Elora Irish Ale
All or Nothing Brewhouse

 

 

 

Labeled as Trafalgar Irish Ale.

Reddish brown colour, collar of tan/beige head, some lace as well. Smell has some attractive roast qualities, chocolate and coffee, black liquorice, some sweet caramel malts and a touch of smoke. Taste is mostly sweet toffee and caramel, some unexpected berry flavour, lactic sourness, small doses of roast and some leafy hops. Mouthfeel is a trainwreck, watery with a high active carbonation and very thin. When looking at this and smelling it I thought that this could hold some promise but it was quite bad, 4-5 oz was plenty, avoid this one.

 

 

Although not clearly the Elora Ale series, it seems to fit the reviews.

A - Pours a surprisingly dark ruby red colour, finger of head with little retention and some sporadic lacing.

S - Caramel with a touch of smokey peat and some rusty metallic espresso notes.

T - Much like the scent with the bready caramel and peat notes dominating. A tad tart and an off sour carboard citrus flavour lingers.

M - Probably the best factor of this ale, nothing overly offensive.

O - One of the better Trafalgar Ales I've tried to date. I still struggle to see how this company gains the distribution rights over some of the higher quality OCB offerings available. I'll continue to give it a chance, but I have yet to be blown away.

650 mL bottle picked up at the LCBO along with a few other randoms. Never had any of Trafalgar's beers but their reputation sort of precedes them. Fortunately I always try to stay open-minded when new breweries are concerned, and I'm not exactly hard to please when it comes to Irish reds, so we'll see how this goes.

Pours an attractive amber-copper colour, topped with a very thin tan head. The head doesn't last very long but there is some stringy lacing left on the sides. The smell is of sweet roasted malts; toffee, brown sugar and a bit nutty.

Actually this stuff ain't half bad. Dark roasted malts, a bit of toffee and nuts, with some spent coffee grinds. A bit of hoppy bitterness and baker's chocolate in the finish. The flavour is actually quite nice, very nice balance between the malts and bittersweet finish, it just seems kind of watered-down or diluted somehow. Medium-bodied without much carbonation; very smooth going down.

Wasn't sure about this stuff after the first sip but it kinda grew on me. Nothing epic about this; it's a mediocre Irish red. Worth a try, but I think I still like Smithwick's a bit more.

UPDATE: Tried again 12/04/2011, this time in a 500 mL re-branded "Irish Ale/Traditional Brown Ale" bottle, but it is clearly the same brew with no modifications that I can discern from the previous try. Drinkable, not off-putting, but as I predicted I have had Smithwick's a few times in between the last review and now... it is less bland and watery than this.

Another courtesy of TheHammer. Finally, my last beer from the OCB series 2 gift pack that has been hiding in my fridge.

Pours a deep amber with ruby red highlights. Two fingers of creamy off-white head top this beer, with suddy bubbles floating on top, leaving behind a decent amount of lace.

Sweet smell of dark fruits, juicy raisons, caramel and toasted malts. It took awhile for it to come out, but it was nice when it did. My only complaint is that the nose seems somewhat simple and constrained.

Dark fruity esters, grain, a hint of coffee and light toasted malt are seemingly all that goes on in the taste. Much more subdued in comparison to the smell. Instead of some hops making an appearance in the finish, the sweet notes just drag out until the end, becoming more and more watery as they move along.

Light bodied and very watered down. Decent balance between the limited amount of tastes. Good drinkability, but I'm not sure if I would want more than one of these.

Overall, a decent offering from Trafalgar but much better than the Robert Simpson's Confederation Ale I had much earlier, which was part of the same pack. I couldn't see myself buying this again, but it was worth a try for me.

The best tasting of This brewery's reincarnations of the old Elora Mill product line. sugary aroma. Watery mouthfeel which is DNA of this brewery. Looks and smells and even tastes like cola, with moderated carbonation.
Passable beverage, nothing that hits the style.

From the OCB discovery pack no. 2.
341ml bottle poured into a mug.

A - Poured a dark brown with a hint of red. No head. Not much carbonation either. Looks like cola that's gone flat.

S - Toasts and malts with a hint of coffee.

T - Caramel malts, burnt toasts, coffee, and hop bitterness at the end.

M - Flat. Minimal tingling of bubbles on the tongue. Smooth, bordering on watery. It's not doing it for me here.

D - Flat burnt coffee. One is enough for me.

Deep reddish brown with almost no head to speak of. No head, no lace.

Dried fruit, nut, and mild roasted malt aroma. Toffee.

Sweet dried fruit and mild roasted flavour on the palate. A little bit nutty. Earthy hop flavour. Mild bitterness. Tastes like it smells, basically. Bitterness gets more assertive as it gets warmer.

Thin bodied, lightly (but noticeably) carbonated. I think it could be a bit more substantial. Not a bad beer though, otherwise. I got through it pretty quick and easy, for what it's worth.

Another bottle from this summer's OCB mix six pack that I received on a recent trip to Ontario. I was looking forward to this one, as I really enjoy Irish Reds.

