De La Mimico

 Brewed as an homage to Belgian pale ales, De La Mimico comes from Toronto’s Great Lakes Brewery. A 4.9% Belgian-style pale, the beer comes in 473mL cans that celebrate the Humber River. The beer is orange-gold and pours with an impressive fluff of white foam.

DLM has yeast, orange zest, and something slightly spice to the nose (coriander?). The flavour charts a similar course, with Belgian yeast and citrus esters leading the way. There is some citrus bitterness here, but it is softened by the yeastiness.

The beer is soft in texture, with refreshing witbier characteristics that make De La Mimico a nice choice for a hot afternoon. I’d have liked a bit more hoppy oomph, but I’ll live.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Neon Wasteland

Neon Wasteland, from Toronto’s Rainhard Brewing, is billed as a Belgian pale ale. Sold in cool 473mL cans, the beer tips the scale at 5.1%. It’s a swampy, dark brown ale that pours with a thick layer of of off-white foam.

NW has a pretty complex nose, with big yeast notes, some raisin, and just a touch of bubblegum. That bubblegum element is even more apparent in the flavour, where it blends with an earthy yeastiness and a touch of clove. The finish continues to be yeasty and sweet, but it also possesses a little spice.

While I found it a bit too sweet, on the whole I was pretty impressed with Rainhard’s take on the Belgian pale ale. Neon Wasteland had a lot of character, an interesting flavour profile, and a lovely dark hue.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Mayday Belgian Pale Ale

Zealously carbonated, to the point that its a challenge to pour, Mayday Belgian Pale Ale is a 5.7% beer from The Napanee Beer Company. Brewed in—you guessed it!—Napanee, Ontario.

The brew is a hazy dull bronze, atop a wee bit of sediment and capped with a bountiful off-white foam. Mayday has crisp, slightly tart aromatics, with ample yeast notes and a whiff of baking apple. The flavour displays lots of Belgian-style yeast-funk, with some witbier elements (banana and coriander). The back end has some bitterness, but there certainly isn’t anything approaching APA IBUs.

I thought this was a well-executed brew—it’s got decent strength and unconventionally conventional flavour notes. It’s a touch yeasty, but honestly, that’s more my beef with the style than a flaw in the beer. All told, this is a fine ale worth tracking down.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Obscure Monk

Obscure Monk is a Belgian-style pale ale from Shacklands Brewing Co., one of Toronto’s better kept beer secrets. It’s a 5.2% ale sold in 650mL bombers, and also a crystal clear blonde-hued beer with a sudsy white foam and a bit of sediment.

It has a dry and yeasty nose that is enlivened by notes of autumnal fruits. To the palate, the beer is light and crisp, with some apple crunch up front and a yeasty, short, and dry finish.

Compared to some of the stronger and more engaging offerings from Shacklands, Obscure Monk is a bit on the unimpressive side—it isn’t as flavourful as I’d have liked and the finish, while pleasantly dry, is also a bit thin. Good, but not great.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Nottabottle Belgian Pale Ale

Nottabottle Belgian Pale Ale comes, as one might imagine, in a 473mL can. It's a lightweight 4.5% alcohol pale ale from Peterborough, Ontario's Smithavens Brewing Company.

The beer is faintly hazy, brightly carbonated, and has a ruddy orange hue. It pours with a thick white head that faded fast. It has a tart, fruity fragrance that has a potent yeasty bent. The flavour is sweeter than expected, particularly initially, with banana notes. Behind that, the ale is yeasty and only a little bitter.

According to the info on the can, Nottabottle contains just 20 IBUs and is made using an abbey ale yeast. I'd have liked a bit more oomph from this brew, and a tarter flavour. However, I enjoyed it and I'll certainly buy it again.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Neon Wasteland

Neon Wasteland is a Belgian-style pale ale brewed and bottled in Toronto, Ontario. It's produced by the woefully overlooked Rainhard Brewing Co., which crams it into 500mL, sci-fi inspired bottles. I picked up my bottle right at the source during a visit to the brewery.

At 5.1%, Neon Wasteland isn't terribly potent, though its 45 IBUs pick up some of the alcoholic slack. It's a slightly hazy elemental gold brew that pours with a nice cap of white head. As expected of a Belgian-style pale ale, there is a considerably yeasty bent to the nose, as well as a metallic trend and an underpowered whiff of hops. The flavour is assertively yeasty, and this is backed with a cracklingly dry hops finish.

Rainhard Brewing has really impressed me with their beery acumen. Neon Wasteland isn't quite as noteworthy as their excellent Armed 'n Citra, but it's pretty close.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Lenoir Belgian Style Ale

Lenoir Belgian Style Ale is named for Jean J. Lenoir who, according to the 473mL can, is the Belgian engineer responsible for inventing the internal combustion engine. Bell City Brewing Co. is the driving force behind this beer from Brantford, Ontario, that is brewed using Belgian candi sugar and which contains 6.5% alcohol.

