Finnigan's Irish Pale Ale
Rapid Ascent Brewing Company

 

 

355ml can - still labeled as being made by the Summit Brewing Company of Calgary, who recently changed their name, for obvious reasons. Brewed at Half Hitch in Cochrane.

This beer pours a slightly hazy, medium golden yellow colour, with four fingers of puffy, rocky, and chunky off-white head, which leaves some decent snow rime lace around the glass as it slowly but surely abates.

It smells of bready and doughy pale malt, some muddled domestic citrus rind and bruised pome fruitiness, a hint of earthy yeast, and plain leafy, weedy, and musky floral green hop bitters. The taste is gritty and grainy pale malt, a minor hard water flintiness, still hard to isolate mixed fruit bowl notes, a now ephemeral yeastiness, and more laid-back leafy, herbal, and floral verdant hoppiness.

The carbonation is quite wan in its understated frothiness, the body a solid middleweight, and generally smooth, with a wee airy creamy character arising as things warm up a tad around here. It finishes off-dry, the malt graininess pretty much the only lingering concern.

Overall, this is certainly an easy-drinking, inoffensive, and well-made brew, apparently rendered 'Irish' by its straightforward simplicity. Definitely more Liam Neeson than Conor McGregor, if you will, and enjoyable all the same.