Golden Pheasant

Look: Nice golden color with light foamy head

Taste: Great barley taste with a slight hop bite during the finish

Conclusion: While my search for the perfect blond continues, I feel I’m getting closer; this is a very solid pilsner. This is an import beer from the Slovak Republic, and my experience with European pilsners is a good one. They know their beers, that’s for sure.

This is an ideal summer beer, as the semi-sweet barley flavor is oh so refreshing, while the slight hop finish gives it a slight change of character and adds boldness. And, at 5% ABV, you can put down a few of these refreshing brews with little hesitation. If this is the result of the pheasant that laid the golden egg, he who kills this bird deserves to burn in hell! This beer is a gift to be enjoyed by all. My only gripe is that, like most pilsners, the flavor washes away a bit too quick for my liking. I don’t know if its by design, or a result of the lightness of the beer, but its noticeable. That is the only thing that cost this beer a few points.

I give it an 8 out of 10

Big Sky Brewing, Moose Drool

Look: Mud brown with almost no head

Taste: Almost like a pale ale. Roasted barley with a dry finish

Conclusion: Except for the roasted barley edge this is a light ale that's taking a dip in the mud. I closed my eyes and through half of the drink it starts tasting like a light lager with a dry barley finish.

I actually bought a large 22oz bottle at Yellowstone National Park for my father-in-law but it had a Moose Drool bread mix in it instead. I figured I'd give the actual brew a try but I wasn't blown away. It's a small ale that makes the palate really dry. I'd imagine real moose drool would be a bit more wet and slimy....come on guys, we need better texture. Overall, a normal and unexciting taste.

4 Brews!

Hoppy Brewing, Stony Face Red Ale

Look: Dark translucent brown with a milky tan head

Taste: Sweet, malty, with a mild finish

Conclusion: Is it any surprise this beer was brewed in the California Bay area(San Jose)? No, it isn't. Is this a great drink? Ya, I'd say that. It has a dark complexion but a light body and has the sweet but deep tasting traits that are common in Red Ales.

Not much else to say. Solid tasting Red Ale and you can use the label to roll a joint.

6 Brews!

Port Brewing, Wipeout IPA

Look: Vibrant Orange with a small fruity head

Taste: Bitterly hoppy as an IPA should be

Conclusion: This is yet another above average, dare I say stellar IPA. My eyes are opening wider and wider to the delicious gems Port Brewing has to offer. I've had 4 or 5 of their beers so far and have thought each one was tasty as hell.

This is a little less bitter than most IPAs but still brings the expected onslaught of hops and citrus bite. For some reason the lasting taste/flavor of IPAs reminds me of grapefruit. Which is a good thing. I love grapefruit! Anyhow, I don't see how Wipeout is an apt name, other than the fact this brewery lies right on the coast. Maybe if a surfer drowned, you could grab his board, hock it for a couple bucks and buy some Wipeout IPA. Happy endings always bring tears to my eyes.

8 Brews!

Oskar Blues Brewing, Gordon. Ale

Look: Maple brown with a hefty amount of creamy tan head

Taste: HOPS, sweets

Conclusion: This was an 8.7% mystery of a brew. Never have I heard of this brewing company nor have I ever laid eyes upon the beer can. It caught my eye is a refrigerator full of bottles. The lone can was standing alone in a see of bottles...like the Lone Ranger on top of trusty old Trigger, ready to spring into action.

So I picked up this odd little can and again my interest grew when I saw the 8.7% ABV marking on the side. The can itself is friggin hilarious! Apparently, in the wild, this brews scientific name is [Can'o bliss, satisfy ya]. On the back you can also find a little recycle symbol. Another reason to love this beer even before I've tried it! Also has my favorite mountain biking motto: "Pack it in. Pack it out."

The beer itself is a sticky icky blend of hops, what tastes like caramel, and some sweet but subtle fruit flavor. Gawd!! What an amazing beer! This thing is thick as maple syrup and is hearty like a sonofabitch! An unbelievably powerful and savory drink. Apparently it's in named after Gordon Knight who won gold brewing awards at three different breweries and brewed beer in Colorado, only to die in a plane crash while trying to put out fires. Damn, this guy could be the Paul Bunyan of our time! Makin' beer and saving lives...well, better than Paul Bunyan.

I give this one an excellent, top notch score. WOW!

9 Brews!

Yuksom Breweries, Yeti

Look: Brown rice colored with minimal white head

Taste: Sharp initial bite with malt and barley

Conclusion: This is an Ale straight from India. An original India Pale Ale? I dunno about that.

At 7% I was hoping this wasn't some watered down lager with the harsh alcohol bite. Luckily, it wasn't. The initial taste is of bitter but smooth malt and barley. It's surprisingly flavorful and the body is a medium weight so you feel like your getting some bang for your buck and not some watering nastiness.

The spices help to boost the yum-factor and the finish is pretty dam smooth and not skunky at all. A pretty solid ale I say, even though the label looks like a hair man-monkey. Weird!

7 Brews!

Singha

Look: Translucent yellow with decent amount of carbonation and a head as white as the label

Taste: Slight edge on the initial drink followed by a tasty and crisp barley flavor throughout

Conclusion: This beer has an interesting little story behind it. I was in a teleconference meeting at work when I noticed a nauseous feeling in my gut. I then realized the entire building wash shaking pretty heavily from side to side. Next thing we know we're evacuated from the 10th floor and are told we can go home. SWEET!

