"Sticke" means secret in some circles. I guess every beer could be called "sticke', since most brewers do not post their recipes. Except for Stone Brewing; every year they post the complete recipes for their EPIC ales. It could also refer to a slightly stronger alt that is brewed in limited release.

Sticke Alt (Les Trois Mousquetaires) = 7/10

Ratebeer 3.53 95th percentile
Beer Advocate 87 (Hey no letter grades anymore)

The secret is out, this beer is pretty good. The roasted, fruity nose is not unexpected from this dark brown pour. Each sticky sip provided ample toffee, roasted coffee beans and resinous hops. Even the herbal hops and slight green apple - not tart-  flavours did not seem out of place.

Taste +3
Aftertaste 2
Alcohol Content 0 6%
Value +1
Appearance +1

Uerige Doppel-Sticke

Ratebeer 3.95 100th percentile
Beer Advocate A-


Taste +5

• nose: slight berry, roasted malts with only the faintest hint of bitter chocolate.
• very assertive roasted/burnt with bitter chocolate and espresso
• slight hopiness shows through with earthy and flowery
• at the end a slight hit of molasses

Aftertaste +2

• long lingering of bitter roasted chocolate and watery coffee
  

Alcohol Content 0 5%

Value +1

The best mass produced stout around.

Ingame Enhancement +1

Every day is a good day when you drink this beer.

Overall 9/10

If you like dry chocolaty stouts, this is the one. If you like Guinness, try this one and you will never go back to the black can again.

Blackheart Oatmeal Stout
Hammer Imperial Stout and Get Rich Quick
Stone Bitter Oatmeal Stout and Failure

Archibald Ciboire IPA

Ratebeer 2.85 25th percentile
Beer Advocate B+

Taste +1

This was not a great beer. Its nose was ripe with caramel and vegetal. The high carbonation gave a very mineral taste. It was creamy with a medium mouthfeel, but more like a amber ale. I never really noticed a hop presence.

Aftertaste -1

After the creaminess left the hop bite was minimal at best. The hops were a little soapy.

Alcohol Content 6% +1

Value 0

This was a very lackluster and uninspired beer. Very overpriced at $10 a 500ml can. I don't think I would pay $1 for this swill again.

Ingame Enhancement 0

I had this beer in the Quebec house at the 2010 Olypmic Games. At least the floor show was excellent.

Overall 1/10

I'm not sure if I got a bad can, or it got too warm, but this beer stank. For an IPA there was no hop bite and lame, tired malts. I would rate Alexander Keith's a better IPA than this.

Brew Free or Die IPA
Sergeant's IPA
Red Racer IPA

Flavius: We need to get more readers, maybe a tv reality show.
Meterman: Perhaps try quality content worth reading.
F: NO I have it! "What not to drink!" our twist on the make over fashion show "What not to wear."
M: This might work as well as your porn keywords idea.
F: This will be better. We can talk to people in pubs and insult the beer they are drinking. Then we can give them tips on better beers to drink.
M: This could be very dangerous.
F: How so?
M: What if you do this in a biker bar and the person really likes Budweiser!

Trois Pistoles (Unibroue)

Ratebeer 3.97 99th percentile
Beer Advocate A-

This complex, strong beer used to be a Clan ARC favourite. While this honour has been bestowed upon Palo Santo Marron, we often do not have $22 to throw down on a 4-pack of beer.

Taste +3

Well now; there is no missing the pungent aroma of dark fruit, coolness, menthol, yeast and alcohol. Right from the start you know this will be a complex beer. Straight off you are assaulted with a thick malt sweetness, full of dark fruits and apricots. This is very well enhanced with an alcohol tingle, carbonation effervescence and yeasty crispness. One might pick up flavours reminiscent of sour-dough bread.

Aftertaste +2

You just can't seem to rid your mouth of the lingering yeasty fruitcake flavours. It is very similar to eating fruitcake when your Grandma added too much rum.

Alcohol Content 9% +1

Yippeee.

Value +1

This is a very interesting beer. Well worth the $6 you pay for a 750ml bottle. I plan to keep one in my fridge from time to time.

Ingame Enhancement +1

No L4d tonight, but I can vouch for the fact that this beer lead to some great CSS nights in the past.

