I missed a few weeks but now I'm back for another #Beersaturday. I have two more beers to review. Let's take a look. Here we go!
Al's Cask Ale
Brewery: C'est What and County Durham Brewing Company
Origin: Pickering ON Canada
Style: Nitro Pale Ale
Abv: 4.3%
IBU: Unknown
SRM: Unknown
Note: I wrote this is a play by play fashion while drinking the beer so it reads a little different.
Marketing: This brewery seems to have a Nitro theme in the Beers. They also keep their can design consistent. This one looks a lot like their nitro Stout that I had a few months back. Its a simple can design with a purple banner on top, bold lettering and minimalistic imagery. This one has wine casks along the bittom.
Instructions say to shake the beer before pouring but I learned my lesson not to do that with their Stout beer. It just made a mess of my hand, the can and the counter. I really didn't see the point of it so I won't be doing that this time around, thank you.
Opening. Okay that was unexpected. This was not a nitro beer so I'm a little confused by the cascade label. I'm not sure what that is about. No wait, it is a nitro beer, it says so on the can. I'm so confused. The beer poured with absolutely no head at all. No reverse waterfall Cascade. There's no widget in the can that I can see so now I'm thinking that they have come up with a new process of eliminating the widget and replacing it with this new shaking method?? I don't like that process at all. Like I said, the last time I shook one of their cans it just made a mess on me. Stick to the widget folks!
Color: The beer pours a coppery brown color which is nice but the lack of head is slightly unsettling to me.
Nose: The nose is fragrant with strong fruity notes. Citrus for sure and other fruits that I can't quite place.
Taste: Mildly sweet, very subtly tangy and not a lot of bitterness. Overall I'd say that its balanced. It's a mildly flavorful beer but no distinct tastes come out for me. Maybe some very subtle citrus. Maybe some light breadiness. Maybe some pitted fruit - plum? It tastes good overall.
Texture: Very light on the carbonation which is expected from a nitro beer. If I didn't know that it was a nitro I might think that it was going a little flat. The texture is like most nitros really - a watery mouthfeel.
Impression: I actually liked this one but the lack of head was unsettling for me. I wish that they would just put a widget in the Beers like everyone else. I really don't like the shake method. It definitely tastes good though. I guess I'd probably buy this one again and try to shake it before opening. Maybe I'll just do it outside in the grass.
Organic Black Lager
Brewery: London Brewing Cooperative
Origin: London ON Canada
Style: Black Lager
Abv: 5.0%
IBU: Unknown
SRM: Unknown
Marketing: Simple black and white color scheme with yellow brass accents. Very simple design on the can with not a lot of imagery other than a small hops cone.
A description on the back tells a little about the beer and the brewery. The brewery is a cooperative owned by the employees and according to them, run democratically.
Color: The color of the beer is a dark chestnut brown with a brownish red hue when held to the light. It looked black at some angles but in the light it was almost red actually. The beer poured with a good amount of tan colored head on top which was hearty enough to stick around for quite some time.
Nose: The nose was malty sweet at first but then it opened up to be more hoppy with strong grassy notes and fresh cut hay.
Taste: The beer was very mildly sweet and tangy up front - more on the dry side actually. The finish was moderately bitter. I didn't notice a lot of distinct flavors in this one but maybe some light roasted notes.
Texture: A very bubbly texture with a light bodied mouthfeel. Common Lager mouthfeel.
Impression: This was a decent beer. Nothing to write home about, as they say, but enjoyable nonetheless. Somewhat forgettable in the end so I might not buy it again just because it didn't stand out and there are other favorites out there that are easily accessible. That being said I wouldn't deter anyone from buying this one either.