Cactus Head by Blood Brothers Brewing

A quick and easy review of Cactus Head, a beer from Blood Brothers Brewing that caught my eye while I was looking through the new IPAs at Sip Liquor Market.

Appearance: Nice can with a cool design. Blood Brothers tends to vary the look and feel of their packaging. Not very consistent from a branding perspective but it always looks good. This beer pours hazy yellow. Nice fluffy head with very fine bubbles that faded to a frothy film that stuck around. Medium lacing.

Aroma: Smells like white wine with a vegetal or grassy note.

Taste: Strong grapefruit and gooseberry flavours with a slightly vinous, acidic aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Really nice, fluffy body with slightly lower carbonation.

Overall: Tasty! Blood Brothers nailed the mouthfeel for this beer which leaves me eager to try more of their hazy IPAs. For me, a soft, pillowy body is what really defines this style of beer and is the quickest way to differentiate a brewery that gets it versus one that doesn't.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Do Stuff Together by Mikkeller

The core purpose of this blog is ostensibly the review of Canadian-made craft beer. But I will veer off-course from time-to-time. This review of an American-style beer brewed in Belgium by a Danish brewer is one of those times. There's a lot to like about Mikkeller . The homebrewer in me loves the story behind the company, from its homebrew roots, to its establishment as a virtual brewery, to its evolution into a global craft beer brand. The marketing professional in me loves the brewery's branding, focused as it is on the illustrative style of their talented art director, Keith Shore . And most importantly, as a fan of craft beer, I love that their output is universally pretty good. Mikkeller's beers are typically sold as singles, at least in Alberta. In fact, I don't believe I've ever come across a four- or six-pack of Mikkeller beer. Do Stuff Together is no different. This is a premium beer with a premium price of just under $10 for a single 473mL can. It is...

Entropy Series No. 11: Whisky Sour by Dageraad Brewing

Name: Entropy Series No. 11: Whiskey Sour Brewery: Dageraad Brewing Style: Saison Alc/vol: 5.0% OG: Unknown FG: Unknown IBU: Unknown Malt: Unknown Hops: Unknown Yeast: Unknown Appearance: This beer arrives in a beautiful champagne style bottle with a regular beer cap on top rather than a cage and cork. It features a classic label design that makes a bold commitment: this is a beer-based interpretation of the classic whiskey sour cocktail. I happen to love both beer and whiskey sours so expectations are high. The beer pours pretty clear—looks like a Kolsch or something similar. Aroma: It smells like farmland. Like hay and even manure. And a touch of sour milk or yoghurt. Yeah, it's complicated. Flavour: Mmm. This is something special. First, it comes across as a straight up citrus bomb with strong lemon and lime characteristics. But then it finishes with more complexity—sour, funky and smoky with hints of whisky-like flavours. This is something special. Mouthfeel: I find saison...

Classic IPA by Nokomis Craft Ales

This is a quick review of Classic IPA by Nokomis Craft Ales from Nokomis, Saskatchewan. Appearance: Classic IPA comes in a traditional 335mL can featuring clean and simple graphic design. The beer pours a little hazy but has a nice copper colour with head that lasts throughout the glass and leaves thick lacing. Aroma: I smell resinous pine and a touch of candy. Taste: Citrus, pine and just the right amount of sweetness. This is a really well balanced. Mouthfeel: Carbonation is slightly less than medium. Body is slightly fuller than average. Perfect for the style. Overall: It's rare to find such a prototypical example of a West Coast IPA released by a brewery that was founded in the last 10 years. I really enjoyed this beer, which is the first I have tasted and reviewed by this brewery. Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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