Pale Ale is such a widely used term that opening a can or bottle can be a bit of a gamble. Am I going to get something akin to a lager, or something so hoppy it could be used as paint thinner. A proper pale ale should be decently hoppy, but not over the top, somewhere in the 25-40 IBU range is perfect (for those who pay attention to such things). Canuck Pale Ale does fall into that bitterness zone, but it leaves you wanting for more.
Usually when I review beers that come in a can or bottle I pour them into a glass but I decided to drink Canuck straight from the can, and when I say I decided not to use a glass I really mean I was too lazy to use a glass. No matter, right from the can is perfectly acceptable for pale ale and my first sips were decently promising. It opens with a nice hoppy tongue, punctuated with a bit of malt. A proper pale ale will surf the malt wave before trailing off into a smooth finish. Unfortunately Canuck needs to work on it's surfing techniques because it quickly falls of the wave into a watery abyss. It's a shame really because this has the potential to be a very nice beer, but it's just not balanced enough. If the hoppiness was present throughout the beer then it would be excellent, or if the malt would stay longer it would be excellent too, but this just doesn't do it for me.
It's available in cans at the LCBO and Beer Store in Ontario as well as at their brewery in Etobicoke.
Alc. 5.2% IBU 35
Rating 2.5 Steins
What you need to know
Website
http://greatlakesbeer.com/
Address
30 Queen Elizabeth Blvd
Etobicoke, Ontario M8Z 1L8
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@greatlakesbeer
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