My beer fridge was a little low the past few weeks. I drank all of my beers and left it empty for a few weeks now. But I recently stocked it back up so I'm good for at least a few more weekends. The photo above isn't all of the beers I bought. I went back to the store a few days later and grabbed a few more cans for the mini fridge. It feels like Christmas sometimes when you get a new batch of beers that you've never tried before. Among the new cans there were two that were particularly nice looking that I knew I had to try first.
Brewery: Wellington Brewery
Origin: Guelph ON Canada
Style: Italian Style Pilsner
Abv: 5.5%
IBU: Unknown
SRM: Unknown
Large Can 568ml
Marketing: This first beer can design really appeals to my design esthetics. It has a blue cloud filled sky, green mountains and an orange stone cottage Style home circled in a yellow gold border. The design is very traditional looking with its Northern Italy, village in the mountains imagery. It gives off Alpine vibes, which I love.
Color: The beer poured a crystal clear pale yellow color with a decent amount of head. The foam on top lasted quite a while and left some nice lacing down the side of the glass. All to be expected from a Pilsner.
Nose: This was a very fragrant beer with a really pleasant aroma. Floral hoppy notes and citrusy lemon.
Taste: Very little sweetness up front. Some tanginess and a nice bitter finish. I got notes of bitter grapefruit at the end which was a little different from the lemony aroma. It was also fresh and crisp tasting.
Texture: Small sharp bubble carbonation. Light bodied. Standard Pilsner or Lager texture.
Impression: This was a surprisingly flavorful beer for a North American pilsner and was great for a sunny day. It was very refreshing tasting. I've been seeing more and more Italian Style Pilsners being produced by breweries in the province and this might be my favorite so far. Wellington Brewery always pits out good beers though in my opinion so I figured I would like this. I would buy this again for sure.
Brewery: Holman Brewing Co
Origin: Orangeville, ON Canada
Style: Amber Ale
Abv: 5.3%
IBU: Unknown
SRM: Unknown
This was a new beer for me to try from a new Brewery. I've never heard of Holman Brewery but I was excited to give this one a go.
Marketing: This can design is absolutely stunning to me. That's probably a bit much when describing a beer can but I really like the design of it overall. It had a great color scheme of burnt orange, yellow, blue and green. Great Lakeside cottage design imagery.
A little blurb on the back for some added sparkle. I especially like the line "... a little heavy...just like that old dock you drop in the water every spring...etc." Great Marketing overall.
Color: The beer poured an appetizing burnt orange color (just like that of the can) with a frothy head of foam on top that had the faintest orange tint to it.
Nose: Malty aroma. Some subtle fruitiness and maybe some caramel or toffy in the background.
Taste: Some tanginess upfront with a strong kick of bitterness in the finish. It was a little more dry then I was expecting but that was a welcomed surprise for me. I thought that this one was going to be too sweet but it actually lacked sweetness and was much more bitter in the end.
Texture: Lightly carbonated with a soft smooth mouthfeel. Medium bodied so certainly living up to the heaviness described on the can. Nice mouthfeel overall.
Impression: This was a great beer for my preferences and definitely lived up to my expectations. It was malt forward without being sweet. I would definitely do this one again and would even go as far to say that this is a contender to be my "beer of the summer." It may be too early to tell but I'll keep it in mind as we progress through the season. Two thumbs up for Red Dock from me.
