Happy Oaktoberfest!

October brings to mind several things: hockey season, beautiful fall colours, Halloween and Oktoberfest! If you can't make it to Munich, there's an alternative that's a lot closer to home. Kitchener-Waterloo's Oktoberfest is actually the second-largest in the world and has been around for a solid 45 years. If you've never gone, I highly recommend checking it out. You don't have to be German to enjoy the spirit of "gemütlichkeit" - an abstract German noun that roughly means "a situation that induces a cheerful mood, peace of mind, with the connotation of belonging and social acceptance, coziness and unhurry." (Source: Wikipedia)

There are nearly 20 different "festhallen" to choose from, each offering a different atmosphere. For the most authentic experience though, I recommend buying a ticket to one of the venues housed in one of Kitchener-Waterloo's German clubs, such as Schwaben Club. The food is fantastic (think delicious sausage and schnitzel, the smell of fresh beer nuts roasting, and home-made apple strudel. Yum!) and there is no shortage of beer and schnapps.

Also worth noting is the GRT (Grand River Transit) offers free rides every evening during the festival to make sure everyone gets home safely. Just an hour and a half by car from Toronto (or a couple of hours via GO, Greyhound or VIA Rail), KW Oktoberfest is absolutely worth a visit.

If you can't make it, you can always make your own Oktoberfest at home with Black Oak's Oaktoberfest beer:

BEER: Oaktoberfest (Black Oak Brewing Company, Toronto, Ontario)

ABV: 5.0%

SERVED: 650 mL brown bottle poured into two Paulaner München 1L glass steins (one for me and one for my girlfriend, of course!)

APPEARANCE: The bottle has a nice label, with a beautifully-decorated beer stein and "Oaktoberfest" written in a German Gothic style font. The beer is golden copper in colour, with little head to speak of.

AROMA: The sweetness of the malts is quite pronounced. It's quite a pleasant, inviting scent.

TASTE: The sweet malt flavour captures my taste buds, leaving a very subtle bitter hop note in the aftertaste. Some of the sweetness lingers from sip to sip as well. This is very drinkable.

OVERALL: It's a shame this is only produced seasonally, as it's quite a nice beer. If you're in the mood for something refreshing, one of these might fit the bill rather nicely. Just be careful - while drinking one of these, you might find yourself having a sudden urge to put on some German polka music! 7.5/10

Roll out the barrel! (Note: that's before I've even had a sip. Just goes to show you how big those 1L steins are!)

Top Five Beers So Far

Feeling a bit reflective today, I thought it might be fun to take a look back in the Beer Connoisseur archives and talk about the top five beers that I have reviewed to date. The best way to know where we're going is to know where we've been!

5. At #5, one of the Scottish heritage ales collection that the LCBO sometimes has in stock: Ebulum Elderberrry Black Ale. This beautiful deep ruby (almost black) smelled and tasted earthy and delicious. The elderberries lended a uniqueness to the flavour which ensured you would remember this one. I gave this beer a 9/10 back in May 2010.

4. It appears there is a three-way tie for the next-highest rank, so I'll go in order of date of review from earliest to most recent. Way back in July 2009, I reviewed a wonderful American microbrewed India Pale Ale from Milton, Delaware: Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA. This heavily-hopped IPA was deep golden in colour and was everything that an IPA should be: deliciously bitter, stronger in alcohol but without allowing either factor to be overpowering. Pair this one with a strong-flavoured cheese and you'll be in heaven. I gave this one a 9.5/10.

3. Sharing the spotlight at 9.5/10 in July 2009 was a beer created by a company founded by His Royal Highness, Charles, Prince of Wales. This tasty brew, Duchy Originals Organic Ale, is actually brewed at Wychwood Brewery, which is well-known for such fantastic beers as Hobgoblin. I knew before I even tried it that this beer would be good and I was proven correct! Beautifully ruby-red in colour, the creamy white head lingered for an impressively long time for an ale. The malty taste and aroma was balanced with just the right amount of hops. My memories of this beer are making me want to find another of these! If you find one, give it a try!

