Half Pints Bulldog Amber Ale

Half Pints is quickly becoming my favorite brewery.  Their Stir Stick Stout is definitely good stuff, and this refreshingly dry ale isn't far behind.  It's high praise coming from a guy who thinks darker is better.

Bulldog Amber Ale pours a clear, well, amber color with a reasonable off-white head.  The aroma is clean and complicated: wheat, fruit, floral something-or-other, vanilla, dry malt, and other things I can't place.

Taste, like the nose, is a crisp combination of hops, malt, caramel, earthiness.  Pomaceous fruit offers a slight sweetness, while the hops provides medium bitterness.  The finish is dry and crisp and lingers on the roof of your mouth, but not unpleasantly.

The Bottom Line:  I've changed my go-to beer to this one.  This stuff is awesomeness in a bottle.

The Rating:  Good Stuff.

Half Pints Stir Stick Stout

This is my second tasting of this great stout by Half Pints, a local Winnipeg brewery.  It's the only one of Half Pint's brews that I've tried so far, but it has me very excited to try the rest of their line.

Stir Stick Stout pours a very rich black with a short tan head that doesn't hang around.  Chocolaty on the nose, it also hints of slight smokiness that almost borders on acridness.  There's a richness to the aroma, though, which I'm thinking may be the malt.

This beer is perhaps a little on the dry side, but is remarkably smooth.  It tastes exactly like it smells: rich, malty, and a tad smoky, and with strong black coffee bitterness in the middle.  The bitter dark chocolate kicks in at the end with a slightly sour sweetness.  The sweetness may be a bit of a problem for some, and, as Half Pints suggests, this brew may be better suited to play escort to a rich dessert or as an after dinner treat than with a meal.

The Bottom Line:  Perhaps a little sweet, but otherwise very drinkable and full of rich, dark flavors.

The Rating:  Good Stuff.