Beers I've tried recently

Submitted by Aaron Pellerin on February 4, 2007 - 6:07pm.

tags:

I enjoy drinking beer. I don't mean the kind of antics that are shown in "beerfest" (a great movie by the way). I mean quietly enjoying a fine glass of cold stuff and savouring life.

I decided years ago that there are two kinds of beer: those that are made to get you drunk, and those that are made to enjoy. I don't drink to get drunk, so I left the Maxxice on the shelf and have been trying as many different kinds of beer as possible ever since.

Here I would like to review some of the beers that have made an impact on me. This list is not comprehensive, and is just from memory so forgive any inaccuracies. In no particular order they are:

Sapporo. Japan. - A fine crisp beer best served very cold. Not too hopsy, so it goes down smooth.

St. Peter's Organic English Ale. England. - It really is an english ale with all of the typical qualities. Very robust taste. Quite bitter. A nice smooth, almost viscous mouth feel. If you like english ale, this is a good one.

Mythos. Greece. - Sort of a wimpy lager, though most lagers are. It has almost no aftertaste, and is quite easy to drink. Were it not an expensive imported beer, it would make a nice funneling beer.

Innis & Gunn. England. - this one is something quite different. The beer, which is itself a full bodied ale, is aged in oak barrels that would normally house scotch whiskey. It makes for something very different from the ordinary. The beer certainly has the qualities of scotch, and needs to be drunk quite slowly, and perferably slighty above normal beer drinking temperature. I would recommend it.

Mill St. Breweries. Tankhouse Ale. Toronto. - This nice red beer is another example of Canadians doing things nicely. If you like red beer, put aside your rickards and pick this up. You will not be dissappointed.

Steamwhistle Pilsner. Toronto. - Another good beer from around the corner. It is a pilsner, like Labbatt blue, but done a little nicer. It is a little cleaner, and has a bit more bite to it.

Hoegarten, Belgium. - the witbier, or white beer is made in quite a different way. I wont go into it, but it does make a really nice, refreshing beer. This has become my #1 everyday beer, and I like to keep some in the fridge at all times. It is a cloudy white beer with an almost lemony taste. It goes well with almost any kind of food, as it is so very refreshing.

Leffe Blonde. Belgium. - I found this beer unecessarily bitter. It is very well executed with a nice colour and texture, but the bitterness for me was a bit too much. For anyone who really likes bitter, this is a good one. It is very dry, and makes you want to eat something salty with it.

As I say, this is just a small set of the many beers I have tried. I'll continue posting more if people think it is worthwhile.

Peace.

Average:

No votes yet

Trackback URL for this post:

http://www.londoncommons.net/trackback/2053

Aaron Pellerin's blog
Login or register to post comments

Leffe Blonde beer it the

Submitted by galin on July 22, 2008 - 2:37pm.

Leffe Blonde beer it the best Me and my friends use to consume this kind of beer when we go out. It's absolutely the best beer in the world!

_________________

google nemesis

I sure enjoy drinking beer

Submitted by gordman on May 22, 2008 - 8:32am.

I sure enjoy drinking beer too, it looks like you know a lot of things about beer and I am really glad you shared them with us. This should give me an interesting conversation with my friends while we're out for a beer. Beer clubs are the coolest in our area.

beer face

Submitted by Cailen Dye on March 8, 2007 - 6:13pm.

i just noticed this conversation and i'm a beer head so i had to comment. i hate domestic beers and i usually try to get more than one kind of beer when i get beer. i wish there were more good beers at the beer store.

here are some of my favorite beers:

abbot ale
czechvar
hacker-pschorr - hefe weisse
shneider wiess
golden phesant
hockley's (the dark one)
chimay premium (red label) - where did you find the blue one?

when i'm at the beer store or i want to get some cheaper beers i go for kozel or tuborg. the beer store i go to sells hacker pschorr but they are almost always out of stock.

what do you guys think about the liquor control board? so many people i talk to wish they could buy booze at the grocery store like you can in europe or montreal. why do we need the government to control liquor sales?

control board

Submitted by Trev McNaughton (not verified) on March 9, 2007 - 12:31am.