So it was off with my brew reviewing buddy(ya, we work in the same building) to our favorite little Thai restaurant. As we sat down, it dawned on us...we can order beer! Supersweet!

This little brew paired excellent with my plate of rice and garlic tofu. It's a light lager and being a Thai beer, goes perfect with Asian food and rice. Bite of tofu...wash it down with a good beer. Now, that's a great meal. This wouldn't be a beer to drink on its own, though it is light and refreshing. Either a warm summer day or any oriental food and you've found this beer a nice friend. I'd rate this the second best Thai beer I've had behind the best of them, Phuket.

6 Brews!

Stone 12th Anniversary – Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

Look: Pitch Black – no light shone through when held up

Taste: Sharp, smokey kick, with a bitter chocolate after taste

Conclusion: WOW! Stone once again comes through with a different, yet tasty brew.

As I drink this beer watching the World Series of Poker on TV, all I can think is the Stone came up Aces. The brew is nice and thick, but not so thick you cant drink it. There is a nice balance of oatmeal and bitter chocolate hints. The chocolate used is not the super sweet milk chocolate many of you are used to, it is reminiscent of the dark, bitter baking chocolate you may have accidentally stirred into your chocolate milk as a kid.

Now that I think about it, this stout would go great with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream… Mmm, bitter chocolate float.

As I read the back of the glass bottle, I find that the inspiration for this is the world wide hop shortage. In order for Stone to get their trademark bitter bite to this beer without “over hopping” it, they turned to some chocolatier friends. Using bitter chocolate would give the beer their trademark bitterness as well as a complexity in flavor and texture. Good call gents. What better way to celebrate an anniversary than to think outside the box, but stay true to your roots.

Here’s to 12 years of brewing ingenuity and originality, and many, many more years of success. CHEERS!!

I give Stone’s 12 Anniversary brew a 9 out of 10

Piraat Ale

Look: cloudy amber color with a frothy white head

Taste: Sweet citrus… Ooh! Too sweet!

Conclusion: Belgians, why did it have to be Belgians?! At first whiff, the overly sweet, fruity citrus aroma pierced my nostrils like a pirate scimitar. Further inspection of the bottle would have told me it was a Belgian pirate… the nastiest, most feared pirate of the seven seas.

I bought this beer because of the bottle; I mean, who doesn’t like pirates?

BLEH!! I plan on sending this brew down to Davy Jones’ Locker forever more. It’s a Haaar-sh beer to put down… sorry, couldn’t help myself.

2 out of 10.

Steam Whistle Brewery

The Steam Whistle Brewery is located in the heart of Toronto, Canada in the shadow of the CN Tower. It is an unsuspecting place for a brewery, an abandoned rail road house. This brewery is significant in that the rail house they built the brewery in was entirely steam powered, and they have kept it mostly steam powered. This isn’t some kind of “going green” gimmick either, they started the brewery like this too keep the tradition of the rail yard. That gets extra brownie points in my book.

Steam Whistle only does one beer, and they do it well. Their signature Steam Whistle Pilsner is a traditional German style pilsner, following the strict German Purity Laws of brewing. Again, brownie points for Steam Whistle for staying true to tradition. This local brewery serves only the greater Toronto area, but you can probably find some sixers in some of the North Eastern US states. The greatest thing about this brewery is their dedication to customer service… THEY DELIVER!! Not only to restaurants and beer shops, we’re talking HOME DELIVERY!! So, you and your buds are getting ready to grill it up and watch the Toronto FC match or the Toronto Argonauts CFL game and no one wants to make a beer run… What to do, what to do… You call up Steam Whistle and put in an order for a few 12ers and you’re set. Next thing you know, food is ready to eat, door bell rings, and viola! Ze beer has arrived. This is a brilliant idea!! More breweries need to do something like that state side. I kid you not, my jaw hit the floor when I heard they do home deliveries.

The brewery was very nice and tidy inside. Its pretty small, but they only serve the Toronto area, so they do not need a giant brewery. It’s the perfect size for the region they are serving. They offer brew tours for $8 dollars (Canadian). The tour includes a walk through of the facility, which includes pulling the factory steam whistle (I felt like sliding down the stairs’ hand rails a-la Fred Flintstone), and you get two beer tasters and a free gift. Choice of a bottle opener, or a Steam Whistle sampler glass. While you’re in the brewery, might as well pick up a sixer, 12er, or 24 pack. What’s this you say? Big party, well, you’re in luck, they also sell kegs of different sizes to go.


I really enjoyed my tour of the brewery. The staff was beer knowledgeable and friendly. They also mentioned they were looking at expanding the brewery. What kind of expansion, they did not say, but I can only hope they are going to build out a bistro/ restaurant next to the brewery. After drinking that delicious beer, I really could have gone for a burger…


I give Steam Whistle Brewery an 8 out of 10… pending the expansion. I’ll have to head back after the expansion for an updated review.

EDIT: I received an update from Sybil Taylor from Marketing Communications of Steam Whistle Brewery. "Just wanted to let you know that there was one bit of misinformation. Our beer is actually available across Ontario in almost all Beer stores and LCBO outlets as well as hundreds of bars and restaurants. What is limited to the GTA is the Home Delivery. Hope that clarifies things for you.

Cheers,

Sybil Taylor

Marketing Communications

Steam Whistle Brewing"

Thank you for the correction Sybil.

Oh, and just an FYI... GTA is the Greater Toronto Area; not so much Grand Theft Auto.