2. Also at 9.5/10, the lone Canadian beer on my top five list (I guess I should start reviewing more Canadian beers!) comes from the Dieu du Ciel brewery in Quebec: Aphrodite Strong Stout. This vanilla flavoured stout was delicious. I was impressed by how much I could actually smell and taste the vanilla in the beer. The initial flavour which greets your taste buds is unmistakeably that of the organic fair-trade cocoa and dark roasted malt, but the vanilla slowly takes over the aftertaste. It's a great blend of flavour that really works well together and I think even those who don't normally like stouts would enjoy this beer.

1. And finally, the only beer with a perfect 10/10, from Southern Tier Brewing Company of Lakewood, New York: Imperial Creme Brulee Stout. If you can get past the 10.0% alcohol content on the label and the $10+ price tag for a 650mL bottle, you'll find a beer that smells and tastes more like a liquid dessert. Your taste buds will be in for a treat, as drinking this beer literally tastes like you're eating a creme brulee. The flavour of caramelized sugar lingers from sip to sip and for a beer with this much alcohol, there was surprisingly little alcohol taste noticeable. At over $10 a pop, this is one best shared between friends. They'll be sure to return the favour though and they'll be talking about your generosity (and this beer) for weeks to come.

St. Patrick's Day - Guinness

At long last, I have reviewed another beer! In honour of St. Patrick's Day, I thought there are no more iconic beers that I could review than Guinness.

BEER: Guinness Draught (Guinness & Co. - brewed at "St. James's Gate Brewery, Dublin 8 Ireland") - Irish dry stout

ABV: 4.2%

SERVED: 330mL brown bottle with full-bottle black logo wrap. Poured into a tulip-shaped glass.

APPEARANCE: The distinctive look of Guinness is instantly apparent: virtually black in colour, but a deep ruby when held to the light, with a thick, creamy head on top. It is not quite as thick or smooth as the on-tap version, but there's still no confusing this beer with anything else.

AROMA: The malts in this beer make it smell a bit like chocolate. I'm not sure how else I'd describe it. The trouble with reviewing a beer that you've tasted many, many times is that... well, it smells like Guinness!

TASTE: Creamy and smooth, the Guinness Draught in bottles and cans always goes down very easy. It's not quite as creamy and nowhere near as thick as the on-tap Guinness Draught. I've always found the bottled and canned versions to be almost a bit watery compared to how it tastes on-tap.

OVERALL: The side of the six-pack I bought at the LCBO boasted that Guinness Draught in bottles is "now even better," so I was curious if there was any difference. I think I agree with the statement though: it does taste a little better, if only slightly. It's still nowhere near as good as it is on-tap (if it's properly poured), but it's still a good tasting beer. A properly poured pint of Guinness on tap would earn 10/10 for me every time, but in a bottle I can't give it higher than 7/10. Good. Just not AS good.

I'm Back!

After a lengthy hiatus, I'm pleased to announce that The Beer Connoisseur will be back in action, providing you with reviews on all kinds of great beers and giving you, the reader, more chances to provide feedback on them.

I'm very excited to be writing reviews again. I hope you're looking forward to it too!

Dieu du Ciel series: Route des Épices

Number 5 of 8 of the Dieu du Ciel beers that I'm reviewing, this one, French for "Spice Route", is a rye beer brewed with black and green peppercorns... an unusual combination, for sure. We'll see if it works out!

BEER: Route des Épices (Dieu du Ciel brewery, St-Jérôme, Quebec) - Rye beer brewed with peppercorns

ABV: 5.3%

SERVED: 341mL brown bottle bought at the LCBO, poured into an Innis & Gunn slightly-curved footed glass

APPEARANCE: Very deep, dark red in colour, glowing a dark amber when held to the light. Creamy head lingered for several minutes, dissipating very slowly.

