Not only is it time for another #Beersaturday it's also time for another battle of the Beers! This time I'm pitting two heavy weights in the beer making world against each other - Belgium and Germany. I think this is going to be an all out war. I really should caveat this though, and point out that neither of the Beers that I'm reviewing actually come from Belgium or Germany. They were brewed in Canada and merely mimick the beer styles of those other country's. That being said, let's compare some beers shall we!?! We'll start with the German beer.

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Absent Landlord Kolsch Ale

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Brewery: Cowbell Brewing Co
Origin: Blyth ON, Canada
Style: Kolsch Ale
Abv: 5.3%

Marketing: White, yellow and a subtle use of silver in this beers color palate. Matt finish on the can and the yellow color on the outside matches yellow of the liquid on the inside. Key and key lock hole imagery to go with real-estate landlord theme of the name. Additional ancedotal marketing on the back of the can along with food pairing and tasting notes on side. 4.5/5

Color: Golden yellow liquid, straw colored with a very flimsy head that was almost nonexistent. 4/5

Nose: Sweet malty aroma, cereals, and hay. 6/7

Taste: Surprisingly malty taste given this beers color. Mildly sweet upfront with a long bitter finish. 5.5/7

Texture: Well carbonated, small bubbles, light bodied. A very pleasant texture overall. 5/6

Impression: A very good beer. Lots of flavor and aroma. More on the bitter side than sweet, which I like. I enjoyed it on a sunny day and would have it again for sure. 25/30 for an 83% drinkability rating by me.

Belgian Style Ale

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Brewery: Henderson Brewing Co
Origin: Toronto ON, Canada
Style: Belgian Ale
Abv: 5.5%

Marketing: Checker pattern, green colored image a a moose. There does not seem to be any connection between the can and the Belgian style of beer inside. Almost no additional information about the beer. Overall I'm not a huge fan of this can. 2.5/5*

Color: A deep rich amber colored liquid with a creamy head both in color and texture. A thin layer of foam that lasted a for quite some time, which was nice in my opinion. 4.5/5

Nose: Sweet malty aroma, brown sugar, candied fruit and maybe some mild grape must. 6/7

Taste: Malty. Sweet up front with a quick bitter finish. Candied fruit notes, plum, and toffee. Definitly a very fruity tasting beer thats just a little on the sweet side for me, but with a decent amount of bitterness to balance it out. 5.5/7

Texture: Mild carbonation, creamy mouthfeel, medium bodied. 5/6

Impression: This was a pretty decent beer for me though it was a little sweet. I'm not sure if this beer tasted like something you would actually find in Belgium or not but definitely is a good representation of a North American interpretation of a Belgian ale (if that makes sense). It was malt forward like a Belgian but a little high on the fruity side rather than caramel. If it were a true Belgian beer it would probably be 6-8% abv based on my humble experiencein the country. This wouldn't be my "go to" beer of choice but I would buy it again. Actually most of the lost points come from its marketing. Nonetheless, for me this ended up with a 23.5/30 or 78% Drinkability rating.

Conclusion

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There you have it folks, two heavy weight brewing country's in the world pitted against each other in an epic battle, and a close one for sure. This time around Germany came out on top, though only just slightly. Kolsch Ale for the win!

Well thats it for this Battle of the Beers. Until next time, thanks for stopping by. Cheers everyone!