American Pale Ale (El Dorado & Citra)
Burdock - Kensington Market

Hazed pale golden colour, one finger of white head and some good lace. Smell has a huge tropical fruit, pineapple, grapefruit and orange, light malty notes. Taste is fruity and dry, moderate bitterness but not too much going on otherwise, lightly bready finish and a fruity aftertaste. Medium carbonation, light bodied. A bit unimpressed by this, it is drinkable but a bit thin and lacking any clear flavour profile.

A good display of el dorado hop. Only a spot of dank, beating marketing writeup. Very decent. Some lace. Hop aroma.On tap at the source. One of the better ones of this series.

Bottle from the brewery. Served in a Bellwoods tulip.

A - White foam settles to a partial cap, chunky collar, and specks of lacing. Hazy peach body.

S - If the last weekend taught me anything, it's that I'm kind of indifferent to El Dorado hops. While some people have labelled it as 'fruity', to me there is a rotten and synthetic quality to it - like sweetened fruit juice that has spoiled. This isn't Burdock's fault per say, but it's hard for me to get super excited. In any case, a mix of Jolly Rancher and citrus here, with some sweet malts to back it up.

T - The taste is more enjoyable to me, with more leafy bitterness and citrus and less overripe watermelon and mango. Pretty balanced on the whole, with no obvious alcohol.

M - Feel is quite nice; medium body with pleasant carbonation and no obvious alcohol. Texture is a bit grainy, with a dry, crisp, finish.

D - It's well executed, but not a flavor combination that I really love. Still, a pretty easy drinking pale ale; split a bottle with buddy at the end of a work day with no difficulty. Curious if there is another hop that can pair with El Dorado to mitigate some of the less appealing notes.