Near Shore
Lake of Bays Brewing Company

473 mL can from the LCBO; dated Mar 6 2023 and served slightly chilled.

Pours a hazy, translucent pale straw-yellow colour, generating two fingers of foamy, soapy white head that fades within three or four minutes. A few delicate swaths of lace are left in its wake, in addition to a wide, frothy collar and patchy cap - looks good so far. Mildly fragrant aroma - at least, for 2.5% - which includes citrus zest, grassy hops and tropical fruit, with suggestions of wheaty malt, flowers and berries.

It's a bit bland, but I'm inclined to cut it a break given the very low abv - the flavours that do come through are unimpressive at worst, and fairly refreshing at best. Gritty grain husks and soft wheat sweetness come through alongside hints of lemon zest and grapefruit pith. Finishes with grassy, floral hops and weak bitterness that gives way to a weakly citrusy aftertaste with hints of wet cardboard. Light in body, with aggressive carbonation that stays crisp and prickly throughout the session, adding a palate-scrubbing quality to the mouthfeel. As easy to throw back as any light lager, but the hops give it a little more personality.

Final Grade: 3.56, a B grade. Lake of Bays' Near Shore is passable for what it is, but ultra-light pale ales are honestly not of much interest to me, so I doubt I'll be drinking this again. That being said, if you're looking to cut back a little, this is a serviceable light ale that clocks in at a mere 90 calories/tallboy, and thus might be worth a look on that basis. If nothing else, it's better than their last ultra-light pale ale (Low Tide).

The rating is for what the beer was intended to be
Feb 3 2023