MacLean’s Pale Ale

Sampled at the Kitchener Craft Beer show. Pours a nice amberish colour. Not much aroma, mostly hops. The taste is a nice blend of some sharp tasty hops, and some sweet bready malts. Very enjoyable over all. BIT OF A RE-RATE: Same as above, but I swear this stuff gets exponentially better every time I have it. Such an awesome British malt body behind this one with a perfect hop presence to add amazing balance. Incredibly sessionable and probably one the best all-around OCB brews out there right now. Delicious stuff.

draft at bow and arrow in toronto. clear amber with copper hue (pale ale?). it has almost no head. the aroma is slightly malty and has a hint of sweetness. light bodied, it has tea like fell. a strange pale ale.

I think i had a dry hopped version of this at the C’est what? spring beerfest in 2006. There was a reall ynice nose of english hops, its was actually kinda skunky it was so hoppy. I seem to recall it being served at room temperature, and it was abubble frothy head, so i’m guessing it was on cask. Nice beer, great english pale ale. well made.

On tap at Communist’s Daughter - transparent copper colour with a small white head. Earthy aroma with some English hops. Flavours of caramel, smooth malt and some nice hop balance in the end. This particular style is sort of limiting, but it’s a pretty solid example. A very good and highly sessionable EPA, and one I’d surely try again. Update: had on cask at C’est What and it is a revelation. Supremely balanced flavours are intensified and a real earthy mineral quality shines through with a yeast character. Brilliantly hopped and my new favourite session beer. Draught got 6/3/6/3/14/3.4, Cask gets 7/4/8/3/16/3.8, we’ll split the difference. Good on draught, WONDERFUL on cask.

Cask @ Hostex: I think I lucked out getting this one on cask at a foodservice trade show, so chalk me up as a happy camper to start off. Poured virtually head free, but with a pleasing cloudy copper colour. Aroma is subdued but I could pick out significant hops and a bit of caramel. Flavour is great! Great hopping with an awesome earthiness alongside sweet malts that hit after the hops.

The pour reveals a slightly cloudy golden color with a medium diminishing bubbly white head. Aroma of caramel malt with mild hops. Surprisingly good flavor of woody hops and caramel malt with a mild bitter finish. The body has a medium thickness with an oily texture and lively carbonation. This pale ale is interesting, the hops are satisfyingly flavorfull.

Hazy amber ale with a thin creamy off white head. Light english hops in aroma, with notes of caramel. In mouth, however, the hops are very present, in your face, with a very woody character, followed by sweet caramel, and lingering bitterness. A nice EPA. Used to drink this in Guelph, in 92-93, and they havent lost their touch.

This pale ale pours a nice dark yellow colour and a white rocky head. To the nose...mmm...a slight sauerkraut scent starts it off then maybe rotting vegatables??? Scents are defenently off. First sip was a little off too slight caramel flavour but the rotten scent plus the beer really did it in for me. I have had this beer before and it wasn’t oo bad but this....I’ll have to try another and re-rate.