Found Bikes Ride Faster
Big Rig Brewery

 

 

473 mL can from the LCBO; dated Jun 23 2017 and served slightly chilled.

Pours foggy gold, with one finger of loose, frothy white head reduced to a soapy collar within the next few minutes; a decent swath of lace is also left behind. Looks OK, but the aroma proves more interesting - strawberry stands out ahead of citrusy grapefruit, mango and peach, with a light note of sweet cherry - it's kind of got a tutti frutti thing going on. There's also a few hints of pine needles and some bready, lightly caramelized malt sweetness.

The flavour profile follows after the nose, as bready pale malt and saccharine honey notes provide a platform for the unnamed experimental hop to strut its stuff. Strawberry and grapefruit still figure in prominently, with minor notes of apricot, orange, mango and cantaloupe carrying through to the back end, at which point the bitterness begins to assert itself in earnest. Earthy pine resin and leafy-green hop bitterness briefly dominate towards the finish, fading into a mildly fruity aftertaste. Medium body, with moderately low carbonation that gently prickles the palate; starts off with a crisper texture, but becomes smoother and softer as it warms and breathes. Well-made and pretty unique, but not exactly aligned with my pale ale flavour preferences.

Final Grade: 3.94, a B+. Found Bikes Ride Faster is an interesting pale ale that is well worth picking up - though that may have been an obvious thing to say, given that flats of it have been moving faster than an unattended bike left unlocked in front of a seedy bodega. Keep in mind that this is not an IPA - it lacks the potent, aggressive hop bitterness that you'll find in all of GLB's Tank Ten IPAs, for example - but I still find the fruity hop flavours to be novel and quite enjoyable. A pleasant diversion that I encourage all Ontario BAs to try while it remains in stock and relatively fresh.

 

 

Can: Pours a clouded pale yellow with a decent cap....fruity-floral aromas with even a bubblegum note, sweet cereals and some mustiness. Flavor is big on pit fruit them some breadiness and some pine - dry bitter finish - decent - a good drinkable Pale ale but gawd knows what they were trying to do to make it special.

Limited edition release, collaboration between big rig and glb. Hop flavour and smell up front but not much hop flavour in aftertaste. More muted but not crisp like a lager. Really enjoyed drinking this!

473 ml can served cold into a chalice. Purchased from LCBO for just over $3 CDN. Review from notes.

Appearance - hazy, pale golden strawberry color. Decent finger of head with good retention and small rings of lacing.

Smell - strawberry, mango, melon and earthy grapefruit with some additional citrus. Earthy undertones. Pretty complex stuff.

Taste - just like the nose with the citrus present but sharing the load with a hint of strawberry. Has certain things that remind me of a a slightly lesser Stone IPA.

Mouthfeel - smooth, medium bodied and drying finish.

Overall - a very well crafted APA that warrants a try and then some. One of the more enjoyable beers I've had this summer, even if a few have scored a little higher. Definitely worthy of a sampling and reminiscent of a slightly less potent, slightly less enjoyable Stone IPA.

Can from the LCBO for around $3

 

 

I really enjoyed this one. Appropriately enough, it looks and tastes like a Great Lakes product: pours a hazy light gold colour, not much in the way of malt body or sweetness, a ton of sweet and slightly astringent hop aromas and flavours. Not sure what the "experimental" hop is here, but it's got some subtle aromatic citrus and tropical fruit. If I'm being honest, it's nice to taste a Great Lakes beer that isn't completely dominated by Citra hops.

Pours hazy orange with a frothy, everlasting eggshell head. Citrusy, bitter aroma. Orange, tangerine and green tea hop flavors abound in the taste. A coarse, astringent edge to the hop profile. Grainy, sweet maltiness and jammy yeast in the back. The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with prickly carbonation. The is moderately bitter with a lingering medicinal astringent character.

An interesting IPA, but there's a flavor I can't quite pinpoint, almost like hot fermentation issues, I can't pinpoint. I think it's hop related. Still drinkable.