Crispy Mitts Canadian Lager
Barlow's Brewery

Poured into a Seattle Beer Week pint glass. Pours a medium golden amber with a two finger white head with good retention and lacing. Aroma of slightly grainy biscuit malt and grassy hops. Flavor is lightly grainy biscuit malt, light grassy hops; a little husky in the finish. Medium bodied with light creaminess. Picked this up to try this brewery from Vancouver although I don't drink light lagers much any more. I was intrigued by the "Canadian Lager" name. My first introduction to what a lager could really taste like was my first year at university in Montreal. The Canadian lagers like Labatt and Molson were so much more flavorful and satisfying than the ones from home below the border that I became a total beer fanatic and even started my life of ticking beers; I had a chance to try almost all breweries in Canada in the 1970's (there were a lot fewer!). After many decades and the explosion of craft beer, revisiting the old Canadian favorites was a bit underwhelming, raising the question of whether the beer had changed (Canadian breweries were bought out by multinationals, just like mass market brands in the states), or whether my tastes had changed forever. That remains a mystery, but I feel confident that this nice lager doesn't really remind me of anything I had in my youth. That being said, it is a well made and interesting lager made from Canadian malts and continental hops. The overall rustic graininess reminds me most of the Kolsch style and I think this could pass as one. Nicely done and a crisp, pleasantly flavored light lager.