a camp fire down by the lake...I'd want to have a case of Georgian Bay Beer on hand.

The slogan on the can: Georgian Bay - Beauty, Peace & Great Beer.

I'll drink to that!  

Rock Cut - 4.2% - Baysville Ontario

This is the second beer we've reviewed by Baysville Brewing. Interestingly, this is the second beer that we've liked from Baysville Brewing. 

Rock Cut beer is richly flavorful, contrary to what the 4.2% alcohol might suggest. Smooth, this brew almost seems velvety. 

A light beer that you can actually taste. Who knew. 

Prison Break - Breakout Pilsner - 5.0% Double Trouble Brewing Co. Guelph Ontario

I like the little town of Guelph, Ontario. About a million years ago I lived there and I feel a sense of home every time I visit. Any time I can I like to sample from the areas several breweries but I guess I'm slowing down a bit as I've not heard of Double Trouble Brewing Co. until now.

Their can brags about the usual. About how their beer is different and has an inspired flavour. Yeah...yeah...yeah...except this beer does!

This slightly unfiltered lager is hopped just right to deliver the great flavour they're talking about. More flavourful than any lager I've ever tasted this is a beer I will definitely buy again. Maybe Double Trouble Brewing Co. is a brewery I'll have to go back home to visit.

In fact I think we're going to put this on the favorites list!
Nice job Double Trouble!

Check them out at:

Tatra - 5.5% - Zywiec, Poland

I'm not Polish but in the last few weeks I've had several Polish things pass through my life. For example, last weekend I stumbled into a Polish restaurant - Izba on the Queensway in Etobicoke, Ontario. I sat down and ate a meal that just taste good. It didn't leave a stunning impression on me. The perogies were good. The potato pancake was....good. It kind a just felt like home cooking. It was just good. It didn't expect anything from me and I didn't expect anything from it.

And so it is the same with Tatra. I'm not blown away by its unique flavour. I cracked the can, poured and enjoyed. It tasted the way beer should. Nothing more. Nothing less. It's beer you would expect to drink at home or at your favorite pub. That's it. Tatra beer is like comfort food....comfort beer.

Check them out at: (sorry - they don't seem to have an English site yet)

Stolichnoe - 4.6% - Moscow

Here in Canada we are dealing with two major news stories. Our conservative federal government is trying to defend outrageous spending by a number of its senators. Our conservative municipal government in Toronto is trying to deal with Rob Ford, the crack head.

Needless to say, the nature of these issue is enough to drive anyone to drink. Moreover, they are enough to drive one to drink extremely left leaning beer.

For this reason I decided to crack open a Stolichnoe, beer brewed in Moscow.

Just look at this label. How could you not be drawn to it's neo-1984-esk art work.

Like most Eastern European beers, Stolichnoe is crisp. It has more barley flavour than most beers I've had from Russia. Nice tasting beer. Beer you could party hard with and end up on say YouTube trying some crazy stunt in Siberia while driving a Lada.

Investigating their web site I noted a beverage called Kvass, a combination of yogurt and yeast cultures. Now this interests me! I'm going to contact them and see if we can't get a sampling of this into Canada! Stay tuned!
You can check them out at:

Vanilla Porter - 5% Mill Street Brewery - Toronto

I was expecting a heavy, over-whelming dessert beer with Mill St. Brewery's Vanilla Porter. I waited awhile to try this can. Generally I think of porters as a winter beer so when the temperature outside dropped below freezing tonight, I finished dinner and poured the draught.

This beer pours a great head on account of the nitrogen they charge the can with. Nice touch. Makes it look pretty in the glass and, true to the description on the can, smooth on the tongue. Now on to the taste.

Based on the label I had been bracing for a slug of chocolate, vanilla and dried fruit. Instead I met a very drinkable mildly flavoured porter that was subtle and delightful  This is a very drinkable beer. Not sweet or syrupy, this is a cold weather beer I would go back to.

Well done Mill Street....once again!
Check them out at:

Crosswind Pale Ale - 5% - Baysville Ontario

I've got to be honest, when I first heard of Lake of Bays Brewing Company, I questioned its validity. How could anyone pretend for even a moment that you could have such an amazing job as brewing beer AND live in the most amazing part of Ontario. Baysville is a beautiful place and they brew a beautiful pale ale. Silky smooth with lots of hops flavor, this beers goes down well even if your not sitting on a cedar deck, with your feet up, listening to the loons call across the lake.

Check out Lake of Bays Brewing Company at:

   

Coors Original (Banquet) - 5% - Now in Canada

I was pretty excited when I found out that Molson-Coors, or Coors Brewing, or whoever they are now, decided to finally bring Coors Original back to Canada. For those of you who don't know this American standby - Coors Original is a refreshing and smooth brew from south of the border. In fact, it is certainly my favorite American beer! Some Canadians, frowning on American beer, claim it can only be consumed ice cold. I disagree and have spent 10 months floating around the Bahamas drinking from 24 smuggled cases that lived in the bilge of my boat. Still tasty at ocean temperature....but I digress.

The Coors Original that is being brewed in Canada is not the same as the American variety. Based on the taste, I'm guessing Molson is experiencing some backflow issues in their production as I got the distinctly bitter hint of Molson Canadian swilling around in the first can I opened. The Canadian brew is not quite as smooth and is lacking the softer flavors of its American cousin.

Is it close to the American version? Yes. Is it worth trying a can or two? Yes. But I would recommend you drink it cold....very cold.  If you're looking for it in LCBO stores you may need to ask for it as "Coors Banquet". This according to a cute cashier who politely told me they "had no Coors Original, only the Banquet". I bought all 36 anyways.