Roundhouse Craft Beer Fest

So this was a bit poorly planned, but I decided to write a quick review of the Roundhouse Craft Beer Fest and compare it to the Toronto Festival of Beer, which I went to for the last time a couple of years ago.

For those who don't want to read - the conclusion is go to the Roundhouse Craft Beer Fest instead of the Toronto Festival of Beer - less crowded, there are actual good beers, it is much cheaper and the food is better....also the crowd is more mature and I don't mean in terms of age, but in terms of behavior.

ENTRY COST

Roundhouse

Entry to the Roundhouse fest cost me $20 for 2 tickets, which I got in advance online. The tickets included a sampling cup each (so 2 in total) and entry into the festival (weekend long I might add). The cups are made of glass and feel great. In fact they remind me of a small measuring glass I have so using that I was able to estimate that the sampling glasses hold around 4 oz. You may think it is not much, but each sample only costs $1...soooo...for about $4 you can get a pint of a very decent beer.

Total cost for 2 - $20 (+ tax and service fee if buying online) = ~$24

Toronto Festival of Beer

Ticket prices haven't changed in the past few years (though there are expensive packages you can get now). The cost was $39.50 per ticket, but you did get 5 tokens. I opted for the "hoptimized" tickets, which cost an extra $10 each, got you an extra 5 token per ticket and allowed you to enter an hour earlier. Again, you get a sampling cup (4 oz), however, this one is plastic (last time I went).

At the time I thought hoptimizing will be awesome - "hey, I get to beat the crowds and come in an hour early, why not?" WROOOOOONG. Everyone else had the same idea so when we showed up an hour early, there are already hundreds of people waiting in line. Great - $20 down the drain.

Also, the tickets were only good for a single day.

Total cost for 2 - $99 (+ tax) = $111.87 (no service fee when buying online when I went)

BEER SAMPLING COSTS

Roundhouse

Unfortunately your entry fee does not get you any tokens, however, they are $1 each and you can get them in bundles of 10s and 20s. Any unused tokens can be sold back to the organizers. I got a bundle of 20 for $20 and that was enough for a single day.

Almost all samples were only 1 token. The stronger brews (near or above double ABV digits) were 2 tokens for a full sample or 1 for a half sample.

Total cost for 2 - $20

Toronto Festival

We got 20 tokens in total with our tickets but we had to get an extra 10 for $20 due to reasons outlined in the following "food" section.

Samples cost anywhere from 1 to 4 tokens each. The mead was the most expensive at 4 tokens per sample, but some of the cheaper beers (like Blue) were 1 - 2 depending on the sample size.

Total cost for 2 - $20

FOOD

Roundhouse

This year (2013) there were a bunch of food trucks selling AMAZING items for anywhere from $6 to $10. Tokens are not accepted so you have to bring some extra cash. We spent $15 on 2 slices of pizza (wood oven baked) and a fried chicken-triple waffle stacked sandwich. Though this will satisfy you for a couple of hours, I would probably budget an extra $10 if you want to stay longer.

Total cost for 2 - $15

Toronto Festival

Last time I went there were only a handful of food vendors, some of which did accept tokens, while others only cash. There was BBQ, which was pretty good, but pricey at around $9 for a rack of ribs. There were also some hamburgers and fries, but last time the food felt just so generic and overpriced. This year I heard there was some grilling event, but again, not much variety.

So here is where we spent a good deal of tokens - 6 and $9.

Total cost for 2 - $9

BEERS

Roundhouse

At first I was a bit skeptical because the exhibitors included larger local craft brewers like Amsterdam and Great Lakes Brewing, but fortunately they weren't only selling their most popular brews - they had a lot of one-offs and experimental brews. I noticed that 50% of what all brewers were offering were rare brews that you can only find in some pubs for limited time, or one-offs. The other 50% were the flagship beers, some of which you can get at the LCBO and others you can always get at most pubs.

I tried over 10 new brews and had some of the flagship ones.

