Smithavens Brewing Company, a new-to-me Ontario brewer, works its magic in
Peterborough. I spotted a 500mL bottle of Smithavens' Kellerbier
recently, and it took little convincing to give the bottle-conditioned,
5.2% alcohol lager a go.
Upon my initial pour, the
pale golden lager had a look that wasn't exactly clear, but very close.
By the time I reached the bottom of my bottle, this had converted into a
cloudy dull gold, owing to the stirring up of yeast in the bottom of
the bottle. It was amply carbonated and bore a sudsy white head. The
Kellerbier had a very grainy scent, fresh and with a subtly bitter turn.
The flavour kicked off with some sweet malt and grain elements, before
shifting into a dry, bitter finish. According to the label, this lager
contained a mere 20 IBUs, but I'd have pegged that number considerably
higher, given Kellerbier's arid and hoppy finish.
This
Peterbourian beer tastes like a sudsy treat from the Czech Republic or
Germany, rather than one that hails from central Ontario. I found it to
be nicely balanced and I was able to come up with very few negatives,
making this beer a real winner. I'm now extremely curious to check out
other offerings from Smithavens--a trip to Peterborough may even be in
the offing.
Rating: 9.0 out of 10.
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