Natural Selections 6-Pack, Volume 2--The Bold

Home for the Bold Belgian Pale Ale is Albergrove British Columbia, where it's brewed by Dead Frog Brewery. It's sold in 341mL bottles, contains 5% alcohol and 27 IBUs. It's a very swampy brown ale that pours with a lot of yeast grit and a thick, tawny head.

It has a nose that blends bitterness with malty fruit qualities--there are notes of tart cherry and yeast. I found it to be pretty flavourful for a pale ale with a mere 5% alcohol. It moves from malty to to bitter. It's initially yeasty with some raisin notes, and finishes with spicy, slightly citric hops. It has a quite dry terminus.

If I was in charge, I'd have liked this beer to have a higher octane alcohol content and for it to have poured with little less sediment. That said, it's a nice BC take on a Belgian classic. If I'd tasted it bling, I wouldn't have been surprised to see that The Bold hailed from Antwerp or Bruges. While not exactly outstanding, this beer has a lot of things going for it.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.