Goodbye Gravity
Imperial City Brew House

At my lady Pamela's house; canned and chilled, from the University Ave. West LCBO in nearby downtown Windsor. My first beer from the Sarnia, ON brewery.

I just bought 2 cans of this beer at the LCBO in Ontario Canada 473ml brewery in Sarnia, Ontario produced by Imperial City Brew House at 5%.
Poured into glass with a 1 finger head
It tastes like vanilla right away reminds me of vanilla coke but this is better because it's beer very enjoyable to drink this cream ale . Easy drinking
Vanilla flavored beer .
Nice looking can of an astronaut with a guitar

 

A- This is a slightly hazy (chill haze?), golden/yellow hued brew, with several columns of carbonation lumbering their way to the top. The head is white and fizzy, starting out around one finger in thickness, and eventually settling down into a wispy looking ring around the inside of the glass, and small thin patches swirling around the middle. There is not much lacing to talk about here, with only one small clingy patch of foam noticed....rather there is an oily/watery film that coats the inside of the glass. Definitely nothing to get excited about looks wise....just has that BMC vibe about it, but with more vibrant colors.

S- I definitely notice the vanilla sweetness right away, but otherwise, I get boiled corn, of which there is an admission of usage, clean rice malt, some caramel, hints of butter and an oh so slight hop bitterness on the finish. Overall this has a sweet aroma with underlying cheaper ingredients.....I've smelled better and worse brews.

T- This is actually quite tasty for what the brewery was going for! Dominated by the vanilla flavor....I'm guessing extract was used in the boil, it does show off corn mash astringency, and the finish is super clean and maybe even slightly metallic in nature. I can get around the off putting flavors, due to the sweet vanilla balance on the palate.

M/O- Light in body and the carbonation is fairly heavy, which is what I would hope for in a cream ale. It is a quaffable ale, and would do on a hot summer day....I would be able to enjoy a couple of these before moving on. Nothing special about this one, but it is a good micro 'macro'.....at least give it a try I say!

Pours a slightly hazy straw gold. With a substantial, lasting head. Dark particles are present that I assume are vanilla.

The nose is reminiscent of a traditional AAL. Corn, sweetness. There is a hint of vanilla in there too. Not very appealing.

Nondescript blonde beer on the tongue. A little light grain, a whiff of noble hops. The vanilla emerges late, and has a synthetic quality to it. Passable.

Slight creaminess in the body. Highly effervescent.

I’m thankful my wife’s friend gave this to me. But, I would never drink this twice, and would not recommend.

473 ml can served cold into a pint glass. Cost was about $3.50 CDN.

Appearance - Clear, noticeably pale golden color from the can, however seems a dark gold in the glass. A small white head is poured and fizzles out quick.

Smell - Lots of vanilla, some graininess, good intensity although that is all provided by the vanilla.

Taste - Vanilla again, plenty of sweetness, some graininess, but the sweetness is restrained and makes for a nice drinking experience.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied, crisp carbonation and smooth going down. Non-descript in both directions which works well for a cream ale.

Overall - The vanilla is prevalent and provides lots of sweetness and intensity, but is restrained enough that it doesn't completely take over the beer. Worth a try as the balancing act here is well executed.

Tallboy from the brewery; dated Nov 10 2020 and served slightly chilled. The label art is a nice tribute to Sarnia's most famous son, with Sid Meier and Kerry Fraser (boo!!!) placing second and third.

Pours a bright, clear golden-yellow colour; it's effervescent, and crowned with less than a finger of creamy white head that settles off within the next several minutes. It leaves behind a modest curtain of lace as it is reduced to a tight collar and filmy layer on the surface. Fairly subdued on the nose, with faint hints of cereal grains, grassiness and vanilla.

Not a bad little cream ale - the vanilla is used sparingly, which is definitely to its benefit. It tastes of bready pale malts, apples and honey sweetness at first, with hints of cream soda and lemon pudding towards the finish; moderately sweet aftertaste of vanilla, with suggestions of the milk left over after eating a bowl of cereal. Medium-light in body, with light carbonation that feels frothy on the palate, resulting in a velvety-smooth texture that does this beer a world of good. I found it very drinkable.

Final Grade: 3.71, a solid B grade. I am generally apprehensive of vanilla beers, but Goodbye Gravity defied those preconceptions - I think the vanilla actually adds a little bit of flair to what might otherwise be a pretty generic (albeit well brewed) cream ale. One of Imperial City's better mainline offerings: I'd likely take GG over their pils or light lager, but it'd be a coin flip between this and their CPA.

March 31 2024