Toronto Festival

Though there were over 100 brewers, they were brewers that sell their products at the LCBO and The Beer Store. It took a lot of walking around to find the "smaller" craft brewers and try the 1 or 2 "rare" beers they had on tap. Larger craft brewers like Flying Monkeys had a decent presence, but at the time they only had 1 non-flagship beer they were offering (they also had another one, but had run out already - Saturday morning).

There were some interesting brews, like a bunch of meads I was able to try (I was nice to the guy at the booth so he let me have a couple of sips of each without asking me for tokens).

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS AND TOTAL COST

Roundhouse

Roundhouse Craft Beer Fest is geared more towards those who want to venture out and find unique beers. There were some interesting brews that would have not appealed to the general audience, but there were also some staple craft beers. The audience is mature, the atmosphere is very laid back and the place didn't start to get crowded until 3 hours after the gates opened. We managed to get a picnic table since we were one of the first ones in and we shared it with various people that came and went. The beers were good, the food was good, the entertainment was OK. I would definitely go again.

Total Cost - $59

Toronto Festival

This one is geared more towards the general public and though the organizers try to get folks who enjoy Blue and Bud to try something different, the macro brews have such a large presence that the craft brewers get lost. The macro brewers also have tons of contests and give away so much free swag, that I noticed people hovering around their booths waiting for free stuff so much so that there were no lines at most of the craft brewers.

The audience going to this event was largely people who would wait for 2 hours at a crowded club, pay $20 to get in and get a watered down $10 cocktail or a crappy $10 beer...you know who you are. No wonder I refuse to go back to the festival.

The macro brewers were crowded, but there was plenty of room near the craft brewers. One place I didn't go to was the caskapalooza tent, which cost another $20 per person to get in and there were only 10 casks for which you had to pay even more money to sample.

Total Cost - $140.87

$140.87 VS $59!!!! Not to mention that the Roundhouse passes are weekend long.

Weekend Tastings - Ugly Beer cans and Shandys

The title says it all, yes, I am trying a beer that caught my eye because of its ugly label. Well, it worked. What also caught my eye was the Hockley 100 and Rickard's Shandy that were sitting beside it. Who says you have to make an attractive label when this ugly one got me to buy this product.

Old Style Pilsner

So lets start off with the ugly can, because...well...you are probably most interested in it. Before I get into the beer, I have to say one thing - this beer is made by Molson! This isn't a small mom and pop shop (err...brewery) brew, this is something made by a giant corporation.

So the label is ugly, so what? You know what is not ugly? The price! That's right, this beer was only $1.90, which is one of the cheapest, if not the cheapest tall boy you can get at the LCBO, it is even about the same price as a PBR.

The beer itself has a pale straw color and pours with a bubbly head that recedes very quickly to a thin ring around the glass. The aroma is typical of such macrobrews - sweet and malty with a hint of adjuncts. The taste is what I was expecting - malty, very sweet, some adjuncts and boozy. Tastes a lot like a regular Molson, except a little sweeter I think. Over time a grassy taste builds up as well as an odd sweetness at the back of my throat.

I wasn't disappointed by this one, but I wasn't expecting much so...you know it is drinkable and some may enjoy it, but...blaaaaargh. Even if I wanted to have more than one, the sweetness will easily stop me.

Taste - 4/10
ABV - 5%

Hockley 100

Here is another light beer for the hot summer nights...except that this one tastes like sweet malt water with some adjuncts tossed in there. The aroma is veeery strong with a lot of sweet malt and butter. The flavour is similar, but with more of the buttery flavour and the finish is more of the same.

I like Hockley, but this just isn't a good brew. Sorry guys. But hey, on the plus side there is no nasty build up of any flavours like the beer above.

Taste - 4/10
ABV - 4.3%

Rickard's Shandy

Sooo, saving best for last? Best by comparison to the previous two.

The beer is slightly hazy (from the lemonade I assume) and pours with a lingering bubbly head. The aroma is strong and veeerry lemony. You can tell there are lemons in this thing from miles away (OK, like many, many centimeters). Also a little bit of sweet malt pokes from underneath.

