Morning Haze
Lake of Bays Brewing Company

I got a tall boy can of this beer from the LCBO store in Red Lake, Ontario whilst up there dropping my son off for two week hockey excursion. It poured a hazy golden with thin white ring head that is leaving some lace. The scent had bitter citrus notes. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with crisp malt base and bitter citrus presence. The mouthfeel was medium in body and had good carbonation. Overall it is a good beer.

473ml can from the LCBO. Canned May 31, 2024.

Appearance - Hazy yellowy gold color with two plus fingers of foamy white head. Great retention and lots of sticky lacing.

Smell - Coconut and apricot with some orange thrown in. Not the biggest nose but somewhat cohesive.

Taste - Coconut again, some tangerine and apricot and grape skins. Odd combination with some grape qualities but still tasty enough.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied, modest carbonation and crisp finish.

Overall - One of the better ones from LOB although the flavor combo isn't my fave, so it would be unlikely that I return to this brew.

Aug 31 2024

473 mL can from the LCBO; dated 06/02/24 and served barely chilled.

Pours a foggy golden-yellow colour, fitted with two fingers of foamy, bone white head that dissipates over the next several minutes; a snaking striped pattern of lace is imprinted onto the glass, with a frothy collar living on. The nose includes notes of tangerine, coconut, apricot and perfumey flowers, with hints of melon and banana.

It's flavourful - plenty of coconut, but there's also orange, stone fruit, honeydew melon and passionfruit. Finishes with banana, mango and sweet citrus, as well as a touch of floral hops; moderately acidic, with a tropical-fruity aftertaste that lasts for a few seconds. Medium in body, with moderately low carbonation and a fairly smooth, soft mouthfeel. One serving was enough for me.

Final Grade: 3.72, a respectable B grade. Morning Haze is a pretty strong effort from Lake of Bays - there's nothing structurally wrong with this beer, so my problems are largely preference-based. More specifically, this hazy IPA has a lot of (hop-derived) coconut flavour, and I sadly do not care for that particular aspect. Folks who enjoy that flavour should find this considerably more appealing than I did - but, putting my bias aside, I can still appreciate this for being different. It's not something I necessarily feel the need to drink again, but I'll encourage other BAs to give it a shot.