Pine Creek River Valley Light Lager
Big Rock Brewery

Yet another generic brew made by big rock for a chain store. This is the liquor depot exclusive.
355 ml poured into a dimpled mug. Pours a pale straw colour with a small half finger of head that dissipates quickly and leaves virtually no lacing.
Smells very faintly if grains and not much else there.
Tastes very light with hints of grain.
Overall this is an obvious cheap light beer, you get what you pay for. To be honest I think this is the same brew that big rock uses for its other generic lights such as presidents choice and coop gold. It’s virtually identical to these.

 

So I walk into a big party, and what do I see? All three of these 'local' beers looking at me! Light, Lager, and Red! Let's do these in proper tasting order, then, eh? 355ml can, made under the Pine Creek Brewing sub-brand for the Liquor Depot chain (monopoly) of liquor stores in Alberta.

This beer pours a clear, pale golden straw colour, with a half finger of weakly foamy, and mostly just soapy off-white head, which leaves a very skinny ring of lace around the glass as it quickly evaporates.

It smells faintly of generic, semi-sweet grain, cornbread, mild pome fruit notes, a bit of acetone acridity, and some soft weedy and leafy hoppiness. The taste is quite light, as expected, with a thin pale grainy and corny malt, a wan stone fruit thing, and very subtle earthy, weedy, and herbal hops.

The carbonation is on the lower side for the style, what with its innocuous frothiness, the body light and thin, weight-wise, and smooth enough by default, yet with a wee clamminess kicking about. It finishes less than clean, with a mild, off-dry graininess.

Inoffensive, plain, meek, and just not worth a spit. But, hey, if for some reason you need a (lower-calorie) buck a beer (minimum purchase: 12, however) without the typical skunk factor, head right on down to your local soul-sucking LD emporium - post haste!