Rhuby Cove Cream Ale

According to the copy on the 473mL can, Rhuby Cove Cream Ale was originally developed by Mill Street Brewery’s St. John’s, NL outlet. This version, brewed by Mill Street in Toronto, is made with rhubarb purée and strawberry purée. The flavoured beer has a hazy, dull orange-gold colour and it pours with a modest layer of eggshell head.

Rhuby Cove has an aroma that is straight up strawberry rhubarb pie—sweet and slightly tart, with lots of fruit. The flavour, too, has lots of nods to that pastry delight; however, there is an underlying ale element that doesn’t totally land. The mouthfeel is a bit thin.

The combo of fruit purée and nondescript cream ale isn’t bad, but a pale ale with a bit more crisp crackle or else some saison funk would’ve made me a happier lad. Still, the beer is interesting and more than just a novelty. Rhubarb is a flavour that I believe is well suited to beer. This particular effort isn’t my favorite as an integer; however, it truly nailed that strawberry rhubarb pie aroma (a personal fave), and that’s worth a lot to me.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Mojo Citra Rhubarb Wheat Ale

When I first started to pour Mojo Citra Rhubarb Wheat Ale, I remarked upon how clear it was for a wheat ale. However, by the time the whole beer had been glassed, there was an unusual hazy swirl taking over my pint of golden ale. Sold in lovely 500mL bottles, Mojo is produced by the Forked River Brewing Company of London, Ontario. Under strength at just 4.5% alcohol, Mojo gets rhubarb into the mix, though it isn't clear from the label whether the beer is brewed with actual rhubarb, or simply using 'barb flavour.

Through a covering of bright white head, there comes a sizable tart rhubarb aroma, as well as a murmur of bitterness. Thin-bodied, but packing a nice flavour, Mojo is somehow both tart and mellow. Rhubarb flavour is seated in the front row, with some wheaty chill in the wings.

 

Short on alcohol and thin: these are two comments that figure to be the death knell of most beers that I review, but Mojo ekes out a respectable rating because of its interesting taste and novel concept.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.