Whitney’s Vantage Wet Hopped Ale

Brewed with some regional ingredients, including hops from Bighead Hops from Meaford, Ontario, and honey from Beaver Valley Gold Honey, Whitney’s Vantage Wet Hopped Ale is a 6.9% alcohol 35 IBU concoction from The Collingwood Brewery in Collingwood, ON.

Sold in yellow 473mL cans, Whitney’s is a handsome, slightly hazy sunburst orange ale with a fluffy white head. It has a robust aroma that blends the sweetness of honey with juicy tangerine notes. It tastes a bit quirky, with a mélange of sweet, tart, and bitter flavours; these are represented by honey, citrus, and sticky hops respectively. 

The only real stumbling block for this innovative and enjoyable ale comes at the finish, which isn’t nearly as assertive or hoppy as I’d have liked—something a bit more bombastic would have really shut the door more effectively. Otherwise, it was tasty -land bursting with flavour.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Sawdust City Chinook Wet Hop

Another pint I enjoyed during my evening at Gravenhurst, Ontario's Sawdust City Brewing Co. was their Chinook Wet Hop. At 5%, and with a milky orange hue, the CWH arrived on the bar with a thin cover of white suds.

The beer had a sticky and resinous smell and a similarly dank, hempen, and floral hop flavour. The downside of this beer was its mouthfeel, which I felt was inordinately wispy, and its booze factor, which could have been considerably more bombastic.

CWH was a pretty tasty brew, but it lacked depth. I enjoyed it, but I'd be hesitant to order another, as the body didn't live up to its potential. Still, the flavour was good and the aroma excellent.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Ontario Wet Hop Pale Ale

From the wilds of Burlington, Ontario comes Ontario Wet Hop Pale Ale, a tasty little brew built by the Nickel Brook Brewing Co. According to the label on the jumbo 750mL bomber bottle, this gem is brewed using all Ontario ingredients and encompasses "Ontario's only native hop variety, freshly picked Bertwell hops," which are apparently added the day that they're picked.

At 5.3%, this brew is a cloudy brass-hued ale that is topped with a loose, but very thick eggshell head. There is excellent head retention here. The aroma is fairly mild, but features charismatic and bitter citrus notes. Similarly, there is a very subtle flavour--not meek, exactly, but definitely mellow--though there is some nice grapefruit action from start to finish.

This is a pretty nice little brew. I love the all Ontario pedigree, and this was my first brush with the Bertwell hop--certainly not my last. I could have done with a more robust flavour and a chunkier mouthfeel though.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.