AROMA: Rye malts are very pronounced, but little to no scent of the peppercorns.

TASTE: Initial taste is very much what you'd expect of a good rye beer: fresh grains and almost a touch of caramel. You can't taste the peppercorns at all until the aftertaste, when the spicier edge kicks in. This becomes much more pronounced after a few sips, with the spiciness beginning to build on the tongue.

OVERALL: The rye flavour in this beer is quite good, and while I'm not normally a fan of overly-spicy cuisine, the spice is mild enough in this beer so as not to be a deal-breaker. I can see this pairing very well with barbequed burgers or steaks. 7/10

Dieu du Ciel series: Rosée d'Hibiscus

Continuing on with the beers from Dieu du Ciel, this is probably the most unique one of the bunch. I can't say it's every day that I try a beer brewed with actual hibiscus flowers!

BEER: Rosée d'Hibiscus (Dieu du Ciel brewery, St-Jérôme, Quebec) - Strong wheat beer brewed with spices and hibiscus flowers

ABV: 5.9%

SERVED: 341mL brown bottle bought at the LCBO, poured into an Innis & Gunn slightly-curved footed glass

APPEARANCE: Cloudy, as one would expect of a wheat beer... and yet a darker, earthy red in colour, similar to a strawberry juice. Light, red-hued head which dissipated within a minute.

AROMA: Definite flowery aroma to it, but not in that overpowering, just-walked-into-a-flower-shop sort of way. It's a very light, natural scent.

TASTE: Very light and refreshing, with the flavour of the hibiscus flowers being very prominent, lingering subtly into the aftertaste.

OVERALL: I can see a lot of ladies liking this one, or just anyone who doesn't like harsh, bitter-tasting beers. As with most wheat beers, this one's definitely a summer sipper, and would go well with light fare like salads, or fresh fruits and vegetables. 7/10

Dieu du Ciel series: Aphrodite

A bonus second review today from the Dieu du Ciel series: Aphrodite. Interestingly, the name for this beer on the French version of the label (found on Dieu du Ciel's website - http://micro.dieuduciel.com/en/beers.php) is "Aphrodesiaque" which translates obviously as "Aphrodisiac". I'm not entirely sure why they altered it for the English label to be Aphrodite.

BEER: Aphrodite (Dieu du Ciel brewery, St-Jérôme, Quebec) - Strong Stout brewed with "organic fair-trade cocoa and first-rate vanilla beans"

ABV: 6.5%

SERVED: 341mL brown bottle bought at the LCBO, poured into an Innis & Gunn slightly-curved footed glass

APPEARANCE: Deep black in colour, even darker than Guinness: when held to the light, Guinness will actually show a deep amber colour - this beer, when held to the light, is still black as night. Creamy, caramel-coloured head, which dissipated after a couple of minutes.

AROMA: You can definitely smell the vanilla they brewed this beer with. There's a faint, almost-sweetness to it as well. The smell is more akin to cookie batter than to beer!

TASTE: I expected a strong flavour, given that the alcohol content is up more around the level that you'd expect from an imperial stout, but it's actually quite mellow. The first thing you taste when you take a sip of this is the cocoa, but it doesn't taste at all artificial or overpowering... quite nice in fact, and complements the dark roasted malts of the stout quite well. The vanilla returns for the aftertaste, coming in slowly. This blend of flavours works really well together.

OVERALL: Much better than the last beer I tasted. This one is beautiful, well-balanced, and very easy-drinking, especially considering that it's a stout, and higher in alcohol as well. I think a lot of people who "don't like dark beer" could be very impressed with this one. I can just imagine a small glass of this pairing excellently with a nice dark chocolate dessert. Don't be afraid of the dark colour of this beer... if you see it on the shelves at your local LCBO, pick one up, or better yet, buy two! You won't regret it! 9.5/10