Jordan Harbour
Bench Brewing Company

Cloudy gold with a large loose head. Citrus hop nose, a little earthy. Light malt body, some dryness. Good crispness.

 

Jordan Harbour is a pale amber color, with faint copper highlights and a very slight haze. Thin streams of CO2 support a cloudy white head with good retention.

My first sniff gives an intriguing combination of caramel malt, Belgian funkiness, and ripe fruit. Spicy, Belgian funkiness leads the charge with ripe orchard fruit following close behind. Orchard fruit smells to me like a combination of pear and some pitted fruit like nectarine, maybe. Beneath all this is the faint whiff of caramel, helping hold the whole thing together.

On the tongue Jordan Harbour is medium bodied and smooth. Carbonation is gentle and palate cleansing. Again, that spicy Belgian funkiness leads the charge with other flavors coming in close behind. First up after that Belgian character is a gentle caramel sweetness, keeping that funk from overpowering the palate. Flavors of ripe orchard fruit follow close behind before moving into a crisp, dry finish.

It's flavorful, has a nice character to it and has an overall balance. I think Jordan Harbour very well walks the line between accessable, and having lots of flavor and character. It would be very easy for a beer like this to be too much for one to enjoy, but I could easily enjoy Jordan Harbour by the pint and more than once at a time.

 

I bought a can at the lcbo in Ontario 473ml can at 5.2% poured a 2finger head into glass very nice look hazy golden color that leaves a lace as you drink
October 22 2020 brew date on can so very fresh taste is sweet malts and wheat bread with a medium bitterness very little grapefruit
overall an excellent beer and yes would buy this beer again
cheers

473 mL can from Superstore; dated Mar 9 2020 and best before Sept 9 2020. Served at cellar temperature.

Pours pale golden yellow with a hazy, translucent complexion; it's topped with one finger of foamy white head that settles off within a few minutes' time, leaving behind a creamy collar and filmy cap. Not much lacing initially, but as the level drops it does deposit a fair bit. Yeasty on the nose, with notes of bubble gum, lemon, apple skin and orange peel, as well as hints of bready, wheaty malts, floral hops and clove spiciness. It's certainly on point for the style.

An easy-drinking Belgian-style pale ale - bready, wheaty malt sweetness provides a subtle backdrop, as flavours of lemon, orange, apple and pear mingle together by mid-sip. Hints of bubble gum, pink grapefruit and stone fruitiness develop soon after, with the finish including a modest note of clove spice, as well as some grassy, floral hops that impart a gentle bitterness on the back end. The aftertaste isn't quite dry, but it's leaning in that direction. Light-medium in body, with moderately low carbonation and a smooth, soft, pillowy mouthfeel. I found this surprisingly refreshing and thirst-quenching, even though I served it with no chilling whatsoever.

Final Grade: 4.05, a worthy A-. Bench's Jordan Harbour is a pretty darn good brew, managing to pack quite a range of flavour into its svelte 5.2% frame: there's orchard fruity esters, citrus zestiness, light yeast spiciness as well as an understated hoppiness. It's nothing too exciting, but it's put together very well, with all of its elements being totally complementary. I enthusiastically recommend this to any BAs who might appreciate a mellow, lighter Belgian-style ale.

Pours gold in colour with a nice head and bubbles floating to the surface. The smell has the distinct Belgian aroma to it. The flavour is a little weak for my expectations, and this is a surprise to me coming from this brewery. Mouthfeel is nice, with a little tickling of the tongue. Overall pretty good, but I’ve had better
Mar 3 2022

473 ml can served cold into a Spencer trappist glass. LCBO purchase for around $3.25 CDN. Looks to be canned January 30, 2020.

Appearance - Hazy golden color. Beautiful two fingers of white head that do last for a while. Enormous amount of sticky white lacing.

Smell - Earthy aromas, some Belgian style yeast and a little funk. Orchard fruits like pears and apple skins feature prominently. Herbal qualities as well. Fruity esters. Some clove in there as well.

Taste - Earthy with some fruit, think peach and plum with some pears thrown in for good measure and tiny bit of grapefruit pith to round things out. Bready and doughy as well. Clove shows in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel - Carbonation is fairly intense although less than some in the style and the finish is off-dry. Body is medium, a little more full than many in it's weight class.

Overall - Jordan Harbour is a pleasure to drink, easy going, lots of traditional Belgian flavors and aromas, (orchard fruits, bread, yeast). Well worth a try and a good example of the style. I look forward to enjoying this again.

Appearance - Pours a copper with four fingers of frothy white head.

Smell - biscuity malts, spicy phenols, pear, grapefruit peel, pepper, clove, spicy herbal and floral hops, and earthy yeast.

Taste - biscuity malts, spicy phenols, pepper, and clove upfront. The spicy herbal and floral hops come through next. The grapefruit peel, pear, and earthy yeast round out the brew.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Finishes smooth with the malts and spicy phenols lingering.

Overall - A highly sessionable Belgian Pale Ale that delivers on flavour and taste. A pleasant brew from this Southern Ontario brewery.