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.

Rickard's Red

I'm going to spend as much time writing this review as the beer deserves.  Which isn't much.

Rickard's Red, as the name implies, is red, with a lacy white head.  It's vaguely fruity on the nose, but the aroma is mostly of malt.  It tastes like malt, too, but understated and dry, with whispers of fruity sweetness that turn into a sour bitterness at the finish.

The Bottom Line:  The color is the only memorable thing about this boring Molson grubswill.


The Rating: Eh.

Fort Garry Dark Ale

Ahh, Fort Garry Dark.  I have a soft place for this one [it was my first Canadian brew], despite the fact that it's certainly not the best beer you've ever had.  It's not the worst, either, and it's decidedly better than drinking the smelly yellow aberrations of nature and wholesomeness that are Miller, Bud, Coors, and Molson.

Fort Garry Dark Ale pours a murky black, and what light that penetrates reveals reddish hues.  The tan head is hardly worth mentioning, as it fades quickly and, beyond the occasional ring and streak, leaves no lacing.  The aroma is faint, but what whiffs you can get are mostly of burnt caramel.

Mouthfeel is a little prickly due to the mild carbonation.  It's considerably less noticeable in this brew than in Fort Garry Pale.  The taste is of malt, roasted coffee, and a touch of chocolate, but everything is rather understated except for the malt, and even that isn't overbearing or obnoxious.  It goes down smoothly (although, thanks to the carbonation, not as smoothly as Guinness or my new favorite, O'Hara's) and pairs well with food.

The Bottom Line:  This drinkable brew is dark enough to be my preferred go-to beer when nothing more interesting is available, but I would gladly give it up if I found something with little more zip.

The Rating:  Not Bad.