Beer of the Week - Half Pint Brewery -IPA and Stout

A couple of weeks ago, Teena was in Winnipeg and came home with lots of new beers for me to try.

Among them were two from Half Pint Brewery, 6 of their Little Scrapper IPA and 2 Stir Stick Stouts.

She is so good to me!

I could not find too much information on Half Pint Brewery except that they opened in August of 2006 and have had to expand their capacity twice in the past four years in order to keep up with demand. Located in downtown Winnipeg, it claims to be Manitoba's only remaining Manitoban-owned brewery. Fort Garry is brewed in Winnipeg but is co-owned by Russell Brewing in BC.

In October of this year, Half Pints installed a pair of 40-barrel tanks, which will increase its capacity by nearly 50%. The new tanks boost the brewery's capacity to 8,000 hectolitres a year, or nearly 100,000 two-fours. That's up from 1,500 hectolitres or about 18,000 two-fours when Half Pints started up nearly four years ago.

The website lists all the places that serve their beer on tap. Quite a few places in Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan carry Half Pints on Tap.

And the beer? I decided to start with the Little Scrapper IPA as I had more of them to hopefully enjoy.

It pours a slightly dark amber in colour with a nice head that does last. This ale is cloudy which suggests it is unfiltered. The website does say it is, "unfiltered, unpasteurized and unadulterated."

There is that familiar aroma of hops when I had a smell. When I sip, immediately the hops are in the foreground of the taste. Surprisingly the hops diminish in the finish. Usually when hops are at the front of the taste, they last all the way through the finish but not here. Instead the hops level off and there is more malt in the finish than hops.

It is a very nice, enjoyable IPA. Not sensational but very nice. Sure won't be hard making the other 5 bottles disappear.

It's now a day later and I am trying the Stir Stick Stout. It comes in a regular size 341 ML bottle but is unusual in that the bottle is not only capped, but the bottom of the cap is also sealed in wax. The website does not say why but it definitely forces the drinker to use a glass, which you should for a stout or porter ... really any beer.

The beer is unfiltered, dark brown, almost black in colour and very lively when poured. It instantly had a huge head, which took a little while to settle before topping up for the picture. I could smell the roasted malt and some coffee in the aroma. No surprise as they use an Ethiopian coffee in their brew.

The coffee is the first thing tasted when sipped and last through to the finish. There is a creaminess to this stout which I enjoyed. Many other brewers I find can't get this creaminess in their stouts. I enjoy a bitter beer but found the coffee adds a harshness to the beer which takes away from some of the total enjoyment.

This is a beer I could have only one or two of before switching to something else. A good stout, but not a great stout.

Over all I would say that Half Pints Brewery makes very decent beer. I would not hesitate to have any other of their brews. In fact, Bar Volo in Toronto carries Half Pints on Tap. I'll be trying one next time I'm there.

Thanks again, Teena, for picking these up for me!

The Fighter

Yesterday Teena and I went to see The Fighter. Life story of boxer "Irish" Mickey Ward and his trainer brother Dick Eklund, chronicling the brothers' early days on the rough streets of Lowell, Massachusetts through Eklund's battle with drugs and Ward's eventual world championship in London.

This was a very enjoyable movie. It's a boxing picture which focuses mostly on the relationship of Mickey Ward (Mark Walberg) with his drug addicted brother Dick Eklund (Christian Bale) and the rest of his dysfunctional family.

It is said that Christian Bale lost 30 pounds for the role. He looked it. hard to believe this skinny anemic person was Batman. I feel too he should get a best Supporting Actor nomination for his role.

The fights scenes were great and the plot never slowed. This is a movie which benefits from being seen on the big screen. I give it an 8 out of 10.

Been a good month for movies for me.

Read Teena's review here.

Christmas Downtown

After seeing True Grit, Teena and I decided to have a look around the Dundas Square - Eaton Centre area.

So here are a few shots of what we saw.

The giant Swarovski Christmas tree said to have over a
million dollars worth of crystal hanging from it.

Boxing day may be over but the sales go on, as do the crowds of shoppers.

In Dundas Square

Me by the Swarovski Christmas tree

True Grit

I was always a John Wayne fan and was glad that he won his only Oscar for True Grit back in 1969. It was one of the very few roles where I felt he played a character instead of playing John Wayne. I really enjoyed the 1969 version and, in fact, watched it again on Wednesday night.