I personally like the idea of a control board.

as much as I like freedom to the people. I can't stand to think it being widely availible, at any time of day or night. Alcohol is truely evil when its abused, and sadly, its the sober that take the blunt of its abuse. I would even like smokes to be sold at similar spots. if something ranks in the top 3 of known killers.. it should be regulated.

I love booze, and I know my limits.. but I can name 20 people off the top of my head that live in the neighborhood, that don't know their limits.

plus the LCBO has some good selection.. just gotta browse the websites, and not be afraid to ask for service...

control bored

Submitted by Cailen Dye on March 12, 2007 - 12:45pm.

i understand that alcoholism is a problem in the world today but i don't see the LCBO as a solution to that issue.

not a solution..

Submitted by Trev McNaughton (not verified) on March 12, 2007 - 12:58pm.

no, its not a solution to that problem. but having it more readily availible to be sold by anyone isn't going to make it better.

privatizing is not the answer either. Sure there might be a few chaps like us that think "wow, I love booze, and so do my friends, lets get some good stuff to sell". But honestly, booze is considered a conspicously consumed product, and any quick thinking capitalist would gladly jump on that wagon (har har har). Next thing you know you've got death merchants selling the sweet nectar of dizzy to anyone. Whats to stop them from selling to minors, or some guy thats obviously way over the limit. Its similar to cigerettes.. I used to buy smokes when I was 15, 16 17 years old.. and I still see kids that age, and younger smoking.

I just see by removing a control board for the substance a step backwards, and not step forward in helping addictions.

alcohol is anti-cyclical

Submitted by Robert Logue on March 13, 2007 - 1:27am.

Alcohol is one of those strange anti-cyclical industries. In recessions, when most other industries are suffering, alcohol producers actually do better. It's not hard to see why - the stress of unemployment, financial insecurity and anxiety about the future leads people to drink more, as an escape (Come to think of it, maybe thats why university students drink so much?).

Personally, i don't like the ideas of people making money off others' misfortunes, but if they're going to drink anyways, i'd rather the profits go into government coffers, so that the government can use that money to stimulate the economy into recovery. Also, other government revenue sources (i.e. taxes) tend to dry up during recession, so its nice to have something to balance that so that its less likely they'll have to make cuts to social programs/ go into defecit. Private companies, on the other hand, tend just to sit on their profits during and not reinvest them because of the uncertainty that accompanies such times... so no new jobs get created for people like you and me.

'Poverty is the worst form of violence" - Gandhi

beer stores

Submitted by Rachel Ayres on March 9, 2007 - 12:45am.

I heard somewhere that Ontario Beer Stores have one of the largest selections of beers in the world.

truth? I'm not sure...

-r.

Chaucer's Pub/Marienbad restaurant

Submitted by Mike McGregor on March 8, 2007 - 11:31pm.

Chaucer's Pub/Marienbad restaurant on Carling at Talbot has Chimay Bleue, along with some 75 other beers. 75!

-30-
Mike.
"We only wear black, but that's just until something darker comes along..."
-Anonymous Black Bloc Member.
-=There is no Cabal, Long live the Cabal=-
My Photos

McAuslan St. Amrboise Oatmeal Stout

Submitted by Jeremy McNaughton on February 8, 2007 - 11:36pm.

McAuslan St. Amrboise Oatmeal Stout is my favourite beer. It's made in Montreal.

It's a very dark and heavy stout, with hints of chocolate and espresso.

And one pint is basically a complete meal!

Jeremy

pretty fancy taste...

Submitted by Matti Paquiz on March 8, 2007 - 5:33pm.

i personally recommend LONESTAR. it tastes best while gazing into a garbage-bin fire that smells like plastic, while hangin' out under a bridge somewheres... fancy-asses!