Lenoir is an almost clear, reddish-blonde ale. It pours with an off-white fog and is blessed with a rustic, yeasty aroma. The flavour isn't as assertive as most true Belgian ales, but it does feature some familiar elements--mild, fruity notes, substantial yeastiness, and a degree of boozy, dry ending.

While the can says "Belgian Style Ale", I'd like to be a bit more specific. I don't think this beer is strong enough or hearty enough to fall in the Abbey category. I'm more inclined to class it as either a Belgian-style pale ale or a Belgian-style blonde. Whatever class it falls into, I found Lenoir to be a very enjoyable ale. A bit mild, but with some charm.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Continental Drift Belgian Style Pale Ale

I got a 473mL can of Continental Drift Belgian Style Pale Ale in the Summer mixed 4-pack offered by Burlington, Ontario's Nickel Brook Brewing Company. According to the deets on the can, I was faced with a 5.6%, 40 IBU brew--nothing too daunting there. With a very cloudy, dull gold hue and a veritable mountain of vivid white head, Continental Drift did much to reassure me that Belgian yeasts were a prominent feature of these suds. This fact was further reinforced by the aroma, which, in addition to tropical fruit notes, has a dry, yeasty thoroughfare running north-south at a brisk clip.

CD proved to be both impressive and disappointing. Impressive because of the heaps of interesting flavours layered together: spicy, dank, bitter, fruity, and earthy to name a few. Disappointing, though, because of the thin mouthfeel. If you made a full-bodied, boozy, and brash version of this beer, I'd be awestruck. Instead, I had to settle for being quite satisfied--good, sure, but a near miss at remarkable.

People might be getting tired of me reminding them of the lousiness of Nickel Brook's Green Apple Pilsner, but I keep bringing it up because time and again they have shown me how much better they can be. With Naughty Neighbour and Headstock IPA leading the way, and more niche offerings like Bolshevik Bastard and now Continental Drift clambering for attention, Nickel Brook Brewing Company is fast becoming one of my top Ontario beer builders.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Death Valley

Emblazoned with a vulture atop a gnarled tree stump in the desert, the labels on corked 750mL bottles of Death Valley screams of dryness. According to the label, hops lovers ought rejoice, as this brew is unfiltered and dry-hopped with three strains: Bravo, Saaz, and Amarillo. DV is listed as both "Triple Hop" and as that Quebecois favourite, a strong beer on lees. I'm going to call it a Belgian-inspired pale ale. It contains 8% alcohol and pours a cloudy golden orange. Upon decanting, this beer gives rise to a vivacious fog of off-white head. It's brewed in Montreal, Quebec by Les Brasseurs RJ, an outfit that I'd never previously heard of, though after a quick internet search, I discovered that I have tried a few of their ales.

DV has a yeasty, hops-friendly aroma that walks a line between citrus and floral. Its flavour is unexpectedly muted for a beer that has a desert hellscape on the label--there are yeasty, fruity notes running a few metres ahead of a hopsy, dryish finish. It tastes like a strong ale, though perhaps not quite as muscular as 8%.

Worth mentioning is the low, low sticker price. I got a 750mL bottle of Death Valley for a practically obscene and nearly irresponsible $5.60. In terms of bang for your buck at Ontario liquor stores, Death Valley is a real contender for Grand Champion. Step aside South African "port" and Canadian "sherry". For the budget conscious connoisseur (say that three times fast), Death Valley is a major bargain! Given that it's a pretty agreeable brew, it's a hit. 

 

A nice brew from La Belle Province, DV combines craft ale sensibility with big heat. It's not as hoppy as I wanted it to be and the Belgian-style yeast is a bit heavy-handed, but I'd definitely buy it again.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

The Princess Wears Girl Pants

The Princess Wears Girl Pants is a curiously named brew out of Gravenhurst, Ontario. It's brewed by Sawdust City Brewing Co., though according to the bottle it's actually brewed and bottled by Etobikoke's Black Oak Brewing Co. The lime green label on the 650mL bottle invites the drinker to "enjoy this beer and remind yourself just how lucky you are!" This brew is billed as a "hoppy, Belgian inspired golden ale". It contains a chunky 9% alcohol, as well as 35 IBUs.

This dull, pale gold ale is hazy and poured with a very thick white head; though within a brief time, the head thinned to a manageable level. There is a very citrusy aroma with some tropical notes and a whiff of yeast. Like its quirky name, this beer has a decidedly unusual taste. It starts with heaps of fruit flavour--particularly grapefruit and passion fruit--delivered with a lively, though understated, yeast quality. The finish has a pretty fierce hop presence and is quite dry. The alcohol content is deceptive.

I expected this beer to have more of a Belgian tang, but I guess it does only claim to be "Belgian inspired". Fruitier than anticipated, this is a pretty fun beer. Easily one that I'd revisit.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

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.