Barley Days Sugar Shack Ale

[1244-20080401] Tap. Sweet grainy alcoholic maple aroma. Slightly hazy, dark red amber body with a long-lasting foamy white head. Lightly spiced rough grains flavour. Medium body. Interesting, average.
(@ Volo; Toronto, ON)

Half pint at C’est What?- The bartender informed that if I wanted a really hoppy ale, I should try Neustadt’s 10W30 on my previous visit, I figured that ordering this would bring me an imperial stout. Alas, it did not.......but I digress. What I got was an amber lager that tapped a frothy, but short lived white head, leaving some spotty lace. The aroma was quite malty with caramel and vanilla and showed quite a bit of the maple. Tasted sweet, of grainy caramel malts and vanilla, hinting at rye and the very sweet maple syrup. This finished slightly bitter, but still quite sweet, with no hint at the ABV. I wouldn’t drink a whole lot of this, but it works in small doses. Good.

Draught at Volo. Pours a slightly hazy orange-amber with an average size diminishing off-white head. Aroma of caramel malt, grain, some toffee and maple syrup. very watery flavour of malt and a light bitter finish -- not much else. Average bodied. It started O.K. with the decent aroma but it was downhill from there, the flavour’s too weak and dull.

Aroma is a sweet, sugary malt, and caramel, clear light ruby, small toffee head. Taste is sweet malt, almost a crystal sugar quality, treacle, mild humbugs. Sweet as mentioned already, but in no way unenjoyable. Better than anticipated. The real maple syrup is a treat.

Draught. At Volo. Slightly hazy copper pour, average head. Sweet and grainy aroma, slightly herbal, defnitely maple in there. Tastes as it smells, but weaker than expected, mostly like a watery malt beverage with maple sugar added. Thin and watery, no carbonation whatsoever - ehhh.