Clear Lake Session Ale

From the Clear Lake Brewing Co., in Muskoka Lakes, Ontario, comes Clear Lake Session Ale. A crystal clear, 4.8% alcohol beer, CLSA comes in 473mL cans and pours with a vibrant but very short-lived white head.

CLSA has a sweet aroma that is based around cereals and corn, with just a flicker of hops at the tail end. The beer is fairly crisp, though it is a touch too sweet to make it particularly session-friendly—at least for me. The flavour is grain and corn-driven, with a faint bitterness to close the door.

CLSA has a distinctly “macro” feel to it—it tastes like any number of golden ales that I’ve tried, with little to set it apart. I quaffed my can during a grilling session, and it made an adequate companion to that endeavour, though in truth, it didn’t add a whole lot. In my opinion, this beer was ordinary. Add to that a too-sweet complexion, and it’s not a beer I’m keen to revisit.

Rating: 5.5 out of 10.

Puppers Premium Lager

According to the 473mL can, Puppers Premium Lager is "the official beer of Letterkenny", which is supposedly an extremely funny show that I have not seen.

The beer is a 4% light lager. It's a straw gold brew with a loose and thin white head and a significant amount of carbonation. Puppers comes from Sudbury, Ontario, where it is crafted by Stack Brewing. It has a sweet cereal grain nose and a flavour to match, though the sweet grain and corn gives way to a slightly bitter finish.

At just 4%, Puppers is incredibly sessionable. However, it lacks the crispness of a quality pale lager, and packs a bit more sweetness than I tend to enjoy in my bottom fermented beers. Not a bad beer, but a bit on the forgettable side. Not quite what I expect from a quality brewer like Stack.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Burlington Funk: Ceres Cucumber & Lime Gose

According to the copy on the 375mL bottle of Ceres Cucumber & Lime Gose, the name honours the Roman goddess of agriculture. Billed as a "soured light beer", Ceres comes from Burlington, Ontario's Nickel Brook Brewing Co. It contains a feather weight 4% alcohol and a preposterous 0 IBUs; however, despite those numbers, Ceres manages to pack in a significant amount of flavour.

Brewed with Himalayan sea salt, lime juice, cucumber juice, coriander, citra hops, and wheat, Ceres has a foolish amount of things going on. It has a nose that initially smacks of fresh cuke, but ends up encompassing some pretty substantial lime tartness as well. The flavour has the same elements, but reversed: the lime juice comes to the fore, while the crisp cuke-iness manifests as a a subtle presence. Ceres is tart, but not sour; briny but not salty. It can boast a genuinely unique flavour.

Billed as "thirst-quenching", I actually didn't find this gose to be all that refreshing. While the lime and cucumber juices lended a certain crispness, Ceres didn't strike me as particularly quaffable. At 4%, the beer is, on paper, easily sessioned; however, the powerful and unusual flavour combo would stall me at just one bottle. While this cucumber lime potion wasn't totally to my taste, it was innovative and odd, which made for a memorable sip. I might buy it again, but not for myself--this is a beer I'd enjoy running past someone else.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

5:01 Golden Ale

5:01 Golden Ale is an homage to the end of the standard work day, or as it's described on the can, it "captures that satisfying moment when work stops and beer begins." It comes from Barrie, Ontario's Redline Brewhouse. According to the 473mL can, this brew contains a lean 4.2% alcohol and is made with a wheat.

5:01 is a cloudy orange-gold colour. It pours with a thin cover of eggshell head, through which wafts a mandarin orange aroma. The mouthfeel is disappointingly thin, though I guess that should be expected from a wheat ale with such a low percentage. Despite the uninspiring mouthfeel, the flavour left me feeling relatively impressed. It has a delicate orange blossom vibe that I like, and a subtle hops finish.

This beer is quite a bit better than I expected, as I'm often suspicious of both the amorphous "golden ale" category and any beer that has less than 5% alcohol. However, it is a refreshing and tasty low octane option. A more burly mouthfeel would have led to a stronger rating, as would a heavier hopping.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Railside Session Ale

Railside Session Ale is a low-alcohol offering from Guelph, Ontario's venerable Sleeman Brewing and Malting Co. Sold in Sleeman's trademark clear 341mL glass bottles, this copper ale is largely clear and pours with a quickly melting off-white head. At just 4.2%, Railside really is a session ale.

To my nose, this stuff smells mild, with toasted malt notes and a subtle hint of hops. This aroma is closely replicated in the flavour, with malt and caramel in front and a bit of bitterness out back.

