Blue Collar Pale Ale
The Hamilton Brewery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poor head formation, didn't last or lace the glass.
A LOT of diacetyl.
Drain pour.

 

 

 

Tallboy from the LCBO; best before Dec 6 2016 and served slightly chilled. Reviewed on my phone.

Pours a crystal clear golden blonde colour, capped off with two fingers of soapy white head. It dissipates within the next five minutes or so, producing a decent quantity of lacing on its way down. Fruity aroma, with caramelized sugar and butterscotch sweetness mingling with golden raisin, apricot and some earthy, herbal hop notes.

Mellow flavours. Grain husks, bready biscuits and honey, with some butterscotch. Dried apricot and muddled citrus, with more earthy, leafy, dirty hop bitterness on the back end. The hops linger into the aftertaste, alongside some persistent malt sweetness. Light medium in body, with moderate carbonation and a crisp, smooth mouthfeel. Highly drinkable.

Final Grade: 3.54, a B grade. THB's Blue Collar Pale Ale is an inoffensive, unremarkable brew. The malt backbone is sturdy, though I could do without the butterscotch; meanwhile, the hops provide a decent counterweight of bitterness while remaining pretty ho-hum in terms of character. Structurally fine, but boring.

Pours a brilliant copper colour. The smell is sweet and hoppy as is the taste. The is a very good APA. Mouthfeel is smooth and velvetty. Overall a delicious pale ale
Nov 25 2021

473 ml can served cold into a Miller pint glass. Purchased from the LCBO for about $2.75 CDN. Excited to see a Hamilton brewery making waves with distribution at the LCBO.

Appearance - Pours a bright and clear golden colored beer. Small half finger of head rests on top of the beer and lasts for a couple minutes before subsiding. Small soapy ring around the edges of the glass stays a few minutes longer than that. Plenty of carbonation rises within. Lacing after a few sips is pretty good.

Smell - Lots of coarse grain, there's also a buttery characteristic here that's nice. Some sightly earthy hop aromas and a butterscotch finish.

Taste - Mild bitterness to start, with a honey and butterscotch combo up front too, before returning to an earthy hop flavor. Tiny bit of citrus, maybe grapefruit.

Mouthfeel - A little rough around the edges, although that's not a serious flaw. Expressive carbonation.

Overall - A fine pale ale that's full of flavor and has a nice balance of earthy bitterness and sweet butterscotch. Definitely looking forward to picking up some more of this and support the hometown brewery, while enjoying a fine ale for a good price.

 

Appearance: Poured with a solid finger and a half of head that retained quite admirably and produced a good amount of lacing. The body is a clear light bronze that showcases ample albeit thin carbonation.

Smell: Pine like hops dominate the nose with a background of butterscotch and malt with fruity notes of apple and the barest hint of stone fruit. Didn't need warming to bring out the ample scent.

Taste: Starts with a grain and caramel malt that turns to butterscotch notes with a mild fruit note as earth, pine and herbal hops that are clearly present but never get out of control with a sweet caramel malt snap at the end.

Mouthfeel: The carbonation helps out the entire body, it's a little bumpy as far as transitioning but still quite decent, the hops linger a bit longer then desired but they are thankfully fairly mild.

Drinkability: Medium bodied and the hop linger does hold it back a bit but their presence while drinking. It's decently crisp and has a nice balance to it without overpowering you. That said, I bit more complexity is desired.

Final Thoughts: A solid brew and a Pale Ale that I can see appealing both to the connoisseur and the common man but perhaps not knocking it out of the park with both audiences. It may be a bit more milder then a lot of Pale Ales I've tried, but to me that makes this one far more drinkable. A great after work beer when simple lager simply won't do.