So, with a little determination I got caught up with the Craft Beer Advent Calendar over the weekend. It was an interesting week of beer, although I do note (as was observed by Ernie in the comments section of the first post) the box design is proving to be highly frustrating. I cut my hand trying to get a bottle out this past week.

A good range of styles this week, from a saison to a RIS to a smoked pilsner. Lots of higher alcohol beer, too, which can be a challenge on a weeknight. As I was behind, I chose to re-order my consumption a bit to accommodate not having too big a beer in the middle of the work week. Here are my capsule reviews, in the order they came out of the box.

6. The Duck-Rabbit Baltic Porter

This is an inky black beer, very stout like. Not much head forms, giving it a very still appearance.Aroma of thick molasses, prune, bitter chocolate and sasparilla. Flavour is quite heavy with molasses, dark malts, chocolate, licorice, dark fruit and earthy esters. I find it a heavy beer (it has the body of an imperial stout), with a sweet finish, although its overall impression is more heavy than sweet. A beer that makes you take notice, but certainly one per night is plenty.

7. Cameron’s Into the Shade Saison

The bottle gushed at opening – not a good start. Once things settle down (and I clean up) I pick up moderate peppery, earthy spicing on top of a delicate grainy malt sweetness like dried hay. It is light gold with a slight haze due to it being unfiltered. The front palate doesn’t seem quite right. I get some barnyard and also some light lactic and a slightly sour note in the finish. I also get some peppery yeast character, but not a lot of malt notes. I detect a fair bit of peach in the back end of the taste. There is a musty linger with an undertone of brettanomyces. My instinct is that this might be a good beer, but my bottle was infected somehow.

8. Spider Bite Boris the Spider RIS

Another mid-week hefty beer. It is penetrating, rich and dark with a thick dark tan head. The aroma is surprisingly quiet. I get some dark roast, chocolate, grainy sweetness, dark fruit esters and that is about all. The taste is like the appearance: thick, chocolaty up front, with an accent of burnt almond chocolate, light coffee, dark fruit and a heavy sweetness. It sharpens in the middle with some alcohol warming, brighter fruits and a bit of dark buckwheat honey. The finish is substantial, leaving a fairly heavy linger of malt and chocolate accented by some alcohol warming. An intense beer.

9. Iron Fist Spice of Life

Pours pale copper and builds a bright, thick, dense white head. A soft wheat aroma with coriander, orange and a light citrus. The flavour is more intense than the aroma. Opens with a fruity, zesty sweetness and some earthiness which is quickly overtaken by a peppery, phenolic spicing. Finish is dry, saison-like with a touch of hop linger. Can’t tell from the bottle what the intended style is – poor design – but learn it is a Biere de Garde. Okay. From that basis I feel like it is a pretty good version. The mix of earth, spice and malt is quite appealing. –

10. Bridge Sleigh Booster Imperial Red Ale

Yet another mid-week imperial-sized beer. Intriguing style. It is dark red, verging on brown. I get rich malt aromas – bread, toffee, burnt caramel, with a rich, sharp melanoidin character to it. Plum and other dark fruit play back up. The sip starts with a rich malt, creamy feel, caramel, dark demerara sugar and taffy. The middle sharpens up a bit with some hop and some tannins. The finish is drier than expected, with a touch of hop kick (but not bitter). Alcohol lingers behind, not too hot, just kind of warming. Decent beer. A quality red imperialized.

11. Grizzly Paw Ursa Major Brown Ale

The string of big beer is becoming noticeable. This one is a amped up brown ale at 7.2%. It is dark brown, offering only a thin, wispy head. The aroma is chocolate, nut, rounded caramel and some brown sugar. I get a noted nuttiness upfront, with chocolate and hints of toasted biscuit and burnt toast. Tastes like what it is – a big  brown ale. Good but nothing about the beer really stands out.

12. Flying Monkeys Saint Beatnick chocolate Stout

Pours deep inky black, offering very little head. The aroma is dominated by big chocolate and vanilla  (and I mean BIG), plus cherry and sweet sugar. Same goes for the flavour. A big, big chocolate character, like dark milk chocolate mixed with light coffee and ovaltine. Behind the chocolate and vanilla is some sweet malt character and not much else. Tastes like a rich, thick chocolate milk. The beer is just too one-dimensional for me.

13. Evil Twin The Cowboy Smoked Pilsner

I was skeptical of this one from the moment I read the label. It is a light gold with a tight, thick white head. The aroma has light grainy malt with a soft mustiness that blends into a subtle smokiness, not much hop to be found. Seems a bit too overcarbonated given the active bubbles. At first sip I pick up some soft graininess but that is quickly overtaken by a sharp smokiness and an angular earthiness. I get some phenolic esters as well that remind me of medicine as well as clove and wood smoke. The beer finishes with an earthy hop fighting with a sharp smokiness. This beer doesn’t really work for me. The smoke fights with the rest of the beer character. Pilsners are designed for subtle flavours and the smoke gets in the way, killing the cleanliness and adding a weird ester-y character. I believe some styles shouldn’t be smoked and this is one.