-mp

PEACEonTHEstreetsOFoldEAST... -mp

haha

Submitted by Trev McNaughton (not verified) on March 8, 2007 - 5:38pm.

matt that reminds me of the time me and you split that bottle of Black Bull... ahhh good times good times..

another favorite is schlitz malt liquor...

also here's some top ranked 40's bitch! fo realz...

the bull.

Submitted by Matti Paquiz on March 8, 2007 - 5:48pm.

YUPS. i can always count on you to get 'lowbrow' with me. props to darren l. and the king of beers. the bull! that tasted like pee-pee... bull pee-pee. PEACEonTHEstreetsOFoldEAST... -mp

Fuller's Vintage Ale

Submitted by Mike McGregor on February 8, 2007 - 1:45pm.

The APK has (or maybe, had, by now) a few bottles of Fuller's Vintage Ale, going for $14 I think. Has any one tried this stuff? Is it worth the Ca$h?

-30-
Mike.
"We only wear black, but that's just until something darker comes along..."
-Anonymous Black Bloc Member.
-=There is no Cabal, Long live the Cabal=-
My Photos

I like budweiser

Submitted by Darren Lee on February 5, 2007 - 5:09pm.

I like budweiser

Mmm... beer

Submitted by Liz Antunes on February 5, 2007 - 8:53am.

While I have to say that I am not the biggest conisseur of beer, I drink it often enough that I should have more refined tastes. I am quite interested in reading other people's comments, as I haven't even heard of half the beers on this thread. Definetely some new treats I'll have to be trying next time at the beer store. I'm really especially intreguied by the chocolate malt beer... combining two of my favorite things, who could go wrong? And La Fin De Monde, definetely feels like the end of the world... but such a nice slow sweet agonizing death....

My beer of choice, though, when at most establishments, is definetely Rickards Red. Most bars don't care a unique or wide selection of beers, but they usually have my Red. I must say though, that when the woman at the beer store on Saturday night suggested I get the Rickards tasters pack, with Rickards Red, Rickards Honey Nut Brown and Rickards India Pale Ale, I was slightly hesitant. I'll definetely have to say though that it was like the first time trying rock candy. While i like my Rickards Red, trying the other two new beers were just like a whole new pleasant experience unknown to me before. I would definetely recommend it.

This is quite possibly the most important thread on the Commons.

Submitted by Mike McGregor on February 5, 2007 - 1:47am.

I've tried both the Innis and Gunn and the St. Peter's Organic that Aaron mentioned and I'm fond of both. St Peter's also has a Winter Ale that I'd like to try, but I haven't found it yet.

An interesting side note for vegetarians and vegans, St. Peter's (amongst others) uses an ingredient called isinglass finings in the brewing process (during clarification I think?). Isinglass is a type of collagen obtained from the swimbladders of fish. There's a pretty comprehensive list HERE of beers sorted by there use of animal products.

I'm a big fan of Porters and Stouts... aside from the obvious Guinness, I really enjoy Sam Smith Imperial Stout and Fuller's London Porter. I also tried a Coffee Stout one time that I really liked, but the name escapes me. Coffee Stouts use Dark Roasted Malts that give a coffee like flavour. Mill St. has a Coffee stout, that also infuses actual coffee... I wasn't a fan of that when I tried it. McAuslan Brewery of Montreal produces a good Oatmeal stout called St. Ambroise that I thought was very good. The also brew a Scotch Ale and an Apricot Wheat Ale that I'd like to try some time. Some other styles of stout that I'd like to try are a Chocolate Stout (which uses chocolate malts) and a 'Milk' Stout, which uses Lactose that remains unfermented, giving the beer a sweet flavour and apparently makes for a very nutritious pint.

I also enjoy some of the Belgian Trappist beers and German Bock beers. Chimay Premier (rouge) is fan-fucking-tastic... lots of flavour. I really want to get my hands on a few bottles of Chimay Bleue... Rochefort is another good one. I think it was Rochefort 6 I tried... Aventinus a German Doppelbock, is another great beer.

