Sleeman Clear

I spent A few days in Toronto, Ontario, Canada last month. Specifically March 13-15. What did I do? Well, I drank beer. Lots of it actually.  Well I guess that's not all I did. I made A few great friends too. Yeah, that actually never happens. It did though, I swear... Anyways, over the next many posts I plan on reviewing all of the my libations.

Lets get started.

Sleeman Clear
Sleeman Brewing and Malting Company
Guelph, Ontario
"Light Lager"
4% ABV

Look: Right off the bat you can see the beer.  It comes in A clear bottle, it's impossible not to be able to. It's A very light, "corny" yellow color.  Poured almost no head at all. What did form was about an inch and A half of a rocky, bubbly head.  A sad looking beer.

Smell: Very grainy.  Before I even got close to it, I could smell fresh cut grains and heaps of corn.  Underlying all of that is A musty hint of some old apples and maybe some rusting metal.  I am not detecting anything too discernible except for maybe the corn and the metal.

Borrowed photo from Libres-Penseurs. I neglected to take A photo for some reason.

Taste: Yep, it's A light beer. The first taste I get is actually the non-existent taste. A crisp, watery, drink.  Some light hints of corn and sweet apple linger throughout the entirety. Maybe the faintest taste of some hops.  Surprisingly the beer wasn't skunked because of the clear bottle. I guess you need to actually have hops in the beer for it to skunk though. All in all, it doesn't taste bad, but it doesn't really taste like anything.  It sort of reminds me of Coors light with that hint of fruity banana or apple flavor.

Mouthfeel: Carbonation doesn't sting as much as I thought it may have for A beer like this.  Medium carbonation. Very smooth and easy to put down, especially on A hot day.

Overall:  It's not the worst thing in the world, but it's also not the best.  It's A light beer.  Primarily water.  I can't say that it didn't go down really good after walking around Toronto all day. I'll give it that.

Sleeman Clear gets A 2/5 from me.  I'd drink it again if the circumstance are right.

Egervin Egri Bikavér Bulls Blood 2008

Finally. The time has come for me to do my very first wine review.  My fingers type with glee and jubilation at the thought of scattering this over the millions of feeds that exist on the internet. Oh, what A fantastic idea.

Egervin Egri Bikavér Bulls Blood vintage 2008. A Hungarian red wine. Kadarka varietal. Produced by Egervin Borgazdaság Rt.

(If you would like to learn more about the Egri Bikavér style of wine from Hungary, visit THIS.)

Look: A deep, dark red. I guess that is why they call this "blood." It is as murky and dark as the richest blood any living creature could produce. Pitch-dark puddle of red liquid fills the glass.  I'm sure I could compose A poem just around the look of this wine... I don't have the time though.  I'll leave it to the "experts."

Smell: Very oaky. I'm really amazed at how woody this smells. Some hints of vanilla and over-ripe strawberries sneak in there under the wood.

Taste: The soft acidity of this wine really just glazes your tongue. Sort of like if you poured cough syrup in your mouth and swished it about a bit. Except, this tastes much better. The first taste you get is the smokiness of the grapes used, followed by A strong woody flavor.  Some soft floral tannins   peak through and dance across the palate. Underlying hints of vanilla and peppercorns are present. Just a bit of tartness and some soft alcohol hits the back of the throat. Delicious.

Mouthfeel: A full bodied wine. Velvet smooth with some soft acidity. Does not burn the tongue or throat. A very harmonic composition to say the least.

Overall: I absolutely love this wine. It has easily become one of my favorites.  I would recommend that everyone who is A wine drinker give this one A try. At $8.99 A bottle, you can't go wrong.

Egervin Egri Bikavér Bulls Blood 2008 gets A 5/5.