Sent from dchmela as a bonus. Thanks man! Pour is very murky plum with no head...well I guess there are a few large, soapy looking bubbles. Aroma is sweet malt, leather and a touch of booze. Very flat and less sweet than I thought. Syrupy texture. Not so good.

One of a series of Canadian beers I am tasting through the week on vacation. Dated 2005 on the bottle: A hazy, rust-orange colour. A creamy topping of head, rich and a little thick looking. A little musky and/or perfume-like. Some orange(peel?) and slightly floral hoppiness. A notable alcohol presence towards the back, and a little bit of a maltiness peppered by that alcohol presence, which is rather nice. Spicy malts, with a hint of caramel flavour. A note of orange-citrus, and a bit solvent-like. Medium-heavy body, as the style will often have. A little bit sticky, but the flavours are not as intense as some I have had, so it doesn’t have a very negative effect. A reasonable, ’not-too-hot’ barleywine. I can often have a little bit of trouble with these if they are too flavourful and ’potent feeling,’ so it’s nice in that sense. I look forward to trying another one or two while here.

341 ml bottle from Sherbrooke Liquor (Edmonton), served cool in a wine glass.

App.: Medium-deep copper, clear, moderate yellow-orange head (an odd colour, really). Aroma: Massively malty – huge gobs of toffee, caramel and treacle, very fruity with lots of tree fruits and some dark dried fruits, burnt sugar, slightly woody and nutty, a bit of resinous hops, some oranges and grapefruit, condensed milk, some warm spices, minty herbals. Palate: Medium-full body, soft carbonation, syrupy. Flav.: Much like the nose, there is a really thick, sticky malt presence, plenty of caramel/toffee/treacle/burnt sugar, definite C-hops, plenty of tree fruits and dark dried fruits, minty herbals, Christmas cake in a glass; notable alcohol; very sweet but also quite bitter; makes my lips sticky and leaves a bit of wooden fruit behind with some burnt sugar.

A nice way to cap off my first trip to Edmonton and a pretty nice milestone beer (#600). I’d better come back, cause I didn’t take advantage of the local brews. Shame on me.

12 oz bottle courtesy Presario. Murky brown pour with a thin tan head. Big malty toffee aroma with lots of earthy citrusy hops. Thick malty taste with a smooth earthy hop character that show off some mellowing. Just a hint of bitterness and some creaminess in the end. Very nice.