For this #beersaturday post I am going to review two very different beers, ones that are polar opposits of each other on the beer spectrum, like darkness and light, day and night, these beers contrast each other nicely. The first is a light colored blond Ale and the second a dark black Stout. Let me know in the comments which you would prefer to drink yourself.
Farmers Daughter
Brewery: Whitewater Brewing Co
Origin: Ontario Canada
Style: Blond Ale
Abv: 5.0%
IBU: 22
Marketing:
Farm imagery with a nice complementary color scheme. Golden on the outside to match the golden colored liquid inside. The can boasts that the Brewery is a climate neutral company. I wouldn't buy a beer for that reason alone but it certainly doesn't hurt the situation. Its never a bad thing to support companies that are doing their part for the planet. The beer appears to be subtley marketed to women, with its name and the image of a woman riding a horse. Just a thought. I'll still drink it without discrimination.
Color:
Golden yellow, straw colored liquid, with a foamy-pillowy head on top. Glows gold in the late afternoon sun (if you set up the photo that way).
Nose:
Fresh smelling with Citrus and Grapefruit aromas.
Taste:
Fresh tasting. Dry up front with a quick bitter finish. I found it to be well balanced.
Texture:
Sharpe bubbles that coat the tongue. Light bodied.
Impression:
A very good beer overall. Fresh, crisp, and refreshing. Not too hoppy as the can states and as it also suggested, I drank this beer to "Cap off a hard day's work" (I don't know if you caught that line in the photos above but it's written on the can). I would buy this beer again for sure and for any occasion.
O'Haras Irish Stout
Brewery: Carlow Brewing Co
Origin: Ireland
Style: Irish Stout (Nitro)
Abv: 4.3%
Marketing:
Black, white, and bronze coloring on the can. Classy and somewhat elegant pub style imagery. Simple but effective.
Color:
Inky black liquid, opaque, with a thick cream colored head of tiny compact nitrogen bubbles.
The best part of a Nitro beer is the pour and watching the reverse waterfall. The tiny bubbles rising through the dark liquid is sort of mesmerizing in a way.
Nose:
Some bread coming through and roasted malt - of course.
Taste:
Dry with a mildly bitter finish. Roasted notes, subtle cocoa and almost a dark fruit flavor in the background (prune?).
Texture:
Medium bodied, watery palat, smooth with little carbonation - as expected from the nitrogen.
Impression:
Overall a very good beer. Similar to Guinness, as one would expect from a Nitro Stout but still very distinct in itself, with its own character and its own qualities. I may even like this one better than Guinness personally. I found it to be very drinkable and very enjoyable. I would buy again for sure.
Conclusion
These beers were very different from each other but both were good in their own way. The first was light and bright and the second was dark and warm... feeling (or maybe it was just the fact that I drank it by the fire?). Anyway,
Which do you think that you would prefer between the two?