Moroccan Brown Ale from Spearhead

Quite a few people have told me how great Spearhead Brewing Company's Hawaiian Style Pale Ale is. I picked it up the first time I saw it at the LCBO - I've always been a sucker for a good label.

It looks delicious, right?

Unfortunately, I assumed it was Hawaiian-style in the same way that an ale might be American-style or a Wit would be Belgian-style. If I'd read the label, I would have seen that it's Hawaiian in the same way that a pizza is Hawaiian - there's pineapple.

I'm allergic to pineapple.

As far as I can tell, Spearhead's Hawaiian Style Pale Ale tastes like burning. Mild burning, but still. Burning.

So, when I spotted their new Moroccan Brown Ale, I was excited - finally, I could check out a Spearhead beer!

I read this (awesome) label very carefully.

This ale's ingredient list, thankfully, doesn't include any pineapple. It does, however, feature raisins, dates, figs and cinnamon. These lend the dark brown brew a sweet, complex flavour - not, like, crazy-sweet, but a nice change of pace from hopped up IPAs. I would love to drink it while eating excessive amounts of cheese. Totally recommended.

Cheers!

Emily


Moroccan Brown Ale
Spearhead Brewing Company in Toronto, Ontario
Available at the LCBO
6.0% alc./vol
355 ml bottles
6 bottles $13.95

Sunny & Share from Creemore Springs

I found it! Creemore Springs' Sunny & Share! One sad, lonely can all by itself on the Beer Store shelf - I was happy to give it a good home.

"I've got you, beer."

Now, there's still no sign of this citrus saison on Creemore's website, but it appears Sunny & Share is the second offering in Creemore's craft beer exploration series, Mad & Noisy - the first was Hops & Bolts. Geography Fact: The series takes its name from two rivers that meet just outside Creemore, Ontario.

The packaging stands in stark contrast to that of the brewery's usual offerings - muted colours, traditional fonts, pastoral scene. The Beer Store guy I chatted with actually seemed a little put out by the louder, tattoo-inspired design of the Mad & Noisy series. It's definitely not something you would quickly identify as a Creemore.



Part of me really likes this package design.
Part of me can't tune out the announcer voice in my head saying "This isn't your daddy's Creemore."

The beer's based in the tradition of Belgian farmhouse ales, and incorporates flavour from citrus peels and cloves. It's a cloudy amber-colour with a frothy head, and it smells like lemon candies. The taste is dominated by the lemon and orange playing off the spiciness of the cloves, and it has a lingering sweetness.

I liked this beer when I first sampled it in Stratford, and did again when I started this one. However, about halfway through it started to taste less like beery lemon hard candy and more like beery citronella - it may be that this is best served very cold, or that the "perfect for sharing" suggestion on the packaging should be taken very seriously. It's a nice summer beer, and I'd happily drink it again if someone were to set it down in front of me, but I don't think I'll be scouring Beer Stores for a second can.

Cheers!

Emily

Sunny & Share
Creemore Springs Brewery in Creemore, Ontario
Available at the Beer Store
4.5% alc./vol.
473 ml cans
1 Can $2.85, 8 Cans $22.80, 24 Cans $62.40