Better Days Pale Ale

A perk of being a known beer geek is that people who don’t really know you still try to dazzle you with beery gifts. Such was the case when new pal BB provided me with a 473mL can of Better Days Pale Ale. The beer comes from Jarvis, Ontario’s Concession Road Brewing Co. It’s a 5.1% ale with a lowly 16 IBUs. It de-canned with a a clearish rich gold colour, loads of carbonation, and a thick layer of off-white head.

Better Days has a fruity, grain-heavy aroma. The flavour is extremely sweet, with considerable maltiness and a slightly metallic streak. The beer has berry and nectarine notes, and a bit of toffee on the finish, alongside a faint English-style bitterness.

My first glimpse of Concession Road’s offering didn’t exactly wow me, but it did make me aware of an Ontario brewery that was otherwise unknown to me and that I’ll look out for in the future. Perhaps a visit will be in the offing post-pandemic? And I did enjoy it a fair bit, despite it being notably too sweet. And many thanks to BB for her generosity and thoughtfulness.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.