Fortunately, I managed to keep drinking during those troubled times. In fact, I've built up a large debt of blog posts to catch up on at this point, some that have forced me to buy extras of the beer just to remind my taste buds of how they felt about a particular can. This has all lead me to keep my empties collecting somewhat spotty (although not unsuccessful), and my attempt at free drinking to dip fairly far into the "it ain't free" category.
However, the show must go on!
I found myself up in Mississauga a few weeks ago, helping out someone explain a piece of technology to a company. With the 401 near Toronto always being a gamble for traffic, I left myself plenty of leeway in the time department. This resulted in smooth sailing on the highway, and me twiddling my thumbs in the parking lot for a potential hour. So, I did what any self-respecting human would do: I researched the closest government-run alcohol dispensary.
My searchings didn't take long, as there was a Beer Store just down the road. What it did provide was a unique opportunity to find a beer in this area that I usually wouldn't find at my local dispensary. And although I didn't find any Mississauga local beers (at least none I wanted to investigate further), I did find a Dutch beer I'd never seen before, and a chance to break into two forays I never had before.
A "strong" beer, and a beer I'd never tried before.
Introducing:
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| THE NAVIGATOR! |
I was really expecting it to be quite bitter - back in my youthful days when I drank hard alcohol, I remember the higher percentage being more and more bitter. And at 8.4%, we were nearly in wine territory (which I absolutely despise).
However, it was quite the opposite. It had a rich, maple-like taste, and very little aftertaste. It was certainly a thicker beer, just on the border between free-flowing and a fine paste. However, the taste was a surprise. It actually reminded me somewhat of Budweiser.... but only better. I found myself sipping it for quite a while, perhaps an hour in total, while my day winded down. It's certainly not a beer you can drink fast; I suspect any attempt would get you 1: really bombed, and 2: sick. The taste is something you want to savor, not guzzle down like you're at a frat party and the hot girl you never had the nerve to talk to just showed up and is looking at you. In short, the taste is very rich. Don't drink it fast.
The can design is cool, with a deep red surrounding with an olde-timey ship majestically floating along the maple sea; this made me figure that it was brewed in a town right against the North Sea, but I was moderately surprised to find out that it was brewed in Enschede, a small-ish city deep in the Netherlands, right on the border with brewmaster Germany. There also didn't appear to be much water around Enschede, and it wasn't particularly close to Amsterdam (the XXX crest on the can), so there were those confusing aspects of it. But hey, who cares?
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised, and had a pretty solid buzz even after sipping it. It's not a beer you'd show up to a party with, but if you were out at the cottage or puttering around your house and had only one beer and a lot of work to do, I have a feeling it'd keep you feeling nice and warm inside.
I wouldn't recommend it with food either. Food would probably just ruin the maple taste. This is a beer meant to be enjoyed a la carte.
Of course, it also costs a pretty penny at the LCBO, ringing in at 2.75 a tallboy. That's a minor detractor, but it certainly didn't help me on my way to free drinking.
Net Zero Drinking:
$11.20 purchased
$10.90 returned
$0.30 down
