Brewery: Cowbell Brewing Co
Origin: Blyth ON Canada (aka random small town up North)
Style: Red Ale
Abv: 5.5%
IBU: Unknown
SRM: Unknown
Marketing: The can had a simple metalic red and white color scheme with a cats paw print image. There was a blurb on the back describing the Beers tasting notes and food pairing suggestions.
I like the additional information about the beer but I think the can design is quite boring overall. It's amateur-ish and not my taste.
Color: The beer poured a rich amber color, opaque and hazy, with a flimsy head on top that only lasted long enough to take the photos.
Nose: Very sweet aroma - very fruity, with strong notes of plum and even some grapefruit which is kind of an unexpected pairing to me. I also noticed some pine there as well. The pine and grapefruit obviously came from the hops.
Taste: Mostly malty and sweet with a lot of bitterness to balance it all out. Tastes of candied fruit and plum.
Texture: Fizzy small bubble carbonation with a heavier mouthfeel. I'm guessing that there are a lot of suspended sugars in this one given the weightiness.
Impression: This one was a bit too sweet for me overall. It had some decent flavor but it was all a bit much. I liked the pleasant fruity nose on it but it wasn't enough to make me want to drink it again, unfortunately. Not a bad beer but not my preference.
Brewery: Silversmith Brewing Co
Origin: Etobicoke ON Canada (aka Toronto for anyone who doesn't live in Toronto)
Style: Pilsner
Abv: 4.5%
IBU: 25
SRM: Unknown
Hops: Motueka (Variety from New Zealand)
Marketing: Colorful green monochrome can with stained glass imagery, common among all of the breweries beers.
Some information about the beer on the back which is always welcome.
I dont mind the design. I like the colors and the consistency among the brewery's beer cans - they are very recognizable on the shelf.
Color: The beer poured a pale yellow color with a strong head of white foam on top that lasted. The beer was a bit cloudy for a Pilsner.
Nose: Strong hoppy aroma with prominant notes of citrus grapefruit.
Taste: Sweet and tangy in equal parts with a nice amount of long lasting bitterness to round it off. Well balanced. Crisp and fresh tasting. Bitter grapefruit flavor.
Texture: Strong carbonation. Light bodied mouthfeel.
Impression: This was a very refreshing and crisp tasting beer with fresh ingredients. I generally like every beer that I try from Silversmith brewery so I would give any of the brews a chance. This one didn't disappoint. It was a great beer overall. I would even go as far to say that this is my favorite brewery for consistency of having a high quality, fresh product.
I drank this beer while cooking burgers on the BBQ.
It's interesting how the lighting can really change the look of a beer.
When the sunlight shines into the glass the beer can look like heavenly nectar but otherwise it might look rather dull.
The burgers that I made were simple,
just BBQ sauce with tomatoes and onions and the standard condiments on a bun.
We rand out of potatoes so I served it with a BBQ zucchini and caprese salad.