Today Teena and I went to see the newest version with Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn. This version was supposed to be truer to the 1968 novel by Charles Portis.

"Following the murder of her father by hired hand Tom Chaney, 14-year-old farm girl Mattie Ross sets out to capture the killer. To aid her, she hires the toughest U.S. marshal she can find, a man with "true grit," Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn. Mattie insists on accompanying Cogburn, whose drinking, sloth, and generally reprobate character do not augment her faith in him. Against his wishes, she joins him in his trek into the Indian Nations in search of Chaney. They are joined by Texas Ranger LaBoeuf, who wants Chaney for his own purposes. The unlikely trio find danger and surprises on the journey, and each has his or her "grit"

This was an excellent version which I give an 8 out of 10. Jeff Bridges was a more slovenly Rooster but I thought both Bridges and Wayne played the role excellently. Hailee Steinfeld was excellent as Mattie Ross and very equal to Kim Darby who had the original role. The improvement in this movie was Matt Damon was much better than Glen Campbell as the Texas Ranger LeBoeuf (in the new version always pronounced Le Beef).

The 2010 have some different twists and is told in a slightly different manner. I thoroughly enjoyed both versions and would recommend seeing this on the big screen while you can.

Now after seeing both versions, next up for me is the book.

Beer of the Week - Harvey's Bitter

For Christmas this year I received a very unique beer from Teena's sister Sarah, and her husband, Joey. They live in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where Joey's boss ,Justin, is a home brewer.

In 2009, Garrison Brewing held their very first ever Garrison Ultimate Brew-Off. The style of beer for the 2009 brew-off was Standard/Ordinary Bitter. Participants had to brew a 20 litre (5 gallon) batch of beer for the contest. When the judging was over, Brian Harvey has won with his Harvey's Bitter.

So what do they win, besides the glory? The winner goes down to the brewery and has their winning brew replicated, labeled and bottled for sale. They did that in the spring of this year.

I'm not sure that Justin had a hand in developing the award winning recipe but he was in on the brewing. After all he is mentioned on the side of the bottle:

"Harvey's Bitter" is a premium small-batch brew in the "Standard/Ordinary Bitter" style and winner of the 1st annual "Garrison Ultimate Brew-Off"! Homebrewers Brian Harvey, Justin Lockhart and Steve Trickett worked with Brewmaster Daniel Girard to produce & package the winning recipe. Mild in maltiness & hop aroma, this highly "sessionable" brew delivers on taste & character. Cheers!"

What a thrill for a home brewer!

So Christmas Eve when I opened up a certain gift, there was a bottle of Harvey's Bitter and I knew what this week's beer of the week would be.

And how does it taste?

The beer pours an amber, maybe dark amber colour, with a nice head. I let in sit for a few minutes and found the head stayed well. The beer has a nice aroma. Maybe a little nutty but the malt is coming through.

At 3.8% alcohol, I was very surprised at how much flavour there is throughout this beer. In true tradition of a bitter, the hops are present from start to finish but not in an overpowering way, but very present.

I love a beer like this and certainly can see why this was a winner. I would have this beer anywhere anytime.

At 3.8% APV, this would be considered a light beer. It begs the question, how come other breweries cannot come up with light beers with flavour like this? Only this beer, Muskoka Cottage Brewing with their Pilsner Light and Grand River Brewing with their Mill Race Mild have ever come up with a great light beer.

I would drink this often if it was available.

Sadly, and I hate to bitch about a present received, but Sarah and Joey only gave me one!

Just One Bottle of Grolsch Before Supper

Last weekend Teena and I went to my sister Judy and her husband, Doug's to do the Christmas thing.

Among other gifts, much to my delight they gave me a bottle of Grolsch. Not just any bottle of Grolsch but a huge bottle complete with the flip top cap.

How huge?

1500ml huge! That's 50 ounces if you are in a country that isn't metric.

I am mostly an ale man but Grolsch was the first lager which I really enjoyed. I bought it often. Now there are many lagers I enjoy but Grolsch is up on my favorites list and one I still keep bringing home.

So today I'm just going to have a bottle of Grolsch before supper while I watch the Big Bang Theory marathon. What a great way to spend an afternoon.

Time to go pour myself a glass. Good thing I do some weight training at the gym.

