My second foray into the Alexander Keith's Hop Series was their Hallertauer Hop Ale. This tasty brew, born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, at the Keith's Brewery. It clocks in at 5.4% alcohol and is sold in 473mL cans. H.H.A. is a clear copper ale with a lustrous (almost) white head.It's pleasantly aromatic, with slightly sweet metallic notes and a fair degree of floral hop bitterness. This stuff is really quite exceptionally flavourful for a brew produced by a Canadian macrobrewery. There is a bit of malt body, but it is dwarfed by a significant hop flavour. The can told me to expect an herbal and slightly spicy hop quality. Personally, I prefer the word floral to herbal, but there definitely is a mild spice kick that closes the book on this stuff. It has a relatively dry mouthfeel.
While I typically prefer the tang of cascade hops, I liked this stuff better than the Cascade Hop Ale. I wouldn't have complained if there was a bit more development on the front end. Still, Keith's has done a creditable job of showcasing the Hallertauer hop in an interesting and flavourful way. Maybe there's hope for Canadian macrobreweries yet. Also, well done by Keith's for finally brewing ales that actually taste like ales.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10.
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