The Pint Jockey Online: Trafalgar Ales and Meads

Showing posts with label Trafalgar Ales and Meads. Show all posts

Monday, 15 December 2014

The 2-4 Beers of Christmas: Day 14 Chocolate Orange Porter

Beer 178 Chocolate Orange Porter

Trafalgar Ales and Meads

Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Flavoured Porter 5.0 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 500 ml.
$4.45 (Canadian) At the LCBO

Twitter: N/A

Down again to Trafalgar who I see is busy revamping their brewery and expanding their operations. They are adding a distillery to the brewery and meadery (I'm excited!) They are doing some Moonshines (chuckle, looking forward to trying!) So their website is being redesigned, and hopefully they will be engaging social media more (They never did do twitter). I will keep you updated on the brewery links page.

Onto the beer!

Pours a translucent dark brown with an off-white head made of small bubbles. Aroma is triple sec and marmalade, with just a hint of cocoa. First sip is orange peel with some marmalade sweetness. It then moves into some dry malt with some bitter cocoa notes.The body is quite thin, almost watery and not what I would imagine from a porter. Finish is dark roasted malt some chocolate and bitter coffee. Aeration gives us a hit of triple sec.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional

Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 3/6 SO-SO
Re-Order: 2/6 SO-SO
Experience: 3/6 SO-SO
Christmas Spirit 1/6 FAIL

Final Thoughts:

I was excited by this beer, I sort of pictured a nice deep rich porter with a "Terry's Chocolate Orange" feel to it. What I got was something more akin to marmalade on toast with some coffee and cocoa powder sprinkled on top. I would drop this into the avoid category.

Cheers And Beery Christmas

CJT

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Monday, 24 March 2014

Beer # 104 Trafalgar Ale and Meads Smoked Oatmeal Stout

Smoked Oatmeal Stout

Trafalgar Ale and Meads

Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Smoked Oatmeal Stout 5.0 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 500 ml.
$4.55 (Canadian) At LCBO
Twitter: @trafalgarales

Today's beer has the more tenuous connection to the St. Patrick's Day beers I have in my fridge of fame this week. Its only connection is that it's a stout, and Ireland is famous for stouts... and it's made with oatmeal. But it was available at my local and I decided to throw one into the mix anyway. I haven't been down to Trafalgar in a while, they are an excellent brewery West of Toronto and they produce some very interesting brews. Including a couple of very high alcohol brews "Black Bullet" and "Korruptor." (neither of which I can seem to find anymore... someone message me if they are still being made?)

Enough reminiscing... onto the beer.

Inky dark brown in colour with a light tan head made up of small bubbles that disperse quickly. Opaque but with a slight reddish hue when held up to the light. Aroma is sweet, dark, syrupy, molasses, and roasted malt, with just a hint of whiskey barrel. First sip reveals a beautifully light and refreshing ale with fruity hints. There is sweetness at all levels through the taste and the smoke holds out for the very end, like a distant fire smelled across a snowy field at night. Excellently balanced between sweet, smoke, malt, and molasses. Aeration gives us a hint of the oatmeal and more smoke.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional

Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Re-Order: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Experience: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL

Final Thoughts:

This beer is the antithesis of what the layman considers a "Dark" or "Stout" beer... but in a good way. This is what a stout SHOULD taste like. Restorative, refreshing, not a lot of alcohol, light bodied, and fruity. The smoke in this is perfect it is not distracting from the beer as many other smoked beers I have tried. It sets up a foundation, a backbone that the rest of the flavours can build on. In a world where everything is taken to excess, where, more hops, more smoke, more everything is quickly becoming the norm... It is nice to find a beer that is what it is advertised as, a good easy drinking brew. Highly drinkable, definite reorder, but always better to share with a friend.

Cheers
CJT

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Sunday, 1 July 2012

Beer # 81 Maple Leaf Lager

Maple Leaf Lager (Elora Grand Lager)

Trafalgar Ales and Meads
Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Lager 5.0 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 650 ml.
$3.95 (Canadian) At The LCBO

Twitter: n/a

Two beers for the price of one in a brew by two breweries for the price of one... No, I haven't been drinking... yet. Maple leaf Lager goes by the Name of Elora Grand lager, for most of the year, but around Canada Day, it gets a little patriotic and sheds it's traditional label for something a wee bit more festive. Now the two breweries part. The Old Mill Brewery in Elora was purchased by Trafalgar Ales and Meads in1997 and they continued to operate in on site until 2000 when budgetary constraints forced them to close the Old Mill. Since 2000 all Elora Beers have been brewed at Trafalgar's Oakville Brewery.

Onto our first Canada Day Brew:

Pours a very light coppery gold, with a thin skiff of a white head. Nose is pure malt and hops. First sip is grainy and sugary, malt and slightly bitter medicine. Some earthiness, and a little woody. Aeration smooths out the beer, and enhances the herbal hoppiness. Finish is short warm notes of roasted grains.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional

Cost: 5/6 PASS

Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 4/6 PASS
Re-Order: 4/6 PASS
Experience: 4/6 PASS

Final Thoughts:

Not an entirely memorable beer, but not an entirely bad one for that matter. Certainly head and shoulders above the other "Barrel-wash" Lagers and Pilseners of the "Big Three." Deeper tones than the rain watery "Euro-lagers," But not a great contender for a recurring spot in the Fridge of Fame in Pint Jockey Headquarters.

Cheers
Happy Canada Day
CJT

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Friday, 10 June 2011

Beer # 57 Maple Bock

Maple Bock Lager

Trafalgar Ales and Meads, Oakville, Ontario, Canada (Independent)

Bock 6.5% ABV Brown Glass Bottle 650ml

$4.55 (Canadian) At LCBO.

Last of my old notes... consider the inbox cleared. One more trip down the QEW to Oakville for an unfortunately less than stellar offering from a great brewery.

Very dark brown with a hint of red. Thin off-brown head that disperses quickly. Sweet, caramel maple nose, fudge like. First sip is smoky, watery, more maple sap than syrup. Strong almond extract flavour and the maple sugar taste is overpowering, tastes artificial. Light molasses in the finish. Syrupy mouthfeel. Aeration intensifies the almond extract.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional

Cost: 5/6 PASS

Colour: 5/6 PASS

Beer Style: 3/6 SO-SO

Re-Order: 1/6 FAIL

Experience: 2/6 FAIL

Final Thoughts:

A rare miss for normally excellent Trafalgar. Too watery, sweet and full of unwanted flavours.

Stay tuned for a week of new beer notes

Cheers
CJT

Beer # 56 Trafalgar Bock

Bock Lager

Trafalgar Ales and Meads, Oakville, Ontario, Canada (Independent)

Bock 6.5% ABV Brown Glass Bottle 650ml

$4.50 (Canadian) At LCBO.

Back again to Trafalgar an excellent little brew house down south of Toronto.

A dark walnut-brown red, with a fluffy light tan head made up of small to medium bubbles, that die down quickly to a light skim across the top of the beer. The nose is apples, oak and vanilla. A hint of smoke, and earthy, fallen leaves. First sip gives us a malty mellow fruity lager, tartaric acid is prevalent leaving a granny smith taste near the finish. Surprisingly light, effervescent, cider like feel. Molasses and malt on the finish. Two months of Lagering and one month of aging give this beer it's well balanced and complex character. Creamy mouthfeel similar to a cremant or another sparkling wine. Aeration gives us toasted malt bread.