The taste is disappointingly light and mediocre. The aroma led me to believe I was going to get a lot of lemons and some beer, but what I got instead was a watery beer taste at the start with a light lemon flavour. The finish is refreshing with the medium length lemon notes...and some sweet malt. Overall the beer is light and easy to drink, but the aroma was so misleading. I can see this being hugely improved by squeezing half a lemon in the beer.

Taste - 5.5/10
ABV - 4.5%

Weekend Tastings - Cheap Cider and Fish....ish

How about that GTA storm on Friday, eh? Aside from the fallen trees and some damages the weather got really nice after and stayed cool and sunny for the entire weekend. Sunday was especially nice so I thought it would be to have a few drinks outside on the patio.

Tempt No. 9

I found this one at the LCBO across Sherway Gardens and it took no time for it to win me over with its cool and catchy matte label...and its $1.90 price. 

Well, for $1.90 you do get what you paid for. The aroma does have a healthy dose of sweet strawberries but it also does carry an unpleasant medicinal undertone. The flavour is a bit unbalanced with a mixture of apple and strawberries at the start and some artificial tasting lime right after. Soon after the flavours go away comes a boozy note which lingers well into the finish before it makes way for more of the sweet strawberry flavours...which at this point are a little too sweet and feel a little odd, not quite fake, but odd.

After a few sips I added some ice to the cider, which not made it colder and easier to drink, but also helped turn down the sweetness a little. Though refreshing on a nice sunny day, I think the flavour could be much better or the cider could be improved by adding juice, ice and fresh fruits.

Not the best you can get at the LCBO, but the price is good.

Cost - $1.90 from LCBO

Taste - 6/10

ABV - 4.5%

Kensington Brewing Company FishEye PA

FishEYE PA is not a new beer, but it is new to cans and new to the LCBO. I first had it at the Burger Bar in Kensington Market where it originated last year. In cans, the beer has the same hazy, deep amber color and the same thick, creamy and lacy head.

The aroma is sweet, floral and buttery with a lot of tropical fruits. The taste is similar without the over sweetness or overhoppiness you might find in some similar IPAs. Up front you get a nice tropical fruit flavour with some hops while at the back you get some bittersweet pine, malty and hoppy notes. The finish is bittersweet, but it does seem to lean more towards the bitter side. Some tropical fruits remain, but the majority of the finish is of piney hops. Towards the end of the can some grass notes emerge which tend to add up faster if you have another one.

Overall, a very decent canned version of a pretty good IPA.

Cost - $2.85 from LCBO

Taste - 8.9/10

ABV - 6.5%

Ephemere Black Currant Review

Unibroue's Ephemere is rarely sold in Ontario and when you find one, it is an apple one. We have tried and reviewed the apple one a long time ago and weren't very impressed by it. But the black currant does have the potential to win us over because I absolutely love black currants in any form...especially juice.

When I started pouring the beer, I was caught off guard with its hazy orange-pink color because I was expecting something more purple, or blue, something closer to the color of black currant juice. The aroma, however, is bang on black currant-like and quite intense. The taste is where the all too familiar, dull apple Ephemere flavor returns. Though there is an initial hint of black currants, there isn't much intensity throughout. On the bright side, many of the typical beer characteristics have been preserved and appear alongside the dull black currant taste as well as in the finish.

I expected a more intense tasting beer from Unibrou, but this is still an OK sipper which I will pick over the apple Ephemere.

Scores:
Cost - $1.99
Taste - 5.9/10
ABV - 5.5%

Overall - 5.9/10...dull flavor, though better than the apple one

Aguila Beer Review

Here is something new - beer from Colombia. And it is only $2.00 for a bottle, but mind you, it is a light beer.

The beer is pale golden in color and pours with a very thin, lively head. Its aroma is typical for a light lager with yeasty and grassy notes being dominant. The beer itself is bubbly and light tasting with a mild hoppy finish. There is a bit of a tang to the the taste, which creates a beer with a lemon experience. It does get more sour with time so if you are not into this taste, then you better stay away. There is not much character, but the beer is very easy to drink and very refreshing.

