Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 14
A full off-white head with ample lacing on a rich caramel-coloured body. The nose lets you know the range of tastes to come - mint, cardamom, lavender and brown sugar in the forefront. Lots of elements to the taste profile as well. Rich toffee, lavender, nutmeg, Belgian yeast, mint, pepper and a touch of licorice are all there. Some candied fruit add a rich backdrop to it all.
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 16
A solid off-white head with good retention. Body is an appealing rich caramel colour. The nose features a big roasted caramel malt presence with a solid touch of resin and fruity hops. Heres hoping that this is the recipe the BDT settles on for the long term. A fresh caramel malt lead on the taste profile. Toffee, light fruity hops, berries and apricots round out a diverse but well blended profile for a sub 6% ale. Dense and rich.
Appearance - 3 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 15
No head on a murky red/brown body. The nose is a big sweet quad with a hint of sourness. Toffee, apples, raisins, brown sugar, grapes and some spice (nutmeg and cardamom) work well with a mild Belgian yeast. Smooth and slick.
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 3 | Overall - 16
A full light tan head on an attractive, unfiltered toffee coloured body. The nose features slightly sour cherries, apricots, berries and sweet malt. The taste leads with tart cherries, dried fruit, caramel malt and a hint of sourness. While there is less taste balance and blend than the original, there is still an endearing rich, stickiness to the mouth feel and a challenging taste experience. I’ll age the second bottle.
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 17
A low white head, well laced, tops a translucent orange/amber body. The nose features cloves, nutmeg, peaches, oranges and sweet malt. some lovely juicy tastes going on here. A punchy array of hop and ester based fruits lead the profile, including orange, peach, melon and lemon. A light, sweet bready malt base, cloves and other spices sit in the background, as does Belgian yeast. Slightly sticky with a slick mouth feel, but the overall effect is mitigated by significant carbonation and some acidity. Superior.
Appearance - 3 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 16
A really solid baseline beer for the BDT. A well laced white head tops a light amber body. The nose features honey, cereal and oats. Enough going on here to make this an interesting English pale ale. the honey from the nose works well with tastes of grain and oats. Slightly chewy malt and touches of citrus hops and spice work nicely. Solid density and body for the style.
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 16
A Christmas classic in the Ottawa/Gatineau area. A thin tan head on a black body. The nose is a festival, featuring cloves, ginger, malt and a hint of nutmeg. The taste profile features rich seasonal tastes, including anise, ginger, cloves, orange peel and slightly roasted malt. The body is appropriately thick and rich but the taste is clean and not cloying. A great Belgian xmas offering
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 16
A Fluff full tan head with a soft coffee nose. Nice dense body and creamy mouth feel. Coffee first in the taste profile with a rising bitterness as the beer settles in the mouth. A touch of semi sweet chocolate and some dark berries come out later in the taste. There are more hops underscoring traditional stout tastes than one would normally expect. Very drinkable.
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 3 | Overall - 17
A powerful nose featuring nutmeg and other spices. The taste profile picks up on the nutmeg, adding ginger and cinnamon. A nice medium/high effervescence and some fruity orange and citrus sweetness add to the drinkability of the beer. Clean and refreshing. Massive taste accomplishment for 5 percent
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 16
A very successful but way out there take on the Belgian blonde fruit beer. The nose reveals only some of the elements that dominate the taste profile -- cranberries, malt and a touch of sourness. The taste profile hits you with sourness first, followed by blending elements of tartness, cranberry, a touch of Belgian yeast, a spritz of citrus hops and some residual fruit sweetness. A solid, clean and dry finish ends off a real taste-bud adventure. Well done.