Brewery: Great Lakes Brewery
Origin: Etobicoke ON, Canada
Style: English Style Ale
Abv: 4.2%
IBU: Unknown
SRM: Unknown
Marketing: Maroon and cream color scheme on the can with a cartoon caricature art style old fashion English man. They made him look pompous, obviously to fit the name of the beer. It's an okay design. It has an interesting quickness to it that's somewhat fun. It reads "old pub" to me.
Color: the beer poured a dark brown coppery color with a decent amount of head on it.
Some of the micro bubbles stuck around while I drank the beer and left a nice lacing on the glass.
Nose: Malty aroma with a pleasant spiciness to it. To be honest I'm struggling to really smell the beer today. My oven is pumping cooked dinner smells into the kitchen and they are getting caught in the glass so all I can smell is braised brisket - tonight's menu.
Taste: A malt forward beer with a mild sweetness up front and a nice bitter finish. Some dark fruit and spice flavors coming through for me as well.
Texture: Decent carbonation with a silky mouthfeel underneath. Medium bodied in my opinion.
Impression: I liked this beer overall. It wasn't amazing by any means but it had a decent flavor. Taste and aroma was subtle, which makes it a good pub social beer.
Brewery: Waterloo Brewing Ltd
Origin: Kitchener ON Canada
Style: Dark Ale
Abv: 5.0%
IBU: 14
SRM: 45
Serving Temp: 10°C
Pairings: Burgers, roast beef, fudge brownies.
Marketing: Steely grey can with bold white and black lettering. Boars head mascot brand image. Very simple overall. A little boring design but effective.
Lots of additional info about the beer listed on the can as well. "Four simple ingredients" and proudly toting that they are Canada's first Craft Brewery which I didn't research to verify.
Color: The beer poured a dark chestnut brown with a decent amount of tan colored foam on top.
Nose: Not an overly fragrant beer but definitely getting a malty aroma with some subtle roasted notes.
Taste: Flavorful but subtle. Reminds me of a black Lager, though it isn't. Mildly sweet, tart and bitter all in equal amounts making it well balanced. Some subtle roasted flavors coming though for me.
Texture: A really nice amount of carbonation, not too much and not too little. A soft mouthfeel underneath.
Impression: This is a really good all around beer to me. Its easy drinking, subtle in its taste and smell (much like the other beer) so it could be drank on any occasion or during any season. I would describe it as a starter dark beer. I buy this one periodically every now and again.
The two beers were similar in some ways but the Pompous Ass was more in line with an English Ale (malty and spicy) whereas the Waterloo Dark was more akin to a Porter (more pronounced roasted notes). I preferred the Waterloo Dark over the Pompous Ass but what sounds better to you? Let me know in the comments.
