Cheli's Pale Ale: Chris Chelios Oak Aged Pale Ale
Lake of Bays Brewing Company

Cheli's Pale Ale: Chris Chelios Oak Aged Pale AleCheli's Pale Ale: Chris Chelios Oak Aged Pale Ale
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From:
Lake of Bays Brewing Company
 
Ontario, Canada
Style:
American Pale Ale
ABV:
7%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.79 | pDev: 5.01%
Ratings:
11 | reviews: 4
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jun 29, 2017
Added:
May 13, 2015
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 4 by StormAles from Canada (ON)

Jun 29, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by fortyfield from Canada (ON)

Jan 27, 2016
 
Rated: 3.92 by DaPan from Canada (ON)

Aug 14, 2015
 
Rated: 3.77 by nate_pacino from Canada (ON)

Aug 03, 2015
Photo of andrenaline
Reviewed by andrenaline from Canada (ON)

3.88/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
One of the better Lake of Bays that I've tried. Solid oak presence with a tasty earthy hopped pale ale. Nice caramel malt backbone and surprising oak presence on the finish. Worth a try but still a tad pricey IMO.
Jul 25, 2015
 
Rated: 3.98 by MJ63 from Canada (ON)

Jun 02, 2015
 
Rated: 3.78 by RedAleMan from Canada (ON)

May 30, 2015
Photo of thehyperduck
Reviewed by thehyperduck from Canada (ON)

3.76/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
750 mL bottle from the LCBO; packaged Mar 30 2015 and served slightly chilled.

Pours a translucent golden-yellow colour, capped off with a one-finger crown of messy, soapy, sparkling white head. It lasts for about five minutes in total, thereafter contributing a bubbly cap and frothy collar to the cause - but not before depositing a nice ring of lovely, doily-patterned lace. This pale ale looks at least ten times more attractive than Chris Chelios, and thirty times more handsome than Mike Ricci. The nose is quite clean, and not terribly interesting - some pale barley malt and wheaty graininess is evident, with hints of lemon rind, white grape must and a touch of herbal, mildly spicy hops. I get a bit of oak when sniffing directly from the bottle, but not much off the glass; still, the overall bouquet is charming enough.

This APA actually has a fairly interesting flavour profile, though I won't say I'm in love with it just yet. The pale, grainy barley malt from the nose carries over into the initial burst of flavour, followed up by a fruity mixture of white grape and lemon/grapefruit citrus. Any and all sweetness is well-restrained, with an earthy, resinous bitterness coming to dominate by the latter half. The most noticeable feature here is probably the clean, woody oak chip flavour that crops up late in the sip, which carries on into the off-dry aftertaste, along with a good hit of spicy, peppery hops. Medium-bodied, with light carbonation levels and a very smooth feel on the palate. Surprisingly refreshing, considering the abv - OK, this one grew on me quite a bit as I kept sipping.

Final Grade: 3.76, a respectable B+. Cheli's Pale Ale delivers exactly what it advertises - a pale ale with plenty of oak flavour. I'm not hopping up and down with excitement here, but it's still pretty well-made and tasty - it's just not something I plan to purchase again. I don't think this one is significantly better (or worse) than the other NHLAA alumni series beers that I've tried, which have been consistently above average in quality, while landing way above average in price. At least this one was only 10 bucks instead of 12, which is at least within a stick's length of reasonable.
May 24, 2015
 
Rated: 3.64 by BigGruntyThirst from Canada (ON)

May 22, 2015
Photo of taxandbeerguy
Reviewed by taxandbeerguy from Canada (ON)

3.34/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
750 ml bottle served at cellar temperature into a Sam Smith's pint glass. Purchased from the LCBO for $9.95 CDN. This is either the sixth or seventh one off from Lake of Bays with the NHL alumni.

Appearance - clear golden color with a bronze hue. A finger of head is poured but doesn't last more than a couple of minutes. Thin layer of froth remains around the rim of the glass and minimal carbonation.

Smell - definitely a woody aroma perhaps drizzled in honey is the first thing that comes to mind. Some earthy hops but very subdued, caramel rings through a bit. Really subdued nose at room temperature. Some champagne and grapes as it warms.

Taste - sweet like with honey again and some oak in there finishing with a moderately bitter hops bite. Smooth tasting but a bit boozy for a 7% beer. Perhaps a better way to say it is that cheli's Pale ale doesn't disguise the alcohol as well as others. The honey and oak is interesting and differentiates from an otherwise ordinary pale ale.

Mouthfeel - smooth with medium carbonation and a medium dry finish.

Overall - the honey and oak is interesting, and sort gives a hybrid between mead and an APA but at $10 a bottle the value just isn't there to try more than once. As with many of the other one offs from LOB it's just interesting and just good enough to warrant a try and the price is not quite so high to say no to beers like this, but more times than not I've bee left feeling slightly disappointed. Probably worth a try for those who feel the same way I do.
May 18, 2015
Photo of DaveBar
Reviewed by DaveBar from Canada (ON)

3.59/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Purchased at the LCBO for $10.00 for a 750ml bottle. Served at 4deg C in a draught glass

A- Opens well and pours next to no head that films out within seconds. Medium to dark gold color and filtered clear.

S- Earthy hoppy character

T- Light peaty taste evident from the barrel aging. Almost scotch like character. Very interesting to say the least. Hops are mild and this is mainly dry hopped beer. Not very complex but refreshing

M- Dry and crisp. Not much else to say

O- Nice brew but at $10.00 takes this beer down a touch in the ratings...... Come on brewers. I know you make less money with 473ml cans but you will a lot more as this is my first and last one that I buy. Compare this versus 24 cans of 473ml that I would buy for sure it available.

Food Pairing

This pretty good brew went well with...... Whole wheat crust pizza topped with pineapple, hot peppers and pepperoni.

Enjoy
May 18, 2015