Brewery: Waterloo Brewing Ltd
Origin: Kitchener ON Canada
Style: Amber Ale
Abv: 6.8%
IBU: 22
SRM: 10.5
Marketing: A predominantly orange can with white and black accent colors. The brewery's Boar mascot image on the front. The design is very simple but there is a decent amount of extra info about the beer listed on the side of the can, including food pairing recommendations and tasting notes (no one ever uses the pairing recommendations do they?).
One thing of interest is that the Brewery claims to be "Ontarios first Craft Brewery." Its a bold claim and I don't know if its true, but if so, then it's a pretty cool thing claim to fame. I've liked a lot of Waterloos beers over the years so I do know that they have been around a long time.
I personally hate the orange color that they used for the design but overall the can is okay.
Color: The beer poured an orangey copper color with a decent head of white foam on top that stuck around for a little before dissipating almost entirely. DThe liquid was somewhat hazy looking.
Nose: I didn't get much of an aroma other than some malty sweet smells that came through for me. I got a distinct smell of fresh hay as the beer warmed.
Taste: Very mildly sweet almost dry taste with a mild bitterness in the finish. Maybe some mild citrus and spice in the background. Just a slight residual alcohol flavor came through as the beer warmed. Fresh tasting.
Texture: Very mild carbonation with a silkiness underneath. The mouthfeel was medium bodied to me.
Impression: I drank this one while cooking on the bbq and overall I liked it.
The higher alcohol content was noticeable for me and gave me a mild buzz. Good flavor though subtle. Definitely fresh tasting. I also just realized that I drank this with bbq and that is one of the food pairings listed on the can so maybe I lied about no one using those recommendations 😅.
Brewery: Beyond the Pale Brewing Co
Origin:Ottawa ON Canada
Style: Kolsch
Abv: 5.0%
Marketing: White, red and blue color scheme with 1950s style white picket fence imagery. Has a classic vibe to its design which is appreciated. Nothing special but decent nonetheless.
Color: Hazy, opaque, bright yellow straw color with a white foam. Nice looking beer.
Nose: Citrus
Taste: somewhat dry, strong bitter taste like a pale ale.
Texture: Soft carbonation
Impression: This was a decent beer but I drank it when company was over so I couldn't go to in depth with my notes. I enjoyed it overall.
Brewery: Clifford Brewing Co
Origin: Hamilton ON Canada
Style: ESB: Extra Special Bitters
Abv: 5.2%
IBU: 35
Marketing: Grey can with bold red and white color scheme. Imagery of London England city scape. I like it the design.
Color: The beer poured a hazy brown opaque color with a tan head of loosly pack bubbles that dissipated quickly.
Nose: Malty aroma, burnt sugar, and candied fruit notes coming through.
Taste: Sweet taste upfront, with a bitter finish. Decently balanced but maybe slightly more on the sweet side. Definitly malty. I noticed some toffee flavors coming through and maybe a pleasant burnt taste. The longer I drank it the more sweet it tasted.
Texture: Very little carbonation but thay seemed intentional to me - by that I mean not flat feeling. Very silky smooth mouthfeel. Medium to full bodied.
Impression: I was clearly cooking potatos that night. I think I had them mashed with garlic. This is a decent beer for me, not my favorite by any means but enjoyable. It was getting a little sweet for me by the end but still good.
