Dry Hopped Pale Ale
Royal City Brewing Co.

A 473ml can dated 30/04/25. Poured into a pint glass. a scant one finger fine white head on a slightly hazy gold. the head diminished to a persistent layer. Lots of fine lacing.

Lots of hop in the nose, mainly citrus. You can smell it as soon as the can is popped. The taste follows the nose. Some malts after the initial hop burst. A lingering pine-citrus finish. Low in bitterness.

Very smooth. Medium body and carbonation. Overall a pretty good American Pale Ale.

Cask Conditioned: Gold/Amber creamy head that holds well and leaves lots of lacing. Aroma citrusy earthy. Taste: thecitrus oacks enoigh punch that it is difficult to pick out the delicate fruity malt, some caramel. Interisting little hop bight in the aftertaste.

initially tasty and then creamy and ashtray. not a great ipa. on tap at c'est what. Cloudy yellow body. Almost nitro in terms of all cream, little taste.

 

Looks good. Hazy apricot colour, 1 cm head, lots of spotty lace. Fruity on the nose and to taste. Hoppy and somewhat resinous. Lots of caramel sugar - which is one of the dominating characteristics of this beer - it's very sweet. Big juicy mouthfeel. You gotta like sweet and malt to enjoy. Well made.

500 mL bottle picked up at the brewery a few weeks back, along with their other three flagship brews. The label, which is a stylized image of the covered bridge over the Speed River, kind of makes me miss living in that city. Served well-chilled.

Pours a lightly hazy orange-amber colour, producing one inch of fluffy, off-white, whipped cream-like head. Retention is quite good - it takes well over five minutes to wilt entirely, leaving behind plenty of lacing as it slowly recedes into a foamy, frothy cap and collar. Looking good so far. On the nose, I am picking up a lot of caramel and apricot, with milder notes of orange citrus, pear, and earthy pine also contributing. Approachable and appropriate for the style, though not very aromatic for a dry-hopped beer.

Nicely balanced flavour profile. Brown sugar, bready malt and toasted biscuit flavours come through at first, followed by a swift counterpoint of apricot/peach, as well as some tasty hop notes. Citrusy orange is downplayed in flavour of floral qualities, finishing up with a somewhat resiny, earthy bitterness. The aftertaste is a mixture of caramel sweetness, some light floral astringency, and some lightly-toasted maltiness. Light-medium in body, with relatively soft carbonation levels that result in a crisp, smooth feel on the palate. Definitely a potential session candidate.

Final Grade: 3.8, a solid B+. Royal City's Dry Hopped Pale Ale isn't a complex affair, but it's definitely scratching my pale ale itch effectively, and I'd happily select this one over a sizable number of the APAs that currently crowd the LCBO's shelves. It possesses a noticeable Cascade/Chinook hop bitterness, but for the most part those traits are kept well-aligned with the accompanying malt backbone and light stone fruit flavours. It's really a beer that is more than the sum of its parts. Not sure how fresh this bottle is, but it's drinking superbly - certainly something I'd keep on hand regularly if I lived in the Guelph area, but for now I'll have to just look forward to my next visit to the Royal City.