Thanks, Judy! Thanks, Doug!

Christmas Fridge - 2010

Since I decided to really start exploring beer, I have had a lot of variety of beer in our fridge. I must say that Teena is very patient working the groceries around the beer stock and has been firm when I feel we should throw out the milk in order to jam in another new beer that I have discovered.

In last year's Christmas fridge post, I said that "In 2010, one of my goals is to get a beer fridge for the back room so Teena does not have to work around getting all the shopping fitted into the fridge around my beer."

OK, that didn't happen. We redid the back room and cannot figure where a beer fridge might go. So instead we, meaning Teena, is still working around the beer.

This is the third year I have taken stock of the beer in the fridge at Christmas. Interesting to see all that I have to sample over the holidays.

In 2008, I had 7 different beers. In 2009, I had 11 different beers, 12 if you count the two different years for the 2008 and 2009 Fullers Vintage Ale.

This year, it's 11 different beers, 13 if you count the 3 different years for the 2008, 2009 and 2010 Fullers Vintage Ale. Some of it has some volume. This year I am doing it in two categories, old favorites and new brews.

Old Favorites
- King Pilsner
- Flying Monkees Hoptical Illusion
- Mill Street Tankhouse Ale
- Grolsch Lager - Big 1.5 litre bottle - Thanks, Judy and Doug!
- Fullers Vintage Ale, 2008, 2009

New Brews
- Half Pints Stir Stick Stout - Thanks, Teena!
- Lake of Bays Mocha Stout
- Half Pints Little Scrapper IPA- Thanks again, Teena!
- Thirsty Beaver Amber Ale - Once again thanks, Teena!
- Church Key West Coast IPA - Growler -Thanks, Gord!
- Harvey's Bitter - Thanks, Sarah and Joey
- Fullers Vintage Ale 2010.

Teena also has a Keiths IPA.

Sure looking forward to some sampling and posting during our vacation.

Happy Holidays!

Book: Call Me Russell - Russell Peters

This candid, first-person memoir chronicles Russell's life from his humble beginnings in suburbia as a scrawny, brown, bullied kid with ADD all the way to his remarkable rise as one of the world's top-earning comics. This is a shockingly honest book filled with poignant memories of his family, his life and his career. Call Me Russell is a deeply inspirational story for aspiring artists of any culture about having hope, working hard and dreaming big.

As I have said before, I usually do not like autobiographies very much, but now have read two in a row that I have really enjoyed.

I am a big fan of Russell Peters who is a stand-up comedian from Brampton, which is just outside of Toronto. His stuff is hilarious on TV and even better live. Teena and I were at a sold out show over over 17,000 people at the Air Canada Centre last year.

To my delight, the book is very honestly written. I gained insight into his life, the inside of the the Canadian comedy industry, and the comedy industry, both on TV, in movies and the stand-up scene from around the world. It was a very easy read, enjoyable and fast moving.

I found him humble yet very proud of where he was from, where he is now and how he got there. He sums it up at the end, that in a very fickle industry all that he has accomplished was "through no fault of my own".

I found myself liking him more at the end of the book, than when I started, and I liked him going in. A book definitely worth the read.

2001: A Space Odyssey at the Bell Lightbox

Mankind finds a mysterious, obviously artificial, artifact buried on the moon and, with the intelligent computer HAL, sets off on a quest.

2001: A Space Odyssey is a countdown to tomorrow, a road map to human destiny, a quest for the infinite. It is a dazzling, Academy Award-winning visual achievement, a compelling drama of man vs. machine, a stunning meld of music and motion. It may be the masterwork of director Stanley Kubrick (who co-wrote the screenplay with Arthur C. Clarke) ... and it will likely excite, inspire and enthrall for generations.

Tonight Ian and I went to see 2001: A Space Odyssey at the Bell Lightbox.

Last time I saw it was on TV back, maybe in the early 90s. First time I saw it was with my Film Ed class in grade 9 at the Glendale theater where it played for over 2 years, and again at the same theater during its long run. I wondered how the picture would stand the test of time, especially with all the eye- popping computer graphics they have now.

The Bell Lightbox showed the film in its original 70mm format and even had a short intermission, as in the original, to change up the reels.

The special effects stand up excellent. I found some of the scenes way too long. I know the space scenes were to be an inter-galactic dance but they could of been half as long with the same effect. The story is slow moving but that was the way I remember it. I don't think many of today's kids would like the pace of the film, which is a shame.

