Lager
Nickel Brook Brewing Co. - Burlington

 

I reluctantly dragged my ass into O'Grady's, a truly awful student bar on the southern end of U of T. We had a friend visiting from Japan, and he wanted to check out some of his old haunts. O'Grady's by all appearances is still a trashy student bar, and it gave me pause for thought on how far I've come since my own student days. The tap list was uninspired, but I was semi-intrigued by the Nickel brook. I asked the slovenly attired server what exactly this vaguely described beer was, and she described it as the house beer, and a light lager. On further questioning it turned out by light lager she meant it didn't taste 'heavy', but it was still regular strength. More importantly it was only $10 a pitcher. As I poured myself a pint I told Makoto how we paid $10 for a pint in Tokyo.

Nickel brook has a fairly standard lager appearance, with a golden body and creamy white head. It did demonstrate better retention than most and left a small amount of lacing. Sweet fruity aroma, with a hint of hops thrown in. Initial taste wasn't that nice, but it improved somewhat later on. I found it to be too sweet, but it did have a nice biscuit malt body and some added honey flavours. Nothing really special though, and a bit run of the mill. The body is light and the carbonation is not overly aggressive.

For the price its excellent bang for the buck, and stands above all the other tap offerings. However, in a good beer bar this would not even enter consideration. A decent beer for the brewery to sell to most drinkers though, and a decent gateway into micro brands.

Maybe I should stop drinking Nickel Brook. They are yet to wow me.

Appearance- It is nice straw gold bodied beer. The white head and lace are almost perfect.

Smell- I was not expecting it to be as crisp in the aroma as it was. Good malt and hop aromas that blend well.

Taste- There is a little bit of a bitter bite but for the most part this is a very sweet and malty lager.

Mouthfeel- Light.

Drinkability- Easy to drink and very refreshing.

Made a stop at the Brewery this afternoon and figured I'd give this one a try since I was pleasantly surprised by their Ale.

This poured a beautiful dark amber with a finger thick head that took quite some time to subside, Abundant carbonation maintains it's nice head. Smell is very malty, with some hop character in there. This is reflected in the flavor, very malty, with a slight bitterness that is not overbearing. Quite refreshing with a clean finish, not to mention is is quite easy to drink.

This Brewery is a block away from my home, and a good thing since I'm sure I'll be revisiting this one again.

Pours a light golden yellow with a large-bubbled head that lasts quite well for a lager and leaves plenty of lacing. Smell is quite malty, with breads and light fruitiness, along with a touch of hops and some spiciness. Taste is light and sweet, with apricot and apple fruitiness and a touch of hops in the finish. Mouthfeel is a bit watery, but not bad, and drinkability is solid. Really not too bad, especially coming from someone who isn't much of a lager fan.

Soon to be renamed "Nickel Buck" and aimed at the buck-a-beer niche....so says John the owner...if this is buck-a-beer, gimme a case or two.

This is all malt, small batch cottage crafted pale lager with a medium body and a solid malt spine....this should sweep the buck-a-beer niche for taste and quality...pours a soft gold color with a fluffy 3 finger cap that lasts and laces the glass....Aromas of sweet biscuit dough, light fruity esters and some cedar hops. Front side is light and ciderythen the malts kick in and the finish is mellow, fruity with a large whacking biscuit after taste...best dollar beer out there!