Scores:
Cost - $2.00
Taste - 6/10

Overall - 6/10...citrusy and refreshing but lacks overall character

Grolsch Lemon 2.5 Review

I know this review comes late in the summer season, but I was finally able to save a bottle. If you can't tell from the picture, the bottle is really small - 250 mL. Not only are the bottles small, but the beer is extra light, as in, it is 2.5% ABV. Get it now? Lemon 2.5? So yeah, during the summer months, these went down like water. And don't worry, the price is OK too at $8.95 for a 6 pack.

As you can see from the picture, the beer has a pale straw color. It pours with a thin, medium lively head. The aroma is that of regular Grolsch, and other similar lagers, with hints of lemon of course. The taste is sweet and lemony at the start, grassy in the middle with a very, very light corn/hoppy finish. Overall this is an OK summer beer, which can be made better with a lemon wedge, but ultimately, it lacks character.

Scores:
Cost - $8.95 for a 6 pack
Taste - 5.5/10

Overall - 5.6/10...I give it an extra 0.1 for the surprisingly decent taste because when I first got it, I thought it would taste horribly

Stonewall Light Beer Review

Here is another new product from the shelves of the local LCBO store. This is Stonewall Light, which is a light beer with natural lime flavour. It is made by the same guys who brought you the cheapest beer in the province of Ontario - Cool Beer. Like Cool Beer, Stonewall costs $1.25 CAD per bottle, but unlike the lager, it comes in 275 mL bottles so it actually ends up being a little more expensive if compared on a similar basis.

The clear bottle reveals it all - it is pale straw in color and pours with a very short, lively head. The beer is very lively, perhaps just as lively as the one and only can of PBR I had once and also earned one of my lowest ratings. This is comparable to champagne or soda. At least it has more color than PBR.

The aroma is not bad, but it is nothing to be proud of. It is a combination of grain and corn with grassy notes and a light malty touch. The first few sips are not bad, but this is where the beer stops being good. Malty and grassy notes make an immediate appearance followed by a touch of corn. The finish is mostly corn, but very subtle hoppy notes can be noticed. I could not detect the lime flavour at all. But I think this would be OK with a lime wedge, hell, I will even buy this over a bottle of Corona. It is much cheaper and tastes about the same. This is not the worst thing you can buy from the LCBO, that's for sure.

Scores:
Cost - $1.25 CAD for a 275 mL bottle
Taste - 5.2/10

Overall - 5.2/10...I am not giving it my traditional 0.1 extra for the price, because the taste is nothing impressive

Edelweiss Weissbier Review

I am finally back home after some traveling to the US and in Ontario and one of the first things I did was visit the largest local LCBO to see what new things they have to offer me. Edelweiss is back on the shelves for the low price of $1.95 CAD for a 330 mL bottle. I will call this a cheap beer because you do get something more unique for a low price.

The beer is cloudy and pale golden in color and pours with a short, almost non-existent head. The aroma is typical for white beers but with a twist of cloves and herbs. The taste is dominated by cloves with notes of herbs and citrus making their way through. The mouth-feel is medium and creamy. The finish is medium to long, slightly dry, bears the taste the cloves and some hops. I love getting this beer every time it comes back to the LCBO, it is one of my favourite white beers. The wheat taste is not as strong as with some other similar beers and can be a great way to introduce a complete stranger to the world of white beers.

Scores:
Cost - $1.95 CAD for a 330 mL bottle
Taste - 7.9/10

Overall - 8/10...I give it an extra 0.1 for the low price/enjoyment ratio

Sinha Stout Review

Sinha Stout is one of those beers that I eye every time I go to an LCBO store, but don't buy for months until I really, really want to try something different. I think this should qualify as cheap beer since it costs only $2.00 and is 8.8% ABV.

The beer is very dark brown in color, almost black and pours with a medium to thick tan head, which takes its sweet time receding. On the nose are notes of chocolate, coffee, raisins and dried fruits. The taste is much better than expected with the sweetness of the fruits at the start and the coffee/dark chocolate bitterness at the end. The finish is dry, medium to long with pleasant bitter notes of chocolate and coffee. I am surprised at how good this stout is, and the price is just great. The beer gets better with each sip, which something very unique with cheaper beers. The alcohol taste does not get stronger and the 8.8% is masked nicely. I can guarantee that you will not find a better stout for this price in the province of Ontario. In fact, you will probably not find a much better one for any price in the province. This beer is an all around surprise. Excellent job Lion Brewery, I will buy this again.

