After a long hiatus I have decided to return to writing beer reviews on the Microbrew times. These are exciting times for craft beer (or beer in general) lovers so I hope to be able to bring you my views on some of the newer beers you can now find in Ontario or Quebec (or Both). My first review is going to be Side Launch Pale Ale, an interesting brew that is somewhere between an American Pale Ale and a traditional English Pale Ale.
If you have never heard of Side Launch Brewing Company, don't worry, I hadn't heard of them either until I saw some of their beers at my local LCBO. Naturally I had to pick up a couple of cans and I was glad I did. They style it as a pale ale, but there isn't too much pale about it in terms of colour, as it pours a neat cloudy brown-ish hue. A first sip brings out notable hop flavour, something that caught me off guard at first, but when you start drinking it a bit more you can easily get past it. A sip starts with a sweet, almost caramelly taste that progresses into that hoppy middle. The hops provide a nice floral bitterness that doesn't overwhelm but is definitely noticable, it then fades off into a citrussy finish that reminds you of it's American Pale Ale roots. It's really nicely balanced and creative style mix. I like the contrast between the sweet entry and bitter finish, a really good first offering from the Side Launch folks. I look forward to trying more of their offerings as their first beer was a really winner. One side note is that it is much better poured into a glass, the sweet caramelly opening doesn't come out well when drunk straight from the can
It's available at the LCBO as well as at their brewery in Collingwood, Ontario.
Alc 5.3 % IBU: 35
Rating: 4 Steins
What you need to know
Address
200 Mountain Road, Unit 1
Collingwood, ON
Website
http://sidelaunchbrewing.com/
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/sidelaunchbrewing
Twitter
@sidelaunch
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