Across The Nation Three Beasts
Central City Brewers + Distillers

Can: Poured a clear golden color ale with a medium size foamy head with OK retention and minimal lacing. Aroma of citrusy and floral hoppy undertones with some light residual sugar notes. Taste is a mix of great citrusy and floral hops aroma with some residual sugar notes and light boozy notes. Body is about average with somewhat of an oily texture. Not bad but I have taste better IPAs from Trailway.

 

 

 

355 mL can from the LCBO, included in their Across the Nation collaboration (Back East) mixed pack. Dated Apr 10 2018 and served slightly chilled. Some half-assed sleuthing suggests that the three "beasts" (hops) they're referring to are Citra, Mosaic and Galaxy.

Pours a clear golden yellow hue, crowned with one finger of loose, bubbly white head that fizzles off within two minutes' time. A modest collar of froth is the major remnant, with only a few bubbly patches otherwise obscuring the surface; lacing is also rather scant. Nothing exciting to look at. The nose is nice enough, with lightly caramelized pale malt sweetness coming through alongside an array of earthy, floral, and somewhat fruity hops. I'm getting notes of berries, muddled orange, canned pineapple juice and passion fruit, with hints of hop resin.

Fortunately, it still tastes pretty good in spite of its age; its flavours fall along the same lines as the aroma, with notes of grainy pale malts and mildly caramelized sweetness overlain by the more substantial hop characteristics. Citrus-oriented notes of grapefruit and orange come through most clearly, accented by hints of berry and passion fruit by mid-sip. These fruitier elements are pushed aside in favour of a more earthy, resinous, decidedly floral hop bitterness that lasts through the finish and lingers briefly into the aftertaste, alongside suggestions of pineapple juice and blueberry. Medium in body, with assertive carbonation that continuously tickles the surfaces of the palate, resulting in a crisp, satisfying mouthfeel. Fairly drinkable for its abv, though it's not something I'd want one after another.

Final Grade: 3.81, a B grade. I found Trailway's Three Beasts to be a perfectly acceptable IPA, but this serving is most certainly starting to show its age. I feel a bit dirty for even reviewing a six month-old IPA, so even though I did enjoy this can, I'd recommend taking this review with a larger grain of salt than usual. In the meantime, if I somehow manage to find a fresher sample, I'll happily post an update.

 

Collaboration Trailway Brewery, canned: Bright golden color with moderate activity. Slightly foamy 2 finger head, lasting less than 5 minutes, mediocre legs but decent swirl reaction. Flavors of mangos, pineapples, grapefruits, caramel, sweet barley/oats/wheat, and herbal hops. Slick and oily medium body with average carbonation. Medium to strong strength finish, mostly tropical and piney, with a mix of grains. Highly caramely but also quite bitter. A bit dull and the texture doesn't hold up well. Freshness is average. Too bad because Trailway can easily make better than this. Overall above average quality craft.

Can from the collaboration pack...pours a clear dark gold with 2 finger white cap...aromas of floral, citrus, resinous hops over a sturdy caramel malt tone, fairly rich smelling for a canned beer. Flavor follows aroma with bright citrus and fruity notes balanced with rich malts and slight complexity on the plate....goes to a drying lightly bitter finish...very satisfying, drinkable and pleasant summer APA

 

 

 

Clear gold with a small head. Standard citrus hop nose. Medium malt body with good hop bite to finish. Good crispness for drinkability. Decent IPA.

Pours a clear golden body with plenty of soapy head. Very standard aromas of grapefruit , pine, and citrus rind. The palate has a very rich, roasted malt background which couples in with more rounded hop flavours giving some herbal notes, a dried fruit richness, and citrus rind finish. A bit heavy for the lack of sharp hoppiness. Nice enough beer but not the best of the back.

 

355ml can, part of the 2018 Across the Nation collaboration pack with 12 different Canadian breweries, one from each province and territory. This one involves New Brunswick's Trailway Brewing, and is a good ol' American IPA.

This beer pours a clear, bright medium golden yellow colour, with four flabby fingers of puffy, finely foamy, and somewhat fizzy off-white head, which leaves some decent migrating flock of birds pattern lace around the glass as it lazily subsides.

It smells of bready and doughy caramel malt, a bit of crackery otherly graininess, muddled domestic citrus rind, a certain wet minerality, and some plain leafy, weedy, and piney green hop bitters. The taste is gritty and grainy caramel malt, further breakfast cereal notes, some orange and white grapefruit citrus peel, a flinty stoniness, ephemeral yeast, and a more zingy herbal, weedy, and piney verdant hoppiness.

The carbonation is adequate in its palate-satiating frothiness, the body a solid middleweight, and generally smooth, as the hops do well to not get all up in the oats' good business here. It finishes trending dry, the hops pushing the lingering envelope.

Overall - this comes across quite well as a sort of mix of NE and West Coast IPAs, i.e. not turbid, but the flavour integrates that minerality and lessening of the hop bitterness of the former. Anyways, crisp, easy to put back in spite of the extra ABV, and one of the better offerings so far in this federal mixer, beer edition.