Name: Niksicro Tivo

Origin: Montenegro

Style: Lager (5%)

Appearance: A very standard looking lager; crystal clear, pale yellow. A medium head that suffers from poor retention.

Taste: The aroma is light, with notes of malt and grasses. Like the aroma this beers flavours are also light and clean. There are notes of crackers or bread, finishing with a bitter, herbal aftertaste. I can detect some very gentle notes of lemon as well. Almost no aftertaste whatsoever.

Mouth Feel: An easy drinking beer for the masses. Light bodied, refreshing and only slightly filling.

Final Thoughts (2.5 out of 5): A refreshing, clean drinking lager with almost no character at all. Bland and unassuming, this beer works well on a hot day but not many places else.

Name: Harvest Moon’s Pigs Ass Porter

Origin: Montana, USA

Style: Porter (London Style, 5%)

Appearance: Can a colour be very black? Well this one is very black. Pours with a medium, creamy tanned coloured head which dissipates quickly.

Taste: It smells strongly of molasses, cocoa and pine. There is a faint aroma of raisins also noted. The profile of this porter is molasses and bitter pine like flavours. Some burnt grain like notes, but overall a very earthy beer.

Mouth Feel: A soft, creamy mouth feel, this porter is filling. Medium bodied. Very refreshing.

Final Thoughts (4.5 out of 5): An absolutely fantastic porter. Its not overly rich, nor too sweet. It balances itself well with its earthy bitterness. This is an absolute pleasure to drink.

Does anyone know what these strange corn like plants are? They grow everywhere in BC!

Name: Haandbryggeriet Norwegian Wood

Origin: Norway

Style: Smoked Beer (6.5%)

Appearance:  A clear, deep copper coloured beer it pours with a large foamy head that has amazing retention. The bottom of the bottle shows signs of yeast which means this is an unfiltered beer.

Taste: The aroma is only lightly smokey, with stronger notes of apples, cherries and wood. Haandbryggeriet Norwegian Wood is a beer that has strong malt flavours, despite its fruity aroma. Toasted grains and bread-like flavours are noted, with some more earthy, herbal and wood-like flavours detected. A very subtle hickory smoke is also noticeable in this beer. I have a difficult time detecting the juniper.

Mouth Feel: This beer has a medium body. Very foamy, though not overly filling. Not particularly sharp either.

Final Thoughts (3.5 out of 5): This is a good, all round beer though I really was expecting something much more exotic. This is the same company that made Odin’s Tipple, a beer that beat me up.

Name: Captain Sig’s Northwestern Ale (Rogue Brewery)

Origin: USA, Oregon

Style: Indian Red Ale (6.2%)

Appearance:  A deep copper coloured ale, cloudy appearance. It has a gorgeous frothy tan head with excellent retention

Taste: The aroma is citrusy, mostly grapefruit but some floral hops are noted also. The flavour is just amazing; A delicous beginning of citrus and floral hops (like its aroma), but this is short lived as the malty base comes forward. Some notes of caramel, toasted grain also noticed in this beer. It finishes with a bitter, grassy hop flavour, but is short lived.

Mouth Feel: A bit of sharp mouth feel, filling and quite carbonated. Leaves a slightly chalky feeling because of the high IBU. Medium bodied.

Final Thoughts (4.0 out of 5): When I think of Captain Sig’s NW Ale I think of Goldilock; Not an Indian Pale Ale, not a Indian Black Ale (Cascadian Ale), but something perfectly in between.

Name: Sleeman’s Original Draught

Origin: Canada

Style: Lager (5%)

Appearance:  A clear dark gold lager, it pours with a medium head with basically no retention whatsoever.

Taste: The aroma is metallic, but that could be due to it coming from a can. Some sweetness noted as well. The flavours are mild at best, with notes of sweet honey, oranges and and less appealing flavours such as metal shavings. It finishes grassy and bitter. Overall it has a clean palette.

Mouth Feel: A sharp, highly carbonated beer. Light bodied and slightly refreshing.

Final Thoughts (2.0 out of 5): A very typical, very bland lager.

Name: Spaten Optimator

Origin: Germany, Munich

Style: Dopplebock (7.6%)

Appearance: A brown coloured ale that shows ruby red when held to the light. It pours with a small, short lived head.

Taste: A smokey, raisin aroma. The flavours start with a brief smokey taste, but becomes more fruity with notes of cherries and raisins. I can detect a rich chocolate flavour as well, but this quickly gives way to the sweet raisin finish.

Mouth Feel: A soft drinking beer, Spaten Optimator has a medium body, is filling and is, despite its rich palette, very refreshing.

Final Thoughts (4 out of 5): A rich, flavourful dopplebock that is also easy drinking and refreshing. Everything a man could want in his beer.