Breaking News: Troegs Mad Elf

Troegs Mad Elf is available at the brewery in 22-ounce bottles. If you can't get to the brewery, look for it soon on store shelves.

Blue Point Toasted Lager

On draft at McGrath's, they tapped Blue Point Toasted Lager. This beer has won many awards and I have previously had a case of it, but I have not officially reviewed it yet. The beer is copper-amber in color with a thin head. There is no aroma, which is somewhat surprising for a toasted beer. The taste is bitey and fresh, consisting of burnt malts. It has a dry after taste. The alcohol content is 5.3% ABV. I think that this beer is very good and high quality. The toasted taste is not overpowering, but provides a nice accent to what would be a sweet beer.

Flying Dog Horn Dog Barley Wine

The final beer I tried from the Major Canis pack from Flying Dog was the Horn Dog Barley Wine. The beer is reddish brown in color with a sweet aroma. The taste is very sweet and malty with hints of raisin and vanilla. There definitely is a alcohol bite to the beer, as the alcohol content is 10.2% ABV. I thought that the flavors were intense and the alcohol was present but not overwhelming. I really like this Barley Wine and suggest you try it if you like barley wines. It would rank up there with my favorite barley wines and I really like the vanilla accent.

Flying Dog Kerberos Tripel

The third beer out of the Major Canis sampler pack from Flying Dog that I tried was the Kerberos Tripel. The beer is golden orange in color with a fruity aroma consisting mostly of banana. The taste is sweet consisting of banana and spices. I thought the balance of the spices in the beer were perfect. The beer then hits with some hops and and finishes dry. The alcohol content is 8.5% ABV with is very detectable in the dryness. I liked this Tripel and though that the fruit accents were perfectly blended with the spices.

Flying Dog Double Dog Double Pale Ale

The second beer I tried out of the Major Canis sampler pack from Flying Dog was the Double Dog Double Pale Ale. The beer is orange in color with no head. The aroma is slightly sweet hoppy. There is also a note of freshness. The Double Dog tastes very hoppy and has a sweet finish with hints of coriander. The alcohol content is 11.5% ABV. I thought that this beer was surprisingly sweet on the end for the amount of hops included and very enjoyable. It has moved up on my list of favorite Pale Ales and is a must try.

Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter

I picked up a four-beer sampler pack, Major Canis (basically high alcohol content beers), from Flying Dog. The first beer I tried is the Gonzo Imperial Porter, named after Hunter S. Thompson. Coincidentally, at the time of this posting, the Gonzo was just awarded the gold medal at the Great American Beer Fest for best Imperial Porter. The beer is dark black in color with a thick and lofty head. The head leaves frothy film on the glass. The Gonzo smells nutty and sweet. The taste consists of dark chocolate and is a bit nutty with a nice hop kick. Overall, the drink is smooth and creamy with a dry chocolate aftertaste. The alcohol content is 7.8% ABV. I thought that the Gonzo is very tasty and it left a great after taste on the palette. There are many levels of flavor in this beer, and not one disappoints.

Sleeman Honey Brown Lager

My boy Jason and I were looking for a six-pack to pregame with prior to heading out for the night in Canada. We encountered Sleeman Honey Brown Lager and decided to give it a try. The beer is a light amber color. It smells sweet and malty with a hint of honey. The taste is malty and sweet with a minor hop bite on the end. The honey isn't too prevalent, but provides an offset to the hops. The alcohol content is 5.2% ABV. I was very impressed with the overall flavor of the Honey Brown. It was not too sweet and had the right balance of malts and honey.

Rickard's Red

While out in Niagara Falls, we grabbed dinner at Boston Pizza and they had Rickard's Red on draft. The Rickard's brand comes courtesy of Molson Coors. The beer is a reddish brown color with a thick and foamy head. It has a hoppy and fresh aroma. The taste is very clean and smooth consisting of sweet malts. On the end, the Red has a crisp hop and refreshing finish. The alcohol content is 5.2% ABV. I thought that this was a good offering for the red ales, especially one coming from a larger brewer. It should be noted that this is the number one selling red beer in Canada, so that says something about the beer. I had several of these throughout the evening.