Beer Advocate Review #265

Beer: Hoppy Feet 1.5
Brewery: Clown Shoes
Style: Black Ale
ABV: 11%
Serving: Bottle
Score: A

Big thanks to my wife for picking this up for me in Albany. Shared with her while eating pizza.

Poured from a bomber, bottled end of Mar. 2011.

Appearance: 3/4 of the glass fills up with light mocha colored foam and gradually a brown-black body is seen. The head sits still at a good 3 fingers and there's lacing all the way down. Couldn't ask for better.

Smell: Oily hops, resiny, more mango than melon and some coffee as it warms.

Taste: Strong hit of hops mixed with roasted flavors and coffee but as it progresses, hops become the dominant player. Juicy and pulpy goodness. Very satisfying.

Mouthfeel: Incredible balance that shifts a bit to the bitterness side though as it warms. The feel is everywhere in the palate and it lasts long after the final sip.

Overall: This is an awesome beer. Very drinkable despite the ABV though make no mistake, this beer is big on the bitterness and flavor. Grab this if you see it. It's worth it!

Beer Advocate Review #264

Beer: Patriote (red label)
Brewery: Brasseurs Illimités
Style: Amber/Red Ale
ABV: 4.9%
Serving: Bottle
Score: C+

Had this with some pizza.

Poured from a 341ml. bottle.

Appearance: Lightly tan foam, easily 3-4 fingers and quite creamy with a light brown barley red body. Retention is better than the other Patriote and stays @ 1 finger then half of one.

Smell: Caramel malt, some nuttiness. Not half bad.

Taste: Crystal malt, caramel, nutty and even maybe a whisper of hops. Pretty decent.

Mouthfeel: Cream, carbonation is average and the body is quite smooth and pleasant with some low bitterness thrown in there.

Overall: Better than the Blonde one for sure. I might even try this again and is a better alternative to Rickard's.

Beer Advocate Review #263

Beer: Patriote (yellow label)
Brewery: Brasseurs Illimités
Style: Blonde Ale
ABV: 4.9%
Serving: Bottle
Score: C-

Had this with some pizza.

Poured from a 341ml. bottle.

Appearance: An eggshell with head, 3 fingers with a body the color of light ginger ale. The foam is gone in less than 1 minute.

Smell: Malt nose, clean with maybe a hint of hops?

Taste: No hops in sight, all malt with light grain, corn and a bit of skunkiness that thankfully disappears fast. This is all faint and hard to grasp.

Mouthfeel: Low carbonation, some claminess and an otherwise decent body.

Overall: Uninteresting and disappointing. Nothing off but nothing lively either.

Beer Advocate Review #262

Beer: Loch Ness
Brewery: Brasseurs RJ
Style: Scotch Ale
ABV: 6%
Serving: Bottle
Score: C+

Had this some pasta.

Poured from a 341ml. bottle.

Appearance: 4 fingers worth of light tan foam with an amber-red body. Retention is average as it dissipates within 1-2 minutes.

Smell: Toasted malt, caramel and a metallic twang. Some smoky ash also.

Taste: Caramel malt, some spiciness in the tail end and a hint of smokiness that as it warms turns into like an ashtray-like aspect. Mildly unpleasant though not pervasive.

Mouthfeel: Body feels a little thin but it's decent. Feels like a light scotch ale.

Overall: Seems kind of like an ashy vienna lager. Decent but nothing more.

Beer Advocate Review #261

Beer: La Grivoise de Noel
Brewery: Le Trou Du Diable
Style: Belgian Dark Ale
ABV: 9.5%
Serving: Bottle
Score: B

***2009 Vintage***

Shared with my wife last night.

Poured from a 500ml. bottle.

Appearance: Creamy foam fills 3/4 of the glass and gradually recedes. Body is a light brown, very hazy looking and has some ruby red tinges. Retention is good though not much lacing.

Smell: Spices with a slight sweetness but way too discreet for my taste. As it warms, a sugary and caramel aroma but still not very strong.

Taste: Sugar, candy and a nice spicy finish. Really feels like candy on the lips. Some dried fruit and heavy on the malt. Not really cloying.

Mouthfeel: Mellow, smooth and a very low carbonation. Warming and really coats the mouth. Body is medium.

Overall: A nice ale but i was a little let down taste-wise though i can't really pin down why. Still remains a tasty beer and worth trying.

Le Mondial Beer List - Personal Thoughts

http://festivalmondialbiere.qc.ca/pdf/mondialbiere_exposants-plan-bieres2011.pdf

Lots of good beer here. 2 Petit PubS (one European, one Oktoberfest) with loads of new arrivals to Montreal like Acorn, Fyne Ales, Badger, Moor Beer, Thornbridge and others from the U.K. Some Brazilian breweries also like Bamberg, Bodebrown and Dado Bier. On the Northe American side: Barley Days, Central City, Flying Monkeys, Dragonmead, Moonlight & Pike are just a sampling of what'll be available.

Highlights for me:

Central City - Love the IPA and never tried the ESB so i'll go for that for sure. Too bad they only have two beers available
Flying Monkeys Smashbomb - Lots of hype and controversy surrounding this one so i definitely want to see what the fuss is about.
Moonlight Brewing - Their beers seem highly regarded and i don't know much about them so i might have to check them out
Brasseurs du Monde - Not opened yet but they'll be pouring 4 beers so it should be interesting
Trou Du Diable Nez de Poivrot - Definitely want to check this one out
Boquebiere - They have lots of beers to choose from so one or two might be interesting
Cheval Blanc Saison Framboise et Brett - Sounds good!

Huh?:

Brasseurs de Montreal: 4 fruits beers? Hopefully it doesn't veer into alcopop territory. Seems odd but it'll probably work seeing as it's "summery"

It''l be fun and i'm looking forward to see how it plays out at Place Bonaventure.

Oak-Aged Baltic Porter from Les Trois Mousquetaires

Looking forward to trying this! No dates or selling points have been announced yet.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBXoOvrDW_0