Delicious nectar and a nice bottle to boot.

Although the French are known more for their fine wines, they’re no slouches when it comes to beer either. If Kronenbourg isn’t enough to convince the skeptics, then Fischer Blonde should put an end to the argument against French brew-ology. Clear and golden in colour with a large but light head that dissipates quickly, Fischer is nicely carbonated and crisp in the mouth. The mild flavour is very well-balanced for a 6% brew – slightly hoppy with hints of herbs and citrus. Clean and refreshing, this delicious lager would drink well with pretty much anything you barbeque, or as a perfect thirst-quencher on a hot summer day. Now that summer is almost here, I’ll be making some room in my fridge for this gem. And I’ll need to make a lot of room – did I mention it comes in a nice big 650 ml bottle?

This is the stuff dreams are made of.

Bacon. Beer. These are the things I dream about at night. At a beer tasting event last night, I was introduced to a German beer that sounds too good to be true. Those who don’t count bacon as a distinct food group might not think that a bacon-flavoured beer would be very good, but believe me, it works! Brewed in Bamburg, Germany for 300 years, Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier (“rauchbier” is German for “smokebeer”) is a delicious lager with a sweet, smoky flavour that comes from roasting the malt over open fire. Perfectly balanced, the smoke manages to be the dominant flavour without ever overpowering the sweet malt flavours that make this bacony nectar so drinkable.

The verdict? I can’t recommend this beer enough. It might not be the type of beer you’ll want to drink all night (or, it might), but it would be great with a hearty meal – think barbequed sausages or stick-to-your-ribs stews and soups.

Pint of the black stuffs cousin, landlord...

Don’t call it a Guinness wannabe because it’s anything but. Murphy’s Irish Stout has been on the beer scene for some time now but for the most part, has gone unnoticed by most with the exception of your typical beer enthusiasts and tryers-of-something-new. While Murphy’s has a similar 10W-30 look to Guinness, the flavour yields a sampling of rich chocolate with a less bitter but slightly dry aftertaste. The smooth consistency of the head is brown in colour and is a nice introduction to the remainder of the light-bodied pint. Consider Murphy’s as the pre-game warm up to a long night in the pubs.

This guy has A LOT of vices

After months of planning and talking about it, the time is finally here. Welcome to the Vice Report. We’re a couple of guys based in Toronto, Canada, with a solid appreciation of the vices that are so readily available. There are many of them, and without spending all your time indulging, it can be difficult to know what’s good, and what’s crap. That’s why we’re here – to help you navigate the many options that present themselves wherever you buy your vices.

This being a public web site, and we being upstanding members of the community and all, we will limit the topics to legal vices only. If you’re looking for a review of the latest shipment of Jamaican Gold or Columbian marching powder, you’re in the wrong place. If, however, you’re getting tired of your standard case of Molson Golden and want to expand your palate a little bit, we can help.

For each product we review, we will tell you the good, the bad, and any other information you need to know about it so that you can impress your friends with your newfound knowledge! But don’t worry, we’ll keep it casual, because that’s just the type of guys we are.