Electric Circus New England Tropical Pale Ale

Cool fact about Electric Circus New England Tropical Pale Ale: according to the Great Lakes Brewery website, the cowboy depicted on the 473mL can is Kenrick Pompey, the father of former Blue Jays outfielder Dalton Pompey. Apparently, Kenrick was a stalwart of MuchMusic’s Electric Circus!

Electric Circus the beer is a 5.5% hazy pale ale brewed with mango, oats, pineapple, and wheat. A part of GLB’s 7 Barrel Series, the beer is a milky golden ale with a sudsy white head. EC has a mammoth mango smell, with a bit of pineapple juiciness, too. 

This is basically a modestly high-alcohol mimosa. It’s so juicy, with an agreeably smooth carbonation and only a touch of beery flavours. But that’s not to say it isn’t agreeable: it’s a delightful little fruit juice delivery system. I’d have liked a bit more “beer” and a bit more bitterness, but on the whole, this stuff is fun.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Burst! ... A New England Pale Ale

 An entry from Great Lakes Brewery’s Tank Ten Series, Burst! ... A New England Pale Ale is a session-friendly brew at 4.5%. This Toronto brew comes in 473mL cans. It’s a hazy pale gold ale that pours with a fluffy white head. It’s brewed with wheat and oats.

Burst! has a mild, fruity-floral aroma. The beer has a smooth, light-bodied texture. The flavour is mild, particularly at the front end, with some tropical fruit notes, and a dank hop finish.

All told, Burst! is a pretty agreeable little ale. It’s a bit thin for my tastes, but otherwise, it’s yet another nice beer from one of Ontario’s finest.

Yummy! North East Pale Ale

Yummy! North East Pale Ale comes from Ottawa, Ontario’s Beyond the Pale Brewing. According to the ingredients list on the 473mL can states that the beer contains 5.4% alcohol and is brewed with both wheat and oats.

Yummy! is a milky golden brew with a fluffy white head. It has a juicy tropical fruit nose and a flavour to match. There is decent bitterness, but it is understated until the back end. Notably, the mouthfeel is extremely smooth for a pale ale—likely due to the use of oats.

BTP’s Yummy! is an agreeable pale ale with a great aroma, slightly underwhelming flavour, and excellent texture. All told, it’s certainly worth a taste.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Juicebox New England Pale Ale

Happy Hallowe'en from the Stout Man!

With a classic 8-bit label, Juicebox New England Pale Ale comes in great looking 500mL bottles. It’s a 5.5% ale from Toronto’s Bandit Brewery. The edition that I reviewed was made with Citra and Idaho 7 hops. The beer is cloudy and has a dull brown-gold hue.

Through a sudsy, off-white head, Juicebox has a fruitful aroma. The beer has juicy notes that, in my opinion, carried notes of raspberry and citrus. Like a proper New England-style, Juicebox is hopped fairly lightly, but there is definitely enough to lend a bit of balance.

Juicebox is well-made beer. Other than it’s pleasing raspberry vibe, the beer isn’t all that memorable, but it sure is quality. Juicy, adequately hoppy, and flavourful, it clicks without overawing.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Low Boy

Low Boy is a 4.3% alcohol session ale. It’s billed as a New England-style pale ale brewed with apricot purée. Sold in 650mL bottles, the beer is an extremely milky orange soup that pours with a thin cover of white head. It comes from Toronto, and the Kensington Brewing Co.

A bitter, fruit-focused aroma greets the nose. Low Boy has a fresh and juicy flavour built atop a faintly tart citrus tingle. Apricot and orange notes are the flavour drivers, leading to a nicely hopped finish.

This beer was, compared to many of Ontario’s sessionable pale ales, fairly innovative and unique. The judicious use of apricot purée gave the body a bit of thickness. Additionally, it might be the milkiest looking beer I’ve ever downed. The only gripe I have with Low Boy is a slightly off note in the finish—something a bit earthy and murky that, while maybe great in another beer, fell a bit flat in this otherwise fruity and fresh ale.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.