HAWAIIAN UPPERCUT ~ STACK

7% from Sudbury, Ontario

Hawaiian Uppercut is a Belgian style pale golden ale. Sampled on draught the beer poured a lightly hazy beautiful light golden straw yellow colour with a generous white head. The headed good retention and did leave some impressive lacing. The aroma had a ton of tropical fruit; lots of pineapple, citrus (lemon, and clementines, orange, grapefruit), light vinous notes. Belgian yeasts, and a slight resiny note. The beer is only brewed with four ingredients, it is hard to believe those four packed so much fruit flavour. The flavour is slightly sour and which compliments all the sweet flavours of the tropical fruits and citrus. Belgian yeasts appear mid sip and the finish has a nice citrus/leafy hop bitterness. The alcohol is well hidden - there is no alcohol astringency nor is their much evidence of malts. The mouthfeel was full and creamy and the carbonation was moderate. I really enjoyed this! Well done Stack!

LEFFE BLONDE ~ INBEV BELGIUM

MACRO BELGIAN ~ Leffe Blonde, a Belgian Pale Ale, is probably the second most mass-produced and exported beer from Belgian, though far less advertised. Although it is advertised as an Abbey beer, multinational Anheuser Busch brews it in massive qualities. Sampled from a bottle this beer poured a filtered golden yellow with a thick white head. The head was lasting and left a ring of suds and lacing as it disappeared. Streaming carbonation animated the glass. The aroma had notes of Belgian yeasts, fruit (orchard fruit), spice (clove and coriander) and malts. The flavour had notes of lemon citrus, lots of yeast, spice, toasted malts and a hint of banana. The beer had a medium body and a slightly creamy texture. For a mass produced beer this is not bad at all, in fact much nicer than North American mass-produced brews.
6.6% from Dinant, Belgium or Leuven, Belgium

Caveat Emptor: Abbey beers aren’t always what the name would suggest. Though Leffe did have an Abbey (established in the 12th Century) and the priests did brew beer their, the monastery and Abbey had long disappeared. Priests returned to Leffe at the turn of the twentieth century and made a deal with a commercial brewery, where they would be paid royalties. That brewery was than bought out by larger companies. Leffe is brewed now in the massive Stella Artois brewery. There are several “Abbey beers” that have you believe that they have closer ties to God, than they actually do.

KORU ~ BEAU'S 

Koru, a Belgian style Pale Ale, is the fifth and final beer is Beau’s Fe’brew’ary 2016. It was originally brewed in 2012 from Vankleek Hills Oktoberfest festivities, it now returns by popular demand. It is No. 25 in their Wild Oats Series. The ale has been made using New Zealand nelson sauvin and rakau hops, hence the name which means loop in Māori. The coiling fern frond symbolism on the beautiful label is also from a Māori symbol. Sampled on draught, the beer poured a straw colour with amber inflections and had a pillowy white head. The foamy head clung to the glass and left impressive lacing. The nose contained some grassiness, peppery Belgian yeasts, citrus and other tropical, and a note of grassiness. Bready yeasts, citrus and tropical fruit, peppery spices, a hint of honey all play on the palate, followed by a grassy herbal hop. The finish is dry and crisp. There was some very nice complexity in this beer. Compared to some other Big Belgian style beers, this one is very drinkable, almost sessionable. From start to finish – great aroma, complexity in flavour, medium body and pleasant mouthfeel, - this was a very pleasant brew. 
6% from Vankleek Hills, Ontario


6% from Vankleek Hills, Ontario

YEAH ITS BELGIAN ~ INNOCENTE

Sampled on draught, this beer is Belgian style strong pale ale. The beer poured a golden bronze with healthy white foam. As the head died down, it left some nice lacing down the glass. The nose was what you would expect from a Belgian style beer: yeast, banana, spice, straw and malts. The flavour followed the same profile, the beer began with a straw and grassy notes followed by grainy malts – the malts weren’t as sweet as the banana that was coming through. The alcohol level gave it a slight astringency. The finish was dry and had a pepperiness (coriander perhaps?) to it. I enjoyed this but wish the alcohol level was a bit lower.

7.7% from Waterloo, Ontario

BEERS II MEN ~ SAWDUST CITY & NORTHWINDS

Beers II Men is a one-off Belgian Pale ale, brewed with peaches and Earl Grey Tea. Sampled on draught, the beer poured a light amber or dark golden colour. Both the peaches and the tea were subtle. I could taste the tannins in the tea, which lent a little astringency, but complimented the faint sweetness of the peaches. The beer has crisp bitter hoppy finish. I enjoyed this one but would have liked the peach flavour to shine through just a little bit more.

4.8% from Gravenhurst, Ontario 30 IBU

MUSCLES FROM BRUSSELS ~ MUSKOKA 

Muscles from Brussels is part of the Moonlight kettle series. The Moonlight Kettle series stems form their brewers rendezvous to develop new brews; the ones released are a select few from these rendezvous. Sampled on draught this poured an opaque orangey amber colour with a medium white head. Lots of Belgian yeast on the nose, along with floral hops, clove, banana, citrus and sweet malts. The beer is a bit of a hybrid – the child of a Belgian Ale and an American Pale Ale. The taste begin much like a Belgian ale, with the banana, sweet malts, light citrus and spice, but ends much more like an IPA, with a solid hoppy ending. Interesting combination. Enjoyed this one, I would get this again.

7.2 % from Bracebridge, Ontario 50 IBU

LENOIR ~ BELL CITY

Sampled from a tin. Bell City has made Lenoir, Belgian style ale, using a classic recipe.  It pours a clear light amber/golden colour with a moderate head.   The nose was mild and contained notes of spice (clove), ripe fruit banana, peach, sweet esters of Belgian yeast, and candy sugar.  I found this beer a little sweet for my tastes, but is a very pleasant and a good example of the style.  The malts tasted quite sweet as well as the fruity esters, I was even getting a lot of bubble gum.  The brewery states they use lots of Belgian Candi Sugar, (a sugar often used in making dubbels or tripels) as their added touch.  Lenoir was the second core brand for the newish Bell City Brewery. It is names after Etienne Lenoir, the Belgian inventor of the internal combustion engine.

6.5%  from Brantford, Ontario             18 IBU

ALBERT 3 ~ LE TROU DU DIABLE

Belgian Pale Ale/ Table beer

Very pale yellow.  Light and refreshing on the palette. Subtle grain flavours, with some citrusy hops. Easy drinking.

5.49% from Shawinigan, Quebec  -beer 11-

CONTINENTAL DRIFT ~  NICKLEBROOK BREWING CO

Belgian Style pale ale. Brewed by using Belgian yeast and American Amarillo and Columbus hops. Pours cloudy pale straw yellow. Citrus hops balanced with a maltiness. Nice summer beer!

5.5% from Burlington, Ontario

-beer 10-