Pours a really dark reddish brown, with a finger of slightly off color head. Head was in no hurry to evaporate and left some decent lacing down the side of the glass.

Smell is slightly hoppy, with some sweet malts.

Taste seems a bit off. There is an uncharacteristic flash of hoppiness to start out, though this quickly gives way to a slightly sweet and creamy finish.

Overall, not quite your typical Irish Red. The extra hoppiness kept throwing me off a bit, but a decent brew when everything is said and done.

Poured a dark copper colour with a very fluffy and over-carbonated head. The head though was of nice colouration: off-white towards the brown spectrum. All from a 341mL standard brown bottle.

The smell is off. Overly hopped and of burnt malt. Not the worst, but very dry and sweet at the same time.

Taste was overly sweet, with a bitter finish. Carbonation was achieved in bottle through secondary fermentation. Actually offsets all flavours.

Kind of gross after a couple of sips, nothing too surprising considering the sweetness and bitterness.

Could not muster to get through the first to be honest, let alone thinking of opening another.

341ml bottle. Pours clear dark copper with a medium off-white head. Smells of lightly toasty caramel malts and some slightly metallic notes. A bit sweet. Roasty caramel flavors; overall pleasant maltiness. Very little hop character aside from some light bitterness. Medium/full body with low carbonation. A surprisingly nice take on an Irish red.

Poured a 341-ml bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance - dark copper with a light beige foam head that holds on for a little while and then slopes up the sides. Good sustained lacing throughout.

Smell - malted barley and some nutty characteristics with a slightly caramel scent.

Taste - pretty good to what my expectation was from the aroma, definitely tastes of roasted malt with a gentle but firm hop presence at the end. There's just the right amount of sweetness on the palate and then a clean finish.

Mouthfeel - this is a smooth beer. It's got some fizz but it's not poppy and it coats the mouth in a decent way.

Drinkability - this happens to be the only one I have from a Discovery Pack but I'd choose it in the future against many other options.

Another one of the OCB Discovery pack #2

Appearance: The beer poured with a sold two fingers of head, and retained half a finger of it for a good long time, even if it barely laces. The beer itself is a dark brown with a touch of red to it that shows a bit of carbonation.

Smell: The beer itself is quite pleasant but it took a good deal of warming to come out. Definite malt mixed with dry hops and a touch of an almost tea like aroma. The background has some notes of butterscotch and toffee, but it's really hard to make out.

Taste: Starts with the sweeter malts which then turn a bit more aggressive as the hops take over, but are very well balanced. The experience is finished off but a butterscotch flavor mixed with the hops and an almost almond taste.

Mouthfeel: The carbonation for this beer is quite solid, but the bitter hop and almond aftertaste is a bit pungent however it doesn't linger at all so that's a good sign.

Drinkability: Well, on one end, the beer is medium on the stomach and has no gas issues. On the other end, it is a bit rough going down, although not so rough that it stops you from drinking it. It's also not that refreshing, but that's kinda to be expected from the style.

Final Thoughts: Overall, not a bad brew, and I'm glad it didn't possess the heavy stomach feeling that commonly comes with this style. There is certainly room for improvement, but all in all solid offering that is worth a try.

Pours a dark deep brown with a small white head that quickly vanishes.

Smells of breaded/toasted malts, sort of sweet and hoppy.

Nice and malty and spicey upfront, bready notes and finishes off nice and hoppy. This more tastes like an english ale like fullers than a Irish red.

Watery mouthfeel, but a nice refreshing beer.

P: Thank you to my big sister and her family for turning me onto the Ontario Craft Brewers' Discovery Pack No. 2: 6 assorted bottles. All the way from Toronto. Nice Christmas gift, EH?
#3 in a series.

A: Pours a dark mahogany with ruby flarings when directed at the light. Minimal white head dissipates immediately before settling to a paisley island of foam.

S: Interesting aroma: Toasted malt with suggestions of coffee, butterscotch, and green apple.

T: Opens mildly sweet with a surprisingly bitter bite. Continues with notes of caramel malt, toffee, butterscotch, and coffee. Finishes dry with a trace of vanilla.

M: Extremely thin-bodied mouthfeel, bordering on watery with pronounced carbonation on the tongue.

D: Its light-bodied nature makes this Irish Red Ale easy to drink. A complex nose and interesting taste profile provide enough character for session drinking.

Picked this one up as part of the Ontario Craft Brewers Discovery Pack. I felt this was sort of the odd pick of the bunch, since Trafalgar has a lower profile than the other breweries, but let's see if they're onto something.

Medium-brown/cola colour, with a thin off-white head that dies down. The smell's great - big fruity and malty aroma that caught me off guard, with a floral and hoppy bite. Definitely not what I was expecting from a casual glance at the outside of the bottle.

Fruity and caramel tastes dominate upfront, while at the back there's a pleasant surprise from a bitter hop kick. The aftertaste is dry and distinctively nutty. The medium carbonation mixes well with the smooth mouthfeel.

Ultimately, it's an enjoyable, refreshing ale. I hope Trafalgar can keep this up. They've shown themselves to be a worthy addition to the Discovery Pack.