The Tragically Hip Lake Fever Lager
Big Rock Brewery

At my lady Pamela's house; canned, from my favourite The Beer Store on Goyeau St. in nearby Windsor. My first beer from this significant Toronto brewery.

From a can purchased in Sprague, Manitoba

Pours a very clear golden color. Holding it to the light, I see a small amount of carbonation rising in the glass. The head comes to 2 finger, and looks frothy. Retention isn't the greatest. Overall there's nice lacing on the glass.
The aroma is very malty, with a pleasing buttery biscuit aroma. I also get a faint hint of honey to hit my nose.
There's a nice grain bill in this beer. Grainy tasting, with the biscuit flavor, though not buttery. I do get a faint hint of a honey like sweetness on the backside.
If you're expecting an Imperial Stout body from this beer, you'd be disappointed. The body, while lighter, is still decent for the beer style.
Today is a very hot day here in central Minnesota, and it was a going to be a hot day in Sprague, Manitoba where I bought this beer this morning. I am glad I chose this one, and would gladly buy more from this brewery on my annual Northwest Angle fishing trip.

Aug 30 2025

Can from LCBO...no racking date : pours a brilliant clear deep gold with a rocky 2 finger cap....faint aromas of boiled cereal with light green apple tones and wet straw.....moderate body light malty character....flavor has the malts and hops in balance in front nice bready malts mingle with enough hop bittering to grace the palate with true lager joy.....goes to a drying finish still in balance where the hops give off a woodsy decrement....decent lager from a macro craft brewer.

473 ml can served cold into a weizen glass. LCBO purchase for around $3.00 CDN. Canned July 30, 2021.

Appearance - Clear, pale golden color with lots of bubbles. A finger or so of sparkly white head is poured and sticks around for a bit.

Smell - Grainy with some hops and a slight metallic note.

Taste - Course grains, some earthy hops, finishes with a sweet kick then a touch of metal afterwards. A touch of green pepper to wrap things up.

Mouthfeel - Medium-light bodied, crisp and assertive carbonation. Fits nicely and no complaimnts, the strength of this brew.

Overall - Passable lager with okay flavors, the metallic aspect is unpleasant and I expect better at this point from any Canadian brewer worth their salt, otherwise, satisfyingly thirst quenching and maybe worth a shot, but vastly inferior to the band that appears on this label (and I'm not even a Hip fan).

473 mL can from the LCBO; dated Jul 30 2021 and served slightly chilled.

Pours a bright, clear golden yellow colour, topped with one inch of puffy, soapy white foam that lasts for two or three minutes. A tight collar and filmy cap are left behind, in addition to a gorgeous, messy ring of lace - looks pretty good to me, but the nose is pretty bare bones: it's grainy, with hints of straw and tortilla.

A straightforward craft lager: gritty, grainy pale malts for the most part, with hints of bready sweetness, lemon rind and grassy, weedy hops rounding out the back end. Mildly leafy and grassy into the aftertaste, which trends dry. Light in body, with lively carbonation that prickles and prods the palate assertively throughout the sip; feels crisp and refreshing. This would suit me just fine as a session lager.

Final Grade: 3.58, a B grade. Lake Fever Lager is a decent, downright quaffable lager that I had no real problem with - I don't think it'll blow anyone's mind, but it's certainly a few steps above the macro alternatives. A little bit hoppier than your typical craft lager, and perhaps a bit more Euro than American - I can't find any details about which hops were used, but they're coming off as 'noble' to me. This is not a memorable beer, but it's something a could see myself drinking a sixer of next summer, while listening to some Hip tunes on the radio as I tend to my killer whale tank.