2001, though, has one of the most memorable movie scenes ever. It's about a 20 minute sequence between Dave and a pleading HAL9000, the ship's computer, that no science fiction toay could match. It alone is worth the price of admission.

Again, I find the end totally weird but good for discussion. I'm real happy I went and saw this movie in its original format, the way it was show 42 years ago.

I found this piece who was the art director for 20th Century theatres and operated the Glendale as a Cinerama venue. "Interesting anecdote about 2001 A Space Odyssey at the Glendale: not long before the picture opened, one of the bookers complained to me that they were contractually obligated to play this piece of crap for a minimum of 3 months. He was convinced that the weekly gross wouldn't even cover the house nut. Little did he know that the picture would have the world's longest run at the Glendale... 127 continuous weeks. Not just that, but it eventually came back and played the there for many more profitable months."

Note: the Glendale, like many other great movie houses in Toronto, does not survive today as it was demolished in 1975.

Cheering on Team Canada at the ACC

The company that Teena works for gave her a pair of tickets in the company's private box to go to the Canada - Sweden hockey game at the ACC.

Although it is not a tournament game, it is a warm up to the Junior World Hockey Championships which is being held in Buffalo, NY. It may be a warm-up game but the place was 90% full and loud.

It was a great night! We were looked after very well in the box with food and beer and the game was very good. It was a hard hitting chippy type of game.

Canada took a 2-0 lead in the second, but it got a little tense when Sweden popped in a goal on Roy, who played a great game. A late third period goal followed by an empty netter sealed the deal.

All in all a great night! Thanks, Teena!

Take a look in the net! Brayden Schenn scores the opening goal of the game.

The fans were in a patriotic spirit

Olivier Roy was great in the net, stopping 29 shots in the game



It was lonely being a Swedish fan tonight!


I made a new friend.
Natasha was our hostess and looked after us very well.


Celebrating our victory!

This photo was in the hallway. The last Toronto Maple Leaf team to win a Stanley Cup way back in 1967, celebrating in the mayor's office at City Hall.

A Gord's Eye View of Toronto - TIFF Bell Lightbox

Last week I concentrated on the south side of King between John and Peter St.

This week it is the north side and The TIFF Bell Lightbox building.

It's not that I'm lazy but the building is new and tomorrow night I am going there to see 2001: A Space Odyssey in its original 70MM format. So today at lunch I walked over to confirm the ticket price ($15 tax included), show time and had a look around.

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has been around since 1976 and began as The Festival of Festivals. I always liked that name. It was changed to Toronto International Film Festival in 1995. In 2007, Time Magazine noted that the festival had "grown from its place as the most influential fall film festival to the most influential film festival, period."

It has grown so big that it needed it's own headquarters. Built at the corner of King and John, the TIFF Lightbox houses 5 theatres, a public art exhibit area, 2 restaurants, a lounge and of course souvenir store. Condos rise above it and my guess is they were built to pay for the TIFF headquarters. Soon there will be a spa.

One of the best parts of the TIFF Lightbox is that it is bringing back many of the older classics in their original form, which is why I am going to see 2001: A Space Odyssey tomorrow. They brag that 100 classics are to be shown this season. Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia are on my radar and I know Teena will want to see Pee-wee's Big Adventure.

I think I'll come to know this place well.

Looking from the South East corner of King at John

Tim Burton has an exhibition there

Gosh, there are so many people to thank!
OK, it's not mine. On display at the TIFF

Beer of the Week - Fort Garry Brewing Pale Ale and Dark Ale

Recently Teena was in Winnipeg and brought me back a lot of local beer to try. I think she likes me.

Included were 4 cans from Fort Garry Brewing located in downtown Winnipeg. 2 Pale Ales and 2 Dark Ales.

In doing some research, I found that Fort Garry Brewing does have an interesting story that goes back 80 years.

Fort Garry Brewery was originally opened in Winnipeg in 1930 by B.W. Hoeschen selling two brands of beer. Frontier Beer won "Best in Class" in a beer competition in England against other Commonwealth breweries. In 1960, Fort Gary was sold to Molson's and in June, the name was incorporated as Molson's Fort Garry Brewing. That did not last long as Molson merged with Carling O'Keefe in 1990 and closed the facility.