A good rule of thumb seems to be that if it's brewed by Monks, It's going to be good...

Hacker-Pschorr Weisse is another German Beer that I really enjoyed when I tried it.

Kawartha Lakes Brewery also has some nice brews. The Rasberry Wheat beer was very nice. KLB has been bought out by Amsterdam Brewing of Toronto a while ago.

When I don't want to spend too much on beer, I usually stick to Moosehead, Rickards, Sleemans, Keith's and Blue. I also find Pabst to be superisingly enjoyable, go figure... When I was out east a few summers ago, I really liked the IPA brewed by Olands.

-30-
Mike.
"We only wear black, but that's just until something darker comes along..."
-Anonymous Black Bloc Member.
-=There is no Cabal, Long live the Cabal=-
My Photos

Chimay Grande Réserve

Submitted by Mike McGregor on March 8, 2007 - 9:18am.

I tired Chimay Grande Réserve (aka Chimay Bleue) a few weeks ago. It was quite possibly the best thing I've ever put in my mouth. Ever.

-30-
Mike.
"We only wear black, but that's just until something darker comes along..."
-Anonymous Black Bloc Member.
-=There is no Cabal, Long live the Cabal=-
My Photos

hahaha

Submitted by Trev McNaughton (not verified) on March 8, 2007 - 1:21pm.

careful mike.. just becareful of what you say on the internet..

there might be revealing photos out there that prove that beer wasn't the best thing in your mouth!

that'd be aboluticris!

Agreed!

Submitted by M Hurley on August 21, 2008 - 10:09am.

Forget politics and social change - beer is what matters most!

From the ones listed so far, I can say that Innis & Gunn, Hoegaarden, Leffe Blonde, La Fin Du Monde, Chimay Premier and Hacker-Pschorr Weisse are all good shit (Chimay is so good that it's scary). I can also tell that Mike and Aaron are beer connoisseurs.

Some of my personal favourites include Murphy's Irish Stout, Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale, Boddington's, Guinness Draught, Shneider Weisse, Liberty Ale, Caffrey's Irish Ale, Unibroue Blanche De Chambly, and Creemore Springs Lager and UrBock.

For those looking to get into new beers, I would recommend distinguishing between macro- and micro-breweries and between European and North American beers. Macrobreweries are the big guys like Labatt, Molson-Coors and Anheuser-Busch (Budweiser and Busch): the quality of their beers is inherently compromised by the mass production process. They tend to be fizzy (with no visible head), bloated (due to high carbonation), and cheap. If all this sounds funny or crazy I would say that it's no different than trying to find a good wine. Microbreweries are independent breweries which tend to put a lot more time and care into their beers; good ones in Canada include Creemore Springs (now owned by Molson), Upper Canada and Unibroue. Micro beers can range from creamy, rich and smooth to clean, crisp and bitter; they are often diverse and complex in flavour (or wonderfully simplistic). The same pretty much goes for high-quality European beers, though there are some awful ones (Kronenbourg, Grolsch and Beck come to mind). With the exception of Canada and America's finest beers, most North American beers are shitty macrobrews.

I am waiting to try St. Ambroise's Oatmeal Stout and Pale Ale; if anyone has tried these I would love to know what you thought of them. Cheers.

speaking of steamwhistle...

Submitted by peter thompson on February 5, 2007 - 12:28am.

the steamwhistle brewery in toronto has a brewery tour for $6, and that includes pretty much all the beer you can drink.

steamwhistle..

Submitted by Rachel Ayres on March 27, 2008 - 5:34pm.

$6 for all the beer you can drink?
I think a road trip is in order.

-r.

stubbies!!!

Submitted by Robert Logue on February 5, 2007 - 12:19am.

