For the fourth tasting in my Ales Bells series, I thought it appropriate to reintroduce myself to one of the standards in ales, the English-styled pale ale. Compared to the chocolate brown of my last tasting or the first in the series, Beau’s “Gilgamesh” (an “old ale”), you can clearly see the reason why this style is called…
“Discovery” (American Pale Ale), Renaissance Brewing Company
There seems no better way to start a new year or describe my own yearning in life than discovery …. So I pulled the second of the Renaissance trio I have in my fridge, intent to start the new year fresh and ready to explore what 2014 will bring me … and not so secretly…
“Perfection” (English Pale Ale), Renaissance Brewing Company
After watching Invictus the other night and then scoping out my fridge for what to taste next, the New Zealand trio seemed almost perfect given the how big the All-Blacks rugby team had figured in the film. As bold as Eastwood was to dive into a sacred moment in world history, Renaissance Brewing is equally…
“Benedict Arnold” (IPA), Frampton Brasse
Traitors and oxymorons …. I won’t get into the debate about Benedict Arnold and whether he was a traitor or hero. Moreover, I’m not entirely sure whether this beer is an oxymoron, but it definitely pushes the boundaries of contradictions. It is a Quebec beer, brewed with English hops, in the style of an Indian…
“606 India Pale Ale” (IPA), Paddock Wood Brewing
I know I’ve had beer in Saskatchewan before … what I can’t say with any certainty is whether I’ve had a beer from Saskatchewan. So here’s another product of my impulse shopping at The Beer Store last month, a new beer I haven’t tasted before and from a new region. I have to admit, this…
“Déesse D’Ham-Sud” (Extra Pale Ale), Les Brasseurs du Hameau
If ever a beer looked poured as it does in the bottle, this is surely the one. And, yes, it is a beautiful label – thoughtful, modern, and not overly designed. The beer looks pale, even without pouring it, and with the “Zen” language on the label, you’re expecting calm – like some Aphrodisiac blonde…
“IPA Classique” (India Pale Ale), Brasseurs Illimités
Here’s a very good brewery from Quebec that has provided a number of interpretations on the “pale ale” and this is but one of their half-dozen creations. As such, it seemed right to start with their “Classique.” A first taste reveals a ton of carbonation which was only accented more by how relatively little carbonation…