In 1994, another Hoeschen came on the scene. Richard is the great-great grandson of B.W. and "resurrected" the brewery under the Fort Garry name. In fact, the brewery claims that their Frontier Pilsner, which they brew now, is from the original recipe for the Frontier Pilsner brewed back when the brewery first opened in 1930. The demand was good and he had to move the brewery to a large 25,000 square foot facility to keep up with present demand, and future expectations.

Richard passed away in 2002 but the brewery lived on and was quite popular in Manitoba. In 2006, the President of Russell Brewing in BC, Andrew Harris, saw a similarity in his brewery and Fort Garry and in 2007, Fort Garry amalgamated with Russell Brewing, which still brews under the Fort Garry name.

Teena brought me home 2 of their brands, the Fort Garry dark, which was the first beer Andrew Harris tried which peaked his interest, and Fort Garry Pale Ale.

I decided to try the Pale Ale first as from the website tasting notes the Dark seems a more fuller tasting beer and would likely overpower the Pale Ale if I had it first.

The Pale ale poured with nice white head and is amber in colour. As I sipped, there were traces of lacings down the side of the glass. It is a little watery and weak in taste and slightly sour in the finish. This seems to beer a beer brewed more for the beer drinker who enjoys more of the big brewery style beer and is really not what I look for in a craft beer.

The Dark Ale poured with a much better head which seemed to linger. It is very dark brown in colour with a mild aroma. It too is a little watery but tasty. There is a coffee flavour in the taste, not strong but is there. The flavours all seem to finish quickly. Nothing is overpowering but it is an OK beer. I was hoping for something a little more substantial but it is a nice drinkable beer.

There is nothing bad with either beer but, as I said before, they are not really what I look for in a craft brewery beer.

Souvenirs for Gord from Manitoba

Teena was in Winnipeg for a day and a half on business and promised to bring me back a couple of local beers.

When she arrived home, her "carry on bag" was bulging and had to spend i's time with the regular luggage, due to it's weight.

What made it bulge?


2 tallboys of Fort Garry Dark Ale, 2 tallboys of Fort Garry Pale Ale, 2 bottles of Half Pints Stir Stick Stout, 1 tallboy of Thirsty Beaver Amber (from BC) and 6 bottles of Half Pints Little Scrapper IPA.

All that and two tee-shirts.

Now I know what my next three beers of the week will be.

I also know that I have a great and thoughtful wife! Thanks Teena!

Book: The China Wall: The Timeless Legend of Johnny Bower

I rarely ever watch hockey these days but growing up in the 60s I was a huge hockey fan. I ate slept and breathed hockey and lived and died with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Even better for me was that the 60s were the glory years for the Leafs and their fans ... four Stanley Cups, Armstrong, Kelly, Shack, Mahovlich, that great defense of Baun, Brewer, Stanley and Horton, and, of course, my favorite goalie of all time, Johnny Bower.

When I saw this book of the shelf at the book store, I knew it was a must read. I was disappointed to find that it was a biography as I find most not very good. I usually come away disappointed but not this time.

He started playing in the AHL in 1945 and toiled there until 1954, when he spent a year with the New York Rangers in the NHL where he set a team record for most wins by a rookie goalie. Then for some reason, he was sent back to the AHL. In 1958, at 33 years old, he was picked up by Punch Imlach to play for Toronto and then the good times started to roll for him and the Leafs. He played in the NHL until he was 45.

He tells his story very well. He comes through as a humble person, not scared to speak of the highlights of his very career and life, but does not wave the banner in a bragging manner that I find in most autobiographies. He is appreciative of the chances he was given, the advice he received.

I love the chapter that tells the story of how he was chosen to sing Honky, the Christmas Goose back in 1965. It is quite comical. Interesting to note that he sold over 40,000 records and at the time was biggest selling Canadian record up to that time. You can listen to it here.

I have never met the man but know he is one of the most well-respected people in Toronto. He works hard for different charities and I have heard how he is always there for the kids and fans. I can feel that in this book. Toronto is lucky to have had him wear the Leaf uniform and lead us to four Stanley Cups and equally lucky he decided to stay and be a great citizen to this great city.

This book is definitely worth reading.

Here is a short 1 minute tribute, showing many highlights of his play in the NHL. It too is worth taking look at.

