Trafalgar Celtic Ale
All or Nothing Brewhouse

 

Bought a 24 pack at the Beer Store a couple years ago and this is the 1st beer I have ever not been able to finish, it is truly awful. I still have a 6 pack in my basement that I've been meaning to return to Trafalgar Brewery. Stay clear of this one.

Bottle bought on a visit to the brewery. Poured into a pint glass.

A: Dark Ruby with an off-white head that actually has some ok retention and even some lacing.

S: Raspberries, cherries, some floral notes.

T: My first thought is not only raspberries, but that it's some faint framboise beer with yeast notes and a few hops. Also - fairly balanced - carbonation and the few hops help cut the sweetness.

M: good carbonation; a little thin.

D: quite good. Would actually drink this again, and even recommend for light food pairing, which is contrary to a lot of Trafalgar's offerings. In fact, I wish they would make more beers like this.

I had never heard of this beer until I ran across it at the local LCBO. The price was right - under $30 for a 24. The clerk had some digging to do in the back but finally produced two 12 packs (apparently the only way it is sold) and I was on my way. After arriving at home I discovered that four of the bottles were covered in mould and one of the bottles was half full. I promptly returned my purchase and was compensated. The point is to be careful - the Celtic beer you buy may very well have been sitting in the back collecting dust for God knows how long.

OK. After finally getting hold of a good batch I was pleased to find that the beer was actually better than I was expecting but that really wasn't saying too much. It looked like flat cola and had an overly sweet taste that I found, at times, cloying.

I've probably reviewed this one before under a different name/label, these guys are notorious.

Pours a clear red/brown, thin off white head forms, nice lacing, head disappears pretty quick, leaves a ring around the glass. Smell is sweet, fruity, bit of caramel, floral, not too bad. Taste is the same, toffee, malt, bit of roast, some floral fruitiness, pretty thin, weak finish. Mouthfeel is light bodied with medium carbonation. Par for the course with Trafalgar, thin, weak, but ultimately pretty drinkable.

One of the dozen I picked up from the brewery earlier this week.

This came from the bottle a dark brown with an assertive slightly off-white head finishing with a ring around the glass and a slight cloud on top. This however has a very metallic smell to it that is not terribly appetizing, almost resembles a macro lager in that sense. This is however somewhat redeeming in the flavor, there is a malt presence that carries throughout and finishes quite cleanly. Also this is quite refreshing and fairly easy to drink.

Overall I would say this is definitely one of Trafalgar's better offerings, Certainly worth a try.

Pored a medium dark chestnut color...has a creamy head that does not last to long...modest lacing. Aroma is sweet caramel, a slight wisp of roasted coffee over this brewe'rs signature sour-musty yeast smell.

Mouth feel is the typical watery diluted experience that is the signatiure of this brewer...however we have some toasted malt tastes with some sweeness and light nutty decernment and resinous hops that sharpen the taste at the finish. Finish is wet and anticlimactic.

This is the best offering I tasted from this brewer but it's still just a diluted version of a brown that is too sharp from hard sulfided water and lacking in thick malt spine and nutty yeast profile to make it a fair rendition of a brown ale. I think I've bought my last one.

Clear, dark, reddish brown topped by a thin light brown head with fair retention. An herbal hop aroma was dominant with a bit of malty caramel and nuttiness. The malty caramel character was stronger in the flavour, almost toffee-like, and the nuttiness was a little stronger as well. Bitterness overcame sweetness towards the finish, with a fairly pronounced herbal/floral hop flavour, almost cola-like. The finish was on the dry side, partly due to graininess. Medium body and carbonation. Overall, fairly neutral and decent with food.

On-tap sample from their new minipub attached to the brewery. Darker with very creamy head, a result of high carbonation. Thin with some Creamy mouthfeel, malty sweetness, candyish, a faint amount of hops. Tad of nuttiness like a brown, its not a brown.