Premier George Coles Cream Ale
Prince Edward Island Brewing Company

Clear gold with a thick even white head. Fresh grassy nose is very inviting. Light malt body, delicate on the tongue. Finishes with a well-balanced crispness, inviting quaffing! This batch is 4.8% ABV.

 

 

500 ml bottle served cold into a Keith's pint glass. Purchased as part of the tasters back for under $4 CDN per bottle.

Appearance - clear bright golden color with a finger and a bit of head, but no retention. The head dissolves down into a wispy little bit on top.

Smell - floral, grassy, with a surprising amount of fruit presence. A bit of honey and caramel too.

Taste - interesting blend of honey and hops with a slight bitter almost coffee like bitterness. Very interesting and full of flavor.

Mouthfeel - smooth and velvety with soft feel and light body. Just enough carbonation for a slightly prickly mouth feel.

Overall - a very well crafted cream ale that is balanced, delicious and has a great feel. Wish I had been able to try this earlier.

 

 

 

 

Coles Cream Ale is arguably a fair bit better looking than the P.E.I. premier after whom it's named and whose picture graces the label (though, in fairness, the tiny suds of its head have nothing on his thick, bushy mutton-chops). Seemingly unfiltered, this sunset-golden complexion makes for an aesthetic beer indeed.

The aroma is marked by an ultra-biscuity, ultra-bready malt note. You'd think this brewer was initially a baker. There's also a pinch of clove as part of a spoonful of pear compote. I, personally, love this smell though admittedly it's one I normally find in beers that are long in the tooth (this one, however, is less than 5 months old).

There's something distinctive in the flavour. At first I thought fig paste, then raisin, then mushy pears. It took me a third of the bottle to put my finger on it: marmalade! Indeed, the tastes of oranges (both the dried flesh and candied peel) is a perfect accompaniment to all the fresh-baked country loaf flavour, especially on a mild August afternoon.

There's enough of those bready, biscuity notes and marmalade flavour to fit right in at an old-English ladies picnic. That being said, I can't see any beer drinkers, no matter how casual, being turned-off; this is about as agreeable as beer gets. There's not much depth or intrigue, mind you, but that clearly wasn't the purpose anyhow; this is an easy one to like.

I've never been especially enamored with Cream Ales, but I enjoyed this one more than expected. Gahan is a good brewery so this shouldn't have come as any surprise. To be sure, the standard beer geek will likely respond to Coles Cream Ale with a giant yawn, though fairweather drinkers and those who truly appreciate beer for what it is will surely find it a nice ale.

 

On tap at The Gahan House as part of the sampler.
Pours a brilliantly clear medium golden color with a smallish white head.
Aromas of light sweet bready malt and lots of butter.
Flavor follows the aroma.
Diacetyl rest would go a long way here, I'm thankful I only had to toss back 4 ounces of this stuff.

 

500 mL bottle included in a sampler picked up at the LCBO; bottled March 19 2014 and served well-chilled. Not one of my favourite styles, but in hot weather like this I certainly wouldn't turn one down.

Pours a bright, clear golden colour, topped with one finger of soapy white head. It retains cohesion for a few minutes, eventually wilting into a messy collar with a modest ring of lace. Very subtle, muted aroma without a whole lot to describe about it - grainy cereal malt sweetness, grass and wet straw. This does not bode well...

I am pleasantly surprised with the first sip, as this brew turns out to be a perfectly serviceable golden ale. It is lightly grainy, with some bready malts and honey sweetness to give the malt backbone some substance. Some lemony citrus and grassy hay notes provide a counterpoint, but the profile still finishes on the sweet side, fading from the palate after a second or two. Light-bodied, with relatively assertive carbonation that provides the bite I expect from this style. Quite drinkable, and best paired with some sort of salty snack food.

Final Grade: 3.40, a B-. Premier George Coles Cream Ale isn't a showy sort of beer, but then again cream ales aren't a showy sort of style, are they? This brew is eminently quaffable, and while I can't see it blowing away a large number of BAs, I also can't find any serious faults to complain about with this one. Passable stuff; nothing to seek out but not something to turn down if the opportunity arises.

 

 

 

500ml bottle, part of a mixed-pack called Fathers - The Gahan Series, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Charlottetown Conference of 1864, where the Fathers of Confederation mapped out the idea of what would become our nation. George Coles, the eponym of this offering, was the Premier of the Colony of PEI at the time, and a brewer by trade - coolio!

This beer pours a hazy medium golden amber hue, with four flabby fingers of puffy, densely foamy, and even a tad creamy eggshell white head, which leaves some thorough drifting continent and Pangaea webbed lace around the glass as it evenly subsides.

It smells of semi-sweet grainy and bready pale malt, a touch of toasted biscuit, mildly tart apple and pear fruit esters, white pepper, and grassy, leafy hops. The taste is biscuity, bready pale malt, a hint of honeyed caramel sweetness, a muddled orchard drupe fruitiness, mixed peppercorns, and spicy, grassy, and herbal hops.

The carbonation is definitely clear and present, but hardly a danger - it just manifests as a tight sort of frothiness, the body medium-light in weight, but solid-seeming, with an attendant, almost buttery smoothness. It finishes off-dry, sure, as all the bready, grainy goodness is duly offset by the lingering spice and hops, but not exactly overtaken.

Well, this is how cream ales should damned well taste - well malted, but with enough hops to make a serious go of it. Nothing mind-blowing, but for the style, this is quite pleasant to drink, tasty, and makes me wish that there were more of this one in the 4-pack, rather than the plain-Jane blueberry and wheat ales. Though perhaps, in their new packaging, their recipes have been agreeably tweaked as well - time will tell.

 

 

Nothing special to report. It was your average cream ale. Nice golden straw colour with a average lasting head and lacing. Good session beer but if you're looking for something distinctive I'd try the Iron Horse or the Sydney Street. Great pub thought a must see if you're in the Charlottetown area. Try the fries best i've ever had.