Scores:
Cost - $2.00 CAD for a 330 mL bottle
Taste - 8.2/10

Overall - 8.4/10...I just need to give it that extra 0.2 for the surprisingly low price/taste combination

Headstrong Black & Tan Review

Last week when I was at an LCBO in Toronto I came across Headstrong's Black & Tan for the first time. For those who don't know what a black and tan is, check out this Wikipedia article. This combo seems to be something new brewers are trying. A couple of weeks ago I reviewed Alexander Keith's Dark Ale from the White & Dark pack. The can of black and tan costs $2.10 CAD, which is on the low end of the cost scale, something that I absolutely love about the Headstrong products.

The beer is deep walnut brown/red in color and pours with almost no head, just a tan ring. Unlike straight up stouts, the aroma coming from this brew is more subtle. It still bears some of the characteristic coffee and chocolate notes, but they have been weakened by the added pale ale. The ale itself brings some pleasant malty and hoppy notes as well as some dried fruits. The pale ale and stout aroma combination is quite nice actually, only not very intense. The taste is pleasant with almonds and chocolate at the start and coffee at the end, but a bit weak. The finish is medium, slightly hoppy and a little dry with a touch of dried fruits. Overall this is a pretty good mix if you are too lazy to do it yourself and at $2.10 per can you will not regret this purchase. For those who think stouts are too strong, the added pale ale mellows out the intensity of the aroma and flavour so you should definitely give this a chance.

Scores:
Cost - $2.10 CAD for a 473 mL can
Taste - 7.6/10
Overall - 7.6/10...not bad, but I prefer Headstrong's Pale Ale on its own

Cool Beer Lager Review

It has been a while since my last cheap beer review so here is one. This is probably one of the cheapest beers you can buy in the province of Ontario. It comes in 4 packs, which cost $5 and is quickly becoming available in many LCBO stores.

The beer is light gold in color and pours with a short head which disappears quickly. The aroma is typical for most domestic lagers - a touch of malt, light on the hops, adjuncts and something acidic. The taste is similar, except the flavour is stronger than the aroma. The first few sips had the taste of fresh bread, the ones after of grassy hops. A third of the way through, the taste started to turn acidic. The finish is lightly bitter and a touch hoppy. All in all, this tastes like many macrobrews, but is cheaper than most. I have had worse so I wouldn't call this the worst beer I have ever had, far from it actually. This is the perfect beer for guests that don't care what they are drinking and it could definitely turn into an icebreaker thanks to the lesser known name - Cool Beer.

Scores:
Cost - $5 for a 4 pack
Taste - 5/10

Overall - 5/10...it's a pass, but a borderline one since I am feeling generous

Headstrong Munich Lager Review

Having liked the cheap Headstrong Pale Ale, I picked up a can of Headstrong's Munich Lager, which also retails for $1.95 CAD for a can at the LCBO. Will this also make it as one of the better cheap beers? I am about to find out.

The beer has a deeper than the usual lager color, amber, and pours with a short, lacy head, which recedes quickly. Surprisingly the aroma is strong with hoppy notes and a distant citrus scent. The taste is rich for a lager with fruits, some roasted malt and a touch of hops at the end. The finish is dry, and short to medium long. I enjoyed this lager very much. It is more complex than ordinary lagers and is very affordable at $1.95 CAD for a can.

Scores:
Cost - $1.95 CAD for a 473 mL can
Taste - 7.5/10

Overall - 7.5/10...better than average lager with an affordable price tag

Headstrong Pale Ale Review

A couple of weeks ago I went to small bar in Toronto called Smokeless Joe's. It is the type of bar that you can easily walk by if you are not paying attention. It is essentially a basement in a brick house and the only thing that identifies it as a bar to the passer by's is the menu board that leans against the front porch. The bar sells practically every beer that the LCBO carries plus some additional ones on tap. It was there that I first tried Headstrong Pale Ale on tap. At the time I thought that this was a solid British style ale and I didn't know that LCBO actually carried cans of it. I was also surprised to find that the cans cost only $1.95 CAD, a low price, which definitely made this a contender for the best cheapest beer title, currently held by Lech.

