Fun Juice New England Pale Ale

According to the 473mL can, Fun Juice New England Pale Ale has “intense tropical flavour” and “an explosion of citrus”. Sounds about right for a sweltering and muggy July evening. The beer comes from Toronto’s Great Lakes Brewery. It’s a 5% hazy pale ale with a swampy golden colour and pours with a bit of off-white foam. The beer is brewed with “southern hemisphere hops”, oats, and wheat.

To my sniffer, Fun Juice had aromatics that blended sweet with tangy, and featured passionfruit and citrus notes. The flavour was juicier still, particularly initially, though in more of a fruit medley sense—I had a hard time picking out individual fruit flavours, and so I’ll rely on the old standby descriptors of tropical and citrus. The beer has a smooth texture and a finish with a healthy hop presence, but likely few IBUs.

Fun Juice is tasty, dangerously crushable, and bright. It’s what I think of as an “uptempo beer”—one for getting things started or for lighthearted merriment. I’ll definitely buy it again, though I’d be grateful if a bit more definition among flavours and a bit heartier finish.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.