Vimy Lagered Ale
Vimy Brewing Company

 

 

Fantastic cream ale from Ottawa, Canada.
Not going to get into an essay here.
If it's available try it. It's not only delicious but great people behind it. Support independent brewers .

Appearance: Poured with a finger of head that produced the barest of lacing but did retain decently enough. The body is gold with a good amount of thick carbonation.

Smell: There's an odd funk to it, almost like a cross between sourdough, butter and fermenting spoiled orange juice, with maybe a bit of Apricot. The potency is there out the gate, but it's not what I would call desirable.

Taste: Thankfully it tastes better then it smells, as that buttery sourdough malt is pleasantly milder on the tongue that turns to a slight note of apple and before grassy hops round us out.

Mouthfeel: The carbonation is there and is good, helping out the whole beer. The transitioning isn't bad, although would have liked a bit more of that fruity apple then what has a predominantly grain and hops affair. The downside though is the aftertaste, it's quite dry as the hops seem to want to carry on past their time and build as you drink more.

Drinkability: Light bodied, as it should be, and refreshing but the dry note at the end rally hampers in here. It's also kind of odd for a cream ale. I mean it does hit that buttery note, but the carbonation is a bit aggressive and it seems to want to try to make that pilsner crisp snap at the end, but it doesn't quite do it. Still, I do like it's trying to do something a bit different with the style.

Final Thoughts: Vimy has been a mixed bag for me so far. I recall intensely disliking their stout and commenting about it on social media, to which their good response lead me to giving them another shot. I very much enjoyed their red ale, but this stuff. Well it's not bad, but it's not great either. I mean, Cream Ale isn't exactly the style that lends itself to excitement, so maybe that's part of it, maybe part of it is bias that when you pickup something after driving a distance you have to high an expectation of it or maybe this is just a run of the mill as a beer. Either way, it would be perfectly fine if it was local, but since it's not I'd say pass on this one if you are visiting Ottawa.

 

473 ml can served cold into a pint glass. LCBo purchase for $3.10 CDN. Review from notes.

Appearance - Clean and clear, lots of bubbles, minimal head, retention and lacing.

Smell - Some grains and clearly some apples and bread and slightly buttery.

Taste - Plenty of grains with a very mildly buttery element, apples and finally grasses. A touch perfumey on the taste.

Mouthfeel - Plenty of carbonation, creamy and very easy to drink. The highlight of this brew,

Overall - A pretty solid cream ale that I'd enjoy any time, but am unlikely to go out of my way to purchase additional stock. Worth a try from a new brewery.

473 mL can from the LCBO; dated Jul 28 2018 and served well chilled.

Pours a clear golden hue, capped off with one centimetre of smooth, creamy white head that falls apart within two or three minutes. A smooth, thin cap and collar (with the same, creamy-looking composition as the head) linger on for quite a while longer, with a decent swath of lacing also having been imprinted onto the glass. Looks fine, though I haven't got a whole lot to say about the nose - it smells sweet, with notes of cereal grain, caramelized malt and doughy bread. A bit on the buttery side, too, with hints of pear and apricot; nothing unheard of for the style.

Hmm. Tastes ok, with a malt-forward flavour that includes light notes of butterscotch and caramel interspersed amongst a backdrop of cereal grains and doughy pale malt sweetness. There's an odd note towards the tail end that reminds me of green apples; other than that, the aforementioned doughy, biscuity malt sweetness persists through to the finish, joined briefly by a flash of vaguely floral, grassy hops prior to a sweet-ish aftertaste that quickly fades. Light-medium in body, with low carbonation levels that meekly brush against the tongue; the overall mouthfeel is soft, smooth and a little slick, with a slight creaminess. Easy enough to drink quickly, and not interesting enough to savour.

Final Grade: 3.57, a passable B grade. Vimy's Cream Ale may be a plain Jane sort of beer, but that doesn't necessarily make it a bad cream ale. It checks most of the boxes associated with this style - it's a basic, straightforward refresher not meant for in-depth analysis... and yet, here I am, doing just that. I didn't mind this beer, but in all honesty, most BAs would really not be missing much by skipping this. I suppose if you really love cream ales/macro lagers, you might enjoy this one, but I doubt I'll be returning to it anytime soon.

Aug 24 2025

Golden with almost no carbonation, filtered, with a finger of white head.

Smells of malts, apples, ocean breeze, and a light funk.

Tastes of a light sourness, malts, apples, and sea breeze.

Light body, with lots of carbonation.

Got in Oakville, drinking in New Hamburg, ON.