The beer is gold/amber in color and pours with a medium thick, creamy and lacy head which takes some time to recede. The aroma is absolutely amazing for a beer which costs less than $2 for a can. It is mostly sweet with hints of dried fruits, hops and some barley. The taste is strong for a cheap beer. The beer is creamy with citrus, dried fruits and toasted malt flavours. Hops come in at the end and help the beer finish on a bitter, very satisfying note resembling that of expensive bitters. The only difference between the can and the beer on tap is the metallic taste the beer in the can develops. If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't think twice about giving this cheap beer a rating of over 8. Having said that, I think that this is the best cheapest beer I have ever had and will be making it the beer I buy in bulk for parties.

Scores:
Cost - $1.95 CAD for a 473 mL can
Taste - 7.9/10

Overall - 7.9/10...best tasting cheap beer I have had to date

Kaiser Beer Review

Today I am trying a cheap beer - Kaiser. Kaiser comes from Austria so I expect a certain quality, even for a cheap beer. A 500 mL can costs $1.95 at the LCBO and you should be able to find it in most stores.

The beer has the typical German/Austrian lager characteristics - it is light gold in color and pours with a medium to thick creamy head, which takes a bit of time to recede. The aroma is also typical for the type of beer with light malt notes and a touch of hops in the distance. The taste is mostly light but very well balanced. Some malt at the start and hops at the end. The finish is short to medium and very crisp. Towards the end of the can, a certain sour alcoholic taste becomes apparent. Overall this is a very light beer which will appeal to those who are trying to move up from the domestic macrobrews.

Scores:
Cost - $1.95 CAD for a 500 mL can
Taste - 6.7/10

Overall - 6.7/10...great light tasting beer with an affordable price tag

Berthold Keller Premium Lager Review

I love the holidays. I love staying home all day and doing nothing but drinking, readings news and books. Holidays can also be expensive, especially with all the specialty and seasonal beers that get released around this time. This is why tonight I am having another cheep beer. I have never heard of this before - Berthold Keller. The only thing I know about it is that the can is lovely and the price is low - $1.95 CAD for 500 mL. Oh, the can, lets talk about that for a second. The can is matte, like Saku, and the label is very plain. What you see in the photo above can also be seen on the reverse side of the can...and that is almost it, except for the ingredients paragraph, which takes up a small space.

Now lets try the beer. It pours smoothly with a short, lacy and lively head. Its color is typical for lagers - light to medium gold. The aroma is nothing spectacular. I sense some hops, but also corn and yeast. The taste is weak and dominated by yeast and corn. At times I get the taste of rice, but at least it is weak. The finish is better than the aroma and taste. Here the hops finally come out, though the experience is weak. The finish is dry...really dry. This isn't a bad cheap beer since it is very easy to drink, but it lacks some flavour.

Scores:
Cost - $1.95 CAD for a 500 mL can
Taste - 6.1/10

Overall - 6.1/10...cheap, decent and dry, but lacks character

DAB Original Review

DAB stands for Dortmunder Actien-Brauerei. I got a 6 pack of these for $11.90 CAD from LCBO and you can get cans for $2.15 CAD or for $1.95 CAD when they are on sale, like at the moment. I will tag this beer as cheap because it is often cheap.

The beer pours with a medium thick head, creamy in the middle. It is light gold in color and the head recedes relatively slowly leaving some lacing behind. The aroma is standard for a German beer of this type - hops, barley and some yeast. The taste is also typical - grain with hops at the end. The finish is not as bitter as other German beers. Overall, this is a solid German beer, which is very easy to drink, but lacks character. I would pick this German macro brew over many of the domestic macros.

Scores:
Cost - $11.90 CAD for a 6 pack
Taste - 6.8/10

Overall - 6.8/10...not bad, but Holsten is just a touch better and the 6 pack is $2 cheaper

Gösser Beer Review

Tonight I am having some sausages so I decided to pair my meal with a cheap Austrian beer. I would have gone for a German one, but it was late and I did not feel like going out. The can of Gösser cost me only $1.95 CAD.

