Spread Eagle
Whitewater Brewing Company

473 mL can from the LCBO, included in Whitewater's winter mixed pack. Dated Sept 21 2023 and served slightly chilled.

Pours clear and effervescent, its pale golden-hued body graced with more than two fingers of puffy, foamy white head. It lasts for a little more than five minutes, slowly whittled down to a patchy cap and a thick, sudsy collar; plenty of beautiful, messy lace is flung about in the process. Fruity aromas of passion fruit and guava, with hints of peach juice, pineapple, lactic/yogurt acidity and crackery, wheaty pale malts.

It tastes fine - nothing to get excited about, but it's an acceptable DHS. I'm getting passion fruit, white peach, pineapple and grainy wheat, with hints of lemon and lactic acidity bringing up the rear; maybe a twinge of armpit funk in the aftertaste, which dries quickly. Light in body, with crisp carbonation that prickles and agitates the surface of the tongue - the mouthfeel is frothy and smooth, comparable to a fountain soda. Where this beer excels is drinkability - its lively mouthfeel and restrained sourness make for a very refreshing and eminently quaffable sour ale.

Final Grade: 3.69, a B grade. Whitewater's Spread Eagle probably isn't a beer I'd look for again, but if I were in the mood for a non-fruited sour ale then I suppose I could do worse. The dry hop flavours are nice enough, and the level of acidity/sourness is just about right for a dry hopped sour - or at least, where I prefer it to be. Other than those two points in its favour, however, there's very little worth noting here - and their Down Stream DHS, from early last year, was better IMO. Works fine as sampler pack filler... I'd take this over another light/pale lager.

Oct 21 2023