Almanac
Shacklands Brewing Company

Appearance: Poured with three fingers of head on a fairly modest pour, which retained exceptionally well and laced quite a bit. The body is a whirlwind of carbonation within a semi-opaque brown body with red highlights. Another mild complaint, after a few minutes some black grit seems to have settled at the bottom of the glass.

Smell: Even after ample warming, I'm not getting a lot out of this one. Apart form some mild caramel malt, there's not a lot to say on this front. Nothing bad, but very basic and mild.

Taste: Starts with fruity caramel malt as berry and apple notes come forward implying Belgian yeast, it shifts to less sweet but rich toffee with a touch of orange zest before a mild earth bitter touch sweeps this away. It's an excellent marzen with Belgian yeast added in to produce additional complexity.

Mouthfeel: The carbonation here is very high, but it doesn't over accentuate any one aspect of the beer and comes across as a bit too frothy. That said, the transitioning is done well and the mildest of toffee aftertastes is nice too.

Drinkability: On the lighter end of medium bodied, despite the high carbonation it settled down exceptionally well and it's that kind of easy drinking that could work any time, save only the most sweltering summer days.

Final Thoughts: I saw told by a friend that Shacklands is the best brewer of Belgian style beer in Ontario. After having this, I'm inclined to agree, as they masterfully worked that flavor into this marzen hybrid. That said, the beer could use a bit more nose, but given how well everything else was done, that's a minor complaint. Not quite sure I'm willing to give them the title from New Limburg quite yet, but this is certainly a statement for them. Thumbs up.