Overall 8/10 BOOM NIGHTWARE HEATSHOT

What more do you want in a beer? Big flavours, lots of alcohol, big fancy bottle and reasonable price. After one of these brews in you, the concerns about your friendly fire will cease to bother you.

Route Des Epices (Dieu Du Ciel - Quebec)

Ratebeer 3.37 75th percentile
Beer Advocate B


Taste +1

I'm sure this is a fabulously complex beer and has won awards somewhere, but I did not like it. It started off nice; standard red ale with a nose of malt sweetness and hint of spice. The first sip began with a nice opening malt sweetness with hints of dark fruits and chocolate; then came the spice. Have you ever dumped too much pepper in your chili? This was the same; a spicy pepper wave came out of nowhere and ruined everything.

Aftertaste -2

This god-awful peppery spice filled the mouth and would not go away. To make it even worse, there was this slight warmth that traveled around the mouth and headed down the throat. It felt like someone stuck a few peppercorns in my toothpaste.
Alcohol Content 0 5%

Value 0

It was not bad beer, just a style I did not care for.

Ingame Enhancement 0

I think I had to miss a few rounds, because this beer had to be poured down the sink.

Overall -1 EWWW

I am really trying hard to think of something nice to say about this beer. Ok. I tried. It might make a good marinate for a pepper steak?

Flavius: I have finally found a situation where playing video games has helped me in real life.
Meterman: You recently got back from LA; please do not tell me the game has GTA4 or Saints Row.
F: Luckily no, it was GRID and Gran Turismo.
M: Navigating the LA freeway?
F: Nope; kicking ass on the go-kart track.

Chambly Noir (Unibroue)

Rate beer 3.33 72 percentile
Beer Advocate B


Taste +3

The nose is pleasantly light with caramel, toffee and plums. At first sip the heavy carbonation floods the mouth are carries a citrus and molasses wash with it. The usual Unibroue yeastiness is there, but it added an unusually smoothness. Mixed in with all this is a sour fruit (lemon) tang.

Aftertaste +1

Once the sourness and yeast flavours fade with the bubbles; you are left with a delightful malt and molasses sweetness.
Alcohol Content +1 6.2%

The alcohol taste is apparent, but it enhances the sour flavours very well.

Value +1

Meterman was impressed with this one and would get it again. I believe the standard 750ml corked bottles go for around $6.
Ingame Enhancement 0

Meh, no zombies tonight. The scary part is that in real life, I often find myself bumping my hip against expensive cars. I think it a habit; set off the alarm and the zombie fun is soon to come.

Overall 6/10

Meterman was particularly taken with this darker Unibroue style. It focused more on the dark fruits and less on the light breads and yeastiness. Not as good as some of the other Unibroue flavours we have reviewed.

Flavius: I decided to seek professional help to improve my video gaming.
Meterman: Wow. What did you do, get online coaching from a pro?
F: Nope, I went for body modification.
M: Oh crap! Did you have cheat codes tattooed on your forearms?
F: Nope. I had a manicure. With long nails I was always poking myself in the eye when I drank my beer too quickly.

Unibroue 4 Centuries

Ratebeer 3.57 88th percentile
Beer Advocate B+

Taste +3

The nose is typical Unibroue; yeasty, spicy (pepper and coriander), vanilla and alcohol. As with all Unibroue pints, the flavours are mildly complex. You can pick out cloves, allspice with just a little orange and citrus fruits. All of these rest on a carbonated, yeasty, light malt wash.

Aftertaste +1

Very clean finish, with a full mouth tingle mixed with bitter sweet citrus fruits.

Alcohol Content +1 7.5%

No surprises here; all Unibroue beer are above 7%. It is hard to taste the alcohol in this one, other than the obvious tingle.

Value +1

It cost about $7 for a 750ml bottle; essentially this is 3 regular beers in one bottle. I would get it again.

Ingame Enhancement 0

No L4D tonight. Hey, I can't play violent video games every day. Studies have shown that violent video games might negatively affect behaviour. I personally don't believe these people, I play violent video games and am a gentle and mentally stable person. Anyone who tells me differently will get a kick in the crotch!

Overall 6/10

Typical Unibroue. It is nice, but you must like strong, yeasty, spicy beers.