Alexander Keith's Cascade Hop Ale

From the Keith's Brewery in Halifax, Nova Scotia, comes Alexander Keith's Cascade Hop Ale. This beer was my first foray into the Alexander Keith's Hop Series, a line of hop-focused brews from Nova Scotia's premiere macro-brewer, seemingly looking to tap into the craft beer market.

Sold in 473mL cans, the Cascade Hop Ale contains a healthy 5.5%. It has a West Coast pale ale aroma of citrusy hops and evergreen. It's a clear golden brew with tonnes of carbonation and crowned with a thick, off-white head.

This was a fairly easy drinking ale. Its hoppy flavour is pretty agreeable--a much braver hop presence than the large Canadian marcro-brewers tend to risk. This stuff tastes like a fairly decent micro-brewed pale ale, though it is much fizzier than most. The mouthfeel is dry and there isn't much of an aftertaste.

This would be a stronger beer if there was a bit more balance--the underlying ale is quite plain. Still, it's as interesting a macro beer as I've tried in a long while. I say give it a shot.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.