As expected, the beer is light to medium yellow in color and pours with a creamy and lacy head which recedes quickly. It has the common light and malty aroma, but with a slight citrus twist and a touch of hops. Its taste is malty and much lighter than expected. The taste does not come in until the finish, which is hoppy and on the bitter side. Towards the end of the can I was experiencing a sour taste build up, similar to the one you get from drinking beverages with citric acid. This really helped the clean aftertaste, but it was a very weird thing to experience from a beer. Overall the beer is very light and easy drinking, but lacks character.

Scores:
Cost - $1.95 CAD for a 500 mL can
Taste - 6.5/10

Overall - 6.5/10...I would sometimes give beers 0.2 extra if they are cheap and deserve it, but this is nothing exceptional. It is still better than many of the domestic brews

Lech Premium Review

Continuing the cheap beer reviews, I have Poland's Lech Premium. This is a lager, which is a style of beer that I generally dislike. It tends to be very light and bland.

This beer pours with a thin head that quickly disappears leaving no lacing. It's got an attractive straw color, a little darker than I expected. The nose smells like malt and grain. The taste is very light but surprisingly pleasant, tasting like malt and hops. The finish is slightly bitter and quickly disappears, but it isn't as watery as you usually get with this type of beer. There is little more to say about this beer. It has a generic light taste, but for a 5.2% ABV beer, it is quite competent. There is no skunky taste, and the ingredients list no rice, corn, or any other mystery ingredients. It's exceptionally drinkable. This has become my new favorite for a light-tasting day-to-day beer.

Scores:
Cost - $2.05 CAD for a 500 mL can
Taste - 7.5/10

Overall - 7.7/10...really a surprisingly drinkable (+0.2!) beer with a pleasant, albeit light taste. A great find, could be the best lager I have had.

Faxe Premium Review

Tonight I am trying another cheap beer to populate the "cheap beer" section. This is Faxe Premium, a $2.00 CAD Danish lager.

The beer is golden in color and pours with a medium head which lingers for a bit and then recedes without much lacing. The aroma is not a very pleasant and inviting one. It is skunky with a strong alcohol scent. It has a watery mouth feel and a weak, alcoholic taste. There isn't much flavour other than malted cereal. The finish is hoppy, slightly bitter and more enjoyable than the taste. I don't know what it is about this beer, but half way through the can I was feeling more drunk than I usually do from a 5% beer. Towards the end of the can I was experiencing a slight headache and some skunk taste build up. Overall the beer is passable and would pick it over some domestics, but for the price I can find better ones at LCBO.

Scores:
Cost - $2.00 CAD for a 500 mL can
Taste - 5.7/10

Overall - 5.7/10...beats most domestics, but one can do better for the same price

Wernesgrüner Pils Legende Review

We here at What I Drink At Home decided that we should try some cheap beers, something around the $2 CAD mark, something that can be easily found. I would like to start today by reviewing a can of Wernesgrüner Pils Legende, which is actually a very old brew, dating back to 1436. A can of this retails for only $1.95 CAD, which is only 10 cents more than Pabst Blue Ribbon. Watch out for the future reviews of cheap beers and the new "cheap beer" tag we just added.

The beer is light gold/pale straw in color and pours with a thick head which forms relatively slowly when pouring and takes a bit of time to recede leaving some lacing behind. The aroma is quite strong for a beer this cheap - hops with some spiciness and a hint of corn. The taste is a bit weak at first, but hops come in strong at the end and help create a bold taste. The finish is dry and relatively clean. Well, I am quite impressed with this cheap brew and this got me thinking. How can an Pabst Blue Ribbon cost $1.85, but taste awful and how can the Germans make a beer almost just as cheap that tastes like a proper beer?

Scores:
Cost - $1.95 CAD for a 500 mL can
Taste - 7.5/10

Overall - 7.5/10...great start of our new quest to review some cheap beers that can be found in most LCBO stores