How about in my fireplace wood storage spot?!? It seemed like the perfect place for my pale ale with a woodlands creature theme. Actually both of the Beers that I drank have a woodsy theme about them. This week I'll be reviewing two woodsy Pale Ales. Lets check them out.
Brewery: Bellwoods Brewery
Origin: Toronto ON Canada
Style: Pale Ale
Abv: 4.8%
IBU: Unknown
SRM: Unknown
Marketing: The can is a mustard yellow color with black accents and white block lettering. The imagery is a wolf howling at the moon with magic symbols in its fur. It has an indigenous shamen look about it, which I like. Its a fun name and design. Not much information about the beer listed on the can, which is a shame, but overall I like the marketing.
Color: The beer poured a golden yellow color with a slight amount of haze to it. The head was frothy but didn't last long.
Nose: The beer had a very hoppy bouquet with a distinct juniper aroma. When I first put my nose in the glass my mind immediately went to gin. The beer smells like a very fragrant gin. I got a lot of pine and citrus notes as well.
Taste: The beer was definitely hops forward in the taste department as well. I found it dry and bitter with almost no sweetness at all and only a mild tanginess. It was fresh and crisp tasting though and very pleasant.
Texture: Heavily carbonated with small sharp bubbles and a velvety texture underneath. It had a weightiness to it as well, so I would say that it was medium bodied.
Impression: the beer was fresh and crisp tasting, very hoppy and had a unique juniper aroma and taste that was reminiscent of drinking gin, minus the high proof alcohol, of course. It was unique for me and I enjoyed it overall. I'd buy this one again.
Brewery: Burdock Brewery
Origin: Toronto ON Canada
Style: West Coast Style Pale Ale
Abv: 5.0%
IBU: Unknown
SRM: Unknown
Marketing: The can is a mustard yellow with black accents, bold lettering and a cheeky looking bear image. Its a fun can and really stands out on the store shelf. The brewery must be going for a wildlife theme to its design because they have another beer with a mallard duck image on the front.
I like the design. I especially like the bears cheeky little face. The mischievous twinkle in its eyes tell me that its stolen a few campers picnic baskets and coolers back in its day. Okay, moving on.
Color: The beer poured a hazy golden yellow color with a flimsy head on top that left pretty quickly.
Nose: The bouquet was hoppy with notes of citrus, pineapple and pine.
Taste: The beer was subtlety sweet in the begining with some mild tanginess and a mild bitter finish that didn't linger. It tasted almost balanced but leaning a little toward the tangy side. The more I drank the more I wanted some extra bitterness to balance it out. It tasted fresh and clean though.
Texture: Mildly carbonated with a light bodied mouthfeel.
Impression: The beer was good but it started to get a little to sour for me part way through. I would have liked it to be slightly more bitter. Overall I wasn't expecting to like this beer and it exceeded my expectations so that was a win. It was enjoyable overall but I doubt that I will buy it again.