My favorite of late is Red Cap. It's a cheap, light ale for those who don't like honey lagers. It's made just down the road in Waterloo at Brick breweries, and comes in a distinctly shaped bottle. My grandpa used to drink this beer, so it always brings back fond memories. Maybe I'm the only one who likes this stuff, but hey, let me know what you all think of it.

Does anyone know of any micro-breweries in the London area? Are they any good?

'Poverty is the worst form of violence" - Gandhi

Red Cap is gangster

Submitted by M Hurley on August 21, 2008 - 10:13am.

and makes for an intense drunk followed by a headache-laiden hangover. I order it when I go to the Tap House cauz everyone tries so hard to be trendy and Red Cap is what they serve you when you ask for the cheapest beer available. The occasional sneer you get from the stupid look of the stubby bottle is worth the price alone.

I have to say, I do like

Submitted by kimmie e on February 5, 2007 - 12:35am.

I have to say, I do like Redcap. But I've gotta be in the mood for it, as with most beers. I do like the chubby little bottles.

yum

Submitted by Trev McNaughton (not verified) on February 5, 2007 - 12:30am.

red cap is so awesome!

definately my choice for summer porch sitting/drinking..

Unibroue

Submitted by Jeff P. on February 4, 2007 - 9:31pm.

From Chambly Quebec, Unibroue brewery creates an enjoyable selection of nector. La Fin Du Monde is no exception. If you drink more than a few of "La Fin Du Monde" at one sitting, you'll soon find out that it's name does indeed mean "The end of the world". An amazingly good strong ale, triple-fermented with sediment in the bottle. Let it sit in your fridge for a while after moving it to ensure the sediment is at the bottom and pour it into a proper(ish) beer glass. Smooth and delicious.

Jeff

(continuing your list is a great idea Aaron)

In regards to the mythos

Submitted by emtjason on March 27, 2008 - 11:06am.

In regards to the mythos being listed and having drank it both here and in greece I have to say it taste pretty bad to me and i'm greek. I don't care that it's from greece but the beer in my opinion sucks, wimpy ok but still kind of gross I don't know how you could even consider funneling this stuff. I think the greeks should stick the the ouzo and wine until someone comes out with a really nice beer. Narconon

What would you recommend

Submitted by Rachel Ayres on February 4, 2007 - 9:45pm.

What would you recommend to someone who likes light tasting beers and ciders?

I am the complete opposite of a connoisseur when it comes to beer, and tend to prefer wine or liquor, but I have enjoyed ones like strongbow and I recall enjoying grasshopper (wheat ale) as well but that was a long time ago.

Anything come to mind?

-r.

Brazilian beers rock!

Submitted by Lorraine McNeil on February 8, 2007 - 10:23pm.

Rachel,

I've never been much of a beer drinker - until I discovered Brazilian beer. Very light Pilseners, don't believe them if they tell you they're only good in summer - if you like lighter tasting beers they're good anytime. A Marca Bavaria doesn't seem to be available any more, but Brahma is almost as good.

light beers

Submitted by peter thompson on February 5, 2007 - 12:30am.

If you want to go for an actual 'light beer', Sleeman Clear is better than most.

If you like wine... drink wine!

Submitted by Aaron Pellerin on February 4, 2007 - 10:38pm.

I'd say that life is too short to mess around with stuff you dont like. I myself am not a wine fan, but if that's what you're into!

If you like lighter beers, the first and most important thing to do is drink your beer really really cold. Chill the glass in the freezer first if possible. When it is really cold it takes away some of the bitterness (and most of the taste aswell).

Next, avoid beers with darker colours. Ales are generally more bitter, stout is out of the question. Pilsner and lager are quite often a little easier on those who dont like big beeriness.

Finally, and I hate to say it, but go for "light" beers. They are light because they are watered down. They are anathema to beer purests, but as I said above: life is too short to be a snob about fermented barley water.

If you start out with lighter beers, you may acquire more of a taste for it, and then want to try a little bit bolder ones. When that happens, let me know!

Cheers!

Aaron.