A Gord's Eye View of Toronto - The Entertainment District

The Entertainment District of Toronto is a constantly changing area of movie theaters, live theaters, night clubs and restaurants. Note that Toronto has the third-largest centre for English-language theatre, behind only London and New York

A city block was knocked down to house the new Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Bell Lightbox building, which was just completed, which houses condos and 4 or 5 theaters which feature old movies brought back in their original format. I have not been yet but hope to see both 2001: A Space Odyssey and Lawrence of Arabia.

Across the street is an string of restaurants housed in buildings which were built many decades ago and have a lot of charm to them. It's a mishmash of different styles and cuisine, something for every one. I like the charm of all these places seemingly thrown together. A mixture of yesterday and today.

But that is changing in this constantly evolving neighborhood. Seems that a developer is looking to throw up a 39 story "mixed use" building which means stores and condos. My feeling is if they tear down this block, downtown Toronto is again losing a part of it's eclectic feel, its wonderful mix of past and present.

Too bad. I love this block.

On the north side of King, the Bell Lightbox home of the TIFF with a bistro, an upscale restaurant and 5 theaters.

Damn!

Looking west along King from John

Beer of the Week- The Beers of Maredsous Abbey

OK, I must admit that when it came to choosing this week's beer, the glass chalice is what put it over the top. The Maredsous Gift Box comes with three abbey ales from Maredsous Abbey, a blonde, a brune and a tripel... oh yes, and a beautiful glass chalice.

To do this properly, I tasted the beers in succession, starting with the light Blonde and working to the tripel, with a proper rinse of my new glass in between. This is the first time, though, that the beer of the week has taken two days to complete.

Maredsous Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Belgium which was opened in 1872. The monks of Maredsous are Benedictines who follow the thousand year old rule of life composed by St. Benedict who opened the first Benedictine monastery around 529.

Abbeys provide food and drink for themselves. It seems brewing beer is always a part of any monastery and for good reason. In times of fasting, beer is the monks liquid bread.

Maredsous makes an abbey ale. Abbey ale is a term associated with beer brewed by non-monastic types, frequently under such a license. In 1963, Moortgat brewery, which also produces Duvel, began brewing the beer under license from the monks of Maredsous using the original recipes. As it is brewed off site, it is considered an abbey ale. Profits are used to help the monastery and to fund charitable projects.

Trappist and Abbey ales are types of beers are meant to be drank from a goblet or chalice in order to "enjoy the generous nose". Hey, I have the proper glass. Time for some tasting.

Maredsous Blonde: This was the Abbey's very first beer. Their website says that the monks still drink this beer for lunch each day and logs in at 6% APV.

The beer pours amber in colour and the head and lacings did not disappoint. I am a little stuffed and could not detect any aroma. I handed the glass to Teena and she, with her excellent sense of smell, could not detect any, although she too is a little stuffed.

In the taste, though, the flavour really comes through. The list of ingredients on the bottle may state water, barley, malt, hops, sugar and yeast are involved. I am a little surprised at the sugar as it's the malt which usually provides the alcohol.

I was also surprised about the spiciness in the beer. There are no outside spices added so this must come from the strain of yeast used. Excellent.

A wonderfully crafted ale.

Brune: Originally this was only made for Christmas but is now brewed year round. Good to know that I am drinking this during the proper season. It pours brown in colour with a nice head and decent lacings. Again not much in the way of aroma but more malt in taste than the blonde.

There is a slight spiciness which must come from the yeast working with the malt, as there is no spice added. There is also a slight taste of alcohol in the taste. This is a nice beer but not a great beer.

Tripel: This one used to be produced by the monks for special occasions. Today I had to miss my fencing tournament due to bad whether so in a way is a special occasion as usually on tournament day I am not home. Now it too is now brewed year round.

This one pours coppery in colour. It has a nice head with lots of lacings on the glass. I can smell the alcohol in this one, not surprising as it weighs in at 10% APV. I can also smell spice and again there is no spice added to this one.

The tripel is a little heavier in taste but quite similar to the Brune. Once again I get the sensation of spice and surprisingly ... very slight caramel?! Again, a nice beer but not a great beer.

This gift set is a decent set to try. I had a wonderful blonde and two other nice beers and am left with a very nice chalice which I will use for winter warmers. If you have a chance to pick up a gift set for yourself or someone else, this would be a good one to get.