Truthfully, my thinking on this little ale is that it's mostly alright, but nothing special. There is a decent amount of flavour for the low percentage, but it isn't all that interesting and there is a bit of a hops power shortage.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

West Coast SESSION Lager

West Coast SESSION Lager comes is a collaboration if ever there was one. Listed on the 473mL can are a variety of Ontario bars, breweries, and other beery denizens of the province, including Bar Hop, Sweetgrass Brewing Co., and and Sawdust City Brewing Co., of Gravenhust, Ontario, where this little number was born and raised, or at least brewed and canned. The ensemble cast is billed as The Local 7. Light, at just 4.5%, this pale lager promises to be "easy drinking", with "a big, bold hop forward flavour and aroma."

The beer is cloudy, pale gold, and pours with a thick, white head. It has an aroma both grassy and slightly hoppy, with some fruity notes. Its mouthfeel is crisp and dry, and its flavour is fruity, with an agreeable dose of lovely lagered hops.

 

As Ontario lagers go, West Coast SESSION Lager has a lot in its favour, with ample flavour above a mild, low-alcohol body. Crisp and thirst-quenching, this little partnership offers lager drinkability, with a decent degree of crafted hops.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Track 85 Lagered Ale

Track 85 Lagered Ale is inspired by Canada's railroads and comes from Toronto, Ontario. This kölsch-style ale is a product of Old Tomorrow Ltd., and features the likeness of our first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald on the 473mL cans. At just 4.5%, this brew wades into light beer status.

Clear and aburn-hued, Track 85 pours with a nice eggshell head, but little carbonation. It has a sweet, malty nose, with lots of grain elements. The flavour is similarly oriented, with a sweet, grainy freshness up front. There is very little in the way of bitterness, just a touch at the end, and the finish remains malty and sweet with a glimmer of toastiness.

 

This lagered ale checks many, but not all, of my boxes for the style. It's too sweet, insufficiently strong, and lacks hops pops. However, on the positive side of the ledger, it's extremely sessionable, with an interesting flavour, and an agreeably toasty finish. I'd definitely buy Track 85 again, but I wouldn't call it a tremendous example of the style.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Les Trois Mousquetaires Gose

Gose is a style of beer that I'm quick to buy when I see it, but often hesitant to actually drink. I had a bottle of Les Trois Mousquetaires Gose in my fridge for months before I got around to uncapping the snazzy 375mL bottle and sampling the cloudy orange liquid within. Brewed in Brossard, Quebec by Les Trois Mousquetaires Microbrasseurs, the gose contained just 3.8% alcohol and 9 IBUs. It's a part of LTM's "Hors Series". It poured with only a slight covering of off white head.

Aromatically, the most obvious note is oceanic brine. There are also tart elements. Flavour-wise, salty and sour continue to be the dominant factors. According to the label, coriander is used in the brewing process, though I was unable to catch much spice flavour. Unsurprisingly, given the low percentage, LTM Gose has a thin mouthfeel, which wasn't entirely to my liking.

All told, LTM Gose was a fine sour ale, but not one that I'd be eager to fill my fridge with. Gose isn't my favourite style anyway, but a light ale in gose clothing won't bring me back to the well frequently. Still, I'm glad to have tried it.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Red Racer India Session Ale

Red Racer India Session Ale recently popped up in Ontario. Previously, I'd only been able to enjoy this stuff in British Columbia, where its brewed in Surrey by Central City Brewers + Distillers. My previous experience with this I.S.A. involved playing bocce with one of my best friends in a beautiful garden, just a stone's throw from the Pacific Ocean, so I might be a tad predisposed to like the stuff. It comes in neon green cans which contains 473mL of clear, cheery golden liquid described as light ale.

At just 4%, Red Racer's sessionable brew won't leave you in a state unless you really try. However, despite its low-alcohol birth weight it manages to pack in a respectable amount of aroma and an acceptable level of flavour. On the nose, there are juicy, squishy mango notes as well as a suggestion of decent hops. These same fruity and bitter elements come through as soon as the brew hits the tongue, though they depart before the party really starts to get good, leaving the finish thin and uninspired.

At 4%, it's gotta be tough to maintain big flavour and pleasing mouthfeel. For a sessionable beer, this stuff gets the job done admirably. I'd have liked a more assertive and imposing finish, though in truth that might have necessitated upping the booze level--something that would have pleased me, but which obviously defeats the purpose of the I.S.A. If you want light beer strength with more than an echo of I.P.A. character, Red Racer I.S.A. fills those specs to the letter. Just don't expect the hearty flavour of the Red Racer India Pale Ale.

Rating: 9.0 as a light beer; 7.5 overall.

Windhoek

This stuff tricked me. It wasn't until I was out of the store that I noticed that I had bought a light lager. Damn that fine print! Still, I bought myself six of 'em, so I figured that I should type up a review.

