Toothless Prospector
Situation Brewing

Excellent and very uncommon... common

 

1L howler from the brewpub - they denote this as a 'Canadian Common', in an ode to the original style, though made with local ingredients. Good name for this kind of brew, I gotta admit!

This beer pours a clear, dark copper amber colour, with three fingers of puffy, loosely foamy, and well bubbly off-white head, which leaves some random, streaky, and coral atoll-like lace around the glass as it lazily sinks away.

It smells of crackery and slightly biscuity pale malt, estery yeast, muddled dry citrus rind, wet ash, red apple skin, and some laid-back earthy, weedy, and dusty hoppiness. The taste is gritty and grainy pale malt, a touch of biscuity caramel, still wayward yeast (it's the style, give it a break - or not), mixed and matched citrus and pome fruity notes, some damp campfire ashiness, and further leafy, earthy, and gently floral hop bitters.

The bubbles are fairly restrained in their timid yet resourceful frothiness, the body a solid medium weight, and mostly smooth, just a twinge of estery smoke (?) marring the proceedings here. It finishes off-dry, barely, as the complex maltiness cedes a bit more control to the lingering, yet equally fading hops.

Overall, a fairly well-made version of the style, in that it doesn't inspire in me the yearning for something (anything) else - looking at you, Anchor Steam! Crisp, engaging, and surprisingly unlike the establishment from whence it came - just sayin'.