Ball's Falls
Bench Brewing Company

Hazy dark straw glows with light from behind. The head is fluffy white, reaching three inches before leaving a catacomb within a Strangebird IIPA glass. The head slowly breaks down over five to ten minutes, leaving a smattering of lace behind.

Strong grapefruit pith alternates with fresh pine straw, while orange and pineapple come into focus as it warms.

Unfortunately, the flavor is a bit of a mess. The bitterness is high and accentuated by dryness. Strong citrus pith and pine tar compete for the duration. The finish is strong, a bit harsh, and lingering.

It has a medium to light body and coarse nylon texture. The carbonation is modest, while astringency and alcohol far exceed expectations.

Others would probably enjoy this beer more than I. It was brewed for a cause (Preservation of the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere "Ball's Falls"). I paired it with a Vermont Brie, which was okay, although the funky cheese would be better with a Saison. Thanks to Dave.

Pours a small amount of foam. Very small amount of lacing left behind. Color is straw yellow with a slight orange tinge.
Bold on the aroma of some classic IPA smells, so there's pineapple, mango, lemon etc.
A little hazy and a small amount of yeast floating around.

Now for the best part of this beer.
Taste is good and gets some come back points because of it.
I wouldn't say its bitter but you still get some of that hop floral taste to it alongside light citrous zest.
I'm getting more lemon on this one than other IPA's I've had. The hops they use must be something like Cashmere to get a lemon forward flavor instead of orange and grapefruit, but who knows and I'm probably wrong. Either way it's a good beer and any fans of IPA's would enjoy this one. Just don't expect a West Coast Chinook style IPA.

At my lady Pamela's house; canned and chilled, 473mL. From my now-favourite LCBO at Tecumseh Mall in nearby Windsor. My third beer from the Beamsville, Ontario brewery, and first for 2025.

Pours a bright yellow. Very citrusy bouquet. Upon the tongue, sharp citrus notes of lemon …a bit of grapefruit. Not complex or overly exciting, but a nice palatable sipper with a friendly ABV.

 

L: Nearly opaque light yellow, lots of bubbles, a thin covering of head and later lots of lacing
S: Mild fruity smell with hints of peach and citrus, faint woodsy spiciness
T: Similar to the smell. Alright flavour that is not too much of anything and a bit watered down. Stonefruit and citrus with notes of melon and pear with light bready hops and a touch resiny. Mild bitterness.
F: Light and fluffy foamy feel with a nice amount of carbonation, also a touch oily and dry
O: I wrote this review before reading the description and it was completely spot on. It's a good beer but strangely watery and not really my favourite flavour profile. I liked it less on my second try.

Poured with a loose foamy head, and a pale hazy colour. The slight fruity aroma was followed by a fruity freshness to the beer, without being overpowering fruity. Drinks light and easy, a good summer beer.

 

 

16 ounce can into tulip glass, canned on 5/23/2019. Pours moderately hazy/cloudy medium golden yellow color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and fluffy white head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice dense spotty foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a good amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big tangerine, red grapefruit, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, mango, honeydew melon, blueberry, citrus peel/rind, wood, peppercorn, pine, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of citrus/fruity/tropical/fairly earthy hops and moderate pale/wheat malt notes; with big strength. Taste of big tangerine, red grapefruit, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, mango, honeydew melon, blueberry, citrus peel/rind, wood, peppercorn, pine, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. Light-moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, woody, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of tangerine, red grapefruit, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, mango, honeydew melon, blueberry, citrus peel/rind, wood, peppercorn, pine, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/fairly earthy hops and moderate pale/wheat malt flavors; with a fantastic malt/bitterness balance, and no lingering hop astringency after the finish. Fairly crisp/clean finishing. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness and carbonation. Medium-high carbonation and light-medium body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/grainy, fairly sticky, and lightly resinous/rindy mouthfeel that is fantastic. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 4.5%. Overall this is an outstanding session IPA. All around awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/fairly earthy hops and moderate pale/wheat malt flavors; very smooth, refreshing, and fairly crisp/clean to drink with the mellowly bitter/drying finish. Awesomely soft feel, and not aggressive. Flavorful and not watery for the ABV. Tastes like 100% Simcoe, maybe some Columbus as well. Very juicy, vibrant, and fairly dank/earthy hops; with a great clean pale/wheat malt backbone for the ABV. Mild residual sweetness with crisp dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and outstanding session style example.

Appearance - Pours a hazy gold with two fingers of frothy white head.

Smell - citrus and tropical hops, orange and citrus peel, pineapple, apricot, bready malts, and earthy yeast.

Taste - mild citrus and tropical tropical hops. The orange and citrus peel, pineapple, and apricot get lost in translation. The bready malts and earthy yeast round out the brew.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Finishes crisp and dry with the hops and fruits lingering.

Overall - An IPA that started off on the right foot but the flavour gets lost in translation. It's a shame because this brew had some promise with the aroma.

 

 

Hazy pale gold with a good head. Pleasant citrus hop nose. Light ISA body with mild citrus finish. Nice and light.

All and all a fine beer here. Poured as a sampler at the brewery. Golden hay with small collar offers rich nose and smooth fruity finish.

Another Canadian tall boy can (473 ml). This one is pretty good actually with lemon citrus flavor. I gave it an extra quarter point on looks because the can reminds me of my college GB drinking days. That's Generic Beer, which used to be sold in a white can with BEER on the label.

 

Can from LCBO - pours pale straw yellow with a slightly frothy generous head. Aromas of citrus a bit of resin. Flavours of lemon rind. Light and refreshing