Windhoek hails from Windhoek, Namibia, where it is brewed by Namibia Breweries Ltd. It is sold in 330mL bottles and contains a wispy 4% alcohol. Windhoek pours a strikingly clear pale straw colour, moderately carbonated, and topped with a white head. The aroma is respectably grainy.

For a light beer with 4% alcohol, Windhoek is quite flavourful. Relatively ample bitterness in the finish is preceded by a mellow, somewhat thin sweetness. It's a bit weak on the front end, but still pretty satisfying. My wife really liked it, which is worth something.

For a light beer, this stuff is great! It puts the flavourless macro-brewed dross to shame. However, compared to other lagers, it was only adequate--"not bad-aquate". This made it hard to score.

Rating: 7.0 (when combined to other pale lagers), 9.0 (when compared to light lagers).

Nickel Brook Green Apple Pilsner

I'm not going to sugarcoat it, you guys.  I do not like Nickel Brook Green Apple Pilsner.  I do not.  In my personal opinion, it's too light, too sweet, oddly flavoured, and ill-conceived.  There.  I said it.

Nickel Brook Green Apple Pilsner comes from Burlington, Ontario, where it is brewed by the Better Bitters Brewing Co., makers of the vastly superior Headstock IPA, and a number of other quality brews.  The Green Apple Pilsner is sold in lurid 473mL cans and contains a wimpy 4% alcohol. It pours a slightly hazy pale straw colour. It is mildly carbonated and lives beneath a bright white head. The can claims that N.B.G.A.P. is "The perfect beer for those looking to try something new".  Clearly, I do not share that sentiment.

The aroma leans heavily toward Granny Smith apples, but has a saccharine, candied quality. The beer itself is very thin and light. It tastes like green apple candies. According to the can, the brew is combined with "natural green apple cider", but in my opinion, it tastes rather manufactured. There isn't a whole lot of beer presence to speak of, except for a faint hint of bitterness at the close.  The brew is extremely sweet, though it manages to be fairly refreshing.

I'm not much of a fan of hard ciders, personally, but I would be very interested to know what cider drinkers have to say about this stuff. I have really enjoyed a number of other Nickel Brook beers in the past, but this one just isn't for me.  Please, don't let me discourage you from trying this stuff.  You might really enjoy it, and I would hate to begrudge anyone a beer that they like. However, if you're at my place and leave a can in my fridge, this is one of the few beers that will almost certainly still be there the next time you come over.

Rating: 3.0 out of 10.

Coors Light Iced T

Flavoured light beer? That's pretty much the antithesis of what I want in my fridge. Plus it's called "Iced T".  Urgh. At least they spelled "light" correctly, and the can says "Contains Barley", so its got to be beer. Still, this stuff has been popping up everywhere, so I figured I should probably give it a try. I bought a can and it languished in the ol' refrigerator for three months, but I finally went for it on a warm afternoon.

Coors Light Iced T is manufactured by the Coors Brewing Company. It's sold in 473mL cans and contains a lightweight 4% alcohol. It pours a clear golden colour, with white head and not too much carbonation. It has a pretty pleasing aroma that is definitely built on iced tea, but also has a grainy backbone.  As for flavour, I can see how some people might enjoy this stuff--it's sweet and undeniably refreshing. Plus, the tea aftertaste is not without its charm. However, it has neither the beer body nor the alcohol content to bring me back. It's a touch too thin and too sweet.

This stuff is far better than the lime flavoured beers that were so ubiquitous back in 2009, since the tea actually tastes real enough, If you like light beer, iced tea and hot days, enjoy, but don't buy any for me. Light beer ain't my style.


6.0 out of 10.

Duggan's Sorachi Lager

This is a first--I'm reviewing a light beer.

I do not care for light bière.
I will not drink it in my chair.
I will not store it in my fridge.
I just might throw it from a bridge.

The Duggan's Sorachi Lager is not just another light beer.  Sure, its extremely pale and has only 4% alcohol, but it's got character and is far more noteworthy than its watery, timid counterparts. The Sorachi Lager hails from Toronto, where it is brewed by Duggan's Brewery.  It is sold in stylized 275mL bottles and pours a very clear, moderately carbonated pale straw colour, crowned with a bloom of foamy white head.  It has an interesting and surprisingly robust bitter aroma for a light beer.

Sorachi is a very thin brew.  It has an extremely delicate, somewhat nondescript flavour on the front end, but that soon gives way to a surprisingly abrupt, bitter crunch in an aftertaste that is also somewhat metallic.  It is an interesting taste combo that I was definitely not expecting.

This is still a light beer.  It is thin and a bit flimsy, but it's not too watery and it's got more oomph than your average light.  I'd like a bit more zealousness in the initial taste, but this is a beer I would try again.  It is highly drinkable and quite distinctive.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.