Apologies for the lack of posting, haven't had a chance to try a lot of new beers of late but last weekend I was in Toronto and tried Amsterdam's 416 local lager. For the uninitiated 416 is the local area code of Toronto and it is 4.16% Alcohol, very clever Amsterdam brewery!
I'll have to admit, that I was a bit skeptical of 416 because I was worried that it would just be another "Light" beer. Fortunately, despite the low alcohol content, it does not have a light flavour. It is actually a wheat beer that has a good refreshing flavour with some citrusy notes. If I am honest, I had it in a tall can at the Indy Toronto race and wasn't paying all that much attention to the details, so I only found out that it is actually a wheat beer when I looked on their website, it doesn't really taste like a wheat beer. Despite not tasting like a wheat beer it is extremely refreshing on a hot day. I was walking around watching race cars in the hot sun and needed a cold, refreshing beer and this really fit the bill. If you like beer, but want something that is a lower in alcohol, avoid the traditional light beers and get this, it is a great alternative, however I don't think I would drink it when I wasn't out in the sun on a hot day as there are other beers I prefer when looking for a wheat beer or a lager.
It's available throughout Toronto in cans, bottles, and in pubs on draught, sadly those who don't live in the GTA are out of luck.
Rating: : 2 steins
When out in the sun on a hot day or if I have to drive: 4 steins
What you need to know:
Brewery and retail store:
45 Esandar Dr. Toronto, ON
M4G 4C5
Website: www.amsterdambeer.com
Twitter: @amsterdambeer
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Amsterdambeer?fref=ts
I think you under rate this beer. I've had it in winter and it was great. Try it again, maybe when less sun drunk. I thought it tasted noticeably of wheat, but it doesn't feature the usual belgian or german wheat beer yeast that brings out the infamous banana/clove flavours they are known for, perhaps due to lagering. I maintain that this is an enjoyable American Wheat beer. I particularly like the American/New Zealand hops combination that adds the citrus notes you found so refreshing on a devilishly hot day.
ReplyDeleteHmm, I will have to try it when not in a can. I found that in the tall can I didn't really notice the wheat (and this was my first beer of the day, so I wasn't drunk as you assert). Lagered wheat beers are not common so I guess I missed the wheat flavour as I wasn't expecting it to be wheat beer and my taste buds played tricks on me. (for the record, the can doesn't mention anywhere that it is a wheat beer)
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